Back to Me (Book Three ✓)

thirty-one

Why is she here?

As thankful as I am that it's her and not Zoey ... Something must be wrong.

I step aside, letting her through. She stops just in front of me, allowing me only enough room to close the door. Her breath is warm on my neck and I try to straighten up so her scent can't intoxicate me completely.

She stares at me, brows furrowed, an intense look in her dark eyes. Peering down at her, my eyes scan her body without my permission, stirring something in my gut. Her nipples are hard through her thin sweatshirt, so close to me that they're almost touching my chest, her swollen belly just visible over the waistband of her leggings.

Emma suddenly takes a step back as if coming to attention and begins to pace my living room. I watch her intently, beyond confused and increasingly more concerned.

"Em?" I approach her slowly, my hands gentle on her arms. Her skin is cool from the rain and yet, touching her sets me on fire.

Her eyes flutter closed at the spark and my heart races. When she opens her eyes again, her full lips pout at me.

I stare at her, softly brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, tracing the constellations of her freckles lightly with my finger.

Raising to her tiptoes, Emma touches her nose to mine. I stop breathing and she places a soft hand on my jaw. Lightly, at first, and then with more urgency, Emma puts her mouth to mine, kissing me like she's starving for me alone.

At first I can't move, too stunned to react. And then I can and I'm unable to get enough of her, my hands exploring and devouring her body through her clothes.

My crotch twitches and my breath becomes more ragged.

"Emma," I push her hips away from me, fearing it might actually kill me to resist if we keep going.

She peers up at me with wide eyes, breathless and flushed. Something in my core tightens, the tension I've been feeling lately building.

God damn, I can't take much more of this.

"I almost slept with Adam today."

And then it's gone.

All the heat dissipates, replaced by a cold, sharp wave of rejection. And betrayal. And irritation with myself because she's done nothing wrong.

Fuck, I didn't want to hear that.

Touching my lips, unsure if I imagined the whole scene just seconds ago, I tilt my head to the side, searching her face for answers, my chest tight with anticipation.

"And you drove all the way here just to tell me?" I exhale sharply. "Thanks."

"No," Emma shakes her head, droplets of rain dripping from her hair down the lines of her neck, her collarbone... "I came here to tell you that I didn't."

I narrow my eyes at her, processing each word slowly, making sure I've heard her correctly. "You didn't?"

"I couldn't." She shrugs weakly, a hint of a smile on her lips. She watches me intently, like she's waiting for me to say something.

And I don't know what to say. I should say something, anything - I never do when I'm supposed to, but what?

What words will fix everything between us, return us to how we were?

Between the increasingly uncomfortable situation in my pants and the dizzying way my mind is spiraling, I can barely keep up.

"What are we doing, Beau?" Emma speaks, always finding the words when I can't. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and heat spreads through me, scorching even hotter than before. "What are we?"