Page 32 of Desire

And then Emma was there, emerging from a side room with a clipboard in her hands and a distracted expression on her face.

She looked up and saw them, her steps faltering. Her mouth fell open in shock, the clipboard tumbling from her suddenly numb fingers.

“Joey? What are you doing here?”

Dante watched as myriad emotions flickered across Emma’s face—surprise, confusion, and embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she quickly bent to retrieve the fallen clipboard, her hair falling forward to shield her face.

“Surprise!” Joey enveloped her in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. “I wanted to come see where you work.”

Emma extricated herself from his embrace, smoothing down her hair and shooting a furtive glance in Dante’s direction. He met her gaze steadily, trying to convey reassurance and support. He knew this couldn’t be easy for her, having her brother show up unannounced in a place where she was trying to forge her own identity. A place where she was exploring desires she wasn’t ready for her brother to know about. Hell, he wasn’t ready for Joey to know about them yet either.

And Dante was wondering what Emma had thought about his request for tomorrow night.

“That’s...that’s great, Joey.” Emma’s voice was strained, her smile a little too bright. “As long as you’re not checking up on me.”

“A brother should be concerned about his baby sister.”

“I’m not a baby,” she said, almost between her teeth.

Colleen stepped forward with a polished smile. “Emma has been an invaluable asset to our team. We’re lucky to have her.”

Emma cleared her throat, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Thank you. Anyway, I should probably get back to work. I’ve got a lot to do before the next event.”

“Of course,” Joey said, giving her another quick hug. “I don’t want to keep you from your duties. But maybe we can grab dinner at one of the restaurants here later?”

Emma hesitated, her eyes flicking to Dante again. “You’re staying here?”

“I’ve got a day pass. I figured I might as well take advantage of it.”

“That sounds great. I get off work around six. I can make us a reservation at Siesta.”

Joey loved Mexican food, but Dante would have preferred Alfredo’s. Still, Dante could have Alfredo’s every night. “We’ll meet you there. Right now, I think I’ll get Joey here a bathing suit and we can hit the pool.”

Joey nearly rubbed his hands together in glee. Some of the shadows had left his eyes, and Dante was grateful that Colleen had allowed him to come here. He needed a break like this. Now all Dante had to do was to keep him from finding out about Club Inferno a few floors below them.

***

EMMA

The last person Emma had expected to see today was Joey. She had still been reeling from Dante’s bombshell message. No mask. Underwear optional. The thought filled her with equal parts dread and longing. Then, just when she had almost convinced herself that she was going to do it—that she could do it—she runs smack dab into her brother.

That was something else that she couldn’t quite get her head around. Joey was here in Couture. Club Inferno was an elevator trip away. It was way too close for her. And now that he and Dante were apparently going to spend the day together, it would no doubt reinforce in Dante’s mind that she was just Joey’s kid sister.

And to make matters worse, she had to hear a bunch of the models coo over her brother and how hot he was. Gross. Even Kiki Pretty said, “That boy’s got rizz.”

When it was time for dinner, Emma rode the elevator to restaurant row. As she pushed open the door to Siesta, the scent of spices and sizzling fajitas filled her nostrils, momentarily distracting her from her worries. She glanced around, looking for her brother. The walls of the restaurant were adorned with paintings that brought the spirit of Mexico to life. She spotted Joey and Dante sitting at a booth near the back, their faces lit up with laughter. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Dante—his dark hair, strong jawline, and intense eyes drew her in like a moth to a flame.

“Hey, kiddo.” Joey grinned, waving her over. “You won’t believe the day I’ve had.”

She slid into the booth next to her brother, her gaze lingering on Dante for a moment before turning her full attention to Joey. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

Joey’s eyes sparkled with excitement, a happiness she hadn’t seen in him for a long time. “I got a few phone numbers from some models, and they all promised to write to me when I’m back on base.”

“Yeah, you stirred things up,” Emma said. “It’s like they’ve never seen a soldier before.”

“Not bad for a day’s work.” Dante elbowed Joey with a smirk. “This guy was playing the special forces card hard. I thought a couple of those girls were going to fall right into his lap.”

“Can you blame me?”