This chapter contains the use of explicit language.

Ember felt like she'd melt into a puddle before she reached the other end of the boardwalk. Even with sunglasses, a hat, and the ocean breeze, she could feel the sun threatening to burn her skin and she wondered why her mother had picked the sweltering state of Florida to live in.

"Em?"

She froze at the sound of his voice and contemplated running as fast as she could in the direction of the wine shop, but against her better judgment, she turned and locked eyes with Tyler Finn.

"What do you want, Tyler? I already RSVP'd 'NO' on the last mail call you made for your girlfriend, I don't see why you need to be here."

"Ex-girlfriend," Tyler frowned, "And I'm sorry about that, I had no idea what she wrote."

"Oh, how adorable he thinks he can get pity by pleading innocence. Well, guess what? Even if you didn't know what it said you knew it said something, so by delivering it you were complicit in the outcome of whatever that message was. Being a coward isn't the same as being stupid, Tyler." Ember almost winced at the last utterance of his name, Amara must have been rubbing off on her and she didn't think that was an entirely bad thing.

"I deserved that."

"So we agree then? So glad we had this little catch-up, now if you don't mind it's a million degrees outside and some of us need to go to work."

"Actually, I don't know if you remember but, it would have been our three-year anniversary this week."

Ember's jaw dropped, he couldn't be serious right now, could he?! Miranda had finally dropped him and here he was talking about a three-year anniversary as if Ember had been his backup plan the whole time. Well, she was no one's second choice! She turned on her heels.

"No, wait!" Tyler stalled. "I'm trying to tell you I miss you... and tell you how hot you looked the other night at Wicked Brew... and ask if maybe... you know..."

"We can only have a three-year anniversary if you actually stay in that relationship for three years, consecutively! And as I don't plan on being here for three more minutes, I'd say it's a very unlikely scenario for us!"

"Ember, I love you, please give me a second chance." The words tumbled out of Tyler's mouth in a pathetic plea and Ember had to shut her eyes just so she wouldn't smack the sorry look off of his face.

"Where was your love for me when you were lying in Miranda's bed? Or when I begged you to tell me if you'd ever cared about me? Where was this Tyler when I needed you to have my back and be the loyal boyfriend I thought you were?!"

"I screwed up, I know that, please, Em, just let me make it up to you."

"Fuck you, Tyler!" Ember stalked off, her mind issuing a torrent of profanities she wanted to sling at her ex-boyfriend, but she worried that if she opened her mouth again she'd say something she'd regret.

"I get it!" Tyler shouted after her, "I'd probably think I was in love with him too but dudes like that don't stick around, Em. I've seen him talking to other girls at Wicked Brew. Don't worry though, you have my number when you remember who you really belong with!"

Ember bit her lip until the metallic taste of blood hit her tongue. She refused to give Tyler the satisfaction of a reaction. He was like a tornado, causing destruction in his wake wherever he went but was never there to help pick up the pieces once it was all said and done.

Her stomach turned as the adrenaline waned and she found an awning to seek shelter under. She bent over panting trying to catch her breath and get her bearings. Water is what flashed in her mind as each breath made her more aware of her dry lips and mouth. Rummaging in her bag she groped around for her water bottle, her thoughts finally catching up to her. All she could hear in her head was him saying Jude was talking to other women, she'd had the thought herself but that was all it had been before. Now it was something her brain wouldn't let go of, and she had Tyler's voice in stereo to replay over in her mind. Even if Tyler was a selfish cheater himself, it didn't mean he was wrong.

When she entered the wine shop she ripped off her hat and sunglasses and tossed them onto the counter.

"Hey, there."

Ember nearly screamed in frustration, why was the universe screwing with her?

"I had to stop by to drop off some paperwork for Amara and hoped to catch you."

For the second time in less than an hour, Ember turned and locked eyes with another man who had shown up unannounced.

Jude smiled at her from the red chaise, but when she didn't smile back, his expression turned to worry and he jumped to his feet, crossing the shop and cupping her chin so that he could get a better look at her face. "You're bleeding, are you alright?"

Ember sighed, unable to let go of her frustration, but helpless in suppressing how good it felt to be touched by him, "I just bit my lip, it's stupid."

He reached into the inside of his jacket pocket and produced a white handkerchief, gently touching it to Ember's lip.

"Nice suit," She said, taking in his attire, "hot date?"

Jude arched an eyebrow in suspicion, "I'm working. We have investors at the winery today."

"Oh." She said, kicking herself for sounding like a jealous idiot. "Thank you," She offered a smile and took the handkerchief from him to clean up the rest of the blood.

"Hey," Jude moved his head trying to catch Ember's eyes, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, It's just one of those days you know?"

"Of course," He nodded, "Maybe I can help, let me take you out tonight?"

A wave of relief washed over her and for a moment she wished she had slapped Tyler, especially for making her second-guess Jude. "I would love that," she offered him the handkerchief back.

"It's yours, can't be too careful of who you go handing your blood to," He smiled "So, I'll pick you up after work?"

"I get off at seven."

"It's a date." Jude placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and exited the shop before she could dissolve into a fit of smitten squealing.

The workday flew by with Ember practically dancing around the shop as Amara grinned at her from behind the counter and by six she insisted on closing up early so she could once again work her magic.

"I really think you missed your calling as a stylist," Ember said, soaking up her reflection in one of the many mirrors around the shop.

"Absolutely not! I am aware of how godly these skills are, and I can only use them fully when I am passionate about it. Sadly, I could never exchange such a service for something as trivial as money. Worship and admiration are entirely different, but true admiration is so hard to come by these days."

Amara had dressed her in a rose gold sundress with matching gladiator sandals and styled her hair in a fish braid with delicate wisps framing her face. Her makeup was again simple and in neutral tones with a hint of pink on her lips. She'd work at the wine shop for the rest of her life if it meant Amara would continue dressing her.

"Now remember to have fun, because that's the whole point! And to bring me juicy stories, of course!" Amara called after her as she headed out onto the boardwalk.

Jude was already waiting for her, sitting on an empty bench a few feet away.

"Stunning," He said, admiring Ember as she approached. He rose and took her hand, guiding her to the black coupe he'd parked nearby. He stopped outside the passenger door and held it open for her to step in. "After you."

Ember's smile only grew as she slid into the leather seat and the cool air-conditioned air danced around her. "What and where is the surprise destination tonight?

"I thought I'd make good on a promise I made you... you did still want to see the winery I'm assuming?"

Now he was following up on plans he had passingly made with her? She knew that could only mean that there really was something wrong with him. But she hoped that tonight wouldn't be the night she'd discover what that was because she was already having too much fun.

The Amaranth Winery was illuminated by dozens of fairy lights, and she drew in a surprised gasp when he led her into the rows of tall flowers toward a blanket fitted with plates of food and wine.

"I don't think anyone has ever done something so romantic for me." She said, taking a seat on the blue blanket.

"I can understand not being able to pull it off but no one's even attempted? What a shame." Jude said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

For nearly two hours they sat at their romantic picnic amongst the lights, picking through and feeding one another various kinds of cheeses and fruits while they exchanged childhood stories and laughed over their wildly different tastes in music and cinema. It was the most fun she'd had with a guy, the most relaxed she'd ever felt, especially in the presence of someone who looked like a walking god. He listened to her with interest, hanging on every word she said, his eyes trailing the lines of her mouth as she spoke. Several times she had to raise her glass and take a sip to hide the way she bit her lip when the desire to kiss him struck.

Just as Ember found herself comfortable enough to fall asleep, Jude took her by the hand and led her deeper into the floral garden. Much of it was surrounded by split rail fences, which they stepped over with ease.

As they walked the rows Jude picked a bouquet of the very best, presenting them when he was satisfied with the quantity. Ember buried her nose in them, taking in all the wonderful scents from each unique flower he had collected, and when she came up for air Jude was grinning and motioning for her to rest against a fence post and gaze upon the stars with him.

"Orion's belt." He pointed, "I heard he was a bit of an arse in real life."

Ember laughed, watching him while he watched the sky, he spoke of constellations with knowledge as if he'd studied the heavens and she wondered what else he knew about the world, and how much she would learn from him. Maybe ten years from now they'd be off on a vacation to wherever it was he grew up and she'd be able to recite all the constellations by name to his family and impress them with how much she'd learned from Jude.

"That's Andromeda," He whispered as if fearful that anyone other than Ember would hear him, "Posideon tried to have her killed, but love saved her."

"Love?"

Jude nodded, "Perseus rescued her and made her his queen. I've always had a fond place for them in my heart. Their story that is..."

It took Ember a second to realize he'd stopped looking at the sky and his deep gray eyes were now set on her. His eyes hooded with desire as his lips parted and a deep sigh escaped. Ember leaned forward, butterflies dancing in her belly as heat bloomed in her cheeks, she closed her eyes and waited for Jude's lips to touch hers, begging for him to take hold of her face and kiss her so deeply she would forget the world around them.

"Ember, I'm sorry, I can't."

Her eyes flew open and the embarrassment of rejection washed over her. He couldn't?

"I want to," He quickly explained as he watched her go rigid, "Please, I just, I'm not who you think I am."

"Oh my god." Tyler had been right. Ember wasn't the only girl. At least Jude's shame had stopped him from claiming her as another conquest. "I should have known, what am I lucky number twenty?"

"Twenty?"

"There are more than twenty girls?!"

"What?" Jude was following her as she marched back in the direction of the parking lot, "There are no other girls."

"Right." Ember snapped, "You're just not who I think... I know exactly the type of guy you are, Jude. You're just like Tyler and every other college dickhead."

"You don't believe that, Ember."

"Then what's wrong with me? You take me out, I get dressed up, you treat me so well, and we clearly have chemistry. What's a good reason you can't kiss me?!"

"I can't explain."

"Exactly." Ember yanked her phone out from her bag, tapped a name in her contacts, and placed it to her ear, "Bel, it's an emergency, I need you to pick me up right now. Code name: The grass ain't greener. This is not a drill. I repeat, men are the worst."

"That's not necessary, If you want to go home I will take you there."

"No, thank you!" Ember shouted. She stomped out into the parking lot wrapping her arms around herself and holding back tears. She felt so dumb, but that's what she got for putting stock in another guy. Tyler was a cowardly cheater, and Jude was... something, something he couldn't even tell her but meant that he couldn't kiss her. She had no idea what that even meant, but there was one thing she did know. Love sucked.