Chapter 4

　　Still.

　　That word lingered between them.

　　He took her hand and brought it to his lips. The kiss was brief, but deliberate. An old-fashioned courtesy with a modern intention.

　　"It will be a pleasure to see you again," he murmured. "Although I hope you don't attack my rear this time."

　　Emma barely recovered her voice.

　　"Take better care of her, Mr. Blake.

　　Nathan burst out laughing.

　　She left the office with her purse clutched to her chest and her legs less firm than she'd like to admit.

　　In the elevator, she put her hand in her bag to look for her cell phone.

　　Her fingers bumped against something small and metallic.

　　A tack.

　　Nathan had given it back to her.

　　And Emma, against all logic, smiled.

　　Because I knew it wasn't a goodbye.

　　It was a provocation.

　　Emma didn't go straight back to the publisher.

　　He needed to eat. He also needed his heart to stop behaving as if Nathan Blake had borrowed it.

　　She found a cozy restaurant near the radio station and sat at an outside table. She opened the menu, though the words made no sense. Her mind was still stuck on a sleek office, a blue gaze, and a kiss on her hand that still burned her skin.

　　"Little Emma.

　　She looked up.

　　Ethan stood at his table, with a backpack over his shoulder and a genuine smile.

　　The surprise brought him relief.

　　"Ethan. Hello.

　　"May I?" she gestured to the empty chair. "I promise not to judge your choice of lunch."

　　"If you help me choose, you can stay.

　　Ethan sat down and ordered like someone who knew the place. During the meal, Emma told him about the competition, the radio station visit, and working with Nathan. She omitted the thumbtack, the kiss on the hand, and the fact that her nervous system seemed to have been hacked by a blue-eyed broadcaster.

　　Ethan listened to her attentively.

　　"It sounds like a big deal for you.

　　"It sounds like something too big for me.

　　"No. It sounds like something that scares you because it forces you to realize that you can do it.

　　Emma looked at him.

　　"Do you and Madison have secret meetings to tell me uncomfortable truths?

　　"No, but we should.

　　She laughed.

　　Ethan paid the bill despite her protests and accompanied her to her Vespa.

　　"I was planning to watch movies tonight," he said. "But doing it alone is sad. And I'm not dramatic enough to pretend I enjoy being alone."

　　"Are you inviting me?

　　"I'm trying to do it in a charming way.

　　Emma hesitated. Not because Ethan intimidated her, but because the idea of making plans with someone still felt new.

　　"We can do it in my apartment," he finally said. "As an official opening. It doesn't look like a battlefield anymore."

　　Ethan smiled, and for a moment that shadow returned to his eyes.

　　"Lily would have loved that idea.

　　Emma lowered her gaze, moved.

　　He gently lifted her chin with two fingers.

　　"Don't do that. Don't hide when you say something nice.

　　Emma swallowed.

　　"Eight o'clock at night.

　　"I'll bring food. You choose the movies.

　　"That's a lot of responsibility.

　　"I trust you, Harper.

　　When Emma returned to the publishing house, Madison was waiting for her with a mountain of papers and a fierce curiosity.

　　"Tell me everything about Nathan Blake.

　　Emma took off her jacket.

　　"He was professional.

　　Madison narrowed her eyes.

　　"That means he looks gorgeous.

　　"It means we finalized the details.

　　"Uh-huh.

　　Emma tried to change the subject, but Madison dropped another bombshell: the author of Dark Pleasures wanted to enter the contest, and needed the correction sooner than expected.

　　"How sooner?" Emma asked.

　　Madison smiled guiltily.

　　"Long before.

　　Emma looked at her silently.

　　"I hate you a little.

　　"But you love me more.

　　That afternoon Emma edited nonstop. Dark Pleasures was intense, provocative, written with a confidence that unsettled her. It didn't seem like just a novel. It seemed like a key unlocking doors she had kept closed.

　　As she left, she put the manuscript in her bag.

　　To move the work forward, it was said.

　　Lie.

　　I wanted to keep reading.

　　That night Ethan arrived with enough food to feed a football team. They watched movies, laughed, ate on the sofa bed, and for the first time in months, Emma felt at ease with a man.

　　When sleep overtook her, she felt Ethan take her to his room, tuck her in, and kiss her forehead.

　　"Sleep well, little Emma.

　　She sank into the pillow.

　　But the peace didn't last long.

　　Because that night she didn't dream about a stranger.

　　He dreamed about Nathan Blake.

　　Emma woke up trembling.

　　Not out of fear.

　　For something much more dangerous.

　　The dream had a voice. A face. Blue eyes. Firm hands. And for the first time, her body didn't let her down.

　　He remained motionless, staring at the ceiling, as his heart pounded against his ribs.

　　"No," she whispered. "No, no, no."

　　Nathan Blake had just become the protagonist of her fantasies. Nathan Blake, whom she had known for less than twenty-four hours. Nathan Blake, with whom she was due to meet the next day to discuss a literary competition, not the things her mind had just conjured up.

　　She covered her face.

　　"I'm a mental stalker.

　　The shower didn't help. Neither did the coffee. Not even editing Dark Pleasures for hours helped, because every scene seemed written to push her back to that office, to that look, to that mouth on her hand.

　　At the publishing house, Madison noticed her condition instantly.

　　"You have a criminal face.

　　"I didn't commit any crime.

　　"Then of sin.

　　Emma almost choked on her coffee.

　　"Madison.

　　"Was it the neighbor or the announcer?

　　-None!

　　Madison smiled, satisfied.

　　"Announcer, then.

　　Emma decided not to answer. That was her best defense, although Madison interpreted the silence as a confession.

　　The day passed with corrections, calls, and contest details. Dark Pleasures was progressing quickly, but it was also unsettling her. The author, Luston, wrote as if he knew female desire all too well. Emma hated to admit it, but the manuscript was good. Very good.

　　At the end of the afternoon, Madison called her to her office.

　　"Tomorrow you'll have to go to the radio station alone. I left some recorded answers for the interview, but Nathan wants to go over the cuts, times, and mentions with you."

　　Emma felt her stomach drop.

　　-Alone?

　　-Alone.

　　"Madison, I...

　　"You can do it. Besides, Nathan Blake doesn't bite.

　　Emma thought about her dream and blushed.

　　Madison opened her mouth.

　　"Oh.

　　"Don't say anything.

　　"I didn't say anything.

　　"You thought about it very carefully.

　　Madison raised her hands, laughing.

　　That night, Emma tried to go to bed early. She failed. She read Dark Pleasures until her eyes burned and then left the manuscript on the nightstand as if it were hot.

　　The pseudonym Luston kept going around in his head.

　　Who wrote like that?

　　Who understood the mixture of shame and desire so well?

　　The cell phone vibrated.

　　A message from an unknown number.

　　"I expect you to come unarmed tomorrow, Miss Harper."

　　Emma sat up in bed.

　　Nathan.

　　He should have ignored it. He should have given a professional response. He should have slept.

　　Instead, he wrote:

　　"It depends on how he behaves, Mr. Blake."

　　The answer came almost instantly.

　　"Then I'll have to behave very badly."

　　And one secret still waited in the dark.