Chapter Ten Emma
Ileave my apartment early the next morning.
But I don’t rush to work because Max and I agreed not to overwork ourselves. Instead, I cross the street before getting to the office, hurrying down the crosswalk in front of rows of cars. The cold journey and less hours of sleep are worth the end result, though.
Bright lights glow in my eyes as I stare up at a large Christmas tree in front of another towering office building. Large red ornaments and a star on top complement its dark green leaves, along with some snow on the branches.
I wish we had a tree in front of our building. Even if I’m not able to spend as much time as usual enjoying the festivities, I still love the holidays, especially in New York City.
Of course, things feel different now than they used to.
I remember having snowball fights with my brothers and the guys in the front yard when school was canceled.
I remember sitting on Andrew’s shoulders decorating the top of the tree and searching the house for our parents’ hiding spot for presents with Ethan.
There was so much magic and joy in each minute. All we had to do was have fun and enjoy our time.
Now, there is so much weight to everything. Stress. Pressure. Impatience.
I take a deep breath and set aside one minute to enjoy the Christmas tree and its glowing lights before they shut them off for the day.
But I don’t even get that one minute.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
I turn to see a man in a maroon suit standing next to me, his hands tucked in his pockets. His cologne hits me like a punch to the nose, making me cough. “Oh, yeah. It’s nice.”
“Spending the holidays alone?” he asks me as he turns toward me more, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair.
I tilt my head at him. “What makes you think that?”
He shrugs and gestures to me. “Pretty girl like you shouldn’t be all by yourself.”
I didn’t anticipate bad flirting to be the reason why my minute of peace was ruined, but here we are. “I’m going to work. You’re by yourself too.”
He chuckles and shifts closer to me, making my shoulders tense as I shy away. “Neither of us have to be alone. Where do you work? I’ll come pick you up for a drink when you’re finished.”
I screw my face up at him. Does that actually work on women? Then again, I don’t think any level of flirting will make me feel the way that the guys make me feel just by smiling at me. It’s almost kind of pathetic.
“Thanks, but I’m actually pretty busy.”
“Too busy for just one drink?” He takes another step closer, reaching out to brush my arm. I jerk away, stumbling back a step and bumping into a firm chest.
“There you are. We’ve been looking everywhere for you.
” I spin around to see Josh standing firmly behind me, his grin cocky but his eyes scanning me like he’s checking for damage.
He sweeps me into a tight hug, grounding me with that bold, possessive energy that always makes my breath catch.
“You okay?” he murmurs close to my ear.Max reaches me next, slower, more deliberate.
He doesn’t just drape his arm over my shoulders—he curls me in, brushing a kiss against my temple like I’m something soft and secret.
It makes me want to melt further into him.
“Told you we shouldn’t have let her out of our sight,” he says, his voice low, like he means it more than he should.Ryan lingers at the back, silent.
He doesn’t touch me—not at first. Just looks at the guy like he’s one wrong word from regretting his entire morning.
But when I step closer to him, his hand finds the small of my back, firm and steady.
“We won’t lose track of you again,” he says, dead serious.
Typically, I’m not into men being possessive over me or deciding what’s best for me without my input, but something about his tone makes my adrenaline rush.
Why are they being this way?
Because I’m their best friends’ sister? Or because they don’t like the sight of another man flirting with me?
“Let’s go,” Josh says, nodding toward our building.
The moment that Max’s arm slips from my shoulders, I feel Ryan’s hand against my lower back. This whole situation makes me feel hot despite the chilly weather, and I can’t wait to get inside so that I can take off my coat.
“Flirting with dudes on company time? Might have to dock you, Em,” Josh teases me as we cross the street.
“I’m sure we can think of a more fitting punishment,” Max says, sharing a smirk with Josh that makes my legs wobbly.
I lean toward Ryan for stability, feeling his hand slip around to hold my side instead. Even this isn’t totally appropriate. Where is the line? If I’m judging the metrics based on my brothers, they’d probably shove Ryan away from me right now for holding me like this.
But it feels so good being pressed up against his fit body and being held like he’s willing to shield me from an incoming car.
“Hope you didn’t think that guy was your soulmate or anything,” Josh says over his shoulder.
I scoff. “Well, I didn’t have time to figure that out before you three came.”
“He wasn’t good enough for you,” Ryan tells me in a firm voice like there’s no room for negotiation.
I glance up at him, but he keeps his gaze forward as we approach the door to our building. He can’t keep making comments like that and then not looking me in the eye. I can’t judge his intentions when he does that.
“He’s right,” Max says before following Josh inside.
“And what if I gave him my number and agreed on getting a drink with him after work today?” I question them, unable to help myself.
I want to push them. I want to see how far they’ll go.
Even if I really shouldn’t.
We all pile into the elevator, and Josh reaches in front of me to hit the button for the top floor. His eyes catch mine as he starts to lean back. “I guess we’ll have to give you extra work so that you stay here.”
I hear Ryan snort a faint laugh, while Max tilts his head back a little and chuckles. They’re so insistent on making sure that nothing happens between me and that guy. My cheeks heat up at the thought of them scaring other guys off because they want me to themselves.
It’s an inappropriate, wild thought, but it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.
The elevator suddenly feels so much smaller as they surround me on three sides, caging me in with their frustratingly hot bodies. I exhale slowly, grimacing when it comes out shakily. Can I at least act like I’m not affected by them?
I almost gasp when the elevator doors finally slide open so that I can put some distance between us. Even as I walk ahead to reach my desk, I can feel their gazes on me, and instead of feeling weirded out, I drink in every ounce of their attention.
“I’ll send my ideas for the file center page to you guys in a few hours,” I tell them once I take a seat, seeing them head to their own desks out of the corners of my eyes.
“Take your time. You don’t have anywhere to rush off to anyway,” Josh says, flashing me a playful wink that makes me want to bury my face in my hands to hide my blush.
They’re killing me. They’re going to be the death of me, and there’s nothing that I can do but breathe through the heat and hope that I don’t do something stupid.
I’m supposed to be in control here. This is my job.
My career. My future.But every time one of them looks at me like I’m theirs, something inside me unravels a little more.
It’s not just physical—it’s emotional, magnetic, impossible.I’m losing the professional distance I swore I’d keep.
I’m losing the version of me that plays it safe.
And the scariest part?I don’t think I want it back.