“You were laughing with her.”
“Well, Reese, what would you have me do? Yell at the woman and tell her I’m only allowed to laugh around my boss?”
“Yes.”
He lifts a brow in surprise.
I shrug, entirely unapologetic. “You said you wanted me irrational.”
There’s the smallest, almost undetectable twitch of his lips. “I can’t be a dick to a random reporter. Besides, you tend to steal all my fight these days. I don’t have much left to share when I use it all on you.” Emmett cages me in with his arms on either side of me, palms flush against the door and eyes locked on mine. “You should know better than anyone that I wasn’t flirting with her.”
I roll my eyes. “Sure looked like it.”
He shakes his head, his breath fanning over my lips as he speaks. Then he kicks my feet wider, slipping his big thigh between my legs as he presses me against the door. “Have you somehow forgotten already? Do you need a reminder of what it looks like when I want a woman? You should know that better than anyone.”
The evidence is right there, resting on my hip.
He’s so close, his lips are so close. All I’d have to do is tilt my chin up and my mouth would find his. All I’d have to do is slip my hand into the space between us and wrap it around him.
I tilt my hips, rubbing against the muscles in his thigh, andGod, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more than I want him right now.
His calloused hand circles my throat. Light pressure. Warm skin. “You were right.”
I attempt to hide my moan. “About what?”
“My hand.” His eyes appraisingly assess my neck. “It does make an awfully pretty necklace.”
He uses his hold on me to tilt my jaw toward him before he bends down and kisses me.
And holy hell does he kiss me. There’s this deep ache in the pressure with which his mouth presses to mine. A desperationin the way his tongue slides over my lower lip, begging for me to open for him.
I do.
Willingly. Compliantly. Like putty in his hands.
He groans this primal sound when I slip my tongue into his mouth and it acts as a sounding alarm. Reminding me where we are. Reminding me ofwhowe are.
We can’t do this. Not again. And especially not here.
“Emmett.” I find the will to turn my face away, breaking the moment. “You know we can’t do this.”
It’s exhausting, trying to constantly do the right thing, but the consequences of doing the wrong thing in this scenario feel too big to ignore.
Heavy breaths are shared between us as a beat passes. His brown eyes search my face, as if he were looking for the moment I’ll change my mind. But when I don’t, he drops his forehead against mine for only a second before he pushes himself off the door, leaving an aching emptiness between my legs.
“And that’s why I’m having a night.” Turning, he walks away, creating some much-needed distance. “Because it can’t be me.”
“How do you think I feel?” I ask in a raised voice directed at this back. “I was perfectly happy running this team alone.Beingalone. I hadn’t even looked in a man’s direction until your stupid hot face started showing up everywhere. With your stupid big body and your stupid big heart.”
He watches me over his shoulder, a bit of surprise etched on his face by my sudden honesty.
“You’re so worried about some other man? IwishI could want someone other than you. That would solve a lot of problems for me, Emmett. So, you’re not the only one who gets to be mad about it. I’m pissed off too!”
“Well, that’s just fucking great, Reese!” He throws his hands up, turning to face me. “Do you know how frustrating it is thatthe only person I want to talk to, I can’t, unless I make up some ridiculous work-related excuse? Do you realize how maddening it is to want someone for the first time in twenty years only for that woman to be my boss? Just being around you is the biggest fucking tease of my life, and most days I can hardly stand it. Your presence is infuriating to me, and still, I can’t stay away. Ihatethat you made me want you.”
Alone, some of those statements should sting, but they don’t. Not even a little bit.
I scoff. “You did the same damn thing! You made me want you, so why the hell are you fighting with me about it?”
