by Claire Adams
“Want me to kick his ass?”
“I appreciate the offer,” she chuckled through her tears. “But no, I don't want anyone to kick his ass. He’s not worth the effort. I just don't want to ever see him or hear from him again.”
“Well, I can’t make any promises. If I ever see him, the odds are I'm gonna kick his ass.”
Her laughter deepened. “Is that so? What if I told you he's seven feet tall and weighs four hundred pounds?”
“I'd still kick his ass… or get my ass kicked trying!”
Her mood began to lighten and the tears stopped as her laughter continued.
“Uh, is he seven feet and four hundred pounds?” I asked. “Because if he is, he'd do really well in WWE.”
She threw her head back and covered her mouth with one hand to keep from cackling. Her head shook back and forth as she composed herself. “No, he's not. Pretty far from it, actually. He's just an average guy. To be honest, I don’t know why I fell so hard for him. He's kind of an idiot, really.”
“Maybe it's because…” I paused for dramatic effect and lowered the tone of my voice. “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” I exaggerated my expression and tried to maintain a straight face.
She crumpled up her napkin and threw it across the table at me. “Jerk!” she mumbled with a playful smile. “I'll show you who knows nothing!”
“Sorry, had to drop a Game of Thrones line in at some stage tonight.” The grin on my face widened. It was great to see her eyes light up with her smile. I was not a fan of seeing Brooke cry.
Our eyes locked and the chemistry erupted. If we had tried to deny the pull before, in that moment, there was no way to refute it. It was almost palpable. The waiter arrived just in time, holding a silver platter stacked with samosas. We both blinked and looked away.
“Oh, wow, so these are the famous samosas,” she said. “They'd better be as good as you've hyped them up to be or I'm gonna be highly disappointed. Maybe even pissed.”
I laughed. “Do I even look remotely worried? They’re so amazing I’ll pay for dinner if you don’t like them. I'm that confident, Brooke.”
“You’re already paying for dinner,” she joked.
“Valid point. But still, Mr. Patak knows a thing or two about putting together a quality samosa. You won’t be disappointed, I can tell ya that.”
“Well, I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?” she said with a smile.
We dug in, completely forgetting about the blast from Brooke’s past seated in the back of the restaurant.
Chapter 15
Brooke
I had to admit I was enjoying my time with Emerson, but the memories that surfaced when Ben and Jess walked into the restaurant still held a sting of pain. Somehow, opening up to Emerson about what happened with Andrew eased that sting. I wasn’t even sure why I had been so candid with him, but once I'd started talking about it, the words gushed out. When it was all said, I'd told him everything. Everything! So much for my resolve to keep my guard up and keep my distance. This man was an enigma. One minute, I was certain he was a player and the last person I should trust with anything, the next, I felt I could pour my heart out and it would be completely safe with him.
Which is exactly what I did. Part of me was beginning to regret that.
A little.
But part of me that wasn't regretting it. A part that was actually glad I opened up. Talking about it felt good, almost liberating. Emerson had listened with such compassion that it was pretty tough not to feel even more attracted to him than I had prior to the venting session.
Normally, being more attracted to a guy because he exhibited admirable qualities wouldn’t be a bad thing. But this wasn’t a normal situation. Being attracted to Emerson was a problem because he seemed like the exact type of guy I was trying to avoid. The kind who would tell me there was nothing going on with him and Melissa, then jackhammer away at my bedroom wall with her until ungodly hours of the morning. Not to mention the other girls who came to the parties he and Chris always threw seemed to be just as into him as Melissa.
Granted, I'd seen a totally different side to Emerson on several occasions with his passion for science, his commitment to our lab work together, his interest in Game of Thrones, and his gentlemanly nature, but it was a side I'd never expected to see. It was side that was so much more decent than I'd imagined.
But the parties. The girls. His appalling friend, Chris. The drinking.
I wasn't sure what to make of any of it. Part of me wanted to confide in him, open up even more. It was obvious we had a connection of some nature. There was no denying he felt a pull to me as much as I did to him. Magnetism was the word that came to mind. Like it or not, I was drawn to him. What I wasn’t drawn to were the red flags, the warning signs that kept flashing in my face, keeping my suspicions on high alert.
How could I put my trust in a man who may very well do the same thing to me that Andrew did? I wasn’t going to put myself in a position to be betrayed again. My heart was still healing and I had no intentions of rushing the process.
I shook my head and pushed hard against my temples as I pulled myself from my thoughts and back into the moment. I took a bite of the samosa before me and groaned a little. They were actually that good.
“So, you're a samosa fan now, huh?” Emerson challenged.
I tried to talk through the mouthful of food. “They're great. I'll have to Google a recipe.”
“I've tried to make 'em. You really do have to get the right ingredients. I'm talking authentic Indian stuff.”
I’d kind of forgotten about the curry Emerson had made and brought over. He was an excellent cook. Yet another selling point in his favor. “I get what you're saying,” I acknowledged. “If you don't have the right ingredients, sometimes it just doesn't come out like it should and it ends up missing that…” I couldn’t quite think of how I wanted to explain what I meant.
“That certain something that makes the dish unique, that gives it its signature flavor or texture. Crucial elements!”
“Have you ever considered studying to be a chef?” I asked. “It seems like you're really passionate about cooking.”
“I guess I am, but I'm not quite into it enough to go to culinary school. Cooking is more of a hobby than something I would do as a profession. Science is where my heart is. That's the field I wanna be in after I graduate.”
I looked over Emerson’s shoulder as he talked and panic shot through me. Ben was walking toward us and he'd spotted me. “Shit,” I muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ben's coming this way! Shit! I don’t want to deal with this. What am I gonna do?”
“Tell me this quickly: what does Andrew do? How old is he?”
“Huh?”
“Hurry, just tell me.”
“He's, uh, he's twenty-one, and he's studying business management.”
Emerson shot me a wickedly hot grin. “Play along with me Brooke, okay? Whatever I say, just go with it.”
“What? Are you serious?”
He winked at me. “I've never been more serious in my life.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond. Ben was already at our table wearing a shit-eating grin. “Well, look who it is! Hey there, Brooke. Damn, it's been a long time, girl. How you been?”
I forced a smile. “Hi, Ben. I've been good. How about you?”
“Can't complain.” He moved his attention to Emerson, looking him over.
“Who's this?” Ben asked me while extending a hand to Emerson.
Emerson grinned savagely as he shook Ben's hand.
“Where are my manners?” I said apologetically. “Ben, this is—”
“I'm Emerson. Brooke’s boyfriend,” Emerson cut in.
Ben raised an eyebrow as he let go of Emerson’s hand. “Is that so, huh? So, what, are you guys at the same college or something?”
“No. I finished college three years ago,” Emerson responded matter-of-factly.
“R
eally? You look a bit young to be a graduate, no offense.”
“None taken. I get that a lot. I’d like to say it’s because I take care of myself, training for MMA and such, but it’s probably just good genes as much as anything.” Emerson exuded an air of confidence and maturity. It was really something to watch.
“So, how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” Ben eyed Emerson curiously.
“I don’t mind at all. I'm twenty-five,” Emerson replied.
Ben raised his eyebrows.
Emerson chuckled just a little, a very controlled reaction. “Yeah, people are often surprised when they show up in my office, especially the older guys, and I’m sitting behind the desk. They're not used to seeing a twenty-five-year-old CEO, especially since I look even younger than my age.”
“Whoa, seriously? Where do you work?”
“Pullman-Gretsch Aeronautics. Spacecraft engineering. It’s a multinational company. In fact, I just got back from a meeting with an engineering firm in Shanghai. So, of course, I had to take my girl out to dinner.” Emerson turned and reached his hand out, caressing my face.
It was a gesture so genuine and intimate, even I believed he meant it. His eyes met mine and an electricity shot through me. He held my gaze until Ben spoke and I redirected my eyes to Ben.
“Well, alright then. So, uh, you two are pretty serious, huh?”
“Absolutely,” Emerson said with a smile, still looking at me. “Brooke is the best damn thing that's ever happened to me.”
My attention went back to Emerson, who was looking at me with such conviction I almost had to catch my breath.
“The guy that let this girl go is a real tool,” Emerson announced with more sincerity than I expected. Then he quickly turned to Ben. “Oh, uh, no offense if that was you, man.”
“Er, no. Brooke and I never dated.”
“Oh good. Well then, I can say without worrying about offending anyone, that whoever she dated before was an absolute grade-A moron for letting her go. But, hey, thanks to that prick, she's mine now. I’m not going to be that stupid,” Emerson said as he glanced at me before turning his attention back to Ben. “So how is it that you know Brooke?” he asked.
“I'm Andrew's friend.”
Emerson scrunched his forehead a little and looked at me. “Who’s Andrew?” He directed his question to me, but Ben answered.
“He's, uh, he's the guy who dated Brooke before you.”
“Oh, I see. Well, by all means, please tell him thank you for me.”
I took the opportunity to try to ease the tension of the moment, but only because I didn’t want to feel like I wasn’t involved in the conversation at all. “I’m really glad you stopped by to say hi, Ben. It was really nice to see you. But, I only have about an hour to spend with Emerson before he has to get to the MMA class he teaches, so I’d really like a little alone time. I’m sure you understand.”
Emerson leaned a little and glanced in the direction of Ben and Jess’s table. “I think your girlfriend, or whoever it is at that table, is trying to get your attention. It's not good to keep a lady waiting. I believe in treating women with respect, man, you know?”
“Is that Jess?” I asked, looking across the room.
“Yeah,” Ben replied.
“Please tell her I said hello,” I insisted with the brightest smile I could manage.
“I’ll do that,” Ben said and appeared to be about to turn and leave, then pivoted back toward Emerson. “Did you say MMA?”
“Yeah, I teach a class and I'm fighting this weekend. Have to defend my regional title. Won my last ten bouts with straight-up KOs. It seems I've got a killer right hook. Get my drift?”
“Uh, yeah, man. I guess I better get back to Jess. Er, nice seeing you again, Brooke. I'll, um, I'll tell Andrew you say hi.”
“Please do,” I cooed, smiling maliciously.
Ben turned around and shuffled off, scratching the back of his head, glancing back at us a couple of times as he walked away.
The moment I knew he was out of earshot, I let out a stint of laughter. “Oh, my God, Emerson! You totally rock!”
He shot me a satisfied grin. “I saw the smug look on his face when he saw you. I'm sure he was gonna tell you something like how great Andrew was doing and how he was dating some new hot girl or whatever. So, I just pulled a preemptive strike. You know what they say—being happy is the best revenge. And now, that tool is going to go running back to tell his buddy how you're dating a twenty-five-year-old CEO millionaire who also happens to be a champion cage fighter. I can tell you, as a guy, he's gonna feel about two feet tall.”
I beamed an enormous smile. “You really are such a sweetheart,” I said. “Thank you for doing that. It… it means a lot to me.”
“It was my pleasure, Brooke. After hearing what that jerk did to you and then seeing that Ben guy come walking up like he wanted to rub it in your face, I couldn't let him get away with that.”
“Thank you.”
“De nada.”
“You speak Spanish?” I asked.
“Ha! Only the bare minimum of what we had to learn in high school. You?”
“Well, I lived all over the world when I was a kid, so I can speak quite a few languages, but none of them fluently anymore, I don’t think. You know, use it, or lose it. I haven’t used it lately.”
A look came over Emerson’s face like he’d remembered something suddenly. “Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the time you spent in Japan. I really want to visit there someday.”
“Oh, Emerson, you have to! It's such an amazing place. You should totally go when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. There are few more spectacular sights in the world.”
“Sounds awesome! If only you could show me around the place, huh?”
I laughed a little nervously, not sure if he was flirting with me or not. I was inclined to believe he was. I could almost feel the walls going back up. Words couldn’t express how much I appreciated what he had just done for me, and if I was being honest with myself, part of me had been pretty turned on by how he’d stuck his neck out. But the way every nerve in my body tingled when he’d held my gaze and said what he’d said in front of Ben, it all felt a little too real. And, I couldn't let him inside the walls if I couldn’t trust him. That was the question still to be answered. Could I?
I quickly finished my mouthful of curry and then responded. “Yeah. It would be cool to show you around Japan, but I doubt I'll ever be back there. And what are the odds I’d be there when you're there?”
A twinge of disappointment glistened in his eyes. “Yeah,” he said softly. “What are the odds?”
We finished eating in relative silence with a little small talk here and there. When we were done, Emerson asked for the bill.
“Shall we get going? I have some studying to do and you have an MMA class to teach,” I said, trying to lighten the mood a little.
“Yeah, uh, yeah. I guess I've also got things to do.” He forced a tense smile. “I'll go pay for dinner. Hope you enjoyed it.”
“I did. It was absolutely delicious. I'll have to come back here sometime.”
Emerson stood and walked over to the counter. I watched him from behind, and it definitely seemed as if the wind had been taken out of his sails somewhat. A pang guilt rushed over me. Things had started to move too quickly, too suddenly, for me to keep them in check. I wasn't ready for it. Someone had to put the brakes on somehow. If that person had to be me, then it just had to. Anything, to avoid having my soul crushed again. Anything.
I watched as Emerson strode back to the table. He carried himself with such confidence, but the expression on his face didn’t match. I could only speculate why.
“Alright, it's all taken care of. Ready to head out?”
“Yeah. Thanks again for the lovely dinner, Emerson.”
“My pleasure. Maybe we can do it again sometime.”
“Maybe,” I replied cooly. Then it hit me, I had to ride back to the apar
tment pressed against his back with my arms wrapped tightly around him. Cool was about to go out the window.
Chapter 16
Emerson
Having Brooke hold onto me from the back of the bike was nice, but nothing like the ride to the restaurant. Her arms were around me, but it felt as if she wasn't really there. The fire that had burned when I had been spinning that story for Ben and the glow in her eyes when we connected had been undeniable. The way she looked at me when she realized what I’d done for her had ignited more than just a fire in me. It stirred something I couldn’t put a label on. I'd felt great, and it had looked like she felt it, too. The way she had opened up to me, out of nowhere, about the situation with her ex said something. Surely, it meant she felt something for me.
But then, she simply shut down again. The walls shot back up in record time just when it seemed I was about to make a breakthrough.
It was frustrating. Although, after hearing what that Andrew jerk had done to her, I kind of understood. She’d never said how long it had been since it happened. I could only wonder how fresh the wounds were. Having your heart broken in such a horrific way would certainly cut deep and leave scars that could take a while to heal. I could see why she might be hesitant to trust a guy like me. I hadn't made the best impression early on, with the partying, the drinking, and having Melissa hanging around.
It stung a little to think that she might not trust me, that she might question the kind of person I was, especially considering it was my own fault. So, yeah, it stung, but it was understandable. It also made me realize I needed to make some real changes in my life. I'd already committed to the promise I'd made to myself to work hard at school all year, but Brooke made me see it was time to make other changes—major changes. Changes I’d known all along I needed to make but hadn’t had the right motivation to follow through on. There was no doubt I could do it, I’d just needed a bit of incentive, and Brooke had just given it to me. Now, it was up to me to correct those early impressions Brooke had of me, to prove to her that I wasn't the guy she likely suspected I might be.
