Page 24 of Home Game

He grabbed my hand, gently pulling it up to look at the blood like I was family. He held my hand firmly in his, inspecting it and rubbing a spot of dirt away.

“I thought you might actually want to try fighting me. You’re more fun than I thought you were,” he said casually, like I hadn’t just done something stupid.

His touch only feels good because you’re lonely, I told myself.He doesn’t care about you.

“You are trouble,” I said, but there was no venom left in my voice.

He bit his lower lip, giving me another flirty look that did strange things to me. We were still standing close together. He hadn’t taken any step back to distance himself.

Did he like being this close up to me? Like holding my hand in his?

Not that I’d taken a step back, either.

“Can’t tell if you want to hurt me or fuck me right now, Emmett. Do you want a kiss? To make it all better?”

He brought the back of his hand up to his lips and pressed a few slow little kisses around the perimeter of my cut.

“You’re not going to shock me, Storm,” I said, hating the way my voice was a little ragged and broken.

“You don’t think I can break you?” he asked in a low tone that went straight to my core.

There was that molten feeling again, as he locked eyes with me. The mischief was gone from his expression, replaced by something… deeper.

He squeezed my hand a little tighter and my cock stirred, more traitorous than ever.

“I know you can’t break me,” I said to him, though I was sure he could tell I was bluffing.

And then he leaned in, closing the rest of the distance between us, and pressed his lips to mine.

“Yes I can,” he murmured against my lips.

6

STORM

I’d done a lot of things to mess with people in my life, but kissing another guy wasn’t one of them.

Adrenaline coursed through me as I kept my lips against Emmett’s, claiming him like he was my prize for fighting dirty.

That desperate desire that had fueled every decision in my life came out of nowhere, propelling me like a fucking comet in the sky.

Something a little possessive crept up inside me.

Mine, I thought, as I leaned into Emmett’s kiss. He let out a little startled gasp when my mouth landed on his, and another bolt of satisfaction shuddered through me.

Think I can’t break you, huh?

I really fucking wanted to make him like me. To challenge him. To make a rich guy into my plaything, wrapping him around my finger and proving to him that I couldwin.

I put a hand to his hip, just gently, sliding beneath the stupid fancy blazer he had on. He didn’t just gasp this time—he fuckingmoaned, just from my palm against his hip.

You are so, so mine.

I did like pushing people’s buttons, but it wasn’t even just about that. Maybe I was a little drunk, but there was something about Emmett that was… pretty.

For lack of a better word.

And there was definitely something about his lips that was really,reallyfucking pretty. And the fist on my chest had honestly been an exciting surprise. I’d always been into women who might have looked like sweet, simple girls next door, but they were fierce and bold on the inside.

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