Chapter 16
BEN
We take our seats at one of the empty tables at the bar, but we keep Emily in our sight.
The waitress, a redhead with a bright smile, comes over to take our orders. She lingers a little too long near me, trying to flirt. I barely notice. My eyes keep darting over to Emily, still at the bar counter with Whit.
I hate this. Every muscle in my body is coiled tight, ready to spring, but I know I can’t do anything right now. She’s gotta handle this on her own, no matter how much I want to step in and shield her from whatever the asshole’s throwing her way.
The guy’s got his back to me, but I can see enough. His body language is all wrong—too close, too cocky, too familiar. It makes my skin crawl.
“Can I get you something, sweetheart?” the waitress asks, her voice sweet as honey. I glance at her and realize she’s been talking to me, her gaze expectant. She wants something.
I clear my throat, trying to focus, but it’s impossible. Emily’s at the edge of my vision, and she’s all I can think about—not the woman practically shoving her tits in my face.
“Uh, just a beer. Whatever’s on tap.”
She raises an eyebrow, noticing my lack of attention, but shrugs and moves on to the others.
Axel and Tanner order without much thought, but Jace?
He’s locked onto Emily too, just as tense as I am.
I can see it in the way his jaw clenches, the subtle twitch in his hand like he’s dying to get up and march over there.
The waitress flits away, and I hear Axel mutter under his breath, “It’s gonna blow up if Whit doesn’t back the hell off.”
I nod absently, my eyes glued to Emily.
She’s forcing herself to stay composed, but it’s costing her. Every second she stands there with him is a second too long.
Whit leans in, and something inside me snaps. My hands grip the edge of the table, knuckles white. I want to protect her. Every instinct is screaming at me to go over there, to pull her away from him, to put myself between them. But I can’t. She’s gotta do this for herself.
“We should do something,” Jace says, voicing my thoughts.
“Yeah, the guy is bad news,” I add.
Axel shakes his head. “No. She’s got to do it on her own.”
He looks at all of us, and something silent passes between us. This moment is important. I don’t get why exactly, but it is, and it’s all related to Emily.
“She’ll be okay, man,” Tanner says. “You know Emily’s tough. She can handle herself.”
I don’t understand why I feel so restless. She’s practically a stranger to me, after all. Maybe it’s because every time he looks at her like she still belongs to him, it sets off this primal urge to knock his smug face in. Or maybe…maybe it’s because I care more than I should.
She’s got this. She’s got this.
But I can’t help it; my gaze slides back to her.
She’s saying something now, her eyes flashing with anger, and for the first time since they started talking, Whit looks shaken. Good. Maybe he’s finally getting the message.
But damn, I wish I could end this for her. Just get her out of there.
The waitress returns with our drinks, setting them down in front of us. She gives me another flirtatious smile, but I barely register it.
“Here you go,” she says in a sing-song voice.
I mutter a quiet thanks and return my attention to Emily. Jace leans closer, lowering his voice so only the guys can hear. “If he touches her again, I swear I’m going over there.”
“You and me both,” Tanner says. We turn to him. There’s something different. Did something happen?
When Whit grabs Emily’s arm, something inside me finally snaps. I’m up off the stool before I even realize what I’m doing, closing the distance between us in a few strides. I don’t care about keeping my cool anymore—no one lays a hand on her.
I reach the bar, leaning in close to Whit, my voice low and deadly calm. “Leave her alone.”
Whit’s eyes flash with anger, but it’s that smug, condescending type. The kind that makes me want to throw him against a wall. He glances at me, then back at the others—Jace, Axel, and Tanner—all watching, tense and ready. “Who the hell are these guys?” Whit spits.
“Someone not to mess with,” I say, my voice low and menacing.
“What’s this, huh? Your bodyguards can’t leave you alone for five minutes?” His eyes flick over me and the guys, then back to Emily. “What, are you with all of them now? You fucking them? You finally got the attention you wanted?”
I see the color rise in Emily’s face. Her cheeks flush deep red, her whole body stiffening with humiliation. My hands ball into fists, but before I can even react, Emily tears her arm away from Whit and bolts out of the bar.
“Emily, wait—” I call after her, but she’s already gone.
I whirl back to Whit, who’s still smirking like he owns the place. My whole body’s humming with the urge to deck him, to make him pay.
“You’re gonna regret that,” I tell him.
“Sure, man, whatever you say,” he drawls.
I stand there for a second, torn between wanting to go after Emily and wanting to put Whit in his place. Jace and the others are already making their way to us. They can handle him.
Finally, I turn on my heel and head out of the bar, my heart pounding. Right now, finding Emily is the only thing that matters.
I catch up to Emily just as she reaches the elevator. She’s upset—I can see it in the way her hands shake slightly as she pushes her hair out of her face.
“Are you okay?”
“No, it’s just all been too much.”
She doesn’t look at me, her lips pressed tightly together, and I can tell she’s trying to hold it all in.
We make it to the elevator, and as the doors close behind us, she finally breaks the silence.
“Whit cheated on me.” Her voice is low, barely above a whisper, but it’s laced with so much hurt that it punches me right in the gut.
“Then he blamed me for it. Said I wasn’t…
skinny enough. Hot enough for him. And now he’s shaming me for… ” She drifts off.
I want to find that bastard and make him pay for every word he’s ever said to her, but right now, my focus is on Emily. She’s standing there, staring at the floor like she’s trying to shrink into herself, like she believes the garbage Whit spewed at her.
“He changed so quickly,” she continues, her voice trembling. “Not that he ever adored me, but I thought…I don’t know what I thought.” She laughs bitterly, shaking her head. “The whole relationship was one-sided. I guess I just didn’t see it.”
I step closer, careful not to crowd her. “Emily,” I say softly, “he’s an idiot. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
She glances up, meeting my eyes in the mirrored elevator.
I can see it in how she looks at herself like she doesn’t believe me. Like she’s been conditioned to think she’s anything less than stunning.
I move behind her, close enough to feel her warmth but not touching her, just watching her reflection.
My heart pounds as I look at her. She’s shorter than me by at least six or seven inches, and her curves fill out her frame in an utterly mesmerizing way.
Her breath hitches at my closeness, her breasts slightly heaving and all I want to do is cup them in my hands, feeling their weight on my palms.
“Look at yourself, Emily. Look at how beautiful you are.” My voice is low, reverent.
I can see her face flushing.
“If Whit couldn’t see it, that’s his loss. I would—” I stop myself before I say too much, but the thought rushes through my mind: I would worship the ground you walk on.
She turns her head slightly, glancing at me in the mirror, and for a second, her eyes soften.
We’re close enough to kiss. All she needs to do is tilt her head toward me.
“You’re perfect,” I tell her quietly. And I mean it. Every inch of her, every curve, every feature—she’s perfect. Whit never deserved her. But if she’d let me…I’d show her what it means to be adored.
The elevator finally comes to a halt at her floor, and I walk her to her room. We stop in front of her door, and I’m trying to steady my breathing, trying to calm the storm that’s been building inside me.
She turns toward me, her eyes searching mine. There’s something vulnerable in her expression, something raw, and for a second, neither of us says anything. The silence is thick between us, and I can feel my pulse pounding in my ears.
She shifts her weight, looking down at the floor, then back up at me. “Do you…do you want to come in?” Her voice is quiet, almost tentative, and it’s like a dam inside me finally breaks.
I know I should say no, but with the way she’s looking at me right now—like she’s asking me for more than just my company—my resolve crumbles.
Without thinking, I nod, and she steps back, opening the door for me. My heart races as I follow her inside, and the moment the door clicks shut behind us, I know there’s no turning back.
The room feels smaller now, more intimate.
I take a breath, trying to keep control, but when I look at her—really look at her, standing so close, her lips slightly parted—I can’t hold back any longer.
Every ounce of restraint I’ve been clinging to vanishes, and I close the distance between us in one quick step.
I kiss her, hard, passionately, like I’ve been holding this in for too long. Her lips are soft against mine, warm, and she responds instantly, kissing me back with a hunger that matches my own. I cup her face, pulling her closer, needing to feel every inch of her against me.
I scoop her up in my arms, the softness of her body molding perfectly against mine. Her lips never leave mine as I carry her to the bed.
“Emily,” I murmur against her lips, my voice rough.
Her hands are in my hair, pulling me back down to her, and I can’t resist. I kiss her again, harder, deeper, as I help slide her jacket off her shoulders. She’s so warm, her skin soft beneath my fingertips.