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END GAME

Emma

I turn the key in the lock of the biggest door I’ve ever seen and press the handle. “Carissa said she’d leave the alarm off for us.”

“Sneaking into Levi’s house after curfew,” Jack whispers into my ear as he gropes my bottom in a playful squeeze. “Something I’ve never done before.”

I brought an overnight bag with me earlier to the birthday party, but Jack has his slung over his shoulder. We dropped Mason off and came straight here after having a long conversation with my dad about our plan.

A plan that will only work if Rylan Crawford follows through on his side.

That doesn’t mean I’m one hundred percent confident he’ll do his part. I do think I’m at a solid seventy though, which means I feel better than I did before our meeting tonight.

What I’m not feeling good about is the current state of my employment or the fact a coworker from my company has enough power to put me on unpaid leave. And that they were willing to announce it to the world before telling me or allowing me to defend myself.

Jack and I move through the shadowed halls lit only by the stars shining through the stained-glass ceiling from the third floor. It’s the first time I’ve ever been here in the middle of the night when it’s silent and still.

I’d say the creaks of the old wood floors creep me out, but Jack’s stomach growling breaks through the quiet.

I look over at him before we get to the grand staircase in the middle of the house. “We never ate dinner.”

“You don’t need to remind me. I’m starving.”

I grab his bag, toss it on the floor by the stairs, and take his hand. “Carissa had enough food to feed an army. Let’s grab a bite before we go up.”

When we get to the kitchen, I flip on the light over the stove and zero in on the big box on the island. I turn to Jack. “Cake?”

He puts a hand on his abs and smirks at me. “Are you trying to sabotage my six pack?”

I pull out two forks, don’t bother with plates, and flip open the box. “Maybe. If I want to keep you all to myself, I don’t need the competition. You’ve always had a trail of females lusting after you.”

Despite the fact he’s become a health freak, he plucks a fork out of my hand and stabs it into the leftover birthday cake. “Despite my reputation in high school, I’m particular. My tastes are refined.”

I take a big bite of cake and talk with my mouth full. “I still can’t believe the enchanting Jack Hale is picky. That’s hard to believe since it took you all of two-point-five seconds to charm the panties off me.”

Jack licks his lips, drops his fork in the cake box, and turns to me. I yelp and have to hold my fork out to keep from poking him since he picks me up and plops me on the island. He even hikes my sweater dress up high enough to spread my legs to stand between them and yanks me to the edge.

The next thing I know, his hands are on my ass, and we’re nose to nose with his thickening cock pressed to my sex.

“Trust me, Em, I’m picky. I do not pick up women in hotels, bars, or on work trips. Hell, I don’t pick up women … ever. You definitely don’t fall into that category.”

I forget all about his empty stomach and the decadent dessert next to us. Wetness pools between my legs, and something that wars between excitement and hesitancy swims in my belly. “You categorized me?”

His blue eyes bore into me as he slides one hand between us and lands between my legs. Excitement wins when the tip of his finger traces my sex over my panties. “You’re definitely in a category, baby.”

I grip the edge of the counter. “I can’t decide if that sounds like good or bad news.”

His finger doesn’t stop creating magic between my legs when I lose his other hand. “Of all the categories, it’s a big one.”

I force myself to breathe. “That’s not good. That means I’m one of many.”

I can barely focus on his words, let alone anything else he’s doing that isn’t between my legs, so he surprises me when he brings his finger to his mouth and licks a huge swipe of icing off it.

Right after he licks his lips, he puts his mouth to mine at the same time his light touch between my legs yanks my panties to the side, and I get his touch.

His real touch.

Skin to skin, at the same time I drink in the taste of him and sweet buttercream when his tongue dances with mine.

He swipes my clit, igniting a low moan from deep in my chest.

I feel how wet I am on his fingers. So when he breaks his kiss abruptly, I’m left wanting more.

Wanting everything.

He’s nonchalant when he swipes his thumb through the center of the cake and brings it to my mouth. His stare on me is hot and determined as he teases my clit. “Open.”

I do as he says.

My mouth and my legs.

The corner of his mouth tips. He likes that.

Damn. I’ve never sought approval from any man in my life. I don’t even recognize myself. I want everything he’s giving me, so I don’t wait another moment.

I lean forward and wrap my lips around his thumb.

But this time I lose the appreciation in his features, because my eyes fall shut when he presses two fingers into my sex at the same time. The sugar on my taste buds assaults my senses at the same time he swipes my clit.

I open my eyes when his other thumb presses onto my tongue. “You like that.”

Not a question. He knows I like it.

And since there’s no way I can answer, I let my teeth sink lightly into his flesh.

That wins me a lazy smile and another swipe of my clit. “Suck, baby.”

Mmm.

I suck and think about other things.

His gaze roams up and down my body. “Fuck, look at you.”

All I can think about is what he’s doing to my body and my heart. He strokes my cheek and my clit as he blows my mind with more than his touch.

I whimper when he gives my clit more pressure and my sex another firm pump.

He leans in and puts his lips to my ear and whispers, “You’re the?—”

“What the fuck?!”

My eyes fly open when every light in the room kills the magic.

I lose Jack’s fingers, but I gain his arms as they cage me to his chest like bands of steel protection.

From my brother.

Jack

“What the fuck?!” Levi yells even louder on repeat.

“Dude—” I start and cringe at the word that came out of nowhere. I haven’t uttered the word dude in years.

But Levi doesn’t allow me to say anything. “Dude? I just walked into my kitchen to find my little sister sucking my best friend’s thumb while your other hand is…” Levi brings his hands to his face and scrubs his eyes like we just threw bleach into them. “Fuck me. I can’t even say it.”

Emma burrows deeper into my chest. “Oh my God.”

I move a hand to the back of her head, hold her tight, and don’t take my eyes off my best friend who stands at our sides. There’s too much to focus on, like my rock-hard dick and Emma trying to catch her breath since I’m pretty sure I was about to push her over the orgasmic edge of no return.

Fucking Levi.

“I can explain.”

Levi drops his arms to his sides and glares at me. He’s standing there naked besides a pair of pajama pants. “There’s no explanation that will ever make it okay to see my sister sucking on your thumb.”

Emma groans.

And not in a good way.

“Shut the fuck up and quit saying that. You’re upsetting Emma,” I bite.

Levi squeezes his eyes shut as his knuckles whiten. His hands clench and unclench into fists at his sides. “It’s burned on my brain.”

I stroke Emma’s hair as I try to calm the mood. “You should know how to fix that. You are a neurosurgeon.”

“Levi, is it the kids?” Carissa’s voice joins the party before she stutters to a stop next to her husband. She’s wrapping a robe around her as her eyes bug out from the sight of Emma in my arms. “What the?—”

“This is exactly what it looks like.” Levi interrupts her and points to his sister and me. “No, I take that back. It’s fucking worse. So much worse. I can’t form the words. I’ve already tried.”

Carissa’s expression turns from shocked to something else as she bites back a smile.

“Do not do that. This is not a good thing,” Levi warns before turning back to us. “How long has this been a thing?”

“Make it stop,” Emma pleads against the skin of my neck.

“Go back to bed,” I say. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

“This is bad. So, so bad,” Levi chants.

Carissa crosses her arms and doesn’t stop staring at us like we’re a freakshow at the circus. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I mutter.

I’ve gone over how this conversation would play out in my head a couple of times during the last week.

Okay, maybe just once. It’s been a busy week between a kidnapping, a drive-by shooting, my old boss wanting to end my life as I know it, and me dreaming of things I’ve never thought about before. Like tucking Emerson Hollingsworth away and keeping her as mine for the rest of my life.

And I mean that in the purest, most non-creepy way possible since I don’t want to lock her in my basement or wear her skin.

I only want to taste it.

Again, not in a horror-movie type way.

But before that can happen, Levi needs to get over himself.

Emma is my first priority.

I put my lips to the side of her head. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she croaks. “Not at all okay.”

Carissa moves to stand in front of Levi placing her hands on his chest. “Let’s go back to bed. You have to leave before dawn for rounds. Everyone can talk tomorrow.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I say. “This is not the way I wanted you to find out, but it is happening.”

Carissa turns to peek over her shoulder at us and smiles. “I like it. In fact, I can’t think of anything better. If you’re both happy, then so are we.”

Levi frowns at Carissa, which I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed. “We are not happy. You did not see what I saw.”

“Stop talking,” Emma mumbles into my neck.

Carissa lifts to her toes to kiss her husband. “It’s Jack and Emma. We’re not just happy, we’re ecstatic. Come to bed. It will all be better tomorrow.”

“It will not.” Levi winces like he’s afraid to glance up at us until his stare lands on the open box. “Holy shit. What the hell did you do to the cake? You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know. I’m going back to bed even though I’ll probably have nightmares.” Levi turns back to his wife. “We are not eating that cake.”

Levi leaves but Carissa turns to us with the biggest smile on her face. You’d think she just won the lottery as she jumps up and down and claps.

Emma finally pulls her face out from the crook of my neck to peek at her sister-in-law.

“I’m so happy!” Carissa whisper-yells. “Don’t mind Levi. I’ll handle him. There are two bedrooms ready for you, so I guess you can pick one. Goodnight!”

We say nothing and watch Carissa skip off after my grumpy friend.

“That was horrific,” Emma whispers, even though it’s way too late for whispering. “Definitely worse than being put on leave with no pay for doing something I did not do. I didn’t think the day could get worse, but I will never recover from that.”

I tip her face to mine and smile. “You’ll be fine. So will Levi.”

She shakes her head. “I’m moving away tomorrow and never returning. I’m starting over. I need a new family. I’m likable … most of the time. Someone will surely adopt me.”

I hike a brow. “I like you. And you missed the conversation I had with myself that I plan on keeping you. If you run away, I’m coming after you.”

Her thighs squeeze my hips. “You’re keeping me?”

“Yes,” I confirm. “But not in the basement. I might be a freak, but not that kind, even though I do like it when you suck icing off my thumb.”

Finally, I get a hint of her beautiful smile I love so much. “ You are so you , Jack. You’ve always made my heart race.”

I tuck that away for later and pull her tighter to me. “Do you want any more cake?”

Her eyes narrow and her hint of a smile disappears. “Are you trying to give me PTSD?”

I lean to kiss her quickly before I pull her dress down and help her to the floor. “We’re going to bed. And I don’t care where we are—I’m going to make you forget about everything else in the world but me.”

Emma

Stars explode behind my eyelids for the second time.

And, no, the first time was not in Levi’s kitchen. That made my head explode.

Jack is generous when it comes to orgasms. In the short time we’ve been together, I’m pretty sure I’m batting two to one compared to him when it comes to falling over the edge of ecstasy—or whatever the sports metaphor is.

Jack’s mouth slams down on mine to quiet my moans for the second time since we got to bed. We picked the room on the third floor and farthest away from babies and brothers and best friends. If it weren’t so late, I would’ve begged Jack to take me back to the hotel.

Jack pumps into me two more times before he comes. Every beautiful muscle in his body tenses as he presses me into the mattress.

He did what he promised. He made me forget about everything but him.

But us.

He doesn’t move or pull out. He’s spent from his own release and the day. Hell, the week.

I should let him enjoy his moment, but it’s killing me. I can’t wait another second, and I have to know.

His name is a whisper on my lips as I enjoy the thrum of his heartbeat against my chest. “Jack?”

He exhales before he turns his head to press it against my temple. “Yeah, baby?”

“What were you going to say to me earlier? You know, before I died a thousand deaths from mortification.”

He lifts his head far enough to gaze down at me. A smirk plays on his full lips. “Who’s the drama queen now?”

“Too soon.” I press my heel into his rock-hard ass. “You categorized me. I want to know what column I fall into when it comes to you.”

Jack loses the smirk. His hand comes up and brushes the hair from my forehead before he frames the side of my face with his strong hand.

“Baby, you’re in a category above and beyond. You made the category your bitch. It’s one I’ve never contemplated before.”

I suck in a shallow breath and force myself to breathe. “Jack.”

He leans in to kiss me. It’s not bruising or possessive and there’s no tongue.

It’s so not Jack.

But it touches me in that place again—the new one that I only learned about this week.

“You and me … we’re the end game, baby.” His blues bore into mine, and my heart skips a beat. “I’m burning the playbook. You’re mine.”