Page 39 of Saving His Heart

“Are you two about done? Seriously, how old are you guys? Preston, what thehellare you thinking?” she scolds through gritted teeth.

I know she’s worried about my heart, but this day has been an epic disaster. First, my feelings for Emory are rattling around my brain, and then we get bombarded by everyone in my life. It’s been a fucking day, okay? Sometimes you just have to take it out on your brother.

“I came out here to tell you everyone is heading home. Well, everyone except Lexi. She is waiting for Seth to walk her downstairs. New rules, I guess?”

Easton stands so quickly he knocks over the chair he had just sat in, and I swear I hear him growl, “No fucking way. I’m leaving anyway. I’ll walk her down.”

He is out of my sight before I can even formulate a response. Freaking East, I’m going to have to keep an eye on those two. I can’t think of a worse pairing for either of them.

“What was that about?” Emory asks.

“No idea. Come on,” I say, taking her hand. “Let’s go say good-bye and get everyone out of here.”

“Thank God,” she whispers, making me chuckle. For someone who doesn’t like crowds, she handled the gaggle of onlookers tonight like a pro.

* * *

It takesover an hour to get everyone out, and by the time my mom finally leaves and I get GG situated in her new room, I realize Ems has been MIA for a while now. Stepping into our room—Fuck. Our room—I find her in sleep shorts and a tank top, hands on her hips as she inspects her handiwork on the bed.

“What’s all this?” I ask, amused, then laugh outright when she jumps. Emory was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear me come in.

“It … well, it’s a barrier. We really have to set some boundaries, Preston. I know this sounds silly after what happened on the plane.” She pauses, running a finger over her collarbone as she composes herself.

“What happened on the plane, Emory?” I ask through a smile as I stand behind her, close enough I can smell the rose and chamomile scented shampoo she used earlier.

“Wh-What? You know what happened.”

“I want to hear you say it, Goldie.”

“We had sex, okay? Is that what you wanted me to say?”

Taking a step forward, I wrap my arms around her middle and rest my chin on top of her head. “Not just sex, Ems. Fucking amazing, mind-blowing, can’t feel my limbs sex.”

“I’m not saying that,” she chokes out, and I’m hit with a full belly laugh.

Pulling her in closer, I whisper, “You don’t have to say it, just agree with it.”

“Mhm. Okay, y-yes, I agree.”

I don’t hide my smile. “Good, now tell me what you did to the bed?” I gesture to the line of pillows she placed down the middle.

“Well, we need boundaries. We don’t have any boundaries right now, so this literal one will have to suffice until we have everything in writing.”

“You still want everything in writing?” I ask, genuinely a little hurt.

“Yeah, don’t you? We come from different worlds, Preston. I don’t want anything coming back to bite me in the ass.”

I hate how she says that, and I’m more determined than ever to find out what the hell is going on with her medical license. If neither she nor Dr. Terry will tell me, I’ll call in the big guns. My brother, Ashton, can find out anything with a few clicks of his computer. I make a mental note to call him tomorrow.

“Okay, so you want us to stay on our own sides then. Is that it?”

“Yes, can you do that? I mean, while we sort through everything?”

Turning her in my arms, I stare into her eyes. “I promise to stay on my own side. But how do I know you’ll stick to your own terms?” I’m joking, but I love the spark of sass I spot when I threw down the gauntlet.

“Once I’m asleep, I never move, Preston. Ever. I always wake up in the same exact position. Even when I slept with— Never mind. Just trust me. Staying on my own side of the bed has never been an issue.”

I want to know who the fucker is she was just thinking about, so I add it to the list of shit I want Ash to find out for me.