We freeze.
"Shit," I whisper.
Emmett sets me down quickly, stepping back just as Collette rounds the corner. Her eyes dart between us. My flushed face. His disheveled hair. The barely respectable distance between us.
"There you are." Her voice is carefully neutral. "Harper was worried about you."
"I'm fine. Just needed some air."
"In a hallway?" She raises an eyebrow.
"It was quieter."
Her gaze slides to Emmett. "Captain. Getting some air, too?"
"Something like that." His voice is remarkably steady for someone who was grinding against me thirty seconds ago.
Collette looks at me for a long moment, and there’s something unreadable in her expression. She sighs. "We're leaving in ten minutes. The boys want to hit another spot."
"I think I'm going to head back to the hotel."
"Me too," Emmett adds. "Early flight tomorrow."
Collette's eyebrow climbs higher. "Right. Well. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
She turns and walks away, leaving us alone again.
The moment is broken. Cockblocked again by my sister. Whatever spell we were under has shattered.
"I should go."
"Joelle ..."
I shake my head. "This can't keep happening." I smooth my dress, avoiding his eyes. "Every time we're in the same room, we end up ... we can't."
"I know the reasons why we can't. But I don't know if I care anymore."
"You should. I should." I finally look at him. "We're playing with fire, Emmett. Someone's going to get burned."
"Maybe I want to get burned." He smirks.
"It's not funny. It's a terrible idea."
"Probably." He reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "But I can't seem to stop having terrible ideas when it comes to you."
I close my eyes, leaning into his touch for just a second, then I step back. I have to go before I do something incredibly stupid.
"Goodnight, Emmett."
"Goodnight, Trouble."
I walk away quickly before I can change my mind.
"There you are. I was worried, you had been gone for a while," Harper says.
"Just needed some air."
She raises a brow. Her eyes zero in on Emmett coming back from the same direction as I did. But she doesn't say anything. I give her the tiniest head shake, letting her know, please don't say anything to Felix. Whatever she is thinking, she gives me a nod back in understanding.
