Hunter stepped closer. “Look, Emily. I know you’re aware of my history with your sister. The thing is”—he pushed back the sides of his jacket, his hands on his hips—“I cared about her. I didn’t want to see her hurt.”
She wasn’t sure she could trust Hunter. Thatanywoman should trust him. “Okay,” she said cautiously.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt by Levi the way Lisa did. He’s a rock, and Lisa bashed up against that rock until she couldn’t take it anymore. Don’t let it happen to you.”
Deeper things were going on between Levi and Hunter that Emily was only beginning to understand. But the one thing she knew was that Levi didn’t deserve what Hunter and Lisa had done to him. Even Lisa felt guilty for what she’d put Levi through. “What you did was wrong.”
He lifted his chin. “I’m not proud of it. But I’ve paid for my sins. I pay every day, but that’s not what this is about. Be careful, is all. I wouldn’t want to see you get your heart broken.”
Emily didn’t remember Lisa having a broken heart—more like a guilty one. “It’s not like that between me and Levi. He’s my boss, and like you said, he can be overprotective.” A gray sedan pulled up. “My Uber’s here. I have to go.”
He nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, watching her as she got in the car. The car pulled away and Emily saw Hunter turn and walk back toward the party, his stride a casual gait, though she sensed tension in the way he held his shoulders.
Levi and Hunter had serious baggage Emily had no intention of getting caught up in.
Chapter 9
The next morning, Emily pulled on her fluffy bathrobe and crawled out of bed to answer the front door.
Outside, Lisa held up a hand and angled her head back. “Whoa. What happened to you?”
Emily rubbed her eyes and yawned, opening the door wider. “What do you mean?”
Her sister waved at the side of Emily’s head, balancing her purse and coffee drink in her other hand. “You’ve got a flock of seagulls launching from one side of your head.” She waved vaguely in front of Emily’s face. “And impressive sleep lines crisscrossing your cheek.”
Emily walked into the living room and sat on the couch, pulling her knees up and hugging them. “I didn’t sleep well.”
Lisa closed the door and walked in. She sat across from Emily, looking way too pretty and perky for eight in the morning. Lisa wasn’t known as an early riser.
Emily had screwed up last night, but mostly, she’d been humiliated. By Levi or herself, she wasn’t entirely sure. All she knew was that she felt probably about as good as she looked right now.
“Why didn’t you sleep well? You looked amazing when I dressed you last night. That outfit I got you was killer, so obviously the dress wasn’t the problem.”
Emily sank her head onto her knees. “Not all problems can be solved with good fashion.” She peeked at her sister.
Lisa stared in mock horror. “Of course they can.”
Emily groaned. “For you, yes. But when I wear a sexy dress, hot guys send me home like I’m some nuisance.”
“What? That makes no sense.”
“I might have had too much champagne. And the shoes you made me wear—”
“Looked fan-fucking-tastic.”
“—crippled me.”
Lisa sipped her drink. “We’ll work on your balance. Still, why would a hot guy send a drunk, wobbly girl home? That goes against the player handbook. You presented an easy target. He should have been hovering over you.”
“Ew.”
Lisa parted her mouth innocently. “I’m just saying, whoever the guy was, he should have been trying to go homewith you.”
This conversation wasn’t helping Emily’s sleep-deprivation headache. “Well, apparently, that’s not how these things work for me.”
Lisa set down her drink and pulled out her phone. “That’s it. I’m texting Jared. It’s been too long since you’ve had a boyfriend.”
“I don’t want yours!” As soon as the words left Emily’s mouth, she realized how ludicrous they sounded. Even if Lisa knew about Emily’s crush on Levi, she wasn’t likely to assume Emily wanted Jared too.
