Wilder looked down at his hands. “Thisis payback.”
“Payback?”
This time, when Wilder’s gaze met his, there was no amusement, just a dark look he was surprised didn’t scare him.
“You attack one of ours, you pay the price.”
His mouth dropped open when he realized exactly what Wilder meant. He wasn’t worth beating anyone up for. He shook his head, opening his mouth to say as much, but all that came out was a soft, “I’m not yours.”
Wilder hummed, the gleam in his eyes saying otherwise. His breath caught in his throat. Great. He was imagining thingsnow. If he hadn’t gotten the all-clear from Emma last night, he could’ve at least blamed it on that, but no, he was just… fucked.
He took off toward the door, grabbing the handle and jerking when it didn’t budge. A groan pushed past his lips. Of course. Today was so not his day.
Wilder reached around him with a key, sliding it into the keyhole. It put Wilder’s chest against his side, the man towering over him. Fuck, he smelled good. That woodsy scent wafting over him. How was that fair? How was he supposed tonotthink about that?
He needed to stuff Wilder firmly into a box labeled ‘friend’ before he did something stupid like breathe in deeply and try not to make an embarrassing?No. Nope. Not going there. His brain needed to sit this one out. His body, too.
The click of the lock startled him, and if Wilder’s wry smile was any indication, he was well aware of where his thoughts had gone. Shit.
Wilder held the door open for him, and he slipped inside without touching him, which wasn’t exactly easy with how much space the big man took up. He headed down the hall with fast strides, hoping to avoid any further embarrassing moments, but Wilder’s legs were longer than his, and he caught up to him easily.
He swallowed back a curse and threw glances Wilder’s way as they walked through the gym to the double doors that led into the boxing room. There was a distinct pull on Wilder’s lips, and he couldn’t even be mad about it.
Wilder pulled open one of the doors, and he wished he wasn’t blushing as he stepped inside. He walked to the couch and pulled his bag off, dropping it on the floor. He’d spent hours finalizing a design yesterday with all the time he’d been confined to his bed, grateful that Ezra had a tablet he could borrow while his own was a mangled piece of tech. Ezra had taken one look at it andcringed, which he’d taken to mean that it was unsalvageable. He eventually needed to get a new one, but Ezra’s would do for now.
He turned toward the wall, noting the paint cans someone had left along with all the equipment he’d told Kaz he needed. Kaz had given him free rein on what to paint, and he was taking full advantage. Someone had procured a ladder for him as well, so he could reach the top parts of the wall.
“You’re working inside for now,” Wilder said, his stern look quashing the protests rising in Emmett. It was probably for the best anyway. He wasn’t too keen on going back out there.
“I’ll be close by if you need me,” Wilder said, backing toward the double doors.
He nodded and pretended that those words didn’t make something flutter in his stomach. He turned his gaze to the white wall and took a deep breath before reaching for a pencil.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Wilder
HE GAVE Emmett a good few hours to work before he went in search of him. He walked past the rows of machines in the gym and pushed through the doors to the boxing room, then came to a halt, gaze tracking Emmett as he sketched on the wall. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at, but considering the confidence with which Emmett was drawing his lines, he knew it would end up nothing short of stunning.
He let the door fall shut, the creaking catching Emmett’s attention. He snapped his head up, eyes wide until they landed on Wilder, then his brows lowered in a frown, and he made an annoyed huff before returning to drawing on the wall.
He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling, but it was damned hard, because Emmett was fucking adorable.
Emmett lowered his pencil with a sigh and turned to face him. “Why are you here?”
“You promised to teach me to sign,” he said, arching a brow at Emmett.
Emmett crossed his arms, pencil caught between his fingers. “I think you and I remember that conversation very differently.”
He shrugged. “Same outcome.”
“You throwing me over your shoulder if I don’t do as I’m told?” Emmett quipped.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Don’t tempt me.”
Blue eyes widened, and Emmett’s lips parted on a breathless gasp, his cheeks reddening. Fuck. He wanted more of that.
He cleared his throat and walked across the room to drop his ass onto the couch before he got too sidetracked from his actual goal, which was truly to learn enough ASL to hold a conversation. He leaned back on the couch, both arms resting on top of the back.
