1. Emma
CHAPTER 1
emma
“I fucking love Valentine’s Day.”
“You’re only saying that because you’ve never had a date for it until now,” my best friend, Lily, says, looking back at me from my closet where she’s currently pulling out clothes for me to try on. We spent the morning together, and now she’s making it her life’s mission to find me something perfect to wear for my date in a few days. She’s not wrong, this is the first Valentine’s Day in my twenty-two years that I’ve been in a relationship.
After months of crushing on my boss and weeks of flirting, he finally asked me out not long after Halloween, and things got serious quickly. We’ve been dating for the last three months, but it feels more like three years with how close we are. Dominik Sokolov owns Knockout, an elite boxing gym in our small town of Aspen Ridge, Washington. He’s a professionally trained fighter, just like his dad, and he hired me as a receptionist last year. He’s the hottest man I’ve ever met and all freaking mine.
Working the front desk at a gym seems like it would be a nightmare, but with the way the men in our town look, it’s not a hardship. I basically just ogle them all day long. Especially Dom’s best friends, Cruz and Aidan, who shamelessly flirt with me. Dom must know that it’s innocent, or that the boys do it in failed attempts to get a rise out of him, because he’s never acted jealous or put a stop to it. I definitely don’t mind the attention.
“Exactly,” I agree with a slight eye roll. “It’s a nice change. Anyway, what do you think Wes has planned for you?”
“Something primal and wild, if it’s anything like how Halloween and Christmas went.”
“Oh, I’m sure Daddy Wes has something ridiculous up those tattooed sleeves,” I joke.
Lily just married her ex-boyfriend’s dad after a whirlwind romance—if you can even call it romance—and man do I love reminding her of it.
Finally deciding on an outfit, she pulls out a little red dress that I haven’t worn yet and a pair of black stilettos.
“What about this?”
“I’m going to freeze my ass off in that, Lily. It’s February in Washington for fuck’s sake.”
“Just giving Dom a reason to warm you up. C’mon, try it on,” she chuckles while tossing the shoes in my direction.
Moving toward the bed, I strip out of my jeans and sweater and slip into the tight red dress. Lily zips it up behind me, and I step my feet into the high heels. My eyes roam my body in the mirror, taking in my long, toned legs, and the way the dress clings to my thighs and hugs my perky ass. Shifting side to side in front of my reflection, I smile confidently. “Okay, bitch, you were right. This is the dress.”
“Hate to say I told ya so.”
“Shut up, you love to remind me when you’re right.”
“That is true. You look hot as fuck and Dom is going to lose his shit when he sees you. Hopefully you all make it to the party.”
My body heats at the thought of Dom ripping the dress off of me and consuming my body the way he always does. His appetite for me hasn’t lessened over the last few months, if anything, it’s only grown.
“Something tells me your brain is imagining it. Snap out of it so we can go grab some lattes before you have to work.”
Lily smacks my ass as she steps out of my bedroom, leaving me to change into a pair of tight denim jeans, thigh-high boots, and a sweater. After hanging up the dress, I grab my purse and gym bag for work later, and I’m ready to go.
As Lily and I leave my parents’ house, which I am desperately trying to move out of, I’m not at all surprised to see Wes leaning against his car with his ankles and arms crossed. He’s so sultry smooth that it’s almost hypnotic. He’s old enough to be our dad, especially considering Lily used to date his piece of shit, slut shaming son, but fuck if he isn’t hot as sin. Totally not into the daddy thing, but I see the appeal.
“Hey, stalker,” I say to him as Lily walks into his open arms. He nuzzles into her neck, and I can’t help but smile for my friend. He’s everything she’s ever wanted and regardless of the age gap, they work, and it’s beautiful. Fuck society and their narrow beliefs. Love is love and all that shit.
“Hi, Emma,” he replies with a smirk. “Lilith, you ready to go?”
“What do you mean? We’re going to Bean Haven for coffee and more gossip.”
“Gossip, huh?” Wes says against Lily’s forehead as he presses his lips down to kiss her.
“Mhm. A lot of important things to discuss. Girl things.”
“Girl things,” he repeats with narrowed eyelids. “Do these things have anything to do with plans for Valentine’s weekend?”
“Possibly,” Lily answers.
“Well then, how about I drive you there since I have an early gift for you?”
Lily never stood a chance. She smiles up at him as if the world around her just melted away, and I know she won’t say no.
“Ugh. You two are ridiculous,” I jokingly chastise. “I’ll meet you there, Lil.” I look at Wes and narrow my eyes. “Try not to make a mess of her, okay, stalker? She needs to be able to sit in public with me.”
“No promises.”
Rolling my eyes, I hop into my little metallic blue beetle and pull out of my parents’ driveway to head downtown. I use downtown loosely. It’s more like a quaint strip of street with cobblestone sidewalks, and nosey-ass shop owners. But the real gem is Bean Haven. Aspen Ridge’s staple coffee shop that has the best baked goods around. The town sits on the Washington coast, encased by the Olympic Mountains, and backs up to the Pacific Ocean. Its dense woods, near-constant cloud cover, and intense fog make it a prime spot for anyone looking to escape to an enchanted forest plucked straight out of the Brothers Grimms’ imaginations.
As much as I loved living in the city while at college, coming back to Aspen Ridge was always in the cards for me. I just hope I can get my writing off the ground and make a small living out of it, or I’ll be begging Dom to keep me on his payroll for the rest of my life.
My car slides into an open parking spot on Main Street, and I decide to wait for Lily inside rather than out in the freezing cold. Even though the sun is peeking through the heavy clouds today, the cold is bitter and chills your bones. My boots crunch over the packed snow as I walk quickly across the brick sidewalk and into the warmth of Bean Haven.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pastries fills my nose and my eyes close for a moment to enjoy it. If this place ever shut down, it would be a true travesty. I think the community would riot.
Surprisingly, there’s no line today, so I walk over to the counter to order, still undecided between my two favorites.
“Hey, Emma. You look torn. Can I help you decide?” Hannah, the woman who runs the place says. She’s a few years older than me, and the coolest chick to be around.
“I’m stuck between your apple cinnamon muffin and cinnamon roll,” I contemplate.
“Well, the apple cinnamon muffins sold out a bit ago,” she says apologetically.
“How do those fuckers sell out so fast? Let’s go with the cinnamon roll and a vanilla latte, then.”
“Take it up with Sawyer Hayes and his pregnant wife!” she teases as she starts on my order. While Hannah makes my latte, I look around for a spot to sit while I wait for Lily, when my eyes stop on a large, muscled man that is all too familiar to me.
His black hair is rugged and rough, like he runs his hands through it in the morning and is ready to go. The short strands at the top are pushed back slightly, with the sides shaved near to his skin. Skull tattoos decorate his corded arms in an outward display of his dark personality, which I’ve come to know over the last few months dating his best friend. A worn-in leather jacket lays next to him on the seat, a chain hanging out of his tight black pants. Black seems to be his favorite color, and it suits him. He exudes confidence and power in a ruthless, doesn’t-fuck-around kind of way.
He’s the quintessential bad boy that every mother warns her daughter about. He’s always been the town loner, keeping to himself or Dom and Aidan, but because of that, he’s mysterious and intriguing. I know I should run the other way. But there’s just something about him . . .
“Here you go, Emma!”
I turn back to Hannah and take my latte and pastry from her with a smile before walking up to the booth where Cruz sits, waiting for him to notice me. Hoping that he already has.