Page 31 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends
Emma smiles and stands, following me up the stairs to the nearest area where there are concession stands. She shifts closer to my side as a bunch of other people crowd the area to get in line. “I guess they had the same idea as us.”
“No kidding,” I mutter as a group of college guys push past us without a care in the world. My jaw tightens in annoyance as I put my arm around Emma’s shoulders, pulling her against me so that she doesn’t get knocked to the side.
Emma wraps her arm around my back, anchoring herself to me as I step back to the nearest wall, letting a huge family walk past. She looks up at me with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “The game might be over before we get our concessions.”
A light chuckle rumbles in my chest as we huddle together against the wall. “Maybe we should just wait until after the game. I’m sure Ethan will want to get something to eat.”
Emma nods in agreement. “Yeah, I guess we should go back to our seats.”
Yet, we don’t move. We stand there gazing at each other, becoming shadows on the wall as everyone else passes us by. Not knowing what’s at stake. Not knowing the possible consequences that’ll come if I act on my thoughts.
“I was trying to get you off my mind this weekend, but it looks like that isn’t going to happen,” I tell her, the words breaking free from my mind before I can stop them.
A pink flush adorns her cheeks as she peers up at me through her lashes. “I don’t think that I can be sorry for that.”
She’s definitely going to be the death of me.
I shouldn’t. Ethan is just a few rows away. This is dangerous—reckless—but she’s looking at me like I’m the only one in the world. And I’m so damn tired of pretending I don’t want her.
Before I can even take a breath and think about what the hell I’m doing, I lean down and press my lips against hers, hearing her breath hitch. A soft gasp escapes her lips, and it’s the sexiest sound that has ever met my ears.
Emma places her hand on my chest as she turns toward me, our kiss deepening as our mouths perfectly slot together.
My fingers brush through her hair as the smell of her intoxicating perfume floods my senses. Kissing her is like coming up for air. Sweet relief.
Until reality hits.
The crowd cheers as the last period of the game starts, startling us enough to make us break apart. Our eyes widen in realization. We really did that.
No,Idid that.Ikissedher.
What if Ethan had seen?
Emma’s face reddens more as she looks away from me, seeming as flustered as I feel on the inside. “We should head back. Don’t want to miss the end.”
Before I can even nod, she turns and hurries back to our seats, leaving me there stunned and reeling from that incredible kiss. That potentially friendship-ending mistake.
I fucked up. Bad. I kissed her. I touched something I was never supposed to reach for. And now that I’ve had it—her—I don’t know how I’m going to go back to pretending. Worse, I don’t know if I want to.
Chapter fifteen
Chapter Fifteen: Josh
Asteady ache pulses in my head as I work at my desk with a mile long to-do list to complete before the end of the day.
I usually don’t get so behind like this, but my life has been full of distractions lately. In and out of the office.
My fingers drag through my hair as I check through the dozens of unopened emails in my inbox, reading through reports from employees, inquiries from other businesspeople, and even some emails that Stacy sent me. She’s been blowing up my phone for days to the point that I had to silence her notifications to get any work done.
She can be helpful when it comes to business, but I think she’s making things too personal. I’m not her boyfriend. I’m trying to run a business.
I lift my eyes to sweep them across the office. Max, Ryan, and Emma are all diligently working at their own desks with Max’s focus playlist playing at a respectable volume. When we’re not crunching, like now, Emma will put on Christmas songs, but we can’t get swept up in holiday cheer right now.
The elevator dings as the doors open, making me spin around in my chair to see who’s joining us.
“Oh, come on,” Ryan mutters as Stacy walks out of the elevator, her heels clicking against the floor.
A sigh breaks from me as I stand up from my desk, abandoning my work. Again. I should fire myself at this point for my slacking.
