"Last night, yes. This morning, no."

Leaning back in her chair, Alaina crossed her arms beneath her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Splain."

"We had s.e.x this morning. He got off. I didn't. Then he got dressed and left."

Alaina blinked. "That's all the explanation you're going to give me? I need to know exactly what happened."

"I told you."

"No, you glossed over it. I don't want a synopsis, I want all the chapters. Griff hasn't been with a woman since his wife died."

"He still hasn't. He wasn't with me, Lainy. I gave him comfort and an o.r.g.a.s.m. That's all it was."

Alaina studied her for several moments. "How do you feel about that?"

Emma scowled at her friend. "Stop sounding like a therapist."

"Stop evading my question."

To stall and get her thoughts in order, Emma uncapped her bottle of water and took a slow drink. "I wanted to comfort him, Lainy. It didn't matter to me that I didn't come. And you know me. I'm all about the o.r.g.a.s.ms."

"They're very nice to have."

"I got close. If we'd f.u.c.ked a few more moments, I would've been there. But I didn't care when it didn't happen. I only thought about him. It's weird. I've never been so...unselfish."

Leaning forward, Alaina rested her forearms on the table. "Are you falling for Griff?"

Emma snorted with laughter. She couldn't imagine falling for any man. "No. Absolutely not. I like him. He's incredibly handsome and very s.e.xy. I wouldn't mind waking up in his bed several mornings a week. But I don't fall for men."

"Sometimes love captures your heart before you realize it."

"Not me. Not gonna happen. I like my freedom too much."

"Falling in love doesn't mean you'd lose your freedom. I love Rye with all my heart, but don't feel tied down in any way. He encourages me to be myself, to keep doing the things that make me happy."

"I'm happy for you, Lainy. I'm glad you and Rye found each other. I'm not interested in anything with a man beyond some fun."

Footsteps in the hallway stopped Emma from saying anything else. Kenneth Coleman entered the room, portfolio in hand. He smiled. "Hi, ladies."

"Hi, Kenneth." Alaina stood and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for coming."

"Always happy to help my favorite gal." He took the chair next to Alaina after she sat again. "So y'all are going to build a restaurant."

"Your sons are going to build it, after Emma tells you what she wants."

"So let's get started." Kenneth opened the cover of his portfolio to expose a white legal pad. "What do you want, Emma?"

Cooking had always been one of Griff's greatest pleasures. He'd stopped cooking when Jana died, relying on sandwiches or canned soup or frozen dinners whenever he could force himself to eat. Tonight, he needed something to do that would occupy his mind so he wouldn't keep thinking of Emma.

Although the temperature had reached ninety-four today, Griff decided to make spaghetti. Since he had practically no food in his house, he'd had to stop at the grocery store on the way home and stock up on supplies.

With the food put away and the spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove, Griff sat down at the kitchen table with a bottle of beer. He'd tried to push Emma from his thoughts while he prepared the sauce, but she kept creeping back. They needed to discuss what happened this morning, and this afternoon by Dax's pool. She'd promised him they'd talk tonight, but he hadn't heard from her since she left Dax's house.

The chime of the doorbell surprised him. His brothers and parents would come in the back door, and wouldn't bother to knock or ring a doorbell. After giving the spaghetti sauce another stir, he walked to the front door.

His stomach jumped when he saw Emma. She stood on his porch, a halo from the setting sun surrounding her.

She looked like an angel.

"Hi," she said with a small smile.

"Hi." He stepped back and opened the door wider. "Come in."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner," she said after Griff closed the door. "Alaina and I finished with your dad a few minutes ago." Her smile brightened. "He's amazing. He took every idea I had for the restaurant and made it better."

"I agree that he's amazing."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. A look of bliss crossed her face. "What is that wonderful aroma?"

"Spaghetti sauce."

Emma looked at him again, surprise clearly evident in her eyes. "You're cooking?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I was in the mood."

"Does it taste as yummy as it smells?"

"I guess you'll have to be the judge of that."

Griff led the way to the kitchen. "I want it to simmer a while longer, but you can sneak a taste." He took a spoon from the silverware drawer, scooped up some of the sauce and held it to Emma's mouth.

She held his gaze while she blew on the sauce to cool it. Something as simple as tasting spaghetti sauce shouldn't be so sensual. Every move Emma made, everything she did, made Griff think of s.e.x. He hadn't been so obsessed with getting a woman naked in seven years of marriage.

Emma rolled her eyes and released a soft moan. "Oh wow, that's incredible."

"Do you think it needs more oregano?"

She shook her head. "I think it's perfect. If you want a different job, you can be a chef at Alaina's restaurant."

Griff chuckled. It felt strange to him since it had been so long since he'd laughed. "I think I'll stick with the job I have now."

Silence fell between them, a silence that Griff wasn't sure how to fill. Emma motioned toward his beer bottle on the table. "I'll take one of those if you have more."

"Sure."

She sat at the table while he grabbed another beer from the refrigerator. "Do you want a gla.s.s?"

"Nope. Bottle's fine."

Once settled across the table from her, he tried to think of how to start the conversation about what had happened between them. He watched her take a sip of beer and set the bottle on the table. She leaned forward and wrapped her hands around it.

"Griff, please don't feel guilty because we had s.e.x. Everything I've heard about your wife makes me believe she was a kind and generous person. Someone like her wouldn't expect you stay away from women forever."

"You're right. I know you're right. Jana would want me to be happy. I just..." Blowing out a breath, he sat back in his chair. "I've loved her since I was fifteen. I don't know how to let her go."

"You'll do it when the time is right."

Emma had to know right up front that he wasn't available. He had no intention of having his heart ripped out of his chest again. "I can't get involved with anyone else."

"I'm not asking you to. I like my life exactly how it is. I'm single and plan to stay that way." A teasing smile touched her lips. "But if you want some...friendly companionship, I'm willing."

"Something along the lines of what happened between us this morning? But longer next time?"

Her hint of a smile bloomed into a full one. "Longer would be better."

Griff chuckled again. It felt easier this time, more natural. He wasn't afraid his face would crack if he smiled.

"How much longer does the sauce need to simmer?" she asked.

He glanced at the clock on the stove. "About twenty minutes."

"Just enough time to boil the spaghetti and toast some French bread, if you have it."

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Emma grinned. "Then let's get dinner going. I'm starving."

She liked him. Not only was he incredibly nice to look at, but also intelligent and charming and polite. She suspected he also had a wicked sense of humor, if he'd let himself go. Alaina had told Emma many things about Griff that Rye had shared with her, including how Griff loved to watch comedies because they made him laugh. He'd always loved to laugh, until Jana died.

Emma hadn't heard Griff laugh out loud yet, but she'd heard his chuckle when she'd made the crack about longer being better. She took that as a good sign that he was finally starting to heal.

She set the table while Griff dished up plates of spaghetti and b.u.t.tered French bread. Conversation had been easy between them. He asked her about her job in Dallas, her family, how she met Alaina. She wasn't sure if he was that curious about her, or if he kept turning the attention to her to keep it off him.

Time to turn the attention back to him.

"This is wonderful, Griff. How long have you cooked?"

He swallowed his bite of food and wiped his hands on a linen napkin. "Since I was a teenager. Mom said just because she had three boys didn't mean they wouldn't learn how to cook and clean and do laundry. We all hated it, of course, but it was good for us to do all that stuff. It made us self-sufficient."

Emma looked around the orderly kitchen. "Doesn't your mother clean your house?"

"Yeah, on Wednesdays. She was here yesterday. That's why everything looks so good. I can do it, but she enjoys taking care of us." He shrugged. "I wouldn't want to take away her joy."

"Plus it's easier to pay her than do it yourself."

Griff grinned. "Yeah."

Emma's tummy jumped at the sight of Griff's grin. It lit up his entire face, including his eyes, making him even more handsome and s.e.xy.

"It's a good thing I know how to cook," Griff said, wiping up the last of his sauce with his bread. "Jana was a lousy cook."

His gaze flew to hers, a look of mortification crossing his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything about her."

"Griff, it's okay. You can talk about Jana. I don't mind. She was a part of your life for a long time."

He rubbed his forehead, as if that would help him gather his thoughts. "It seems rude to talk about her with you."

"Then we'll talk about something else if you'd rather. Like the restaurant. Your dad said he'll have a draft of the blueprints in a couple of days. I can't believe how fast he works."

"Computers help. He doesn't have to draw everything by hand anymore."

"I can hardly wait to see them." She stood, picked up her plate and carried it to the sink. "I don't think I'll believe it's really happening until I see the finished plans."

"Or the foundation," Griff said, setting his plate on top of hers.

Just hearing the word "foundation" sent goose b.u.mps scattering across her body. "I want to be there for everything. I want to help build it the way Alaina has helped at Stevens House."

Griff turned and leaned against the cabinets. "How will you do that when you live and work in Dallas?"

"I'm giving my two weeks notice as soon as I go back to work next week. I was going to wait until the first of November, but I want to be in Lanville now."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Where will you live?"

Emma shrugged. "I haven't thought that far yet. I'll talk to Lainy first. I don't want to wear out my welcome, but maybe I can stay with her and Rye a little longer while I find a place to rent."

"That won't be easy. There are only two small apartment complexes in Lanville and they rarely have a vacancy."

"Rental houses?"

"Scarce."

"Not a problem." Emma refused to be discouraged. "I'll work it out."

She watched his face as he studied hers. She had the feeling he wanted to say more, yet remained silent. "Is something wrong?"

Griff shook his head. "No." He went back to the table and picked up their empty beer bottles. "I have ice cream. That's the only dessert I can offer you."

"I'm too full for dessert anyway. Your spaghetti was delicious."

"Thanks."

Silence again, an uncomfortable one for her this time. No matter how much she wanted to stay with him, she knew she had to leave.

"Well, I guess I'd better go. Thank you for dinner."

"I didn't use a condom."