EMMA
Already on my way to bed but stay as long as you can! The guest room is ready whenever you are :)
AWW. OK. BTW KNGHTLIY GOT MEE SOMEtING CALED A FRENCH 75 IT IS SO GOOD!
Emma sighed. Even Knightley was staying longer than her. But at least he was still there. She didn’t want to think about why that was comforting as she headed up to her room.
She took her time ascending the stairs to the second floor, slowly opening her door and turning on the light on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of her bed. A bit of the champagne was still swimming in her head, and she let her body go limp, falling backward and sinking into her comforter. She felt a bit guilty for bailing without saying goodbye to Montgomery, but the idea of staying… she shook her head. She would call and apologize tomorrow.
She yawned. God, she should wash off her makeup. At least put on some pajamas. Her body didn’t listen, though, remaining planted in place as she stared up at the ceiling. After a long moment she sat up, ignoring the pull of sleep as she peeked out her window.
The house looming on the other side of the garden was still dark. Of course it was; he was still at the party. In fact, he was on a date with another woman at that very moment. A gorgeous woman who saved lives and walked like she was in slow motion. Why did Emma think he would even consider kissing her tonight when he had someone like Davina waiting to go home to his bed?
Regardless, he was still her best friend. And Emma was willing to bet she was his. After all, was there anyone else in his life who knew him as well as she did? Certainly not Davina Sundar.
She stretched her arms above her head and caught her reflection in the full-length mirror on the opposite wall and stared at the loose strands of her dark chestnut hair falling in front of her face, the slope of her neck down to her shoulders. She stood and took out her gold earrings, dropping them on her desk. Then she smoothed out the front of her jumpsuit.
She could be as sexy as Davina Sundar. That’s what men liked, right? It was what Knightley liked, apparently. Surely Montgomery too. Someone who exuded sex?
Her reflection stared back at her as she stepped out of her heels onto her bare feet, instantly losing a few inches from her height. She pulled the elastic out of her hair, watching the dark locks fall over her shoulders. She studied her skin too, impressed with how nice her partly smudged makeup looked even after hours of partying. Her lips were still red, her cheeks naturally flushed, and her eyes were lined in black. She took her lip-gloss from her pink jumpsuit’s hidden pocket and added more color and shine, pouting at her image.
There was no denying that she was pretty, Emma knew that. But sexy? Hmm.
Her head canted to the side as she reached behind herself and unzipped the top of her jumpsuit. It had a built-in bustier and was tighter than she realized, constricting and pushing up her chest. In one quick motion, she let her clothes fall to the ground and stepped out of them, standing in just her black lace strapless bra and underwear. It felt ridiculous.
She wondered if Davina Sundar ever had to work at being sexy. Probably not; she seemed to walk the line between sexy and sophisticated effortlessly. But did she know how Knightley took his coffee? How he hated loud talkers at the movies and was allergic to sunflower seeds?
Maybe none of that mattered, though. The heels Emma wore because she needed the extra height, the lace underwear she picked because of who might get to see it—all of it felt flimsy now, like she had decided to play a part tonight. She didn’t want to play anymore.
Her shoulders slumped. She turned to the window and leaned her forehead against it, bracing her hands against the cold glass as she squinted to see into Knightley’s room. Still dark, no hint of movement. Then her gaze traveled down to the brown manicured grounds, hibernating until spring. Without the leaves on the trees she could see the path to Knightley’s clearly. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but from this vantage point, she felt dizzy.
A thought hit her then: What if someone was watching her right now? Her heart tripped in her chest as she looked up at Knightley’s dark window again. What if he was there? What if he looked out and saw her standing here in this underwear, not bothering to cover up? Not even wanting to? The thought made her pulse quicken. She stared into the darkness, pretending it was Knightley’s deep golden-brown eyes staring back; that maybe his skin was still humming from her touch, her smell was still lingering in his nose.
But then a moment passed. And another. And she realized no one was there at all. Emma was all alone.
The beeping of her phone brought her back to reality. She turned to her bed, where she had dropped it when she first walked in, and picked it up.
NADINE
JUST GOT IN! I’M INN THE GUEST ROOOM SEE U IN THE AM!
Emma blushed. God, she had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t even heard her friend come in.
EMMA
Night!
XOXO
She started for her bed, slowly reaching her hands behind her and unfastening her bra. It fell to the ground. Then she slipped on a sleep shirt, washed her face, and brushed her teeth, before crawling into bed and turning off her bedside lamp. Darkness fell around her as she stared up at the ceiling again.
It really was such a waste that only she got to see how sexy she looked tonight.
CHAPTER 22
Knightley was already on the fourth mile of his run as the sun came up. It crested the buildings along Fifth Avenue just as he rounded the reservoir, his breath already heavy and his shirt soaked through with sweat. It was cold and he could no longer feel the tips of his fingers or his nose, but he didn’t care. Numbness was the point.
But it wasn’t working.
