Chapter 37
Miles
E mma Douglass has me in my feelings. Witnessing her in her element fills me with pride.
I got to Big Sur last night and have been with her since the 7:00 a.m. call time. There are all types of Pinterest-looking boards with fabrics and pictures of models in lingerie. I don’t know what half of this shit is—computers and codes are my thing—but with all the moving parts at play, Olivia Pope has this shoot handled.
Em moves between her team of photographers, makeup artists, hairstylists, and assistants, working with the models she handpicked for the photo shoot. The weather held up, the threat of storm clouds clearing for sunshine. Models pose under an outdoor shower in front of a backdrop of mountains and redwoods.
Everything is running according to her shoot plan, and when it doesn’t, she pulls an ace out of one of the jumpsuit pockets clinging to her hips.
I almost had to wrestle Emma to get food in her stomach with all the back-and-forth she’s doing.
In the resort spa for interior shots.
Outside on the balcony to capture the Pacific Ocean.
We compromised: she’d take the plate of vegetables and hummus I made for her if I kept my ass quiet in the corner. Fine with me. All the food she ordered for the shoot is over here anyway.
Did I try to trip her at some point to fall into these shoes I brought? Damn right, I did. Only a person itching for corns and blisters stays in heels all day, but, as Emma told me with her full chest, “This isn’t my first rodeo, Miles. I’ll be damned if I pair sneakers with this outfit.”
Like Chucks don’t go with high fashion.
“She’ll learn today,” I mumble to myself, shaking my head at Emma’s stubbornness.
Usually my mama is the only woman whose well-being registers as a priority. Justice gets an honorable mention, but she’s not on the same level as Emma. The instinct to check on her is second nature at this point. I never cared about a woman I fucked until I pressed Emma into the wall of her New York City hotel room and released fifteen years’ worth of pent-up desire.
The truth is, I’ve cared about Emma before we became intimate. I always have, even when I denied it.
Eleven hours pass until the photo shoot wraps. The sun, once searing the shit out the back of my neck through the window, now illuminates the crew who’s packing up the ballroom. Three empty trays I had zero shame eating are next to my laptops on the table. I stretch out my arms and legs and ignore the models stealing glances. I look good in a Henley and denim, but I only have eyes for the woman currently lost in laughter next to a photographer.
Em covers her exhaustion with a smile. I’m tired from watching her, but you’d never know she walked a marathon the way her eyes crinkle. Her thick curls are in a knotted bun, and her navy jumpsuit has no wrinkle in sight. My tagging along has to do with soaking up as much time together as possible, but also ensuring she takes care of herself.
She air-kisses the last photographer and walks over. Gravity pulls at her smile, and her ass drops into a lounge chair. She kicks her feet up onto a metal seat across from me. “Done,” she says with a heavy sigh.
“You handled your business today. Great job, kitten.” I close my laptops and reach for my bag under the table.
Emma sinks further into the upholstered seat, minutes from falling asleep, and smiles. “Thanks for coming.”
“Told you I wouldn’t miss it.”
Her voice softens. “I appreciate it, Miles.”
Our eyes lock with the same sensation that heats my chest whenever I’m near her. Images of a wide smile playing across her lips and her cheeks flushed from orgasms hurtle through my mind. We’ve only scratched the surface together. There’s more, and I’m looking forward to the journey.
“Let’s go, kitten.” I sling my bag over my shoulder and move around the table to pull her up. Her ass really might fall asleep here. She squeals when I toss her over my shoulder. “There’s a hot bath with your name on it.”
My dick surges to life at her groan and takes three reminders to calm the hell down. She had a full day and needs to rest.
Dick will also put her to sleep.
True.
Her body relaxes into mine. “A bed sounds amazing.”
“And it will be, just not the one you booked. I had your bags moved. Did you pack your camping boots like I asked?”
“You know damn well I don’t own any.”
I shrug. “Shame.”
Emma tenses when I walk us away from the main elevators in the lobby to the back door. It’s a trek on a trail to our campsite, but this isn’t the first time I had her ass this close to my face.
“Miles?”
“Emma?”
“Why are we leaving the hotel?”
“I told you I pitched a tent,” I say, sidestepping large stones beside the wooden staircase. “You thought it was a game? Hey! Keep them claws out my ass.” The slap to her butt shocks her enough to stop digging those talons into my skin. She knows I like that shit and will fuck around and have us falling down these stairs.
Her frustration would be adorable if I weren’t dodging dick shots from her legs, which are kicking in protest. “I’m not roughing it!”
“Chill. I’mma get you relaxed. You’ll be howling at the moon in no time.”
“Kitten?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re purring again.”
“Shut up!” I chuckle at the elbow to my ribs that’s nothing more than a love tap and pour more hot water into the tub. Steam rises, a warm contrast to the chill in the night air.
I wasn’t kidding when I told Emma we were staying outside.
The resort she chose has a campground for glamping, or whatever you call the bells and whistles to make tents and washing your ass in the wilderness a memorable experience. I wasted no time reserving the area near the small lake so we could claim it as our own. We have the restrooms to ourselves and can hit up the restaurants if we want.
It’s a peaceful spot. Where else can you fuck in the woods in a king-size bed without interruption? We tried sex on the balcony back in Malibu, but between her nosy-ass neighbors and the Whitney Houston high notes Emma hits every time I knock her spot, we’d catch a charge before either of us came.
She has full range to scream down our outdoor suite, and she has the last two nights. With all of her hollering and snoring, she scared off Yogi Bear and his squad.
I rolled the dice that Emma wouldn’t give me the finger and march her fine ass back to the hotel for an en-suite bathroom and four walls. She surprised me by agreeing to stay in the tent and has been up under me and on top ever since.
My arms snake around her, stroking her soft skin now glowing in the moonlight. Her back is to my chest, and our eyes are cast up to the stars dotting the sky above the trees.
Emma’s sigh is deep and peaceful without her work schedule weighing her down. She threads our fingers together and kisses my forearm. “Do you camp often?”
“No, but I like traveling to places where it’s quiet.” I kiss the top of her shoulder and rest back against the tub. “Nothing beats unplugging.”
“Because of work,” she says, grasping my need to step away. Emma knows about my data security work but not the specifics of the private contracts I take. Those details are need-to-know.
“I don’t stay in the same place for long. Once I’m done, I’m done,” I say. The homes I do have are simply to collect mail. “Do you travel outside of work?”
“My annual girls’ trip with Jay. Other than that, it’s Milan and Paris every year for my job, and I’m not complaining.”
“Are you living or keeping busy? I know it well,” I say. “Jumping from one project to the next. My mama got sick years back, which had me reevaluating how I was moving. Life is too damn short to not enjoy it.”
Emma tips her head back to look at me. “What did you do?”
“I moved like I had a battery pack in my back that I never recharged. My mama kept up the same hustle since I was a kid and found herself in the hospital. I took care of all that once I got established and promised her the world after I retired her. Deborah Walker has enough stamps on her passport to put me to shame.” I chuckle. “She forced me to slow my ass down, so that’s what I did.”
Being with Emma is opening me up to truths I never expected to reveal. I like sharing with her and want to create more memories with her.
“It’s sweet how much your mother cares.” Emma swallows to school her expression and shifts the conversation away from the topic of family. “Where do you like to go?”
“Iceland. Namibia. Ecuador. Minnesota.”
“Minnesota?” Her eyes snap to mine, the promise of a teasing smile now spreading across her mouth.
I nuzzle into her neck and nip at her silky skin. “The forests are dope. There’s good stargazing.”
“Aren’t you full of surprises?” The edges of her lips curl.
I’m an enigma to her, not because she judges how I grew up or carry myself. Emma calls me on my bullshit but sees beyond my layers, straight to my core. I want to expose more of myself so that she feels safe enough to do the same.
I reach for the pail to add more hot water. “Japan is nice. I take two weeks in the Kyushu region at least once a year. There’s a beautiful coastline, hot springs, and historic sites.”
“Sounds amazing.”
“You could come with me…if you want.”
Damn if this woman doesn’t have me nervous as fuck. I never felt the need for a travel partner but struggle not to make space for Emma in my life. I want new adventures with her, for her stubborn ass to give me lip before we christen a room. I want more of Emma’s smiles and the chance to see where life takes us. I want to earn more pieces to the puzzle that creates her masterpiece.
I’m about to tell her never mind to save face, but then she turns around and kisses the outline of my mouth. “I’d love to,” she whispers.
Our lips collide on a moan as she rolls into my erection. The tent I rented is spacious enough to fit a tub for the two of us, and Emma proves it when she pushes me into her warmth. Sex without condoms was a mutual decision on this trip, and it’s new territory for us. We never shared such intimacy with other partners—one of our many firsts together.
Emma slips her tongue into my mouth and grinds her hips. “You’re not tired of me yet?” Her body shudders as my fingers knead her nipples.
“I’d follow you to the ends of the earth, kitten.”
With a kiss to her collarbone, I cage her to me and sink further into her. Emma matches me thrust for thrust. We cry out under the moon, scaring the shit out of every forest animal from here to the Pacific Ocean.