Page 27

Chapter twenty-seven

Hazel James

My heart is beating so hard I wonder if Emmett can hear it. He gently guides my face toward his. I close my eyes. The intensity of the moment is too much. I’m afraid I’ll do something to ruin it.

He brushes his lips against the corner of my mouth. I tense, the sides of my feet pressing against the outside of his thighs. His thumb traces soft, formless patterns on my cheek.

“Breathe, Wildflower,” he murmurs against my mouth.

I draw in a shaky breath. As soon as I do, he steals it away by pressing his lips to mine. All of me lights up like the sky above us. His beard softly scrapes my skin, sending delicious tingles all the way to my toes. I press closer, squeezing my legs around his. A low growl rumbles through his chest before his hand slides into my hair. He tugs softly. Our lips part for half a breath before they crash together again.

His other arm wraps around my waist, securing me to him. I’d thought kissing Emmett would be like floating, but it’s not. There’s nothing weightless about this moment. No, his touch is heavy. He’s gentle yet firm in every move he makes. He’s shelter from the storm, a warm coat when it’s cold out, the feeling of curling up beneath the covers after a long, hard day. A reminder that I’m safe. Safe to simply be, knowing that he’s here to protect me.

The tip of his tongue traces my bottom lip, asking permission. My mouth parts without hesitation. He tastes like sweet mint and something uniquely him . My hands find their way to his hair as he explores my mouth. I rake my fingernails over his scalp, relishing in the groan my touch tears from him. There’s something addicting about knowing I affect him in this way.

Our kisses soon become feverish. My hands roam freely over his face, neck, and shoulders. I slip one hand beneath the collar of his shirt to feel the warmth of his skin. He breaks our kiss, and I worry I went too far.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t have–”

He silences me with a fierce kiss. “I didn’t pull away because of that.”

“Then why?”

My answer comes when he tilts my head and presses a kiss below my ear. Oh .

“I was an idiot for waiting so long to kiss you,” he breathes against my neck. “I’m going to make up for that.”

He blazes an open-mouthed trail of heat down the column of my throat. When he kisses the spot where my neck meets my shoulder, a hum of pleasure slips through my parted lips. His teeth lightly drag over the same spot, making me gasp his name.

This time, when he pulls away, he doesn’t kiss me again.

“If we don’t stop…” he trails off, the heat in his gaze finishing his sentence for him.

“I understand,” I whisper.

He frames my face with his hands and presses our foreheads together. My eyes flutter shut. Our chests rise and fall in tandem. The only sounds are the crickets and the rustling of trees in the wind. I can feel his heartbeat against my palms.

“You said you didn’t know what it was like to be wanted in this way.” His raspy whisper accompanies the breeze tickling my skin.

“Now I do.” I brush my lips over his, feeling him smile against my mouth.

“I didn’t know either,” he confesses. “It’s overwhelming to feel this much.”

I pull back. His hands fall away, then settle on my hips. My fingertips run through his silky hair and his eyes fall shut.

“It is overwhelming,” I agree softly. “In the best way.”

His dark eyes open once more. My hands settle against his chest again.

“I wish–” Anguish twists his features. “I wish I could have met you first . I wouldn’t trade my life. I wouldn’t give up June, but I hate that there was ever someone else.”

My heart aches for him. On the outside he’s been so strong, but here beneath the moonlight it’s easy to see that there’s been a lot of pain hiding beneath the surface.

“It all brought you here,” I tell him as I run my hands up to his shoulders then back down.

“I know, but does it bother you?”

I shake my head. “She took so much from you, Emmett, don’t let her take this moment too. I want you . I think I made that pretty clear.”

Relief paints his face as a blush colors mine.

He squeezes my hips. “Thank you.”

“Should we go to bed?” I ask after a beat of silence.

His head tips back against the chair. “You shouldn’t ask me that while we’re like this. ”

Who needs a blanket to keep warm when I’m blushing this much?

“I didn’t mean–”

His low chuckle fills the night air. He lifts his head again. “I know what you meant. Doesn’t make letting go of you any easier though.”

I bite my lip. His eyes drop to my mouth.

“We should go inside,” I whisper. I don’t want either June or Raven to wake up without us in there. Though it feels like I could never have enough time alone with Emmett, I’ve certainly had my fair share tonight.

He nods, but his eyes disagree with the action. I grab the arms of the chair and slowly push off of him. My legs feel weak, making me wobble a little. Emmett’s hands reach out to steady me, splaying the backs of my thighs. My stomach swoops at the intimate touch.

If he keeps touching me like this, he’ll have to carry me because I won’t be able to walk straight. I manage to step back enough for him to rise out of the chair. He holds out a hand and I take it. We walk toward the back door together.

I have so many questions burning in my chest, but I don’t think that now is the time. We both need sleep, and my personal life is a wreck right now. I can’t ask him what this means when it comes to my job when I still have to figure out where my little sister is going to live. I don’t want him to feel pressured to answer a certain way. It’s probably for the best that I find another job so that the lines don’t blur more than they have, but I don’t have the time to look for one with everything going on with my mom.

We walk inside and I shiver at the cool greeting of the air conditioning. Emmett walks me to the guest wing while my mind continues to spiral.

Emmett may wish we could have met before he was with his ex, but I wish we could have met in a more traditional way. I can’t bear the thought of not seeing June every day, but how can we manage a working relationship and a relationship ? Emmett is the type of man who compartmentalizes each thing in his life. This situation upends all of those little boxes and mixes up the contents.

“Whatever you’re worrying over, we’ll figure out,” Emmett says as we arrive at my bedroom door.

I face him. “This whole thing is a lot more complicated than I anticipated.”

“It can be as simple as we want it to be. Don’t worry.” He bends down and gives me a tender kiss. “Rest for tonight. We’ll work through it together tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

He kisses me again. It’s sweet, with just enough passion to remind me of our starlit kisses.

“Goodnight, Wildflower,” he breathes against my lips.

I smile. This is much better than a text.

“Goodnight, Emmett.”