Sensual Games (Novak Springs #3) (4 page)

Emma walked into the Italian restaurant with Ian. She’d always been fond of pasta and looked forward to a night of good food and even better company. Besides, she owed Ian. He’d allowed her to have a good excuse to leave Tori’s condo and avoid Wes a little bit longer. She knew she was being silly, but she didn’t want to listen to another lecture or watch Wes glower at her for the rest of the evening.

“I don’t know, are you sure you want to wait? I swear I made reservations—or at least I thought I had…”

Emma jolted at the sound of Colt’s voice. He stood in front of her with Alison at his side. He looked so good dressed up in a nice suit, dark blue to compliment his eyes. So far, neither one noticed her and Ian walk in, at least as far as she could tell—it gave her a moment to study them both. Colt’s hand rested at Alison’s waist, an intimate gesture of familiarity. He appeared to only have eyes for her and didn’t pay attention to anyone around them. It stabbed her in the heart—pain she’d not been expecting. It made her realize she hadn’t believed Colt when he’d said he and Alison were dating. Why would she? He hadn’t been very convincing. Now, seeing them, it caused her to recognize something she’d been unwilling to admit. She still loved Colt. She didn’t like seeing him with someone else—apparently happy. Now she’d have to swallow a very bitter pill and wish them both happy. Even if she could forget how he betrayed her and let him into her life again, he’d decided she wasn’t worth fighting for anymore. Emma had pushed him away too much.

Ian led Emma toward the hostess podium and stopped suddenly. “Say, isn’t that the football guy from earlier today?”

“Yeah,” Emma admitted, begrudgingly.

He studied her a moment and said, “Does it bother you seeing him here with a date?”

Hell yes, it bothered her! “No, of course not.”

At her words, Alison turned around and said, “Oh, Emma, how nice to see you again. Do you two have reservations here?”

No, they thought they’d come in and hope they’d get lucky. Emma bit back the nasty retort because here Colt and Alison were without reservations. Some people probably did hope to find a table by just walking in. “Yes, we do.”

“You’re lucky. Colt forgot to call in a reservation—even if he swears he did.”

“I’m telling you I talked to someone on the phone earlier. They must have forgotten to write down the reservation.”

“Ours is right now. If you want I can see if they can get a table for four instead of two,” Ian offered.

Emma wanted to scream ‘no’ as loud as possible. The last thing she wanted was to spend the evening watching Colt administer all his charm and affection on Alison. “That’s a good idea. Why don’t you go ask the hostess if it’s possible?” Please, if there is a God, let it not be.

Ian nodded and walked up to the podium and talked to the hostess. She was in an animated conversation with him for a few minutes and walked away. Ian returned to their side and gave them the scoop. “She’s going to go make sure, but didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t get a table for all of us.”

“Oh, how wonderful. It’s nice of you to let us crash your party,” Alison gushed.

Emma wanted to smack her. Colt didn’t say a word just stood next to her all broody and so gorgeous. She clenched her hands at her side to keep herself from reaching up and running her fingers through his hair. Something she used to do out of habit—she’d adored the feel of the silky strands.

“It’s no problem really. We don’t mind.” Ian turned to Emma and said, “Do we?”

“Of course not,” she agreed.

As soon as they were seated she would order a drink. She’d need a lot of alcohol to get through the evening. Maybe she’d order a whole bottle. Of course, if she did that they’d assume she wanted to share it. Instead, she should order something stronger, a piña colada—or two—like the Garth Brooks song, one for each hand.

“Your table is ready if you all would follow me,” the hostess interjected, interrupting Emma’s plans of an alcoholic coma.

They all followed her to their table and sat. It wasn’t until they were all seated that she realized Colt would be right next to her for the entire evening. She had him on her left and Ian on her right, with Alison directly across from her. Emma was in hell.

“So why did you two choose to come here tonight?”

“I heard it had good food, and it seemed like a good place for us to try,” Colt explained.

“So neither one of you has eaten here before?”

Colt shook his head. “No, I haven’t gone out much—and well since the season started I haven’t had much time in the evening.”

“We haven’t been seeing each other very long,” Alison explained. “We’ve been hanging out for a while now, but only recently decided to try for something more.”

“Ah I see,” Ian said.

Really? What did he see, and could he explain it to her? As far as Emma could see they looked awfully cozy together even if they’d only recently started dating. There had to be something there for them to take the next step. Damn her traitorous heart. She really shouldn’t care that Colt had moved on. For all he knew, she and Ian were also on a date. He didn’t know they’d decided to just be friends.

“Hi, my name is Melissa and I’ll be your server for the evening. Can I get you something to drink to start?”

Emma looked up and gasped. “You have to be kidding me.”

In front of her stood the one woman she never wanted to see again. She had black hair cut into a cute pixie style. Her brown eyes widened in shock when she noticed who all sat at the table. She backed up into another waitress with a tray of drinks, and one toppled over the side. A glass of red wine dripped down and landed on top of Emma.

“I’m so sorry…” Melissa grabbed a towel and began to pat Emma dry. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, I swear.”

“Stop it. Stop being helpful,” Emma screeched. This really wasn’t her night. Could it get any worse? “Just go, please.”

Missy jerked back as if Emma had slapped her. She nodded, her whole body stiff, turned on her heels, and rushed away from the table.

“Missy wait,” Colt called and went after her.

“Of course he would chase after her. Got to make sure she’s all right doesn’t he,” Emma muttered cynically.

“You’re being a bit hard on him don’t you think?” Alison raised an eyebrow and mocked her. “He’s only doing the decent thing. If you weren’t so bitter, you’d see that. Missy was upset. She is at work. She didn’t expect to run into Colt, let alone both of you.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t feel sorry for her,” Emma retorted. “I can’t and I won’t.”

“You shouldn’t and I’m not saying you should, but at least be the bigger person. She did you wrong, but you don’t have to be a bitch about it.”

“It’s easy for you to say—she didn’t rip your whole world apart.” Emma glared at her. “You can sit up there in your tower and judge me all you want, but I will never feel anything but contempt for that woman.”

Alison grinned. “Why is that Emma? Shouldn’t you have let it all go by now? It’s been over a year, and you’ve moved on. Why hate Missy any longer?”

Why indeed? Because if not for her, Colt wouldn’t be here with Alison. They’d still be in love and planning their wedding. Instead, she sat at a table with Colt’s new girlfriend, and she didn’t even have a drink to swallow down the bitter pill. What baffled her the most was how pleased Alison appeared to be. She wanted to punch her smug smile off her face.

“Because I want to.” Emma glared. “You think we can get a different waitress? I need a drink.”

“I’ll go ask,” Ian said as he pushed his chair back and stood.

Ian had been quiet the whole time. Emma had forgotten he was even with them. She’d been a moron and yeah, a bitch as Alison pointed out. As soon as she got the chance she’d make it up to him.

“Ian, wait,” she called.

He stopped and turned. “Yes?”

“Can we leave? My dress has wine all over it, and I find I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Sure we can do that,” he agreed.

“Thanks. I’m sorry I’m being so difficult. Maybe we can do this another time?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded his head at Alison. “Please give our regrets to Colt. I hope you both have a better evening than it’s started out.”

“I will,” Alison said. “Emma, call me tomorrow. I think perhaps we need to talk.”

Alison was right. They probably did need to talk, but Emma didn’t really want to. She knew the other woman had a lot of questions. Emma had given them her blessing, and now she was acting like a spoiled child in the throes of a temper tantrum. She clearly didn’t know what she wanted. Before she could have a conversation of any kind with Alison, she’d need to get that straight in her head.

“Okay,” she agreed. What she didn’t say was she had no intention of calling her anytime soon. In fact, Emma actually planned on avoiding her for a while. At least long enough to get a grip on her unwanted emotions. She would not be discussing anything with Alison until she could admit she no longer had any romantic inclinations toward Colt. She owed it to Alison and herself to eradicate them from her heart. She’d pushed Colt away one too many times, and now he was lost to her for good. It was time she found a way to live without him in her life. It hurt, a lot more than she thought it would, to realize she had to let him go. Somewhere in the back of her mind she’d believed he would always be there. What a fool she’d been.

“You want to explain what that was all about?” Ian asked as they walked out of the restaurant.

“It’s a long story.” Emma sighed.

“I’m willing to listen if you want to talk about it.”

Emma could feel tears form in the corner of her eyes. Damn it she didn’t want to feel this pain welling up inside her heart. “Missy is the one that claimed she was pregnant with Colt’s baby.”

“I see. I do remember seeing that in the news.” Ian tilted his head and studied her. “She’s the reason you two broke up.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“I heard the baby isn’t his.”

“So they say…”

“You don’t believe it?” he asked, startled.

“No.” Emma waved her hand. “That’s not it. I don’t know—I’m incredibly sad right now. I’m not good company.”

“You still love him.”

“I guess I do.”

“Then why don’t you tell him that?” he asked, baffled. “If the woman I loved still wanted to be with me I’d jump at a second chance.”

“I can’t. It’s too late for us.” Emma wiped the corners of her eyes. The tears wouldn’t be held at bay. “He’s happy again. I’m not going to ruin it for him.”

“You’re a fool. That man clearly still loves you.”

Emma shook her head. “No, he’s moved on, and I’m not going to destroy his chances with Alison. Leave it be. Promise me you won’t say anything.”

“Of course, I won’t, but Emma you really should reconsider.”

“No, and that’s final.” Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “Please don’t push this.”

“Fine. I won’t, even if I believe it’s a mistake. I’ll file it away as confidential friend information.”

Emma smiled for the first time since she saw Colt’s arm around Alison’s waist. “Thanks, I’m so glad we met. I’ve needed a friend for a while now.”

“I’m here, no matter what. If you need to talk about anything call me, and I’ll be there.”

“Like the Jackson 5 song?”

He laughed. “Something like that.”

At least the evening wasn’t ending on a totally sour note. Ian had managed to get a laugh out of her. She meant what she’d said. Colt did deserve to be happy. Missy destroyed a part of both of them, and he’d been the one put through the most. He’d had to deal with people thinking he was a dead beat not wanting to take care of his own kid. At least he got that albatross off his back and was able to move on. She wouldn’t do anything to destroy his happiness. If Alison was who he wanted, it wasn’t her place to get in the way of their relationship.

The cold air blew through him, causing Colt to shiver and pull his jacket closed tighter. The evening before, he’d had dinner with Alison. He wanted to forget the whole night. The cold stare Emma had bestowed upon him as he’d gone after Missy. For the most part, Alison’s plan had gone off without a hitch. They’d come into the restaurant before Emma and Ian. Ian volunteered to share a table with them—Emma hadn’t liked the idea but still agreed. She didn’t say anything to give him that indication, but Colt knew her too well. He saw the tightness around her lips when Ian had made the offer. She didn’t want to have her ex and his new girlfriend crashing on her date with Ian. If only Emma knew they were just friends. He’d never stopped loving Emma, never would.

Then Missy walked in and everything fell apart. His chance of making Emma jealous enough to want him back went as cold as the wind blowing around him now. Missy Claybourn was the one person guaranteed to piss her off enough to leave without eating. When he’d gotten back to the table, Alison shook her head. Emma left, and Missy had disappeared before he could talk to her.

Now he was on his way to meet Alison again. This time for lunch. He walked in to the restaurant and found her already sitting at a nearby table. She was talking to…Ian. What the hell was he doing here?

“Hey.” Colt looked at Alison then turned to Ian. “How’s it going?”

“Oh hey Colt. Ian stopped in to get some coffee to go.” Alison sat back in her chair letting her hands fall to her lap. “We were talking about last night…”

Colt stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jeans and tilted back on his heels. “Yeah?”

Alison nodded. “Ian was confused about Emma’s…reaction.”

That’s because the good doctor didn’t have the privilege of living through the hell of the past year. He didn’t know who Missy was to Colt or Emma. How she’d bull-dozed through their life and decimated their relationship into nothing.

“Yeah, Emma has her reasons.”

Colt left it at that. If Emma wanted him to know the details, she’d tell him herself. It wasn’t his place to fill in the blanks for Ian.

“I’m sure she does.” Ian nodded at Alison. “It was nice seeing you. I have to get back to work.”

Colt watched him leave and gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to like the doctor. If he could, he’d hate him because Emma liked him. Unfortunately for him Ian seemed like a decent guy. Emma certainly could do worse. Hell, she had—she managed to intertwine her life with his. A fast and sure way to heartbreak—his certainly fell apart when she left him. No doubt hers mirrored his in equal amounts of pain and doubt.

“What was that about?” Colt asked.

Alison played with her cup. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You two looked pretty cozy.”

“It’s not like that,” Alison insisted. “He’s a nice guy. He came in and recognized me and came over to say hello.”

“Right.”

Alison reached across the table and smacked him in the shoulder. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”

“Only one of the best.” He flashed her his most charming grin.

“Don’t try to coax me into forgiving your lack of manners.” Alison tried to hide a smile but failed when it broke out bright across her face.

“Yup, I’m completely unforgiveable,” he agreed.

“Of course you are.”

Alison picked up the menu and began to scan the contents. Colt had no idea why because they both knew it by heart. She must have something on her mind and was searching for a way to broach the subject.

“Spill it, Ali.”

She looked up, her face devoid of emotion. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

He was starting to get a little irritated. She was holding back, and Colt needed to know what she was hiding from him. It had to do with Emma. She wouldn’t keep it to herself otherwise.

“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

“I’m waiting.” He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. “Anytime now.”

“Ian might have mentioned that he and Emma are not dating.”

What? He couldn’t have heard right. Alison said she was about to start dating again. They ran into them in the process of an actual dinner date. What kind of nonsense was Alison talking about? “I’m failing to understand what you’re saying.”

“Emma and Ian are friends.”

“So why did they go out on a date?” Colt asked, baffled.

“Because they wanted to spend time together.” Alison waved her hands around the table. “Much like we are doing right now.”

Colt smacked his head. He was such an idiot. “She said she was dating.”

“Yeah, but did she ever once say it was Ian?”

Colt opened his mouth to speak. Then closed it fast—no, he’d assumed it was with Ian. How could he have been so stupid? “No, I thought they were because I overheard part of their conversation.”

“I thought so.”

“So I told her we were dating for no reason.”

Alison nodded her head, a smug smile on her face. “You sure did.”

“I have to tell her the truth,” he said.

“I couldn’t agree with you more.”

How did he get himself into these messes? He didn’t want to go crawling over to Emma and explain how he and Alison were only friends. She’d eat him alive with contempt. Just what he needed—something else for Emma to hold over his head as a reason he was no good. She could pull it out from time to time as an exhibit of what made him a horrible human being.

“In other news I do think last night worked rather well,” Alison said. She picked up her coffee and took a long sip. She ran her finger around the rim and smiled. “Ian was a font of information.”

“Really?”

“Let’s just say Miss Emmaline Novak was pissed off and fuming the rest of the night. Ian took her straight home and ate cold cereal for dinner.” Alison grinned evilly. “Not the intimate Italian dinner he’d looked forward to.”

“How is that a success?” Colt frowned and leaned on the table. “I know she was pissed off. As soon as she saw Missy, Hurricane Emma began to sustain wind speeds that put a category five to shame.”

Colt didn’t like how the evening went, and rehashing it only served to irritate him further. As far as he could tell the dinner had been a total disaster.

Alison sighed. “Emma still loves you. Trust me—she wouldn’t react so aggressively if she didn’t.”

“Fine, I’ll take your word on it.”

“What are you two doing here?”

Colt looked up into the blue eyes of his publicist, Vitoria Miene. Standing next to her was the number one quarterback playing for the Starlings, Paxton Kerry.

“I didn’t know you had a lunch meeting,” Alison said. “I looked at your calendar before I left and switched on the answering service. Which reminds me, your new assistant starts next week.”

“It wasn’t planned.” She gestured toward Paxton. “He called and asked for a meeting and here we are. Do you mind if we join you? The two of you can give him some of the insight he’s looking for.”

“I don’t mind,” Alison agreed. “Do you?” She turned toward Colt and raised an eyebrow.

“Not at all.”

He didn’t talk to Paxton a whole lot. The man was a bit closed off and kept to himself most days. Colt couldn’t help wondering why he wanted to meet with Tori. His coffee-brown hair was perfectly groomed, not a hair out of place. His emerald-green eyes held a hint of—worry. What could be bothering the normally stoic leader of their team?

“So I’ve been talking to Pax here for a while now. His contract is up with his agent, and he’s considering signing on with us.” She paused and looked at Alison. “If he signs with us he’ll be your first primary client. I’ll still be there if necessary, but I think you can handle it. I planned on talking to you about it later on. I’ve discussed it with him—”she gestured toward Paxton“—and he doesn’t have a problem with it. What do you think?”

Colt watched as Alison sat back and studied Paxton. He knew his best friend well, and she didn’t seem too impressed with the quarterback. What had Pax done to her? Why did she not like him? Colt would have to ask her when they were alone again.

“I guess I don’t have a problem with that.”

“If you don’t want to work with me, cupcake, I understand. I can always sign with a different company…or re-sign with the one I’m with.” Paxton leaned back and wound his arm around the back of his chair, a cocky grin on his face as he talked to Alison.

Colt saw her flinch before she managed to hide her reaction. Did Paxton always talk to her in such a condescending manner? No wonder Ali didn’t like him—Colt wasn’t finding much to like either.

“No, it would be a privilege to work with you.” Alison’s smile was forced and her voice a little too chipper. “Truly I mean it. I think we can do great things together.”

“Good. See I told you she’d be on board,” Tori glanced at Paxton. “Colt can tell you how we work if you have any more questions. He’s been a client of mine for a while now.”

Colt nodded. “Yeah, Tori’s good people. She’s been an asset through my recent troubles.”

“Oh, that baby thing. I remember that.” Paxton tapped his finger on the table. “I don’t have any scandals. Just some everyday stuff. You can handle the mundane can’t you?”

“Of course. We prefer it actually. Less of a headache.” Alison laughed. “I can do whatever you like and help with any publicity that might arise. Tori has taught me well.”

“Good to know, cupcake. I don’t expect you’ll have to work too hard.” He grinned at her. He winked, an apparent attempt to charm her, and light sparkled against his irises. “I’d hate to see dark circles under those pretty gray eyes.”

When had Paxton turned into a jackass? Did something about Alison bring out his arrogant side? He was the one person on the team that didn’t chase after women. He was focused a hundred percent of the time. Colt had overheard him saying he had better things to do than chase tail.

“Well I’ll leave you three to discuss this in private.” He nodded at Paxton. “If you have any other questions feel free to ask.”

“Will do,” Paxton said. “See you later.”

“Bye Ali, call me later,” Colt said as he stood.

He zipped up his jacket and prepared to exit out into the bitter cold wind. Whatever was going on with Ali and Paxton, he’d find out later. He didn’t want to sit through their stilted—and weird—conversation. He had his own problems to deal with. Colt had to find a way to let Emma know he’d misled her in believing there was more between him and Alison. Something he was definitely not looking forward to.

It was bad enough he didn’t get any lunch, finding Ian sitting with Alison, and Tori bringing in Paxton to interrupt them…he’d never ordered any food. Colt would go home and get something to eat. It looked like he’d suffer the same fate as Ian had the night before. Cold cereal—it does a body good. He shook his head and laughed. His life was such a mess. Colt made a vow to start fixing some of it and soon. He’d get Emma back—There was a real possibility it might take longer than he wanted it to though. He knew Hurricane Emma was a force to be reckoned with. It was a good thing he knew how to calm her down to a gentle breeze. Colt wasn’t above using every weapon in his arsenal.