Page 114 of There's No Us Without You
“Why do you care so much about Emerson losing?” I say, keeping my voice steady. “If I sleep with him, it’s me who wins the money, not you.”
A sly smirk contorts his face. “It’s not about the money for me.”
“Then what is it about?”
Cooper slams his hand on the wall beside my head, making me wince. “That sonofabitch doesn’t deserve to be Captain. That position should be mine. And when Coach finds out, he’ll be benched.” His top lip twitches into a snarl. “Just get it done. Or I’ll find someone else to do it.”
My skin burns all over, all the emotions I’ve hidden in the past boiling to the surface. No-one is more deserving of that captaincy than Emerson. He deserves the fucking world and someone who doesn’t lie to him to win a bet. Not someone like me.
I’m done.
If I don’t fix this now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
Shoving my hands against Cooper’s chest, I lift a knee and slam it right between his legs. “Screw you and screw your stupid bet.”
Cooper’s hands fly to his crotch before he drops to his knees and curls over into a ball. His cries of pain disappear as I hurry down the hall and back into the crowded bar area.
My heart is racing, my breathing heavy, and when I zero in on Emerson, I keep my legs moving.
When I reach the group of men, I tap Emerson’s shoulder and wait for him to turn around, heart in my throat. The grin on his face widens—then falls. “You okay, Pop?—”
“I made a bet with Cooper that I could get you to sleep with me.” The words fly out of my mouth so fast, I’m not sure Emerson has heard me until his eyes go cold.
He draws back as though I’ve just slapped him. “You’re fucking joking, right?”
All four men are staring at me.
Tyler.
Carter.
Emerson.
Fuck.
And Will.
I shake my head, chewing on the inside of my cheek. My chest constricts, and I blink back my tears. I’m not going to break down right now.
“You’ve been using me this whole time?” Emerson drops his head and pushes his fingertips into his eyes.
All the air is sucked from my lungs. “It’s not like that! Please believe me, Em,” I say, reaching for his hand.
He snatches it away from my grasp, his eyes now red and glassy. “Don’t touch me.”
The need to comfort him overwhelms me, my heart breaking even more than I expected.
What have I done?
“I don’t care about that anymore,” I say. “I don’t want to be anything like my mother and use people to get what I want. I’m truly sorry.”
Wrinkling his nose, he shakes his head. “I thought I knew who you were, Eden. But how stupid was I to believe anything that came out of your mouth.”
I shake my head violently. “No, Emerson. Please don’t say that. Everything I’ve ever said or done is because I care about you. When I made that bet, I’d known you all of two days.” Iswallow down the lump in my throat. “But everything’s changed. I have... real feelings for you.”
He blinks at me for a long moment, his jaw clenching. Then he stands, shoves his hands through his hair, and barges past me as though I mean nothing to him.
“Nice.” Will’s voice startles me.
