Christ.
Those eyes. That mouth. Those tits and those legs.
She looked sexier than I had the capacity to handle.
I heard a thump and an “ow” as I dropped my handful of collar and floated over to her, studying every inch of the shocked look on her face. Fuck, I missed that. It was messed up and a little twisted, but I missed that stunned expression. I’d been staring at it all summer. When I said yes to being friends, when I caught her watching porn – when I made her come in the back of that car just by sucking her nipples.
I missed that rush of blood to her lips, that shade of pink that bloomed in her cheeks. I missed how big those already big brown eyes got and I couldn’t wait to just fucking touch her.
But the commotion around us faded into my ears as the asshole I dropped started dragging management over. And since Aly rushed off in a speechless panic, I picked my feet up and followed.
I tracked that round ass of hers through the dense crowd, up a flight of stairs and right back into the room where everything started. I watched her rip out her hair tie, thrust both hands in her hair and spin around wearing a look like she was ready to chew me the fuck out.
But within a second of our eyes being locked, tears sprang into hers, and before I knew it, her arms were wrapped around my neck, her body pressed against mine.
I didn’t question it.
I just grabbed her and held on tight, pushing her back as I crushed a kiss to her lips. Her mouth parted for my tongue as I lifted her onto the sink, standing between her open legs and squeezing her smooth thighs in my hands. I felt every part of me fall into place as I kissed her deeply, reclaiming those lips, that tongue and every inch of her that I’d been without for too goddamned long.
“Aly, I fucking missed you,” I groaned as she locked her legs around me. “What…” I didn’t know which question to ask first. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I breathed out in confusion, making her laugh weakly through tears.
“I needed to pay for the motel.”
“You’re living in a motel?” I pulled away to look her in the eye. “You’re working both here and at the restaurant, and you’re living in a motel? Are you fucking crazy?” I whispered, resting my forehead on hers.
“I had to.”
“For Christ’s sake, you could’ve just lived alone in my house. I told Evie to tell you.”
“I know, but…” She shook her had. “That would’ve been worse. I couldn’t be in there without you. There was just no way.”
“I know what you mean,” I murmured, closing my eyes and shaking my head at how fucking good my body felt near hers again. For the first time in a month, I felt like I was myself again – awake and alive with red blood pumping through my veins. “Baby.” I exhaled when the adrenaline rush finally settled enough to let me speak. “There’s no way in hell I can let you keep doing this. You know that, right? Working here. Living there. It’s not gonna work. I need you to come home to me.”
My heart beat faster because Aly said nothing, simply staring back at me as I held her face in my hands.
“I know it feels like I took another thing away from you. I know it feels like I stole all your achievements from the past three, four years – but you need to know that you did all this on your own. If it weren’t me, it would’ve been someone else investing in you because you’re fucking brilliant. You’re smart and you’re passionate, and before I found my business partner, I promise you I invested in more than a dozen restaurants that closed before a year because they didn’t have your drive. The money doesn’t matter, it’s the love that does. So fine, maybe I took interest in your company because of you, but Iain did it because he knew you were a smart and unique and – ”
“Oh God, just stop, Emmett,” Aly interrupted, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Just save your breath. I’m already sold.”
“What?”
“I’m sold, Emmett. I thought I couldn’t live knowing what you did, but the truth is I can’t live without you,” she said, so breathless and bright-eyed I felt my heart coming to life. “I tried and I failed, and I know now, Emmett – I know that what you did was out of love because you’ve always loved me. And unlike me, you never stopped,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Whether or not we wanted to admit it, we’ve been partners since day one. We knew each other inside out. We had each other’s back on those boring Sundays,” she laughed, running her thumb over my smile. “We understood each other’s lives like no one else did. We’ve always been a team. You just didn’t give up on me and I can’t hold that against you anymore. All the love and approval I spent my whole life chasing – I have that with you. I have everything I’ve ever wanted with you. It just keeps taking me too long to realize.”
I couldn’t hold back the massive grin spreading my lips as I soaked in her words.
“As long as you realize it now,” I murmured, feeling as if I were in some kind of incredible dream. The fact that we were in this familiar room didn’t help. It was like déjà vu, especially with the words she said next.
“Let’s go, Emmett. I want you to take me home.”
* * *
ALY
God, it’s good to be back.
The thought crossed my mind just as the car rolled up in front of Emmett’s house. I smiled to myself because a month later, I still looked at this house and thought the word home. And I would’ve gotten on myself for being presumptuous, but just as we stepped into the foyer, Emmett wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing the top of my head as he said, “This is where you belong.”
And I had to agree.