Chapter 28 Joelle #2
He kisses down my neck. Teeth scraping against my pulse point. I gasp. My fingers dig into his shoulders. A tiny hiss falls from his lips as he grinds against me, the friction making me see stars.
"I want you so bad," he growls against my skin. "You have no idea."
"I think I have some idea." I roll my hips against his. He hisses.
"Tease." He chuckles darkly.
"You started it." His hand slides up my thigh, pushing the dress higher.
I'm about to lose my mind when ...
"Jo? Are you here? Harper said you walked this way." Collette's voice echoes down the hallway.
We freeze.
"Shit," I whisper.
Emmett sets me down quickly, stepping back just as Collette rounds the corner. Her eyes dart between us. My flushed face. His disheveled hair. The barely respectable distance between us.
"There you are." Her voice is carefully neutral. "Harper was worried about you."
"I'm fine. Just needed some air."
"In a hallway?" She raises an eyebrow.
"It was quieter."
Her gaze slides to Emmett. "Captain. Getting some air, too?"
"Something like that." His voice is remarkably steady for someone who was grinding against me thirty seconds ago.
Collette looks at me for a long moment, and there’s something unreadable in her expression. She sighs. "We're leaving in ten minutes. The boys want to hit another spot."
"I think I'm going to head back to the hotel."
"Me too," Emmett adds. "Early flight tomorrow."
Collette's eyebrow climbs higher. "Right. Well. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
She turns and walks away, leaving us alone again.
The moment is broken. Cockblocked again by my sister. Whatever spell we were under has shattered.
"I should go."
"Joelle ..."
I shake my head. "This can't keep happening." I smooth my dress, avoiding his eyes. "Every time we're in the same room, we end up ... we can't."
"I know the reasons why we can't. But I don't know if I care anymore."
"You should. I should." I finally look at him. "We're playing with fire, Emmett. Someone's going to get burned."
"Maybe I want to get burned." He smirks.
"It's not funny. It's a terrible idea."
"Probably." He reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "But I can't seem to stop having terrible ideas when it comes to you."
I close my eyes, leaning into his touch for just a second, then I step back. I have to go before I do something incredibly stupid.
"Goodnight, Emmett."
"Goodnight, Trouble."
I walk away quickly before I can change my mind.
"There you are. I was worried, you had been gone for a while," Harper says.
"Just needed some air."
She raises a brow. Her eyes zero in on Emmett coming back from the same direction as I did. But she doesn't say anything. I give her the tiniest head shake, letting her know, please don't say anything to Felix. Whatever she is thinking, she gives me a nod back in understanding.
"I'm going to head back to the hotel," I tell everyone.
"Me too. I've changed my mind. Plus, there are no cute guys." Collette winks as she links arms with me.
We walk back along the strip to the hotel.
"Do you want to talk about what I just walked into?"
"No."
"That was incredibly stupid. Our brothers could have walked around the corner at any moment. You didn't look as innocent as you thought you did."
"I don't know what to do. The tension between us keeps building, and neither one of us can seem to stop it."
"At least it's not one-sided. But you two are playing a dangerous game."
"I know. I need help. You have to help me stay away from him," I beg her.
"Do you think that's even going to work?" She doesn't look convinced.
"I don't know. But I have to try ... again."
"Or you could just embrace whatever it is between the two of you. Talk to HR and let them know you two are dating and everything is okay," Collette insists.
"We haven't even got that far. We are not ready to date or make anything public. I don't even know if I want to date him or anyone."
"Really?" Collette seems surprised.
"I don't know. I'm confused."
"No shit, you're confused. Look, from what I can see, you two have physical chemistry ..." She gives me a look. I roll my eyes. "But I understand if you're not sure if it's just physical or if you connect on something more." Exactly. "Do you like him?"
"Yes."
"Do you like his dick?"
"Lettie!"
"Hey, I'm just asking. It's important."
"Yes. I think so."
She giggles. "You haven't tried it again since London." I shake my head. "Ah. I see now. You're horny."
Oh my god. My sister is insane.
"You're blinded by hormones at the moment. You need to fuck him again."
"Lettie."
"I mean it, Jo. You need to try the goods again to see if it’s all worth it. Fuck him out of your system," she advises.
"Really?" Why the hell am I entertaining this?
"Yes. It's just pent-up sexual tension. You both need to expel it, and then you will have a clear mind. Then you work out if this is more."
Maybe she's right. In this moment, it makes perfect sense. We just need to get whatever this is out of our systems. Then we can think with clear heads.