Page 25 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends
Emma looks over her shoulder at me, a teasing smile on her lips.
When she walks off, I let out a slow breath and rub my chest over my rapidly beating heart. Just seeing her walk off makes me miss her, and it makes me want more time with her. I hate that I’m being pulled away so much from work because I’m dealing with Stacy. I hate that she’s only here for this project before she leaves. I hate that our time is limited.
It’s not even just about physical attraction. As bad as I want to sneak off with her and show her how much she affects me, I also want to make more private jokes with her. Make memories that we laugh about later on.
I want to havemomentswith her.
That’s how I know that what I feel isn’t going to go away any time soon. I think that things are only going to get more intense as we get closer to our final deadline, and where the hell will that leave us?
Heartbroken? Regretful? Relieved?
Chapter twelve
Chapter Twelve: Emma
Even before the update has launched, I’ve already made a difference at SyncUp. It’s crazy to me how much pride that makes me feel, but I’ll admit that I have a stronger personal stake in this project than I’ve had in others.
The drive to impress my bosses is higher than ever before. Not only do I know them, but I also have a devastatingly intense attraction to them that couldruinme.
“People love the new graphics on social media,” Max tells me as we hang out in one of the meeting rooms with Ryan. He scrolls through a few posts that include my new designs on his laptop, his eyes skimming the comments. “They’re saying the new look is refreshing and sleek.”
“That’s what we’re going for,” Ryan says from across the table. “We were outdated before getting Emma on board. Now, everything will be shiny and new when the update rolls out.”
Pride swells in my chest as they dote over my work. I’m just glad that their customers like it too. Their opinion is what matters the most.
“I wanted the posts to reflect the new look of the program. Attractive to the eye but also user friendly,” I explain as I sit to the right of Max with my phone in my hand. I show them a post with a graphic that I made listing some of the new features. “See? Clean and to the point.”
“You’re a miracle worker,” Max tells me as he flashes me an impressed look.
They’ve really been stroking my ego since I started on this project. As much as I love it, it also worries me a little. It’s hard to figure out when they’re just being kind or if they’re flirting. Because there’s definitely been flirting. Small touches and intense looks that leave my skin burning. But nothing ever comes of it.
That’s for the best, though, and I think they know that.
“I’ll look at the analytics more tomorrow,” Ryan says. “But I do need to finalize the posts for tomorrow.”
I nod and open the company’s social media accounts, the home feed showing on my screen. I barely scroll before I spot a picture of Josh and Stacy, posted just a few days ago.
My heart jolts to a stop as I stare at the photo of them huddling close to each other. Stacy has her arms wrapped around Josh’s neck as they smile at each other, and I can’t help but feel a sour, twisting sensation in my stomach.
It eases a little when I realize that the photo is older since Josh’s hair is different in it, but I can’t help but feel jealous. Why is she posting old photos of them like they’re still dating? Josh has stressed multiple times that they broke up a while ago, but it feels like he’s been spending more alone time with her than me.
He’s not even mine, but it feels like I’m being pushed to the side for another woman.
“We might have to break our rule for not working late,” Max tells me with a sheepish expression.
“It’s fine,” I sigh, my voice coming out a bit sharper than I intended. I turn off my phone before I can even read the caption on the photo. I know that it’ll just upset me.
Max’s brow furrows in concern, but before he can ask me what’s wrong, the door opens, and Josh steps inside with a bottle of liquor in his hand.
“Look what I got,” Josh says in a sing-song voice before placing the fancy bottle in the middle of the table. “Spiked eggnog.”
“Where did you get that from?” Ryan questions him, not looking impressed.
Josh waves Ryan off. “Just a small gift from Stacy’s father. I have some more work to finish up, and it looks like you guys do too. How about one glass to get into the holiday spirit?”
As petty as it is, I don’t even want to drink it, but Josh has that hopeful look on his face like a puppy wanting to be scratched. It’s impossible to say no.
“One glass,” I say.
