All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [92]
"What would it hurt to tell me?" She paused waiting for his answer. When it didn't come, she said, "I think Emily loved you as a friend, a very dear, close friend—a brother. She never knew you wanted more, did she? Am I right?"
Dylan didn't reply for a long moment, then said, "She never knew. I didn't want to ruin anything between us. I didn't want her to feel like she had to say something or do something."
"So you weren't the one we bought the condoms for," she muttered to herself. For some reason it made her feel better to know that Emily had never felt a passionate love for Dylan. It meant she didn't have to feel so guilty about her own insane attraction to the man.
"What are you talking about?" Dylan asked abruptly, turning to look at her. "What condoms?"
"Did I say that out loud?"
"Yes, you did. Explain."
"I don't know if she was going to use them. She just said she wanted to be prepared, in case."
"So you helped her buy condoms instead of trying to talk her out of having sex?" he asked furiously.
"Of course I did. I wanted her to be able to protect herself in case the guy was an ass. I know you and Cole and Josh think Emily was some Virgin Mary, but she was a normal girl with desires and curiosities."
"Who were they for? Who were the condoms for?" he demanded.
"I don't know." Madison thought back to the conversations she'd had with Emily in the weeks before her death. "I remember her saying he was someone she wasn't supposed to have. I think she used the word unattainable. But who couldn't she have? He must have been someone who was going out with someone else. That's all I can think of." There was only one man who came to mind, and his name made her sit up straight. Drew McKinney. Why hadn't that occurred to her before? Was it possible that both Emily and Laura had been in love with Drew?
"What are you thinking?" Dylan asked, his sharp gaze on her face.
"Nothing," she lied. "I don't know what I'm thinking."
"Yes, you do. You thought of someone. I want to know who it was."
"Why? Are you going to beat him up? It's been ten years, you know."
"I might want to ask him a few questions—like where he was the night she died."
"Why would that matter? It's not like he would have pushed her off the roof." Her heart stopped at the look in Dylan's eyes. "Oh, my God. You think someone pushed Emily off the roof that night, don't you? Why? Why do you think that? Were you there?"
Dylan stared back at her, not answering.
"You were there," she said. "Natalie thought she saw you in the house."
"And I saw Natalie arguing with Emily. That's why I didn't go into Em's room. They were in the middle of something, so I went downstairs. I should have stayed. If I had, maybe Emily would still be alive."
"So now you're saying it was Natalie who did it?" She didn't like the way he turned away from her. "You think Emily and Natalie went out onto the roof, argued, and Natalie pushed her off—just like it was described in the book." Had Dylan lied to her before about not being Garrett Malone? They certainly seemed to share the same opinions.
"It's a possibility," Dylan replied.
"I don't believe that, and Natalie wasn't the only one who spoke to Emily that night. There were other people who went into her room."
"Like who?"
"Like Drew."
"McKinney?" he asked sharply.
"That's right. Someone who was going out with one of Emily's best friends," she added pointedly.
She knew he was smart enough to add it up quickly, and he did. His frown said it all. "She wouldn't have liked McKinney."
"He could be very charming when he wanted to be."
Dylan shook his head and got to his feet. "We're done."
"Wait a second, we're not done." She scrambled after him as he headed toward the bike. "Are you ever going to let her go, Dylan? Are you going to be able to move on from Emily?" She wanted to ask him if he'd ever give her a chance, but even her nerve wouldn't take her that far. "She wouldn't want you to waste your life pining after her," she added.
Dylan stopped and stared at her. "Don't tell me what