now and growing steadily worse. He was becoming someone he didn’t even recognize.
The boardwalk was busy this time of night. Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and tried not to look at Emery’s as he passed. Her store was closed. A familiar ache flared in his chest at the sight of her name on the signage and he glanced away. For some stupid reason, he’d started coming back into her place for his morning coffee.
When he was around her, Jack didn’t feel so angry. It soothed him for the few minutes he got to see her. And she still blushed when he came in. God, he was addicted to seeing that blush. There was no denying it.
Shaking his head at himself, he didn’t look at Cooper’s at all.
His best friend was getting married at the end of summer, to the right woman this time.
And Jack wouldn’t be the best man.
He wouldn’t even get an invite.
The loss cut deep.
Too deep to contemplate.
Right at that second, when he needed it most, a blond-haired angel came in the form of distraction.
Emery.
Jack’s steps slowed as he watched her walk out of Antonio’s with an ice-cream cone in her hand. She wore a dress like the one he first saw her in. Spaghetti straps, long, all the way down to her feet, made of a clingy material that left nothing to the imagination.
Emery Saunders really had the sweetest ass he’d ever seen.
Obviously, she had no idea what she did to a man looking the way she did in a dress like that.
Need, hot and heavy, flooded his groin, and Jack swallowed a grunt of irritation.
She still made him feel like a teenager.
Blissfully unaware of her effect, Emery leaned against the boardwalk railing and licked at her cone as she gazed out at the water.
“Fuck me,” he muttered, his footsteps taking him to her without his permission.
Then suddenly, there was a guy beside her, and Jack slowed to a stop.
Was Emery seeing someone?
A knifelike pain cut through his chest at the thought.
Until he realized Emery had jolted away in surprise. And the guy was now holding out his hand for her to shake.
Who the fuck was this guy?
Jack walked faster now.
His eyes narrowed as Emery used her free hand to tentatively shake the man’s.
As he grew closer, he saw her cheeks were flushed but she wasn’t smiling, and she was holding her body away from this stranger. Her body language screamed “back off,” and this guy wasn’t getting it.
Jack’s pounding heart leapt when Emery caught sight of him and her eyes widened.
“You okay?” he demanded, coming to a stop beside her. He faced the guy.
He was a little shorter than Jack. Definitely younger. Way younger, in fact. He looked like he might still be in college. And he had that good-looking, preppy thing going on that made Jack curl his lip in annoyance.
The young guy shoved his hands in his shorts pockets and stared unintimidated at Jack.
“This guy bothering you?” Jack asked Emery.
She opened her mouth to answer, but the kid beat her to it.
“I wasn’t bothering her. I was introducing myself.” His dark eyes moved to Emery. “I couldn’t not introduce myself to such an angel.”
Even though Jack had attributed the same description to Emery, he snorted in derision at the compliment.
“Move along, pal.”
“Apologies.” The tourist nodded his head in an old-fashioned kind of gesture. “I didn’t realize the lady was spoken for. Have a good night.” He wandered casually back into Antonio’s.
“You okay?” Jack turned to Em. His chin jerked back in shock at her expression.
She was glowering.
Like full-on, appeared to want to rip off his head glowering at him.
Shit.
Without a word, Emery strode away, her strides inhibited by the tight, clingy dress. She dumped her half-eaten cone in a trash can and tried to hurry away.
Fuck.
Jack jogged after her. “What did I do?”
That blush of hers reached right down to her cleavage, something Jack was trying very hard not to notice. Especially since she was pissed at him and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. She shot him an incredulous look as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. There were new piercings along her cuff. He wondered when she’d gotten those. “You … what did you do?” she huffed in exasperation.
“I thought I was helping you out. I thought that tourist was bothering you. I know you’re shy, Em … I know you’re uncomfortable around strangers.” That, and I was jealous as hell.
“You don’t know me,” she hissed,