Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

“Oh, Emmie? This is your someone? Well, that’s great. Silas doesn’t usually date girls. I mean not since he was about nineteen, right?” Jemma said quickly.
    Ava laughed. “What does he date back in Chicago?”
    “Shut up, Ava,” Silas said.
    Thank God Ava never missed the opportunity to break conversation with some sassy comment. The laugh was welcome. The anxiety of the previous few moments finally caught up to Emmie and she let out a laugh louder than she meant to, then covered her mouth with her hands.
    “Oh, that’s funny is it?” Silas asked, pulling her hands down from her mouth and leading her to a corner away from the others.
    “Yeah, it kind of was,” Emmie said with an arched brow.
    He nodded and pulled out a cigarette from his vest pocket, as he was often inclined to do when he needed a moment to think. He lit it never taking his eyes from her. He took an exaggerated draw through a quirked sideways grin.
    “I guess it was kind of funny,” he mocked her words, “but not as funny as you being jealous of my sister.” He laughed.
    Emmie opened her mouth. Her pride scrambling for a reason to make an excuse for the way she had behaved. “Well, I…” she licked her lips. She had nothing to say, no retort to offer. So, she got angry. “It is just when you…” she started with a hand on her hip.
    Silas smashed the just lit cigarette out on the ashtray at the table just behind her. She faltered. What was wrong with her? She could smell him. Cigarettes, leather, soap. She breathed him in before she finished her sentence. He paused when he was at eye level, just inches from her face.
    “Jealousy suites you,” he whispered. Emmie noticed his hat had tilted down closer to his eyes.
    “Jealousy suites no one.” She rolled her eyes. “It makes you look a fool.” Emmie shook her head thinking of what to say, “I’m sorry. It’s just… I don’t belong here. And when I saw you kissing some pretty girl… I,” she swallowed hard.
    “First off, that’s disgusting. She is my sister, not some pretty girl. And second… Even if she was some pretty girl, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You think I’d want some…” he looked around, “deck of cards?” He nodded over his shoulder.
    Emmie laughed. “I’m sorry. I was dumb. I’m just not myself here. It’s like I don’t fit in and everyone here knows it. Square hole round peg, ya know? Even this dress, it’s lovely but I can hardly breathe. And these damn feathers are digging into my stockings.”
    “You do fit in. But I understand. You’ll get used to them. You’ve just never been away from home. No one is square or round, Emmie. We’ve had this conversation before,” he said and then he leaned in closer.
    Emmie took a step backward and felt her back against the wood paneling at the corner of the room. He was so close she could feel his breath against her ear. “And if that dress is bothering you…” He ran a finger along the seam of the bodice and tightly grabbed her waist where the feathers began on the skirt. He took a breath and paused there for a moment before he spoke again. Silas looked up to be sure they were still alone. His grip loosened on her dress and he ran his hand down the length of the skirt. “If these feathers are poking into your legs…”
    Oh dear. Emmie couldn’t find air. It had all been sucked from the room. His hands found the hem of her dress, then her stockings. He spoke again as he trailed his fingertips up her thigh. “Sweetheart, I can take care of this dress for ya.”
    He brushed a quick kiss on her neck just below her ear and moved a step away. His attention moved to her side. He grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the wall, into the open room again. She didn’t know if she loved him or hated him for that. She was panting… like a dog and he was there all calm and breathing like a normal human.
    “Silas, there you are. Ma and Pop are looking for you. They are serving dinner. You eating