13. Emily
13
EMILY
“Next question!” I announce, holding the mic up to my mouth as I address the sea of faces in front of me. “What country’s official national animal is the unicorn?”
The faces of our trivia night participants turn toward each other as they debate the answer. Among all the faces are Jenn, Paige, and Wes; it feels great having our friends here supporting us. I smile, thrilled that the night is going as well as it is. Blackbear is packed tonight, and everyone seems to be having a great time. I practically had to beg Rock to agree to it, but he did agree in the end, and that’s what matters.
I’m just hoping he’ll see how well tonight turns out—and how much extra revenue we’ll make tonight—and will be receptive to trivia night becoming a regular thing.
The timer in front of me starts blinking, and I tap it. A quick glance around the room tells me that some people are still debating their answer, while others seem to be satisfied and are looking relaxed as they sip their beers. I glance at my phone for the next question and raise the mic to my mouth again. “Okay, folks! Next question! How many hearts does an octopus have?”
I reset the timer. While I wait, I glance over at Rock, who’s busy behind the bar. Butterflies burst into flight in my stomach as I watch him. After so many years of platonic friendship, it’s surreal to know him in such a different way now. I keep thinking about the weight of his body against mine, the intensity of his kisses, and the sound of his deep sexy groans.
Don’t forget his fingers circling your clit, or the way he sucked your nipples as you came…
My cheeks grow warm at the memory—and warmer still at the thought of spending another night with him in his bed.
But I also keep wondering what this is going to mean for our friendship moving forward. Does he want to be together? Do I want that? To be perfectly honest, I don’t have an answer to that. It’s hard to imagine Rock and I as a couple, but maybe that’s just because we’ve been friends for so long. And the idea of being a couple makes me nervous for obvious reasons—what if it doesn’t work?
It feels silly to worry about that. Rock hasn’t given any indication that he wants to be in a relationship. I think we’re just…living in the moment. Exploring this thing that’s happening between us. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
The light on the timer flashes at me. I shake out of my thoughts and pull myself back into the important task at hand. Because if I have any chance of Rock agreeing to do this trivia night again, it needs to go off without a hitch.
“See, Rock? People loved it. They had a blast.”
Rock shakes his head as he bags up some trash. The busier night has meant more mess than usual to clean up. Personally I don’t see it as a big deal, but of course Rock finds it irritating.
It’s funny, now, how sexy I think he is when he’s extra grumpy. How could I have been so unaffected by that before? Maybe I just never allowed myself to go there, because subconsciously I dismissed attraction as a possibility.
“I never said people wouldn’t like it,” he mutters.
“And yet you still hated it.”
“I didn’t hate it. I just don’t think it’s right for the bar.”
“If only you were the sole owner and had the power to make all the decisions by yourself.” I flash him a teasing smile as I finish washing out the condiment trays.
Rock goes outside to dump the trash and comes back in with his brows in a concentrated furrow. After a minute, with a sigh, he says, “Okay. Fine. We can do it again. But let’s not go crazy. Okay? Like…once a month. If that.”
I break into a grin. “I can work with once a month.”
“If that,” he repeats.
“Mmhmm,” I say. “Heard you.”
Rock’s eyes drift over to the neon sign hanging on the wall. “How many days left until I can take that down? Five?”
“Nine.”
He grunts in reply.
“Oh, come on ,” I say, sidling up beside him so I can admire the sign for a moment. “It’s not growing on you? Not even a little bit?”
“My eyes burn every time I’m within ten feet of it.”
“I saw some girls taking selfies in front of it tonight.”
“Is that supposed to convince me?”
“I’m sure they posted a photo online. Free marketing!”
“All that’s gonna do is attract more of the type of people who want to take selfies in front of it.”
“You’re such a grouchy old man, Rock.”
He glowers at me. I laugh.
“I’m not old.”
“Okay, fine. You’re a young, virile man, whose every bad mood is completely and utterly justified.”
“That’s better.” He pushes me up against the bar and kisses me. My heart rate instantly skyrockets.
“Are we really going to do this here?” I murmur.
“Why not?” he grunts, already working at pushing up my shirt. “It’s our business. We’ll do whatever we want in it.”
“Except hang neon signs, apparently.”
“Will you stop with the fucking sign?”
I laugh, but then melt into a moan as Rock’s mouth lands on my neck. I tilt my head back and feel myself dissolve into the pleasure of his touch: his mouth on my skin, his hands holding and guiding me the way he wants. I don’t know what it is about the way he touches me, but the way he moves his hands over my curves makes me feel so desirable. It feels so good to be wanted just the way I am.
To think that we went this whole time without knowing it would be this good between us.
“Fuck, I can’t stop thinking about you,” Rock says, his voice low and sexy.
I trace a finger over his chest. “What part of me, specifically?”
“Your lips. Your sexy thighs. Your wet pussy.”
My cheeks flush.
“I love when you blush like that, Em,” he murmurs, nipping at my lips. “You know how incredible you look when you come?”
Rock’s hands are undoing my jeans when I hear the bar door swing open. We immediately straighten ourselves up, but not quickly enough. I hear a gasp and a familiar voice say, “Oh my God.”
Paige and Jenn are standing in the doorway, staring at us wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
“What are you guys doing here?” I blurt out, scrambling to smooth down my clothes.
“Paige lost an earring,” says a shell-shocked Jenn. “We came back to look for it.”
I glance at Rock. He looks annoyed at being interrupted, but not ashamed at being caught. If anything, he’s shifted a little in front of me, as if I need to be shielded. Meanwhile, I’m all shades of embarrassment about being walked in on.
“Um…I’ll help you guys look for it,” I say hastily, and pull away from Rock.
The interrogation starts as soon as the girls and I start looking under the tables for Paige’s earrings.
“What the hell did we just interrupt, Em?” asks Jenn in a not-so-quiet whisper.
I peer over my shoulder at Rock. He’s gone back to cleaning, but I catch him glancing over at us, like he’s ready to intercept at a moment’s notice if I give him the right look.
I look away. “Nothing. I mean, it’s not nothing, but…look, I’ll explain later, okay?”
“Are you guys together ?”
“No. Er—kind of. I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
My friends stare at me in disbelief.
“I’ll explain later,” I promise. “Tomorrow, ok?”
“Girl, you better,” says Jenn.
“Found it!” Paige cries, grabbing the tiny gold speck of her earring off the floor.