“Walker.”
“What about Walker?”
“Emi, you have a boyfriend now. We need to have cover stories. For someone so worried about Marcus, you sure don’t seem too concerned about yourself.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Are you dense?”
“Hey.” I smack her shoulder. “That’s not nice.”
“Well, open your eyes. Yes, you have a boyfriend, and that boyfriend is the type of man that’s—” She keeps talking but I tune her out.
I whisper the word in wonder. Do I have a boyfriend? Two dates… one sleepover… Does that make him my boyfriend? Then I think about this morning, the toothbrush, the coffee, the kiss when he dropped me off and promised to be back around seven.
Boyfriend doesn’t seem like the right term, but what would I call him?
“Earth to Emi.” Maren claps her hands in my face, jarring me from my thoughts. “Come back to me.”
“Sorry, I was lost in the fact that I may have a boyfriend.”
“Well, snap back to reality.”
“Let’s go back to what we’re going to tell him about going out of town. In case he asks.”
She purses her lips, scrunching her eyes in thought. “I despise saying this, but let’s play on me being depressed about my broken engagement a little longer. Use it as an excuse to leave town for a night.”
“I hate to lie, but it’s the best idea.”
“Okay, so let’s go.” She jumps up, yanking me with her. “Pam is teaching tonight.”
“Can’t we skip it? Maybe have wine instead?” Anxiety forms in the pit of my gut. Pam is brutal. She’s a contortionist, I swear. Her body can twist, turn, bend, and stretch like a rubber band.
“Nope, and on the way, I want all the details on last night.”
“I’m not telling you shit if you force me to go.” I stand firm, thinking she’ll cave. To my surprise, she shrugs and starts for the door.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to make you admit he’s bad in bed. Maybe things will get better with time.”
“He’s not bad in bed!”
“If you say so, honey.” She placates me with a sympathetic smile.
“We didn’t have sex!”
Her smile grows wide, and I realize I’ve fallen for her trick. “Maybe tonight’s your night. Let’s go limber you up.”
I mutter behind her all the way to the car then stay silent, pouting. She laughs at me and turns up the music until I’m forced to sing along.
Maybe she’s right. Yoga could definitely help loosen me up for a night with Walker.
Chapter 9
Walker
There’s a crash on the other side of the door, followed by a low-pitched moaning that resembles an injured animal. I twist the doorknob but it’s locked.
“Emi, you okay?’ I knock louder, putting my ear to the door. A scraping sound gets closer until the locks click and the door opens a crack. My heart starts to hammer in my chest at the sight of Emi on the floor, her face twisted in pain.