Chapter 12 #2
He blinked at her, looking caught off guard. Then he let out a long breath that surprised her. “I think it was partly true.”
“No, it wasn’t. I promise. I mean, sure, you make me want to scream and throw things sometimes, but I don’t hate you. I—”
He held up a hand to stop her and stopped walking. “That’s not the part I meant.”
This time, she blinked at him in confusion.
“She also said I take things from you at work all the time, and the truth is, I’ve felt bad ever since.
” A look of sincerity softened his handsome face.
“I know it can’t be easy being the only woman all the time, Emmy.
And I know we can act a little boys’ club sometimes.
Between that and what you texted me about feeling like you don’t fit in, I’m really sorry if I’ve ever made you
feel like you weren’t part of the team. Like what I said the other week about you never having been on the field; that was
a real jerk thing to say. You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and you absolutely deserve all the same things
I get, if not more. I’m going to be more sensitive to how you are treated—by everyone—from now on. I promise.”
Emmy’s mouth fell open. She blinked in shock. It was like he’d read lines from a script titled The Exact Right Thing to Say to Emmy Jameson . When she managed to close her mouth, she cleared her throat and found her voice. “Thank you. That means a lot to hear, actually.”
“Well, I mean it.”
“Good.”
They continued walking in silence for a few more moments.
“Scream and throw things, huh?” Gabe asked, and shot her a sly grin.
She flushed over the admission she’d made. “Only on your best days.”
Gabe laughed a warm, throaty sound and turned into the breezeway of their building.
Emmy’s heart kicked up a notch because they were now one elevator ride away from the inevitable.
“You swindled an extra room key out of the front desk too, I see,” she said, and nodded at the band around his wrist.
He lifted his arm as the elevator arrived. “Yes. Celia was very generous.”
“I’m sure she was,” she said, casting him a sly grin.
“What’s that face for?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m just sure you shamelessly sweet-talked your way into that key, because I never gave them your name at the
front desk.”
He scoffed as they stepped into the elevator. “Are you accusing me of being a flirt, Jameson?”
“If the shoe fits, Olson,” she said as the elevator doors closed and lifted them off the ground. The small space made her aware of every breath. She felt his heavy gaze on her. It sent a signal straight to the pleasant burn low in her belly that had been growing hotter all night.
“It goes both ways, you know,” she said.
“What does?”
“I get it now. Because of what you texted me, I know why you are the way you are at work. The whole formative years in a competitive sport thing. Makes total sense why you always want to win and have trouble connecting with people.”
Gabe went quiet, and Emmy worried she’d overstepped. But then he half turned to her with a look that was at once shy and scorching
and said, “Except with you.”
Her knees wobbled again, and she leaned against the wall for support. He held her gaze while the corner of his mouth twitched
up. The metal box was suddenly hot and small in the most delicious way.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” she said with a rush of drunken bravery.
He fully turned to her and leaned in close enough that she pressed her back to the wall behind her. The cool metal sent a
shiver rippling through her. His lips parted and his voice came out a near growl.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea right now.” The words uncoiled from his tongue like a velvet rope that wrapped around
her. He had her in a choke hold and he wasn’t even touching her.
She thought of making a joke about him flirting with her like she’d accused him of doing with the desk clerk, because holy fuck , but she couldn’t form words. His dark eyes burned inches from hers. She’d stopped breathing. Her pounding heart and the
ding of the elevator arriving were the only sounds.
Emmy shook her head, coming back into herself. “Well, knowing you, whatever you were thinking was probably an insult.”
He quietly laughed and then sighed. He followed her out of the elevator and down the hall. Emmy was suddenly bone-tired and hoped they could sort out the sleeping arrangement without too much fuss. Maybe she’d just pass out on the bed, and he’d have to deal with it however he deemed suitable.
A blast of frozen air greeted them when she opened the door. She quickly noted the addition of his belongings neatly unpacked
alongside hers.
“I used the rest of the closet and drawers, if that’s okay,” he said.
“Of course. I left them empty for you.” A watery yawn suddenly hit her. She covered it with the back of her hand.
“You must be tired,” he said, and headed toward the bed. He sat and removed his shoes.
Gabe Olson shoeless. Who knew the sight would make her dizzy.
“ You must be tired. You worked today and then flew here. All I did was travel then get a massage and drink my weight in pina coladas.”
He grinned and stood up to reach for the dresser drawers. He moved so comfortably while Emmy stood there feeling as agitated
as a beehive full of rebels trying to kill the queen. He pulled an old T-shirt out of the drawer, one with SDSU Baseball branded across the chest, and she had her answer to what Gabe Olson wore to bed: old alma mater tees. Well, at least that
was what he wore to bed in the presence of a half-drunk female roommate of very complicated relation.
“I’m going to get ready for bed,” Emmy said, and escaped to the bathroom. She’d stashed a set of pajamas in there earlier
in the event of this exact scenario and thanked her past self for it. Once she’d brushed her teeth and scrubbed off the minimal
makeup she’d put on for dinner, she changed into her own pj’s: a T-shirt and comfy sports bra along with a pair of cotton
shorts. She’d deemed it suitable for sharing a room with a very attractive male roommate of extremely complicated relation.
When she returned, ready to negotiate the bed issue, she found the room empty.
“Gabe?” she called into the space she could already see every square foot of. He wasn’t in it.
“Down here.” His voice came from the floor on the other side of the bed.
Emmy frowned and crawled up on the bed that she noticed was now without a few pillows and the top blanket. “What are you doing?”
she asked when she found him on the floor in a makeshift nest with said missing bedding and his phone propped on his chest.
“Going to sleep.”
“On the floor?”
“Yes. You can have the bed.”
She frowned deeper. She knew the bed would be a tricky situation, but she figured they’d construct some kind of barrier or
take shifts. She never thought he’d volunteer for the floor.
“No,” she said plainly.
“Why not?” He looked up at her like a cuddly teddy bear wrapped in white linen. The T-shirt hugged his broad shoulders and
chest. A lock of his hair curled over his forehead.
Emmy sat up on her knees. “Well, for one thing, the floor is marble, and that’s not even remotely comfortable. You won’t be
able to walk in the morning.”
“It’s not so bad,” he said with a shrug.
“You’re a terrible liar. Come on. This bed is gigantic. There is plenty of room for both of us.” She patted the fluff beside
her.
“Emmy, I’m fine. I’ll stay down here.”
“No, you won’t because you’ll be uncomfortable all night, and I’ll be up here worrying about how uncomfortable you are all night, and neither of us will get any sleep. Get up here.” She scooted back and started
building a barrier down the bed’s middle. “I’ll make a wall if that makes it better. We can call down for more pillows.”
“I don’t think there are enough pillows in the world...” he muttered. He was still on the floor, and she could hardly hear
him over the sound of rearranging the bedding.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. I’ll be fine down here.”
She finished building her barricade and reached over to snatch the blanket off him.
“Hey!” he called.
“Olson! Stop being such a stubborn ass and get up here!”
His head popped up at the bedside. He eyed her pillow wall with suspicion. She’d constructed it on top of the sheets and climbed
into her side of the bed already.
“It’s the best I can do,” she said, and pointed at it. “Your side; my side. Now, let’s sleep. We’re going to need all our
energy tomorrow to prevent Bridezilla Meltdown.”
He eyed the pillows with another moment of hesitation and then decided he was satisfied. “I’ve heard those are the worst meltdowns,”
he said, climbing onto the bed.
“Life-threatening, really.” Emmy felt the mattress dip under his weight. She rolled slightly toward the middle of the bed
where the pillows stopped her. “See? Already working.” She patted the wall.
He’d settled on top of the sheets and curled onto his side facing away from her. “Good night, Jameson.”
“Good night, Olson.” She clicked off the light and plunged them into darkness.
Emmy’s heart nervously thrummed as they settled into the silence. She was acutely aware of him beside her. She could hear
every breath, feel every movement. It took a fair amount of time for her heart to eventually calm into a relaxed rhythm. Sleep
had almost pulled her under when his voice softly called her back.
“Emmy?”
The sound snapped her out of her haze. Her whole body became alert again as if he’d flipped a switch inside her. “Yeah?”
“Can I please have a blanket? It’s really cold in here.”
“Oh!” she said with an embarrassed laugh, not having realized she’d hogged them all. “Yes. Sorry. I turned the AC all the
way down when I got here earlier.” She removed the blanket she’d stolen from him and threw it over to his side.
“Thank you.”
She listened to him settle beneath it and considered suggesting he climb under the covers with her. But that might have been
one step too far into a direction they’d never be able to turn back from.