Chapter Four Ryan
“Cheers!”
I clink my glass of whiskey against the other glasses and take a sip, letting the liquor sear down my throat and chest. It’s got a bite, but nothing beats that warm aftertaste.
“Wow, they make strong drinks here,” Emma says from my right after sipping on her Cosmopolitan.
“It’s the top shelf liquor they make you shell out a bunch of money for,” I tell her as my eyes roam around the minimalist, white and oak themed bar. It’s overly fancy for my tastes, but Josh is a regular and can schmooze the bartenders for a dollar or two off per drink.
Not that we have to worry about money, but I don’t care if I’m rich or not. I don’t want to be screwed over for overpriced drinks.
“They’re good drinks, you grump,” Josh says from the other side of Emma.
“You know Ryan is a regular at the gym? Josh is a regular here at Eeden,” Max tells Emma from next to Josh.
Josh hits Max in the arm with his elbow. “You’re making it sound like I’m an alcoholic. I never come more than twice a week, and half of the time that I’m here I’m meeting with someone for business.”
“Rich friends,” I mutter under my breath before taking another drink, letting the whiskey soothe away some of my nerves.
I’m glad that Emma is back to help us. I was blown away by some of the projects included in her portfolio, and I could easily picture her helping us with SyncUp. It felt like I was meant to think of her for this update.
But now that she’s here…I can barely even look at her.
Not because I don’t like her or whatever.
Because I can’t tame my mind and all the messed up thoughts circling around in it. Like how sexy she looks in that skirt. How watching her lick the corner of her mouth makes me lose my damn breath.
This feels like some sort of sick joke. Andrew and Ethan are like my family, and thinking about her like that feels like I’m spitting in their faces. They’ve always been so insistent on looking out for their little sister. I’m sure they never thought they would have to watch out for me.
“We haven’t really caught up yet, Ryan,” Emma says as she turns toward me on the bar stool, her knee grazing mine.
I slowly move my eyes to hers, trying to ignore how her mere touch lights a fire within me. “Not too much to catch up on. I’ve just been working with these jackasses.”
“Yeah, we love you too, buddy,” Josh replies as he pats me on the back.
Emma smiles a little, but she doesn’t look all that satisfied by my answer. “Well, you look good.”
My heart rate picks up as I feel her eyes roam over me. “So do you. Where’s your coat?”
A sheepish look fills her face as she rubs her arms. “I forgot it at the office. I’ll grab it tomorrow.”
She’s cold. Her drink isn’t going to warm her up like my whiskey will, but my black coat will do. I peel it off and drape it over her shoulders before turning back to my drink.
“Thank you,” Emma says as she pulls it around her, nearly disappearing in the fabric. She smiles to herself before sipping on her drink and joining in on Josh’s and Max’s conversation about their favorite Christmas events in the city.
Holidays aren’t really a big deal to me, so I just listen and enjoy the sound of her laughter. That smile of hers rivals the sun too. I could just watch her all night, and I kind of do, pitching in to the conversation every once in a while, but mostly reveling in her warm company.
But good things are always ruined at some point.
“Josh! What the hell?”
“Oh, fuck,” I mutter under my breath before looking over my shoulder as none other than Stacy King strides through the bar in her red heels and white fur coat.
How the hell did she know that he was here?
“Did you invite her here?” I hiss at Josh.
Josh sighs and rubs his temples. “No. She might’ve asked around and found out that I was here.”
Stacy stops near Josh, not even bothering to look at the rest of us. “I haven’t heard from you all day. What have you been doing?”
Josh glances at Emma for a second, but that’s all it takes for Stacy to notice and react to the fact that another woman has his attention.
“Who is that?” Stacy questions him.
“Oh, boy,” Max sighs under his breath.
Emma looks so stunned and confused that she can’t speak. I don’t even blame her.
“This is Emma. She’s working on a project with us,” Josh replies as he pitches Emma a friendly smile.
Stacy looks away from Emma so fast that her black hair nearly hits Emma in the face. “Come on, Josh. I need to talk to you about something. My dad has this thing coming up that I think you’ll be interested in.”
Before Josh can protest, Stacy grabs his arm and physically drags him off the bar stool. She may be a skinny girl, but her nails are like daggers, and she loves sinking them into people. Literally and metaphorically.
Emma quietly sips on her drink, still reeling from that trainwreck of a social interaction.
Max sighs and rolls his eyes. “Dude needs to grow a spine around her.”
“Who was that?” Emma finally asks.
“Stacy King. She’s pretty much a socialite around here. Rich father and all who gets her whatever she wants,” I tell her. “Dumbass dated her a while ago.”
“But he did break up with her,” Max replies, coming to Josh’s defense.
“Doesn’t seem like she got the hint,” Emma says as she fluffs her hair behind her shoulders, her nose wrinkling a little. She kind of seems jealous.
There’s no reason for her to be, though. There is only one angel in this bar, and she’s seated right next to me.
“You’re not wrong,” Max mutters before downing the rest of his drink and putting some money on the bar. “But she holds her father’s power, money, and connections over his head. That seems to work well enough.”
Emma frowns. “Are you leaving?”
“I’m pretty tired, sweetheart,” Max replies before pulling her in for a tight hug. “Glad you’re back. Be ready to get down to it tomorrow.”
“I will,” Emma promises him before he slips away and leaves the bar. “I guess we shouldn’t be out too late either.”
“Where are you staying?” I ask her.
Emma takes one last sip of her drink, dragging her tongue along the crease of her lips to lick up every last drop.
She’s going to be the damn death of me. This shouldn’t be happening.I can’t keep staring at her mouth.
I should be remembering how she used to doodle in her notebook and fall asleep on the couch at her brothers’ house.But she’s not that girl anymore.
And this isn’t safe territory. “A one bedroom at The Heights. A girl is subletting to me right now.”
I tilt my head curiously. “You’re not staying at your parents’ place?”
Emma lets out a dry laugh and shakes her head. “Oh, no. I think that would drive all of us insane.”
From what I remember, her relationship with her parents has always been a touch rocky. I figured all of that was in the past, though.
“The Heights isn’t too far away from here. I’ll walk you,” I tell her before putting some money down and standing up, not giving her an opportunity to argue. It’s dark outside, and I don’t want her roaming around by herself.
“How are your parents?” Emma asks me as she follows me out of the bar.
Cold wind gusts past us, making the light amount of snow fall at an angle. Christmas lights adorn the front of stores and restaurants, and I can hear Christmas music playing from somewhere in the distance.
Honestly, this time of year just isn’t my favorite for many reasons.
“I haven’t talked to them in a while. I’m sure they’re fine,” I reply. “Have you seen your parents yet?”
“I saw them for a little while when I first came back,” Emma says as she loops her arm with mine, sticking close to my side as my larger body blocks her from the wind. “They’re happy that I’m back, but…”
When she trails off, I glance down at her. “But what?”
Emma shrugs. “Well, you know that my brothers are perfect to them. Of course, one is a doctor and another is a lawyer. Then, there’s me. A graphic designer.”
I nudge her. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to them. You’re still successful in your own field.”
“That’s the problem. My parents compare me to them,” Emma tells me. “They expect so much from me, and I know that they love me, and they want me to succeed too, but they don’t see success the same way as I do.”
I frown as sympathy floods me. Her parents are good people who have helped me in more ways than I can count, but they shouldn’t put so much pressure on her. They shouldn’t make her brothers the standard to work up to.
“They’ll come around. You’ll kick ass with this project and show them,” I assure her as we round the corner, our eyes briefly meeting.
“Maybe,” Emma says, a flicker of hope lighting up her eyes.
I walk her to the tall apartment building that has a lit-up sign of “The Heights” at the top. She takes the lead once we go inside and heads up to the fourth floor and all the way down the hallway to the right.
“This is me for the next month,” Emma tells me as she stops in front of her unit door.
I can smell the lingering scent of fresh paint coming from the cream color on the hallway walls. At least it isn’t a shady place. She should be safe here.
“Goodnight, Emma,” I say.
Emma smiles and hands me my coat back. “Goodnight, Ryan. Thanks for believing in me.”
I meet her eyes, feeling a strong tug deep in my chest to get closer. Hell, it’s probably in my soul. “I’ve always believed in you, Em.”
Emma’s face softens, and her eyes shift down for just a second.
It would be so easy to kiss her right now. To show her how glad I am to have her back in the city.
But it’ll be just as easy for her brothers to never speak to me again. After all that they and her parents have done for me, I don’t think that I can take that loss.
I turn away from her and head down the hallway, forcing myself not to look back.