Page 65 of Home Game

Or how he had a little dusting of freckles at the top of his cheeks, so slight it could almost go unnoticed?

Or how when he looked at someone—looked atme—all I wanted was for him to pull me in and kiss me again and erase every awful thought from my mind?

Maybe it was all in my head. I was broken down and vulnerable, after today, and maybe anyone could have made me feel this sense of longing.

But I didn’t think so. I was pretty sure Storm made me feel something completely different than most people.

Just act normal.

What is acting normal, around Storm Rosling?

“Look who’s here,” I said, glancing back toward my back doors and seeing a familiar fuzzy face in the yard.

“Oreo, you little rascal,” Storm said. “It’s cold out there. Can she come inside?”

“Of course,” I said.

I let her in and immediately she started playing around with Pepper in the living room, sharing toys and playing tug-of-war.

“Fuck. Emmett, can we shut that door?” Storm said, and I looked over to see him shivering again.

I slid it shut and motioned for him to follow me upstairs.

“I’ve seen you get tackled by men who look like Mack trucks, yet you can’t stand a chilly day. Kind of adorable,” I said as we walked up the stairs toward my master bath.

Did I usually tease him like that? I meant it more affectionately than anything, but suddenly I was second-guessing everything, and I hoped he didn’t think it was an insult. I reached out again as we walked, rubbing at his arm.

“Was a lot more than justchillyout there,” he said, shuddering. “Might be near freezing outside. You had a whole suit on and all I had was shorts and a T-shirt.”

I led him through the upstairs hallway, across my bedroom, and toward the master bathroom.

Storm whistled.

“This isn’t a bathroom, it’s a bathsuite,” he said. “Fit for a king.”

I reached over the big tub and pulled the tap, letting hot water start to pour out.

“Are you more of a lavender kind of guy? Mint and eucalyptus? Rose? Vanilla?” I asked, pulling out the basket where I kept different bath bombs, liquid bubbles, and salts. I leaned over close to him to show him the basket, and our arms touched.

Because apparently I couldn’t go more than ten seconds without touching him somehow, now.

Like the only time things felt right for me today was when I felt my skin on his skin.

His playful, devious smile spread over his lips. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute,” he said. “You have multiple different types? There you were acting surprised that I liked taking baths, meanwhile you have a whole selection of scents and options, here?”

“Never said I didn’t like them, too.”

He hummed, picking out the amber vanilla scented bubble bath. “This one looks amazing.”

“One of my favorites,” I said. “I’ll go grab you a towel. I think I’ve got some oversized sweatpants and a shirt that should fit, too.”

“Surprised that even your sweatpants aren’t perfectly tailored,” he said, looking in my eyes with a teasing look.

A teasing look that went straight to my cock, even though he was just messing with me, talking aboutsweatpants,for God’s sake.

I was way too attracted to this man.

“Sometimes things are good when they’re loose,” I said, turning toward the door.

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