Read Just One (Dangerously Dimpled) Online
Authors: Emily Hemmer
Alex’s arm is heavier than the
cinderblocks holding up the Dauphine’s pop-up camper, or the love lounge as
Teddy Dauphine called it. Teddy tried to feel me up there after the freshman
formal and I broke my hand politely refusing his advances.
I use my oil-field muscles and lift,
sliding from beneath him. The carpeted floor muffles my footsteps as I tiptoe
across the room. Pushing Alex’s pants out of the way, I carefully close the
bathroom door. The clock on the nightstand confirmed I’ve only been asleep a
couple of hours, but a full bladder waits for no one. As I sit on the toilet,
bursting with three glasses of room service champagne, I catch a glimpse of
myself in the mirror. My light blond hair is a tangled mass and there are
smudges of black mascara beneath each tired eye. I flush the toilet and cringe
as the sound reverberates against the room’s marbled surfaces.
“You’re a mess, Charlie,” I whisper to my
reflection.
I wash my hands and violently rub away
the remnants of my party face. I pull the travel-sized toothbrush and
toothpaste from my bag on the vanity and close my lips around the brush, trying
to mask the noise. I want to slip back under the covers refreshed and fabulous,
without Alex being any the wiser. Spitting in the sink, I turn the faucet onto
a dribble and splash water around, cleaning up my mess.
The deafening, loud vibration of a cell
phone on tiled floor makes me jump ten feet in the air. Heart thumping, I reach
down to find the offending device beneath Alex’s pants.
*Cadence Spelling calling*
I silence the volume on the side of the phone,
but there’s no getting rid of the thunder in my ears. It jostles wildly,
demanding someone answer the call. Three more long alerts and it finally goes
still.
I sit heavily on the side of the bath,
staring at the Missed Call alert displayed on the phone’s sleek face.
I’d forgotten. Cadence had been looking for
Alex last night. He’s supposed to be getting ready for their brunch date and
instead… Instead, he’s slumbering peacefully, and naked, in my bed.
The phone vibrates again, this time
alerting its owner of a new text message. My thumb hovers over the little
envelope and a red, circular number 1 tucked in the top right-hand corner.
Don’t even think about it, Charlie.
Alex’s phone is none of your business. For goodness sake, you just met the guy
ten hours ago.
But
he likes me.
Says who?
He
said he was glad I fell over.
Yeah, any wonder? He does the gentlemanly
thing and helps you up and what do you do? You welcome him into your room and
screw him like a Phillip’s-head.
He
told me that story about his father. He’s never told anyone that story!
And you fell for that? Have you learned
nothing from the guys at work? Men lie to get women into bed. Don’t be a fool.
But,
but…
But nothing. It was fun. You got to use
that trick you saw on YouTube, and now it’s over.
He
likes me.
Correction, he liked you naked and
ordering twenty-nine dollar pancakes. He’s from another world and you’re no
Paige…
The display on the phone goes dark and
instinct kicks in. I rub my thumb across its surface and the little envelope
with the red-circled number 1 comes back. I tap on the icon and Cadence’s
message appears.
*Where are you? You didn’t come home last night. Did you
sleep at the hotel? Call me, I’m worried. XO*
Home? Worried? The words stick in my
throat like a piece of ten day old dry toast. I toss the offending phone and it
lands with a gentle thud on Alex’s pants.
Paige warned me to stay away from him. I
got so caught up in his eyes. His dimples.
Damn!
I knew they were going to land me in a heap of trouble.
It’s reality check time. Alex Ramirez is
a smooth talker with a proclivity for kinky sex. It was great. Now it’s over.
I pull my dress from the floor and shimmy
into it, pulling the posh fabric over my hips, zipping it closed at my side.
Shoving the toothbrush and paste back
into my makeup bag, I snatch a few miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner,
and body lotion from the sink and stealthily open the bathroom door.
Alex’s soft snores verify he’s still fast
asleep.
I walk slowly toward my rollie suitcase
and shove the vanity bag into the outside pocket. Thankfully, Paige cornered
and accosted me with her hair and makeup team on arrival, and I didn’t have
time to unpack.
I snatch the shirt and jeans I wore into
town from the chair beside me and shove my feet into the glory of my beloved
cowboy boots.
Paige’s pointy stilettos accuse me from
beneath the desk and I silently loop them around a finger. All I need is for
Alex to show up at my trailer with a lost slipper. Not that
that
is likely to happen.
My possessions accounted for, I
straighten, and look at him. The outline of his thick, tan muscles are every
bit as sexy now as they were when he used them to lift me up against the wall.
His hair is rumpled and impossibly black against the bright white linens. My
fingers itch to run through it.
The shadow of a dimple is barely
perceptible through the dark stubble on his face, but I know its there. I uncovered
those secrets myself last night. He’s gorgeous, perfect even.
What in hell was I thinking?
I turn from the bed and pad across the
room. The door handle is cool and heavy but it doesn’t make a sound as I pull
it down. I wheel my suitcase into the hall; disappointed the empty sugar bowl
has already been cleared away. I look back.
The only thing visible from this angle is
one tan foot, draped lazily over the bed. My side. In another world, things
could be different. Maybe.
In this one Alex and I were only meant to
have one night together. Just one.
To be continued…
W
ant
to know what happens after Charlie and Alex’s one-night stand?
Plus None
, the companion novel to
Just One
, will be available for
purchase on September 30, 2013 through Amazon (print) and Amazon Kindle
(digital).
Plus None
Book 2 in the Dangerously Dimpled Series
For Charlie, the only thing worse than
watching as her baby sister sprints down the aisle before her, is the
possibility of showing up to the wedding with no plus one. She’s got two months
to find a date, defeat her sister’s she-demon Maid of Honor, and avoid her
third cousin Barry, who’s got ass-magnets for hands. Unfortunately for Charlie,
there’s no escaping her one-time one-night stand Alex Ramirez, who’s looking
for a second chance at Charlie’s heart. As the wedding date approaches, Charlie
will have to decide if she’s better off on her own, or if she’s willing to say,
“I do,” to love.