to tame the raging erection that threatened not only to embarrass him, but to rat him out to Morgan. This was so much worse than your mom catching you jerking off to Playboy . And a hell of a lot harder to explain, too. Thank God he’d kept his damned pants on.
“Just winded,” Landon offered by way of an explanation. Wow, as if that weren’t the lamest excuse ever. “I thought I spotted Emma heading for the stairs and I followed.”
“But she isn’t up here?” Morgan responded, raising a dubious brow.
Yeah, it wasn’t even a passable excuse to Landon. “No. She might have used a back office exit or something.”
“Was she alone?” Morgan’s partner, Kevin, piped in. Up until now, Landon had wondered if the dude was mute.
“She was when I trailed her; I thought maybe she was meeting the male suspect up here.” At least that wasn’t a lie. If anything, Landon was determined to uncover the identity of the asshole with the grabby hands.
“Wait a sec,” Morgan said, pinning Landon with an accusing stare. “Male suspect? Why is now the first I’m hearing of this?”
Uh-oh. Landon had a lot of ’splaining to do. It was going to be a long goddamned night.
Emma slid into the passenger seat of Jeremy’s Mercedes amidst the flash of cameras and curious shouts that were incoherent to her racing mind. She knew that the pics would be all over the Internet the next morning. It wouldn’t be long after that before the local news picked up on her little outing, which would more than likely set Cesar’s temper off like a powder keg. So not good. She’d really screwed up tonight, and it was a testament to her poor decision-making skills that the problems with Cesar were becoming the least of her worries.
Had she really made out with Landon McCabe tonight while trying to climb him like a tree?
“You okay, Em?”
She turned to Jeremy and smiled. “Yeah, just tired.” Her fingertips brushed her lips, still warm and a little swollen from McCabe’s kisses. Damn, did that man ever know how to use his mouth. The memory heated her skin and caused her heart to race in her chest. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would have felt like to have that wet warmth on other, more sensitive parts of her body.
“Not to pry or anything, but what was up with that dude earlier?”
“What dude?” she asked, hoping he hadn’t noticed McCabe follow her up the stairs.
“You know who I’m talking about. The one who looked like an extra from Scarface .”
Of course he was talking about Cesar. It was unlikely anyone had seen McCabe follow her. Anyone but Cesar, that is. He watched her like a hawk and probably had a tally of every time she’d visited the bathroom. Which totally squicked her out. “Just a guy. Don’t worry about it, Jeremy.”
“Em, I don’t wanna sound like I’m telling you what to do, but if it has anything to do with your dad—”
“You don’t want to sound like it, but you’re totally about to tell me what to do,” Emma said, cutting him off. “I know you’re concerned and I’m glad you’ve got my back, but really, I’m okay.” The last thing Emma needed was to get Jeremy involved in this business with Cesar. She’d messed up enough people’s lives already. No need to add to the tally. “He’s a little . . .”
“Pushy? Rude? Rough?” Jeremy ventured.
“Intense,” Emma said. “But I know how to manage him.”
“You’re not seeing him, are you?”
Emma almost laughed at Jeremy’s appalled tone. “No,” she said with a sad chuckle. “I’m not seeing him.”
“Good. Because if you were, I’d have to have a talk with him about how you deserve to be treated. And then with you about your questionable taste in men.”
Though Emma and Jeremy had dated once or twice a few years ago, they’d both decided that they could never be anything more than friends. And that was totally okay. Emma didn’t have many close friends—people she truly trusted—in her life
“Just winded,” Landon offered by way of an explanation. Wow, as if that weren’t the lamest excuse ever. “I thought I spotted Emma heading for the stairs and I followed.”
“But she isn’t up here?” Morgan responded, raising a dubious brow.
Yeah, it wasn’t even a passable excuse to Landon. “No. She might have used a back office exit or something.”
“Was she alone?” Morgan’s partner, Kevin, piped in. Up until now, Landon had wondered if the dude was mute.
“She was when I trailed her; I thought maybe she was meeting the male suspect up here.” At least that wasn’t a lie. If anything, Landon was determined to uncover the identity of the asshole with the grabby hands.
“Wait a sec,” Morgan said, pinning Landon with an accusing stare. “Male suspect? Why is now the first I’m hearing of this?”
Uh-oh. Landon had a lot of ’splaining to do. It was going to be a long goddamned night.
Emma slid into the passenger seat of Jeremy’s Mercedes amidst the flash of cameras and curious shouts that were incoherent to her racing mind. She knew that the pics would be all over the Internet the next morning. It wouldn’t be long after that before the local news picked up on her little outing, which would more than likely set Cesar’s temper off like a powder keg. So not good. She’d really screwed up tonight, and it was a testament to her poor decision-making skills that the problems with Cesar were becoming the least of her worries.
Had she really made out with Landon McCabe tonight while trying to climb him like a tree?
“You okay, Em?”
She turned to Jeremy and smiled. “Yeah, just tired.” Her fingertips brushed her lips, still warm and a little swollen from McCabe’s kisses. Damn, did that man ever know how to use his mouth. The memory heated her skin and caused her heart to race in her chest. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would have felt like to have that wet warmth on other, more sensitive parts of her body.
“Not to pry or anything, but what was up with that dude earlier?”
“What dude?” she asked, hoping he hadn’t noticed McCabe follow her up the stairs.
“You know who I’m talking about. The one who looked like an extra from Scarface .”
Of course he was talking about Cesar. It was unlikely anyone had seen McCabe follow her. Anyone but Cesar, that is. He watched her like a hawk and probably had a tally of every time she’d visited the bathroom. Which totally squicked her out. “Just a guy. Don’t worry about it, Jeremy.”
“Em, I don’t wanna sound like I’m telling you what to do, but if it has anything to do with your dad—”
“You don’t want to sound like it, but you’re totally about to tell me what to do,” Emma said, cutting him off. “I know you’re concerned and I’m glad you’ve got my back, but really, I’m okay.” The last thing Emma needed was to get Jeremy involved in this business with Cesar. She’d messed up enough people’s lives already. No need to add to the tally. “He’s a little . . .”
“Pushy? Rude? Rough?” Jeremy ventured.
“Intense,” Emma said. “But I know how to manage him.”
“You’re not seeing him, are you?”
Emma almost laughed at Jeremy’s appalled tone. “No,” she said with a sad chuckle. “I’m not seeing him.”
“Good. Because if you were, I’d have to have a talk with him about how you deserve to be treated. And then with you about your questionable taste in men.”
Though Emma and Jeremy had dated once or twice a few years ago, they’d both decided that they could never be anything more than friends. And that was totally okay. Emma didn’t have many close friends—people she truly trusted—in her life
Similar Books
