by Lisa Shelby
Not two minutes later, there’s another knock on the door. This time, it’s Jace on the other side.
“Sweetie, can I come in?”
I really don’t want to talk to anyone, but Jace didn’t do anything wrong, so I tell him he can come in.
The door opens slowly, and he sheepishly walks in. “Hey, girl.”
“Hey.”
He closes the door behind him and walks over to the bed. “Can I sit?”
“Sure.”
The bed dips when he sits down, causing me to readjust my pillows and find my balance. We’re both quiet for a second, but eventually, he speaks.
“Emmett, he told me what’s going on.”
I don’t dare speak. I need to feel this out and see where the conversation is headed first. Jace is a nice guy, but he's not only Josh’s manager, he’s the love of his life. Jace is Team Josh all the way, and no matter how nice he is, he isn’t on my side right now.
“You surprised him.”
“We know how he hates surprises.”
He chuckles. “He knows his reaction was a bit much. He feels awful, Emmett.”
“He should.”
“You know he loves you, and he wants you to be happy more than anyone in his life.”
“He has a really strange way of showing it.”
“Em, you know he does. I mean, do you see him showering anyone else with a clothing allowance and trips on private jets?”
My body tenses, breaking out into a cold sweat at his insinuation.
“Jace, I don’t care about any of that. I would hope after all these years you would know that.” Teeth grinding, I force myself to take a deep inhale through my nose in hopes that I can calm myself and not start screaming at Jace like Josh did to me. “I also don’t consider throwing around disposable wealth as a real way of showing how much you care about someone. If this is your take on this whole situation, then I think you should leave.”
Hanging his perfectly coiffed head, he doesn’t look at me when he starts speaking again. “Emmett, I’m sorry. I’m not good at this. All I know is he loves you, and because he loves you, I love you, and I’m really sorry about what I said a minute ago. It came out all wrong.” He takes my hand in his with sincere regret in his eyes.
Maybe I reacted a bit too harshly. There does seem to be a lot of that going around today.
“He hates that he reacted the way he did, and he knows what you were willing to sacrifice when you signed that contract. If he could take it all back, he would. He got scared. The moment you said you had met someone, he assumed you wanted out, and his career flashed before his eyes. He freaked the fuck out, Emmett. He’s had a chance to breathe, and I think he’s seeing things clearer now.”
“Well, I’m gonna need a bit of space before I’m ready to talk to him.”
“I get it, I do.”
“Thanks, Jace.”
He pulls his hand back and stands to leave, but instead of heading toward the door, he turns and faces me. He doesn’t speak, almost like he wants to say something but doesn’t know how to get it out.
“What is it, Jace?”
“You sure you won’t change your mind about dinner?”
“Oh, Jace. Here I thought you came in here concerned about Josh and me.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry.” His shoulders lift. “It’s the manager in me. Tonight was a bitch to plan. I was just hoping to salvage it.”
“Well, sorry to be a bitch as well, but there’s just no way I can fake it tonight. He’s gonna have to entertain Hollywood royalty on his own this time. He’s a great actor, Jace. He’s got the shelves of awards to prove it.”
“You’re right. It’s too soon. No problem. It’ll be fine.” He leans in and kisses me on the top of the head.
I stop him just before he reaches the door. “Jace, I don’t know how you do it. Balancing loving him and managing him. You’re in a tough position, and you do a great job. I’m not sure what he would do without you. Thank you for taking care of him, even if that means you have to try to manage me too.”
His cheeks redden, and he nods as he walks out the door.
Emmett: You still here?
The Greatest: I am. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Josh is getting ready to leave.
Emmett: I miss you already.
The Greatest: Me too, baby.
I’m watching Sense and Sensibility like I always do when I’m depressed. There’s nothing like crying alongside Emma Thompson to cleanse one’s soul. I’ve been staring blindly at the TV not really hearing the words, too wrapped up in the day's events to focus.
When I hear Max’s gentle knock on my door, my insides warm, knowing he’s here.
“Come in.”
His six-foot-four frame fills the doorway, and his handsome face melts my heart, but a piece of my heart breaks as I watch him sneak in and quietly shut the door behind him. This isn’t fair to him, and I hate that he’s in this position because of me.
Josh may be right about me being selfish.
Because I’m too selfish to let him go.
He crosses the room and slips his shoes off, joining me on the bed. He tucks me into his side like he always does and doesn’t say a word.
He simply holds me.
His way of being there for me without forcing me to talk.
I breathe in the clean scent of him and do my best to wrap my arms and legs around his massive body. There’s no way I could ever get close enough to him.
“I missed you so much.”
“Missed you too, baby. Want to talk about it?”
“He didn’t take it well.”
“So I heard.”
“I’ve never experienced him like that, Max. I have no idea who that person was today. Honestly, I’ve known him my whole life, and I’ve never seen him like that.”
“I’m sorry.” He kisses the top of my head.
“He didn’t even let me explain.”
“It sounded like there was furniture flying. It took everything I had in me not to break through the door to make sure you were okay.”
“Thank God you didn’t.”
He sighs heavily, not liking that I didn’t want him to step in.
“He has no idea it’s you. That’s what really enraged him. He wanted to know who I had met, and I refused to tell him.”
“Why is that?” There’s hurt in his quiet question.
Sitting up, I make sure he sees my eyes when I answer him. “Max, he’s my best friend, and I was so excited to tell him all about us, but the moment I said I had met someone, he morphed into a person I could no longer trust with us.” Reaching down, I tickle the salt and pepper at his temples and let my fingers trace his rugged jawline. “Max, he was so reactive in that moment, he would have fired you and your entire team, and if we think this is gonna be hard with you in the same house every day, imagine if you weren’t here. I couldn’t take that risk.”
His hand reaches behind my head, tangling in my hair gently and encouraging me toward him. When our lips meet, they tell me he understands. After what could never be long enough, he pulls away adjusting so he’s lying on his side, and I follow suit facing him.
“Listen, you know I have the next couple of days off.”
“Why now?” I whine. The reminder deflates me, and I roll over onto my back, stomping my feet into the mattress. “I know you deserve your time off, I really do. I’m being a big baby. Hopefully, you get to see Nick, and I am sure Molly will be excited to see you?”
“I know, the timing sucks, but I’m gonna be working on trying to figure out exactly who it is that’s fucking with you. All we know is that the threats only seem to happen after a public outing when your picture has been out there, but the twist of someone breaking into your place all the way in Eastlyn changes things. Eastlyn is nowhere near LA, but it’s clear it was the same person. I need the time to focus and figure this out, and you have lots of meetings this week that you need to prep for over the rest of your weekend.” His fingers tra
il up and down my arm in an easy rhythm, relaxing me. “So we’ll both focus on work, and the time will fly by. I’ll also be a part of the security detail for the party you two are going to tomorrow night, so I’ll be close by.”
“What about Nick?”
With a tight smile, he says, “It’s not my weekend.”
It’s not his weekend, but he wishes it were. He misses his little boy.
“I don’t want to go anywhere with Josh right now, but if it means I’ll get to see you, even if from a distance, then it’ll be worth it.” I sound like such a brat, but it’s how I feel.
I am selfish, after all.
He grabs my hip and turns me so I’m facing him again. “Kiss me.”
I do as instructed, and my tantrum fades away; in place of it is the taste of the man who already owns my heart. He eases me like no one ever has.
My phone pings from my bedside table, and it’s Josh.
Josh: On my way home. Can we talk?
I hold the phone up for Max to see.
“Talk to him. You don’t have to tell him anything you don’t want to, but hear him out. He’s your best friend.”
Emmett: Okay.
“Well, that’s my cue. I’m gonna get out of here, but I’ll check in later, okay?”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“I don’t either, but you and Josh need to talk, and I don’t think him finding me here would start that conversation off any better than the one you had earlier today.”
“I’ll text you after we talk.”
“Okay, baby.”
He slinks out of the room, and I’m left to wait for Josh.
Chapter 18
I’m waiting in the kitchen, drinking a glass of wine and snacking on pita chips when Josh gets home. I’m surprised to see Jace isn’t with him.
“Hi,” he says with his hands in his front pants pocket.
“Hey. How was dinner?”
“It was good. They can’t wait to meet you at the party tomorrow night.”
“That’s nice.” I grab a stemless wine glass out of the cupboard and pull the cork out of the bottle of red I’ve been sipping on and pour him a glass.
Rounding the massive kitchen island, he grabs his glass in one hand and my hand in the other. He leads us to the living room, where we sit on the plush white couch facing each other. Everything in this damn house is white.
“Red wine on a white couch means you have to keep calm, or you’ll ruin more than just my mood.”
“Emmy, I am so sorry about today. My reaction was uncalled for and frankly unacceptable. I’m not sure what got into to me, but I freaked out, and there are no excuses. Forgive me?”
“Always. But Josh, what in the world was that?”
“I thought for sure you were going to back out, and my job, my career, my fans, Jace, it all flashed before my eyes, and I snapped. The thing is, I was only thinking about myself. And I know everything is always about me, Em, I do, but today was next level selfish of me. I am so, so sorry.”
“I get it, but a violent reaction like that can’t happen again, Josh. I know you would never hurt me; it’s not that. I just don’t deserve to be treated in such a way. Especially by you.”
“Of course you don’t. You don’t have to tell me that. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Hopefully, you never have to find out.”
He sets his glass down on the coffee table and then takes mine, setting it beside his. “Come here.” He pulls me into a hug. “Love you, Emmy.”
“Love you, Joshy Washy.”
Releasing me, he gets our glasses and settles back into the couch. “Now, tell me everything.”
“I’m not ready to tell you who it is just yet, but I can tell you he’s a good man. He makes me feel things, Josh. Things I’ve never felt before.”
“And the sex?”
“You and your one-track mind.”
“Sorry, I can’t help it.”
“Well, we haven’t gotten there yet. I think we both want to do this right. Well, he does, anyway. I’ve tried, but he shoots me down every time. We’ve slept together, but we haven’t ‘slept’ together.”
“Well, I like him already.”
“Josh, we didn’t plan for this.”
“I know.”
“I’m willing to keep it under wraps. I have no intention of breaking the contract.”
“Well, it’s not like there’s a clause that says you’re not allowed to fall in love. I do think it would help if you told me who he was. And not to make it about me, but at some point, he’s going to have to sign an NDA. I know it’s a shitty thing to ask, Em, but in this crazy world I live it, I have to keep it real.”
The man looking back at me is the man I’ve known my whole life. He hates bringing this up, and it shows in his eyes. He’s right about keeping it real. If only he knew that he didn’t have to worry about his request because the man who has complicated our lives has already signed an NDA. Of course, knowing Josh, he’s already figured it out. I mean, he knows everywhere I go, and the only time I would have been alone to meet someone would be my time away with Max.
Is he just being nice and letting me tell him when I’m ready?
“I’m gonna keep him to myself a little longer, but I promise to keep it on the D.L.”
Josh and I spend the next hour talking while we slowly drink our wine. Just like the old days. When we finally go to bed, I feel like things are going to be okay.
I text Max, telling him things went well with Josh, and that I’m going to turn in for the night. When I’ve finished my nighttime routine and climb into bed, I can see that he’s read my message, but he hasn’t replied. Turning out the light, I do my best to get comfortable, but these down pillows are no match for Max’s shoulder.
Tossing and turning, I do my best not to analyze why he might not have returned my text. Did he already figure out I’m not worth it? I get it. He’s a grown man sneaking around like a kid. I don’t blame him if he’s having a change of heart.
Lying on my side, I watch my door open, and I hold my breath, wondering if my stalker has gotten in the house, but not a heartbeat later, I see the backlit outline of a body I already know by heart.
Wordlessly, he removes shoes and pants, then climbs under the covers with me. He holds himself over me and then slowly lowers himself and slides down my body burying his face in the silk covering my stomach. His teeth graze my abdomen as he bites his way up my body. Stopping when he reaches my breast, he brings my nipples to attention as he nips at them through the silk I wish he would rip off my body so I could feel his lips against my flushed skin.
My wish is granted when his mouth finds my sternum, his lips touching and sampling my neck and shoulders, his two-day scruff leaving a rough trail over my body. A kiss here, a nibble there, and finally, a lick up the side of my neck that has him finding his way to my earlobe where he finally speaks.
“How did I ever breathe before you?”
I gasp, arching my back, spreading my legs for him and digging my fingernails into his back as my body acts on its own accord. Longing to be closer to him. To feel all of him.
All the while, my heart swells with love.
He swallows the gasp that follows when his hand begins to travel up the inside of my thigh. His kiss is slow, his fingers just as relaxed as they stroke and squeeze each of my curves. My greedy hands find their way under his shirt desperate to touch him, but he stops me and holds them above my head, regaining his control as his fingers intertwine with mine.
He deepens the kiss on a growl. Tasting, pushing, stroking as our tongues dance to the beat of our overflowing hearts and lust-filled libidos.
“Fuck,” he breathes into my mouth. Slowing our kiss, he lets go of his hold on my hands, and I instinctually begin to gently stroke his back.
He rolls off me and situates us until we’re lying with his front to my back, his chest lifting and falling against my back as he regains his composure. “Wh
y do you always throw me off my game? I came here to say good night and to lay with you until you fell asleep.”
“You sure that’s all you wanted?” I wiggle my butt against his erection.
“I didn’t say that was all I wanted, but it’s the reason I’m here. Now, be good and go to sleep.”
“Thanks for coming back.”
“Don’t get used to it. I won’t be able to sneak in here on my days off. Thought I would get one last sip to try to hold me over.”
“I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Hey, Emmett?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really glad you met my family. My friends. My hometown. Besides Nick, they’re the only part of my heart that isn’t yours, and I’m glad I got to share them with you.”
“Max…”
“Shh...go to sleep.”
I’m not sure how in the world he expects me to go to sleep with his words floating around my head and caressing my heart, but he seems to have the magic elixir needed to do just that because I drift off to sleep in his arms.
Chapter 19
I’m not asleep, and I’m certainly not ready to be awake yet. I know when I open my eyes, he’ll be gone, and I’ll be back to pretending, so I keep my eyes shut a few moments longer.
I can hear him asking how he ever breathed before me. Feel his breath in my hair as he holds me from behind, and the weight of his arm pulls me tight against him. Only in this space between sleep and wakefulness, he doesn’t hold me until I fall asleep.
In my dream state, after he wonders how he ever breathed before me, he punctuates the emotion by slipping his fingers under the lace of my panties and brushing over that spot that sets my core on fire for the quickest of moments before plunging two fingers deep inside me, causing my back to arch and a moan to slip from my mouth that he quickly covers with his hand so we aren’t heard.
While his fingers wind me up into a frenzy, his mouth replaces his hand, swallowing my moans. Once he’s quieted me, he removes his fingers, and I whimper in protest. He pulls the top of my nightgown down to expose my right breast, the warmth of his tongue smothering the cold air on my nipple. While he devours me, his hand pulls down the other side of my nightgown to gain access to my other breast.
