Layers Crossed (28 page)

Was it
possible that Hunter had done for me what I’d done for him and
Grace a year earlier? I had known him most of my life. I knew the
moment he told me of the trouble my best friend was in that, Grace
would be the perfect woman for him.

Hunter was
right. I
had
lost myself in work and obnoxiously pointless
dates I knew would never lead to anything serious. Eric was the
first person I’d met who was able to hold my attention with one
look. He was the one who healed my heart and helped me completely
get over my loss.

“So you really
never told my brothers about Eric and me, you know, maybe ending up
together?”

“Are you
kidding? Do you think they’d have given you the case if they’d
known the truth? I told them what they needed to know, skipping the
part about how women fell on their knees for him and how perfect he
was for you. I wonder if they’re doing so again, now that he’s
obviously back on the market.”

I knew what he
was trying to do, and it was working. The idea of Claire – or
anyone else – hanging on Eric’s arm was beginning to turn my
stomach. Or maybe it was the tequila. And no, had they known, my
brothers would never have given me the case. They’d think they were
pimping me. Was that why they were so insecure at that first dinner
with Eric? Because they’d realized we had the kind of connection
they feared?

I breathed
out, softening my eyes at Hunter.

Maybe I had
been too harsh with him. “For what it’s worth, thank you. But I’m
still mad.”

“You’re
welcome. And I like you mad. It gives you an edge.” He winked,
kissing Grace on her cheek before he went to chat with one of the
barmen.

I tried to
swivel back on the stool to get another shot I had lined up on the
bar, and almost fell off my seat.

“Oh, honey.
How many of those have you had?” Grace lowered her hand to
mine.

“Not enough,”
I said.

“Then I have a
lot of catching up to do.” She took one of my shots and threw her
head back, immediately sucking on a lemon.

“Shit, I
haven’t had tequila in a while. Please tell me it gets better.” She
took another one as if she wanted to wash the first one down.

I laughed. “It
does. After a few, you stop feeling them.”

And like only
a true friend would, Grace took a third one. She’d laugh with you,
cry with you, and drown your sorrows when there was a need in a
bottle of tequila without caring that she’d be hugging the
porcelain king later in the night. Grace threw another shot that
shook through her body like she was a wet dog drying off.

“Ok, fill me
in on what happened, before these toxins take over my brain.”

I went through
my story, giving her all the details, sparing her the dangerous
part of John Huntz.

The club began
filling up. The lights dimmed and music sounded. The strength of
the bass vibrated through my body, and I wanted nothing more than
to lose myself to the songs. From the corner of my eye I saw Hunter
sitting at the bar, chatting with someone and scrolling through his
phone. He’d been keeping his eye on us the entire time, which I
guess was more for Grace’s benefit than mine. He’d always been very
protective of my friend.

“I haven’t
seen you this distraught in a long time, Em. In fact, you look like
me when I’m upset at Hunter.”

“I don’t
follow.”

She thought
for a moment, swaying on her legs. “You know what?” she screamed
over the music. “I don’t think I follow me either. But if I love
Hunter when you get that look on your face, then you must love Eric
because that’s the look I have.”

Grace was
definitely drunk.

We both burst
out laughing and each grabbed another waiting shot.

“We want to
dance now!” I could barely hear my voice over the loud music.

“Then we
dance!” She pulled on my arm and squeezed through the crowd toward
the center of the overpopulated dance floor. The smell of booze and
sweat no longer bothered me.

I moved to the
rhythm of music, at least I thought I was doing so. Everyone around
me appeared to be moving in slower motion. But maybe it was the
alcohol – actually I was sure the tequila was the cause for my
twirling world. But it felt so good not to think about anything, to
get lost to the sound and the words of the song I couldn’t make
sense of. Oh, God, I’d definitely be paying for drinking so much in
the morning. I lifted my hands above my head, snapping my fingers
to the beat, weaving my hips from side to side, absolutely
hypnotized. My veins were warmed by the buzzing alcohol in my body
as I grazed first against one guy, then another, and all the
tension I’d felt earlier in the night disappeared. Soon, Hunter
made his way over to us. He took Grace’s hips, grinding against
her, kissing her neck, and nibbling on her ear. Looking at them I
missed Eric too much, so I turned around and fell into the arms of
a handsome man with dark auburn eyes. They shined almost like gold
as lights flashed above us, and the more I looked, the more
familiar they became.

He gently took
my hand and spun me around, only to catch me against his hard chest
when I lost my balance and giggled. Now that I had a closer look at
him, I found him to be much more than handsome. He was gorgeous.
Not my type, but definitely a ten on the Richter scale because I
swear I thought the ground had just moved underneath us. He pulled
his fingers through his long hair that curled just over the collar
of his well-fitted t-shirt and gave me a sexy crooked smile that
had the strength to burn my entire body. His eyes seeped lust, and
I knew there was only one thing on this man’s mind – but for the
life of me, it had slipped my mind what it was.

“Hello, Emma,”
he said.

I searched my
brain for the familiar voice.

“Cash? Cash
Wagner?”

“Ah, you do
remember,” He spun me around and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Are
you here alone?”

How could I
had forgotten one of Grace’s brothers.

“Nope. Grace
and her boyfriend.” I pointed to the pair, but his gaze remained
fixated on me.

“You look like
you’re celebrating tonight.”

I wasn’t sure
how my hips got into his hands or how my arms found themselves
around his neck, but it felt good to be held. It felt amazing to
let go of the stress and for once not think about anyone else
around me. After all, that’s how others thought of me, right? I was
a selfish brat, according to some people, so I might as well play
the part and forget about the number of people I’d helped through
failed marriages and relationships, the hours I’d put in at Cross
Enterprises.

“I’m
celebrating me.” I stepped up on my toes so that he could hear me
without realizing that he’d already lowered his head to hear me.
Our mouths were so close I could smell the sweet scent of rum on
his breath, overpowering the tequila taste lingering in my mouth.
My heart stilled.

“You’re a
dangerous man, Cash Wagner.”

Cash lowered
his body, pulling me closer. His fingers skimmed against my bare
spine. The blouse I’d worn tonight draped down to my ass at the
back.

“I thought you
liked danger,” he replied. “But I’m not the man you knew a year
ago, Emma.”

Wasn’t he?
From what I remembered, all four of Grace’s brothers were pure
scum, hiding behind their daddy’s name. My head hurt. I didn’t want
to think about the Wagner family. I needed a break.

“Let me prove
you wrong, Emma Cross. Let me celebrate you as well.”

“Then dance
with me until the morning,” I breathed heavily into his ear, my
hands holding onto his biceps, feeling those ripped muscles bunch
underneath my palms. God were they ever hard!

“As you wish.”
Cash dipped me back so low I thought my boobs were going to fall
out of my bra. Thank goodness for fabric tape. When he brought me
back up we were pressed against each other, swaying to the rhythm
which I wasn’t even sure was slow. He held me in my spot with that
hypnotizing dark gaze of his, and I felt a slight tug of guilt in
my stomach. He must have sensed my discomfort because his grip
eased and his genuine and utterly megawatt smile eased my concern.
We were just two people having fun, right? And I needed some fun. I
wasn’t stupid, though. I knew Cash was probably out tonight looking
to score. My thought disappeared when he spun me around, holding me
from behind, every inch of his fulfilling curve pressing
deliciously against my back. The evening was about me – for once,
all about me.

I let Cash
lead me through the motions, yielding to his dips and succumbing to
his turns. Cash had some smooth moves, always holding me close,
never losing contact. We stopped by the bar a couple of times for a
few more shots. Since I trusted that Kendra had Matt looking out
for me, I knew that he’d drive me home when there was a need.
Besides, Hunter would never let me leave with a total stranger,
especially Cash Wagner. It surprised me he hadn’t ripped me out of
Cash’s arms yet. I shook my head, letting the tequila wash away all
those responsible thoughts that were flooding my mind. Tonight was
all about fun.

After the last
shot I was beginning to cross that border from a good buzz to
completely wasted, and was running a chance of not remembering most
of this night. As I moved past the crowd toward the center of the
dance floor, pulling Cash behind me, I thought I saw Eric’s face
flash between the dancers, but when I tried to find him again, I
couldn’t. I shook off the paranoia that he’d somehow know what I
was up to and kept swinging my hips to the rhythm, slightly
grinding against Cash. He obviously liked it because he hadn’t left
my side since I bumped into him. Yet the guilt tugging at my
insides hadn’t left me for a moment. Deep down I knew that had Eric
seen this, he wouldn’t have liked it; and then I felt bad for Cash
who definitely had hope, but there was no way I’d leave the club
with him. But I didn’t want to think about serious stuff at the
moment. It was so rare for me to let go, and I wanted nothing more
than to stay this way – oblivious to life and to the deep calling
of my name far in the distance. The room spun like a Ferris wheel.
The lights blended into one another, forming a prism of colors in
the air. An aerial dancer flew right over my head making me laugh
out loud.

“Maybe we
should slow down, Emma?” Cash had a concerned look on his face. Why
was he worried? I was fine, just fine.

“Maybe I
should slow down so you can catch me.” And I felt my knees give out
from underneath me as I fell back into a black hole behind me,
before my world was swallowed by darkness.

C
HAPTER
26

When the phone
rang and I saw the New Jersey area code, I nearly jumped out of my
pants. I’d been pulling my hair out since the day Emma had left,
calling her dozens of times and sending her a few messages each
day; all had gone without an answer. I’d ruined the one chance I’d
had to be with her, and now, unshaved and stinking like a fucking
wet dog – I was simply lost without her and couldn’t bring myself
to do anything other than work and eat. Sleep only came when I
passed out from exhaustion. And that was when I wasn’t at my
parents, easing their worries and double checking the locks every
night.

“Emma?” I
asked, full of hope, my body shaking with pure need to hear her
voice.

“No, it’s
Julian.”

I pulled my
fingers through my hair again, shutting my eyes. “What can I do for
you, Julian?”

“You can tell
me why my sister is upset, refuses to talk to us, and is drinking
obsessively. Eric, she’s worse than when we hired you. What the
fuck did you do to that girl?”

I sighed
heavily, wondering whether honesty was the best policy. It had to
be in this case. If her brothers wanted what was good for her, then
they’d help me get to her, because I was it. I knew this deep in my
heart. I couldn’t live without her, and I was sure she felt the
same way about me – she had to.

“Emma and I
became closer than I thought we would.”

The grunt on
the other side of the line vibrated against my ear. Something
smashed in the background. “Did you sleep with my sister?”

“With all due
respect, that’s a bit private.”

“You fucking
did! I swear to God, Eric, if you hurt her, I will personally
castrate you.”

“I love her,
Julian. All right? I fucking love her with all that I am, and I
screwed it all up when I went behind her back and took this job. So
if there’s anyone to blame for this, it’s you guys. If you hadn’t
asked for my help, I would have met her at that strip club the way
I was supposed to and started off on the right foot instead of with
a bunch of lies.”

“As I recall,
it was you who needed our help,” he replied.

“That was just
a bonus. You know damn well I could have gone with any other
agency. But I promised Hunter, and I am not someone to break a
promise.”

“Wait, you met
her where?”

“Look, it
doesn’t matter. I didn’t know she was your sister. Is she all
right?”

“I don’t think
so. Right now I’m watching her drown her sorrows in tequila and
grind against a guy I’m pretty sure is thinking he’s getting lucky
tonight. Come to think of it, all the ladies are jealous that
Emma’s stealing his attention. He’s quite into her, if you ask me.
From what I know he’s quite the bachelor. A rich bachelor. I doubt
there are many places of Emma’s skin left for him to discover
because the way his fingers are skimming her curves – he’s
definitely hoping to get lucky.”

“Get that
fucker’s hands off her!” I barked.

“If you really
feel that way about her, why don’t you do it yourself? The jet’s
already waiting for you at the airport.”