Chapter 7 Emily
EMILY
Jason kissed me.
The world narrowed to the simple fact of his mouth on mine. I remembered the way he fit like a habit my body never broke. My chest warmed. My knees forgot their job. I felt good in a way that felt unfair.
Then he pulled back.
I blinked and tried to locate my thoughts. “Well.”
He swallowed. “That was.”
“Unnecessary,” I said. “We do not need to do that again.”
“Nope,” he said, stepping back. “Definitely not.”
I focused on the printout in my hand. My face burned. I stared at the paper like it might give me instructions.
“So,” I said. “Kissing reads as believable.”
He smiled. “Very.”
I gathered my laptop and notebook with more force than the situation required. My hands shook. I noticed and resented them.
“This is going to complicate things,” I said.
He leaned against the desk and watched me. “It already has.”
I clutched my notebook. “We should stick to marketing.”
“Right,” he said. “Marketing.”
Silence filled the space between us. The diner breathed.
Memories flickered through my mind unbidden: stolen afternoons in his old pickup truck after football games, the way he used to kiss the inside of my wrist like it was something precious, the summer we spent tangled in his bedroom sheets while his parents were at the shore.
The sex back then felt electric. Reckless.
I looked up and kissed him.
The second kiss turned hungry. Jason backed me against the desk. The edge pressed into my thighs. Papers crinkled under my palms. His hands slipped under my sweater. His palms felt warm against my bare waist. Then higher.
I arched into his touch, tugging his shirt free from his jeans. My fingers opened the buttons one by one.
He lifted me onto the desk. Flyers slid sideways. The brass lighthouse paperweight teetered and fell with a soft clink.
Jason kissed my throat. His fingers found the button of my jeans. He paused. His breath came hard. His eyes searched mine. "Tell me if—"
"Yes," I said. I covered his hand with mine. I guided it lower. "Please."
He unzipped me slow. His hand slipped inside. The first touch felt light. My breath caught. I parted my thighs wider, tilting my hips toward him.
Jason watched my face. His fingers circled.
Then they dipped inside. He moved carefully at first. Slow strokes.
He listened to every hitch in my breath.
Every small sound I made. When I moaned and clutched his shoulders, he found the rhythm I needed.
He curled his fingers. His thumb pressed steady circles over my clit.
My head tipped back. My nails dug into his arms. The desk creaked under me. Tension coiled tight inside my belly. Then it snapped. I came hard. My thighs clamped around his hand. My body shook through sharp, shuddering waves.
Jason kissed me through it. His mouth caught my quiet whimpers until I sagged against him. My forehead pressed to his collarbone.
After a long moment, I lifted my head. My eyes felt glassy. Bright. I slid off the desk to my knees.
"Em—" His voice cracked.
I looked up at him and tugged at his belt. "My turn."
Jason braced one hand on the desk behind him.
I freed him. I started slow, licking along the underside.
Then I took him into my mouth inch by inch.
My hand wrapped the base, stroking in time with my lips.
His other hand threaded into my hair. He held on.
His breathing turned ragged. His hips jerked once.
Twice. He groaned my name like a warning.
I pulled back just before he finished. My lips felt swollen. My eyes burned with want. I stood, turned, and bent forward over the desk. My palms flattened among the scattered papers. I glanced back over my shoulder.
Jason stepped close. His hands settled on my hips. They felt tentative for one heartbeat. Then firmer when I pushed back against him. He reached into his pocket, tearing open a condom packet with shaking fingers. He rolled it on.
He entered me slow. One careful inch at a time. I adjusted to the stretch, exhaling on a long, shaky moan. When he seated himself fully, I rocked back, urging him deeper.
That broke his last restraint.
He gripped the desk edge. Slow thrusts at first. Then harder. Faster. He matched the rhythm I set with every backward push. The desk groaned under us. Papers slid to the floor. The brass lighthouse rolled to the corner. Our breath filled the tiny room.
I reached back. I found his hand. I laced our fingers over my hip. Jason leaned forward. His chest pressed against my back. His lips brushed my ear.
"God, I've missed you," he rasped.
I answered with a broken laugh that turned into a moan when he drove deeper.
I came first. My body clenched hard around him. He followed a few thrusts later. His hips stuttered. He buried himself deep with a low, guttural sound.
We stayed like that for several long seconds. Just breathing. Hearts pounding. The desk creaked faintly beneath our weight.
Jason eased out. He disposed of the condom in the trash can under the desk. He helped me straighten. We fumbled clothes back into place. I smoothed his hair. He brushed his thumb across my flushed cheek.
I leaned into his arms. My forehead rested against his chest. His heartbeat thudded steadily under my ear. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I pulled back just enough to look up at him. “Does this change anything?”
Jason met my eyes. His expression stayed even. “No,” he said. “It doesn’t.”
I nodded once. “Good.” I forced a small smile. “You know it’s good to get it out of our system. Especially since we need to pretend we’re in a fake relationship for your aunt anyway.”
I heard myself talk and wondered who I was trying to convince. Him? Me?
No. This was just sex, not a promise. Chemistry, not destiny. Still, part of me wanted to stay right there and let him choose me without a plan or a reason.
“Yeah,” he said. “Sure. Whatever.” His voice sounded flat. A shadow crossed his face. Disappointment maybe. Or hurt. He covered it with a quick half-smile and a shrug. “We’re professionals.”
“Right.” I stepped back. I tucked my shirt in properly. “So maybe we don’t do this again. Keep it a little more… professional from here on out.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Professional.”
We stood there another beat. The brass lighthouse paperweight lay on its side in the corner. It still smiled up at us like it knew something we didn’t.