Chapter 24 #2
Inside, neither of us spoke as we climbed the stairs. The house was dark and quiet, the only sound the soft pad of our footsteps on the carpet.
I nudged the bedroom door open with my shoulder, carrying Audrey to her bed while Emily moved to the other side of the room. It was effortless. Domestic.
I pulled the quilt up over Audrey, smoothing her hair back from her forehead. When I looked up, Emily was tucking the sheet around Alice, her expression so tender it made my chest ache.
She looked up. Caught me watching her.
Her eyes were dark, unreadable, in the dim light spilling in from the hallway. We stood there for a beat, separated by two sleeping little girls and a whole world of complications.
Then she turned and slipped out into the hall.
I followed her, pulling the door closed with a barely audible click.
The silence in the hallway felt different now. Heavier. Charged.
We walked downstairs, the air between us thickening with every step. I didn’t want her to leave. I couldn’t think of a single logical reason to make her stay, but the thought of the front door closing behind her made my skin itch.
She stopped at the entryway, turning to face me. The porch light filtered through the window, casting her face in soft shadows and highlighting the curve of her throat.
“Thank you for today,” she said quietly, fingers twisting together nervously in front of her. “For bringing me. For letting me meet your family. For... everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I do, though.” She looked down at her hands, then back up at me through her lashes. “Today was... it was really special.”
We stood there, too close and not close enough.
“I had a really good time.” Her voice dropped an octave.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Her eyes flicked to my mouth, just for a second, before flicking back up. That small gesture sent heat flooding through me.
She shifted her weight, like she might step away, but she didn’t. She just stayed there, close enough that I felt the warmth radiating off her skin, close enough to smell that sweet, subtle scent that was just her.
“I should probably...” she started, but the words trailed off into nothing.
“Probably what?”
“Go.” But her feet remained planted on my floor. “Let you get some rest.”
“I’m not tired.”
“No?” Her voice had gone breathless, her pupils blown wide in the dim light.
“No.”
The word hung between us. Her chest rose and fell with each quick breath, her eyes locked on mine. I watched her throat work as she swallowed.
I couldn’t stop myself. My hand came up slowly, bracing against the wall above her head. Not trapping her. Giving her time to move away if she wanted to.
She didn’t move away.
Her eyes went wide as she looked up at me, her lips parting slightly.
“Tell me to stop,” I said quietly.
“I don’t want you to stop.”
That was all I needed.
I kissed her.
Not gentle this time. Not tentative. I kissed her like I’d been thinking about it all day, which I had.
Since the moment she’d climbed into my truck this morning.
Since she’d laughed with my daughters and fit so perfectly into my family.
Since she’d grabbed my arm during that home run, her whole face lit up with joy.
She made a small sound in the back of her throat and melted into me, her hands fisting in my shirt. I slid my free hand into her hair, angling her head so I could kiss her deeper, my tongue sweeping against hers.
She tasted like the Coke she’d had at the game and something sweeter, something that was just her. Her body pressed against mine, soft and warm, and I had to fight the urge to pull her even closer, to back her up against the wall and really show her what I’d been thinking about.
Her tongue tangled with mine, hot and eager, and Jesus Christ, she was killing me. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, holding on like I was the only solid thing in the world.
I slid my free hand down her spine, needing more. My palm flattened over her lower back, fingers splaying wide as I traced the dip of her waist. My thumb hooked under the hem of her shirt, just brushing the warm skin of her back.
She stiffened.
It wasn’t a subtle reaction. Her whole body went rigid in my arms, that soft, melting surrender vanishing in a heartbeat.
Fuck.
I dragged my head up. “Please go, Emily,” I managed, my voice rough. “Before I…”
I didn’t finish the sentence, but the promise was there. I wanted her. All of her.
Panic flared in her eyes, sharp and bright. She stepped back, putting space between us, and her hand flew to her shirt, smoothing it down as if she was checking for armor.
The sudden absence of her warmth felt like a punch to the gut.
“Yeah.” Her voice came out breathy, unsteady. “You’re right. I should go.”
I saw it then. That flash of disappointment in her eyes. Like she wanted to stay but couldn’t let herself. Like there was something holding her back that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with whatever walls she’d just thrown up between us.
“Emily—”
“Goodnight, Cam.” She grabbed the door handle, pulling it open quickly. “Today was... it was really great. Thank you.”
Then she was gone, practically running across our yards to her own door.
I stood there in my entryway, feeling the quiet of my house pressing against me.
She’d wanted to stay. I’d seen it in her eyes, felt it in the way she’d kissed me back.
So why had she run?