“Why not? Too scandalous for the Golden Boy?”
He glares at me. “I’m not a prude.”
“Prove it.” I cross my arms, challenging him. “Your turn. Try saying something suggestive.”
Emmett takes a deep breath, bracing himself like he’s about to jump into icy water. “I’ve noticed the way you twirl your hair when you’re reading. It’s…distracting.”
“Not terrible,” I concede. “But still too safe. Push further.”
He straightens his posture, summoning his courage. “I can’t stop thinking about how your perfume smells. It makes me want to get closer to you.”
“Better,” I nod. “But your delivery is still stiff. You sound like you’re giving a class presentation, not trying to get laid.”
Frustration flashes across his face. “I’m trying, okay?”
“Try harder. Think about what you actually want to say. What you’ve thought about but never had the guts to say.”
Something shifts in his expression—a moment of resolve. When he speaks again, his voice is lower, with an edge I’ve never heard before.
“Every time you stretch, your shirt rides up. I’ve caught glimpses of your skin, and it’s all I can think about when we’re alone.”
I blink, thrown by the change in his demeanor. “Uh, that’s…actually not bad.”
Encouraged, he continues, maintaining eye contact in a way that feels suddenly intense. “I wonder what it would feel like to trace my fingers along that strip of skin. If it’s as soft as it looks.”
A strange heat crawls up my neck. What the hell? My pulse quickens, caught off guard by my own reaction to his words. This is Emmett—uptight, judgmental, perfectionist Emmett—and yet something in the way his voice has deepened makes me forget that fact.
I clear my throat, uncomfortable with this unexpected turn. “Right. That’s, uh, that’s the idea.”
He looks surprised, perhaps even pleased, by my reaction. “Did I do it right?”
“Don’t get cocky,” I snap, tugging at my lip ring. “It was decent. For a beginner.”
But the truth is, that last attempt was more than decent. For a moment, I felt the impact of his words—felt a flutter in my stomach that has no business being there.
“I think that’s enough for today.” I step back to create more distance between us. “You’ve got the basic idea. Just…practice or whatever.”
Emmett looks confused at the sudden end of our lesson. “That’s it? We just started.”
“Yeah, well, I have plans tonight.” I don’t, but he doesn’t need to know that. “We can pick this up another time. Try working on sounding more natural, less like you’re reading from a script.”
He nods, still studying my face. “Thanks, I guess.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We’ve barely scratched the surface. And you still owe me a month of chores.” I grab my phone fromthe couch, needing something to focus on besides the lingering discomfort.
Emmett hesitates, like he wants to say more, then seems to think better of it. “Right. Well, I should study anyway.”
I watch him leave the room, my eyes tracking the broad line of his shoulders as he disappears down the hall. Once he’s gone, I drop back onto the couch, trying to process what just happened.
Why did his last attempt at flirting affect me like that? It wasn’t even directed at me—he was pretending I was Serena. And yet, for a split second, something shifted. Something I’m not equipped to understand or deal with.
I shake my head, trying to clear it. It’s nothing. Just the weird power dynamic throwing me off. I’m used to Emmett being the one in control, the one with all the answers. Seeing him vulnerable, seeing him listen to me for once—it’s just screwing with my head.
That has to be it. There’s no other explanation that makes sense.
I flip through my phone, trying to distract myself, but my mind keeps drifting back to the moment his voice dropped, to the unexpected flutter in my stomach when his green eyes held mine.
3
