Page 86 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
CHAPTER 24
TANNER
I’ve been lookingfor Emily for a while now, and I’m starting to get a little impatient. The lodge is sprawling, so there are so many places she could be, but I still feel like I’m going around in a circle.
“Oh hey, Tanner,” she says, sauntering toward me with that fake sweetness that I’ve come to hate. I turn and spot Chloe, leaning against the wall near the reception desk, her arms crossed and that damn smirk playing on her lips.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Yeah, I’m looking for Emily. Have you seen her?”
Chloe’s smile widens. “Funny you ask,” she says, tilting her head like she’s pretending to think about it. “Ididsee her. She was with Jace and the big guy, what’s his name?”
“Axel?” I prompt.
“Mm-hmm,” Chloe hums, clearly enjoying this way too much. “They were heading toward one of those storage closets on the fourth floor.” She leans in a little, lowering her voice like she’s letting me in on some big secret. “Thing is, I never saw them come back out.”
I narrow my eyes, trying not to let her words get to me, but it’s hard not to bite. “What are you saying?”
She shrugs, all innocent, but the glint in her eyes tells me exactly what she’s implying. “I don’t know, Tanner. Just seems like they’ve been in there a while…together. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
I grit my teeth, trying to keep my cool. Chloe’s just trying to rile me up, I know that. She loves drama, at least that’s what I got from Emily.
I clench my fists at my sides, trying to keep my cool. There’s no way. There’sno wayAxel and Jace would break the pact we made. We all agreed—Emily’s got to make the choice, and until then, we stay the hell away.
But Chloe’s words are needling their way into my brain
“Sounds suspicious, doesn’t it?” Chloe continues, her voice light but her eyes gleaming. “Three people in a closet for that long…I’d say something’s definitely up.”
“You sure about that?” I ask.
“Yep, definitely didn’t see them leave. They can’t be having a conversation in there.” She laughs at her own joke.
Without thinking twice, I head straight for the elevator, my heart pounding harder with every step. I can’t believe I’m even entertaining this thought, but I need to know. I need to see for myself.
The elevator doors open with a soft ding, and I step onto the fourth floor, my pulse hammering in my ears. The storage closet is at the end of the hallway.
My hand hesitates on the door handle for just a second before I grab it. It doesn’t open at first, but I push against it as I yank on the handle, and with a groan, it falls open.
I blink as I step inside.
Axel is leaning against the wall, shirt slightly undone, his breathing heavy. Jace is standing close to Emily, his hand still on her waist, her shirt slightly askew, and the look on both of their faces says everything I need to know.
“What the hell is going on here?” My voice is louder than I intended, but I can’t stop it.
The three of them freeze, and Emily’s eyes go wide as she sees me standing there, shock written all over her face.
“Tanner—” she starts, but I cut her off, the betrayal hitting me hard.
“Seriously?” I step fully into the closet, glaring at Axel and Jace. “You’re fucking her?”
“Tanner!” Emily replies indignantly but I’m too pissed to notice.
“We had an agreement. We agreed to let her choose. And now I find you two in here with her?”
Axel steps forward, his jaw clenched. “It’s not what it looks like.”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “Oh, really? ‘Cause it sure as hell looks like you two were getting pretty damn cozy with Emily.”
Jace shoots Axel a look before stepping in. “Tanner, calm down. We didn’t plan this.”
