Sorry, Duncan thought. You can fuck me next time. Jake moaned as he caught the thought, his hands fumbling with the used condom.
“I can’t believe we did that in the car,” Emma said, disbelief in her voice. She let go of the handle and pressed her hands into the seat. Duncan chuckled and Jake rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry we went kind of primal all over you.” Jake stroked his hands over Emma’s breasts, admiring their soft curviness, then pulled her bra back into place. They jumped when Dave rapped on the divider again.
“You’d better see what he wants,” Jake said to Duncan. He found Emma’s panties and grabbed a napkin from the side-bar, handing it to her. She grimaced and wiped at herself, then slipped her underwear back on. Jake pulled his pants up and helped her button her skirt. When he finished, Duncan had pulled on his pants, but his belt was still hanging undone. Dave knocked again and Duncan sighed, exasperated, and let go of his belt to slide the divider back.
“What?”
“We’re here, but there are a ton of paps hanging outside of Emma’s house.” Dave resolutely did not look into the rear of the vehicle. Jake smiled, amused.
“Can you and Charlie handle them so we can get inside?” Duncan asked.
Dave grunted and slid the divider back. A moment later he and Charlie got out, then opened the rear door. Jake eyed the crowd outside, frustrated.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Duncan said apologetically as he ducked out, Jake right behind him.
Emma shrugged and squared her shoulders, then stepped out of the car.
Chapter 11
“Are you sure you’re okay going to this shindig with us?” Duncan asked for the thousandth time. Emma rolled her eyes. Even with the telepathy and empathy she couldn’t convince them that she would be fine. The only reason she didn’t snap at him was because she knew he was worried that she’d just lost her job and she was still concerned about her missing students.
“I’m positive,” she said aloud, emphasizing her resolve. She sat down to slip on her sparkly heels, smiling as she admired her feet. She loved these shoes. She looked up to catch Duncan eyeing her fondly. “What?”
“You’re adorable,” he said, walking over to her. He sat down next to her on the sofa and she admired his rugged good looks. He wore tight black pants and a red shirt, open at the neck. A collection of silver necklaces hung down against his chest. She loved the way he could pull off the look—rock star chic. Jake snorted and she looked up. He was wearing black pants with a green pullover sweater that emphasized his gorgeously muscled chest. She felt herself flush. The two of them were going to kill her.
“You’re just as distracting to us,” Duncan murmured, leaning close to suck a kiss onto her neck. She flushed more. She rolled her eyes at him, trying to defuse the sexual tension with humor.
“We’re never going to get out of the door if you keep looking at me like that.” Emma smoothed her hands down her black silk dress. It had half-sleeves that hugged her arms and a plunging neckline that showed off her full breasts. The straight skirt hung down to the top of her knees with a sexy slit that opened up the side. She hoped she looked okay. She didn’t want to embarrass Duncan at her first official public appearance with him.
“You look gorgeous.” Jake stopped fiddling with his earrings and strode over to them. He leaned over to kiss her and she grabbed his hands. He wasn’t wearing his wristbands.
Jake smiled. “I don’t want to hide the bonding tattoos.” He bent in again and she closed her eyes to savor the softness of his lips.
“That never gets old,” Duncan said. Emma pulled back and smiled at Duncan, then leaned in and kissed him too.
I agree, she thought.
“Okay, let’s go. Emma, I don’t want you to worry about not knowing anyone. One of us will be with you the whole time.” Duncan stood up and slipped his hand into hers.
Emma grimaced. “I suck at parties.”
“No, you used to suck at parties. Now you will be brilliant, because you’re Duncan’s bond-mate.” Jake walked to the door. “Everyone will love you.”
“I just don’t want to do anything stupid and mess up your career.”
Duncan tugged on her hand, then brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “You won’t. My career is doing fine and I doubt anything you say could derail it. In fact, now that the bonding is public, I bet I sell even better. That’s the way the industry works.” Emma sighed and allowed him to pull her to the door. “Besides, I’ve been to hundreds of these things. Sometimes they’re boring, sometimes they’re not, but they always have a lot of booze. Even if the focus is on us this time–”
Which it will be, Emma thought darkly.
Duncan frowned at her and continued. “Even if it is, someone else will get drunk and do something stupid. Happens every time. So don’t worry about it.” He grinned and Emma sighed, hoping he was right. Truth was, she really wanted to go to this party, not just because she was Duncan and Jake’s bond-mate, but because she needed the distraction. She was worried about the missing students but couldn’t do anything about the situation. She’d tried calling their parents again but no one answered. She hoped Samantha and Jonathan were okay.
Four hours later, Emma decided that Duncan was the smartest man she knew.
“Hey!” Jake said, handing her another glass of champagne. “I’m not too shabby in the brains department, either.”
Emma laughed. “I was thinking about what Duncan said before. He was right. Look.” She pointed across the ballroom. A well-dressed man was standing on top of one of the tables, singing off-key with a microphone in his hand. His suit jacket lay abandoned on the floor, his disheveled appearance in direct contrast to the richness of the ballroom. Emma eyed the crystal chandeliers and hardwood floor, bemused. She’d never been in such a fancy hotel before, yet here she was in downtown Philadelphia as one of the honored guests. And in the midst of the elegance a drunken man was singing as though he was at a frat party. “I never in a million years expected to see a karaoke machine at this kind of party.”
Jake grinned. “They’ve become pretty popular lately.”
“Oh my God, someone stab me in the ears and put me out of my misery,” Duncan complained, joining Jake and Emma. He grimaced, watching the man on the table. “Ronnie should never be allowed to drink vodka. Never ever.”