Drawn to You: Volume 3 (5 page)

Emily

My head is still swimming with the heat of Tristan’s words as I rush across the deck of the ship to find my place back at the fire pit. Anxiety gnaws at me with the possibility that my absence hasn’t gone unnoticed. Disappearing off with Tristan probably wasn’t the best idea, but then again, it’s not like I had much of a choice. I couldn’t have stopped him even if I wanted to.

I’m half way across the deck when I run into a set of broad, muscular shoulders. The impact nearly knocks me off my feet, but a set of warm hands capture me as I stumble. The darkness of the night around us shields his body, but against the moonlight, I can just make out Tyler’s smile.

“Whoa, there you are!” he exclaims.

It takes me several minutes to untangle myself from his grip. He reluctantly lets go after what seems like an eternity. Shit. If Tristan sees us now, he’s really going to throw him overboard. I bite back a laugh at the memory of Tristan’s face when I said I might like Tyler.

“What are you smiling at?” Tyler asks.

“Oh, nothing.”

He looks down at me with curiosity as I take a step back several inches away from him. I watch him as he buries his hands in his pockets and awkwardly smiles at me. I haven’t known Tyler for very long, but his expression tells me there’s definitely something on his mind.

“So, do you want to go somewhere we can talk… privately.”

Privately? The word screams SEX. Being on a yacht in the middle of the ocean is just as private as you can get. No, I get the feeling Tyler’s idea of privacy is a lot different from mine.

“I’m going to bed,” I announce.

I feign tiredness, but his expression tells me he isn’t buying it.

“So soon?”

Disappointment shows in his eyes as he studies my face. Only minutes ago, we were sitting so close he could kiss me without even trying. Now, I’m all too anxious to leave and put as much distance as I can between us. I don’t want to mess things up with Tristan since getting him to agree to talk was probably the biggest step for us.

“Do you want company?” he smiles.

This is definitely not the impression I meant to give Tyler when I invited him out today.

“I’m exhausted. I think I soaked up too much sun,” I lie.

Waves break on the side of the boat as an awkward silence falls between us. There’s a strange look of anger behind his expression. The easy smile he once had is replaced with a tight-lipped frown.

“Goodnight, I guess.” He waits several seconds for me to say something before turning and walking away. I watch as his figure slowly fades into the night.

Ceci’s bright blue eyes pop into view as she steps in front of my bedroom quarters. I watch her pensive face as she watches me unpack my toothbrush from my overnight bag. God, I hope she brought her own toothbrush and isn’t looking to borrow mine. Gross.

“What are you doing?” Ceci asks.

“Getting ready to go to bed.”

She strides over and pulls me to the side like she’s my mother ready to discipline me. She tosses her thick brown hair as she stares at me with an impatient look. I know that look. It’s the ‘
you fucked up big time
’ look. The only difference is—it’s extra bitchy because she’s been drinking, the alcohol permeating the air around us.

“Why are you going to bed so early?” she asks.

“I’m tired.”

“Seriously? You have a hot tattooed bartender who wants to fuck your brains out across the hall. For the past thirty minutes, he’s been blabbing on and on about how stunning you are.”

I blush at the compliment.

“He’s really nice, but I’m just not into him.”

“Liar. I totally saw you with him earlier. You were leading him on.”

A sliver of guilt makes its way into my chest. She’s right. I was definitely leading Tyler on, something I would normally never do. In fact, I was using him to piss off Tristan, which to my surprise, worked perfectly.

“He’s really nice, but there’s no chemistry there.”

She snorts in amusement as she rolls her eyes at me. It doesn’t take her long to get distracted by another subject entirely.

“What were you talking to Tristan about?”

My nerves jump at her question. She stares at me with a curious look as I begin to brush my teeth over the bathroom sink.

“Nothing. We were just talking about a new piece he’s working on,” I mumble.

The lie easily rolls off of me.

Whether she believes me or not, I’ll never know as her face gives nothing away. She grabs my hairbrush from the sink and combs it through her hair. A streak of irritation runs through me as I watch her tackle her split ends realizing Ceci is always taking things that don’t belong to her. Maybe she’s always been like this, and I’ve never noticed until now.

“Hey, can I borrow your phone?” she asks, before grabbing my cell.

“Uh, sure, what for?”

“I think I’m going to call Augie and see how he’s doing.”

A strange sensation filters through my chest as she grabs my cell and scans through my contacts. Despite my better judgment, I leave her with it and head to bed. Sleep comes easily as I lay back and dream of Tristan. My thoughts float to the hungry look on his face as he cornered me on the deck. I replay the image over in my head until the last thing I see are his hazel eyes reaching out to me.

Tristan

I’m pissed drunk by the time I get back to my bedroom.

After drinking nearly ten beers with Nicholas, I’m surprised I was even able to make it all the way downstairs to the lower compartment of the yacht. I stumble into my room, acutely aware of how close Emily’s bedroom is to mine. My cock stirs at the possibilities that run through my mind. I could sneak into her room and wrap her around me.

No, I’m far too wasted.

My cock disagrees, but my mind is far too fuzzy to fight it.

To my satisfaction, Tyler’s room is on the other end of the hall. Far enough that he would have to pass my room to see her. There’s no way in hell I’m letting him sneak into her room. I prop open my door giving me the perfect view of Emily’s door. If anyone is trying to sneak by, I’ll know. I switch off my bedroom light and then fall back on my bed. I’m exhausted, and my muscles feel strained as I soak in the warmth of the bed covers.

I pull out my phone and scan for Emily’s number. In the darkness, her picture pops up next to her number. Without thinking, I open a new text and type in a message.

Me: Come to my room.

It takes her what feels like an eternity to answer, but eventually, she does. I smile as her name pops onto my screen.

Emily: Now?

Me: Yes, I promise to behave. I just want you here.

Emily: And if I don’t behave?

I grin like a fool at her text message. Who am I kidding? I would be lying if I said I hated when she misbehaved. She makes me angry as hell, but I’ve never wanted her so much in my life.

Me: I don’t like breaking promises. But I’m willing to break them for you.

Emily: Be right there.

I leave my phone on silent, and then turn, allowing myself to sink deeper into the satin sheets. After several minutes, I feel the bed move and a soft body pressing against my back. My hands itch to touch her skin, but the alcohol I drank earlier makes me sluggish. After clumsily trying to turn over, I give up. To my surprise, I feel her cool lips sliding across my shoulder and down my arm. She doesn’t say a word, but from her ragged breathing, I know she’s just as turned on as I am.

My cock stirs against the bed. I moan as I grind my hips into the mattress wishing to God it was her. Exhausted from the weekend, I decide to keep my promise and behave.

Her hands never seem to stop touching me, but after a while, the sensation fades into a general warmth that covers me.

I lift my head to whisper goodnight and spot a strand of Emily’s hair. I blink through the darkness as my eyes try to adjust. The strand looks darker than I remember, but it only deters my sleep for a second before I’m sucked back into unconsciousness. Somewhere between falling and dreaming, I feel her soft flesh wrap herself in my arms and press against me. The last thing I hear is her whispering.

“I’m so glad you knew it was me.”

Emily

I wake with Tristan’s name on my lips.

My night was restless. Twice, I rolled to see if Ceci had finally come to bed, but both times, I found her side empty and her bed sheets untouched. Where the hell did she sleep? Oh, God. I really hope she didn’t drink more and fall overboard. That would be her luck. I can just imagine the newspaper headlines.
New York Socialite Drowns After Party on Yacht.

I reach out for my phone to glance at the time, but to my dismay it’s nowhere in sight. The last time I saw it was in Ceci’s hand. Where the hell did she put it? I search underneath my pillows and on the nightstand next to my bed where I usually keep it, but it’s not there. The only trace of its existence is the power cord plugged into the wall. After tearing about the bed, I finally give up and begin to get ready for the day ahead of me. Today we leave paradise and head back to the city.

I’m secretly dreading it.

It’s not every day I get to spend twenty-four hours with Tristan. I was just getting used to seeing him every day. It also doesn’t help that we’ve spent a good majority of this trip fighting.

After brushing my teeth and combing my bed hair, I sneak out of my room in my pajamas in search of Ceci. I’m only halfway down the hallway when I spot Tristan’s bedroom door ajar. A shiver runs up my spine as a million naughty possibilities run through my head. Last night’s goodbye was not only frustrating, but it left me with a lady boner. I’m tempted to sneak into his room and show him just how frustrated he made me feel after kissing me the way he did.

I glance down the hallway toward my brother’s room and listen for any type of movement. The lower deck is completely silent. I turn and hurry towards Tristan’s bedroom. Excitement filters through me as I go. I feel like a little kid ditching school to stay home and read.

I’m halfway through the door when something brown catches my eye. Deep beneath the covers, a messy head of brown hairs rises up just as I enter. My stomach sinks at the sight of Ceci lying there. Her thin arms lay draped over Tristan’s naked form, but they break free as soon as she sees me. A small smile plagues her lips as she looks over toward Tristan. I gasp so loudly that I wake him with a start. He bolts up in bed just in time to see me staring at him with a torn look. His eyes grow wide as he spots me—and then he sees Ceci in her bra and panties next to him.

My heart catapults into my throat as a sob threatens to break free.
I fucking hate you.

“How could you?”

The broken words fall from my lips. My knees grow weak as I suddenly lose my balance. Tristan’s arms are there to catch me as I stumble and nearly take him down with me. His fingers quickly intertwine behind my neck as he pulls me up straight.

“Emily, it’s not what it looks like.”

The man I love fucked my best friend. I can’t think of anything worse. The pain that seeps through my chest threatens to disintegrate me.

“You invited me to your room, Tristan. Don’t you remember?” Ceci’s face breaks into a smile.

“You fucking bitch!”