Chapter 9 Caleb #2
She waved a hand at me. “It’s the spritzer.”
“No, it’s not.” I liked her with her hair piled on top of her head like this, silky strands escaping and falling into her eyes.
I liked her with little to no makeup on.
I liked her dusty and dirty from the jobsite.
I liked her every which way I saw her. “It’s you, Emma.
” Dangerous… She was so fucking dangerous, and still I found myself leaning in.
And then she was leaning toward me. Our noses bumped, and she grinned.
I fisted a hand in her hair and tugged until we were better aligned.
She sucked in a breath, her lips parting eagerly, her eyes slowly fluttering shut.
I couldn’t have resisted to save my life, and I nearly groaned in relief as I lowered my head and—
My phone buzzed. “Shit.” I patted myself down, searching my pockets.
Emma giggled—giggled. I’d never heard such a sound from her before. “Maybe it’s my phone.” She searched her purse, pulled out her phone, and put it to her ear. “Hello?”
From somewhere, a phone kept buzzing.
“Hello?” she said again into her phone and then pulled it from her ear to stare at the screen. “Huh. It’s not me.” She belly laughed then.
And so did I. Suddenly it was the funniest thing in the world, and we were both patting my body down, searching for the offending phone.
“I found it,” she said triumphantly.
I stared down at my crotch and Emma’s hand on it. “That’s not my phone.”
“Oh.” She gave me a silly smile. “You sure?”
“I don’t keep my phone in my pants.”
“Sorry.” She flushed an even brighter red but didn’t let go of my hardening, ever-hopeful dick. She gave a little squeeze that made it even happier. “Found it!”
“Still not my phone.”
Her eyes went wide as she yanked her hand back but continued to stare at my crotch.
“Not helping.”
She covered her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” I finally found my phone in my back pocket and groaned at the name on the screen: Tucker. “What?” I said in greeting.
“We’re at the bar; you’re late.”
Me, my brothers, and friends met every few weeks to play darts and pool, and tonight had been the night. “I’m actually a no-show.”
“You’ve never missed a night. Not even when you nearly sawed off your hand at the Rossi job a few years back.”
“I’m about to miss one now.”
There was a pause. “You getting laid?”
I glanced over at Emma, who was still flushed, now sitting between my two dogs, an arm around each. Calvin had his head in her lap; Klein’s was on her shoulder.
Fuck, that was adorable and sexy at the same time, and my chest tightened.
It wasn’t the first time I had the sudden urge to run far away from my feelings, but somehow I’d forgotten that I always, without fail, got here.
“No,” I said to Tucker. I wasn’t getting laid.
Had I been about to? Maybe. Was I going to?
Not now that anxiety was running through my veins instead of blood. I fully blamed Tucker.
To make sure he was as miserable as me, I told him where we were and that I needed him to come get us since we’d been drinking.
Fucking sparkling wine…
Emma looked at me when I slid my phone away. “We’re done here?”
I reached for her hands, looking into her eyes, willing her to understand. “It’s a bad idea.”
She stared at me, then nodded. “No, you’re right.
So…is this the part where you ghost me? Never mind, don’t answer that.
It was a rhetorical question.” She carefully stood and dusted off her very fine ass, missing some pieces of grass that my hands itched to help with.
Instead, I curled them into fists and shoved them into my pockets as I stood too.
She had her back to me now, head tipped to watch the night sky play over the ocean.
Shit. I was such an asshole. “I’m not ghosting you.”
She didn’t look at me. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Great,” she said.
Yeah. Fucking great.
Fifteen minutes later, Tucker showed up. He got out of his truck and studied us. I couldn’t be sure because my glasses were so smudged from Emma’s fingers that I couldn’t see shit, but I thought he was amused.
“You see the irony here, right?” Tucker asked.
I did.
“I don’t,” Emma said. “X’plain.”
“I’m the youngest brother,” Tucker said. “Historically, it’s always been me who’s needed the rescue.”
“I didn’t need a rescue,” I said testily. “Just a ride. You could’ve sent anyone, but you’re a busybody who couldn’t help himself.”
“That’s not nice,” Emma told me. “He came all the way out here to drive us home because you scared yourself and got cold feet.”
Tucker choked on a laugh.
I tugged off my glasses to properly give him a dirty look.
“She’s right,” Tucker said, still grinning. “You’re not being nice. You can stay here and bum a ride. I’ll drive Emma home.” He gallantly opened the passenger door for her, then shut it once she was inside.
Tucker came around and eyed me. I opened my mouth, to be an asshole no doubt, but his mouth fell open in surprise as he pointed shakily upward.
I tipped my head back and stilled. “You’ve gotta be fucking kiddin’ me,” I said to the three stars falling in a perfect arc across the dark night sky.
“Those stars are clearly talking to you,” Tucker said.
“No way,” I said. “I’m not seeing anyone.”
“The Legend doesn’t give a shit if you’re seeing someone or not, but are you sure you’re not?” Tucker raised a brow as he subtly jerked his head toward Emma.
“Very sure,” I said, unsure of which of us I was trying to convince. I let out a breath, suddenly feeling very sober. “And in any case, I think I just accidentally friend zoned myself.”
Tucker rocked back on his heels. “Accidentally, or because you always walk away when things get too close?”
“Shut up,” I said, then got into the truck. It was a tight fit in the back seat with Klein and Calvin, who’d abandoned me to emotionally adopt Emma.
We dropped Emma off in front of her friend Suzie’s house, since Emma said she would take her to her car later, but there’d been something off in her tone.
And then there was the fact that she didn’t go in the house, instead waiting for us to drive away.
“We should’ve insisted on taking her home to make sure she’s safe. ”
“Only if you want to be known as her stalker,” Tucker said.
“I’m serious.”
“Pretty sure she’s fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“Why?”
Tucker slid me a look. “Because you’re googling how to get out of the friend zone.”
I ignored him until he pulled up to Kiera’s house so I could get Hank. I started to get out, but he put a hand on my arm.
“What?”
He hesitated. Tucker never hesitated.
“Spit it out.”
“You going to tell Ryder that you have a thing for her?”
Shit. I drew a deep breath and closed my eyes. What was I doing? “No. Because nothing’s going to happen.”
“But—”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I repeated firmly.
Tucker stared at me for a long moment, then nodded. “That’s the smart route. Except—”
“Don’t. Just…don’t—”
But he kept talking. Of course he fucking kept talking. “Are you not freaking out about the stars? Ry saw them, and look at him now. He’s turned into a big sap. You’ve got to be at least a little worried.”
“Not even a little.” That was the truth. I wasn’t a little worried.
I was massively worried.