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All I know is that it hurts. My heart always hurts when I’m around him. Pain can come in so many different forms, and I thought I’d experienced all the pain the world has to offer. And then I met Sterling and I realized there’s always more to be unleashed.
“You can’t say stuff like that,” I say, my voice coming out a little breathy.
He tilts his head to the side. “Says who? Freedom of speech, Emilia. I can say whatever the hell I like. You can’t control that. What you can control is how you react to whatever it is I say. The feelings it incites in you.”
He says those last words in a sexy drawl that has me clenching my thighs. I really hate this man. And what the hell does he mean, I can control the feelings he incites? If I could do that, I wouldn’t be in this position.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie.
Sterling smirks before taking a step toward me. My legs move nearly of their own accord, carrying me backward away from him, only to find myself halted by the wall. Sterling doesn’t pause in his approach, moving until he’s effectively caging me in.
And then he places his hands on the wall on either side of me and I realize there’s really no escape. My heart starts to pound so loud I’m sure he can hear it.
Be still, you dumb, malfunctioning organ.
The last thing I want to do right now is look into his eyes. But he’s right there. His scent surrounds me, musky with a hint of lemons. I slowly tilt my head up, pretending to be unaffected. When that couldn’t be further from the truth.
His green eyes are already fixed on me.
“We’re not at work right now, angel. You have no idea how hard I’ve been trying to hold myself back these past few weeks. It’s exhausting,” he grits out.
“Sterling,” I whisper, at a loss of what to say.
His eyes flick down to my lips, staring at them intently.
“If I kissed you right now, what would you do? Would you let me? Kiss me back? Or would you push me away?”
My lips thin. I don’t have an answer to that. I don’t think I would have the willpower to push him away if he kissed me. I would never be strong enough to do that.
“Don’t kiss me,” I plead.
Anguish slashes across his expression. He opens his mouth. “Emilia?—”
I don’t get to hear the rest of the sentence, though.
“What the hell is going on here?” someone questions, fury mixed in his tone.
Sterling’s hands drop and I scramble from against the wall, looking toward my brother who’s standing a few feet away. Carson’s glaring at us both, hands clenched into fists.
“Carson,” I start, fumbling for what to say. “It’s not what you think.”
Beside me, I hear Sterling huff out a breath. When I turn to look at him, he seems amused?
“It’s not what you think,” he mouths with a smile.
That just pisses Carson off more, though. He crosses over to us, grabbing Sterling’s collar.
“What the hell is so funny, asshole? I warned you. Stay away from Emilia!”
I’ve never seen him this mad before. Sterling’s not even fazed. He grabs my brother’s hand at his collar, shoving him backward. Carson’s about to charge again but I step between them, looking up at my brother.
“Enough,” I state. “You’re being dramatic, Carson. Nothing’s going on.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks, blue eyes narrowing. “Because I just saw the two of you in a pretty compromising position. Explain that, little sister.”
I cross my arms over my chest, repeating, “Nothing’s going on.”
“You really expect me to believe that?”