There was that word again.
He stopped, closing his eyes as he let himself take in that word and what it meant to him. His family was his home. The clubhouse was starting to feel like a home, too. But the thing that popped into his mind when thinking about home was green-flecked brown eyes, lips pulling into a wry smile, wide shoulders, and big hands. It was that fierce protectiveness. It was how he made him laugh so easily. How he made him feel confident with nothing but the truth. It was the way he looked at him as if he meant something special to him. Wilder felt like home.
He breathed in deeply. As much fear as there was inside him, there was hope, too. Wilder wouldn’t look at him like that if it didn’t mean anything. Wilder had to?
“Emmett,” someone yelled, making him jerk his head up.
He froze, his breath stuttering in his lungs. Fuck. No.Nonono.
He couldn’t move as he watched Heath walk up to him, a smile on his face that he knew all too well was fake.
“Em,” Heath said, reaching for him.
His heart thundered in his chest, and everything inside him was telling him to move, to run, to get the hell away, but his body just wasn’t listening. The hand cupping his cheek made him want to throw up.
“What are you doing here?” he managed to say, his voice barely audible.
Heath shrugged, his smile playful, but Emmett knew what hid behind it.
“It’s been months, Em. Don’t you think it’s time you came home?”
He shook his head.
Heath stepped closer, his voice low as he said, “I know you’ve missed me.”
There was a sultry tone to his voice that only made Emmett shudder in disgust. Why couldn’t he pull away? Why couldn’t he tell this asshole to leave him alone?
“Hey, you headed off?”
Talon’s voice had him taking a step back, Heath’s hand slipping from his face. He should’ve felt relieved, but instead, he felt dirty. He wasn’t sure ten scorching hot showers could erase Heath’s touch.
When he didn’t answer Talon, he walked closer, and from Heath’s pinched look, Talon was giving him a once-over he didn’t appreciate.
“Who’s this?” Talon came to stand by Emmett’s shoulder, and the warmth of his body next to him had him breathing easier.
“My ex.”
Heath’s expression hardened into that mask he knew too well. “Don’t play games?”
“I think it’s time you leave,” Talon interrupted, his tone harsh and his hand on the gun at his hip.
“I see how it is,” Heath said, his jaw clenching. Before walking away, he gave Emmett a look that had him fighting the urge to curl in on himself.
Talon stepped in front of Emmett, waiting for Heath to get in his car and drive away before he turned to face Emmett.
“You okay? Need me to call someone?”
He wasn’t sure if Talon meant calling a friend or for someone to hurt Heath. Either way, he shook his head.
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t. Not in the least. He just wanted to go home. “I was leaving anyway.”
“You sure?” Talon asked, and when Emmett nodded, he added, “Want me to go with you?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m going straight to the clubhouse.”
Talon didn’t look convinced, his brows drawing together for a second before he sighed and motioned for Emmett to walk ahead of him. Talon walked him to his car, giving him a concerned look before hanging back to watch as Emmett got in the driver’s seat. The second the door closed, he squeezed his eyes shut, cursing loudly at himself. Why couldn’t he just have told Heath to fuck off? Why did he have such a hard time standing up for himself?
Breathing in deeply, he got the car started and drove out of the parking lot, turning the car toward the clubhouse. He tried to forget about Heath, letting his mind drift, and it took him straight to green-flecked eyes and wavy brown hair. It took himto that look Wilder gave him right before his lips split into a smile that took his breath away.
