AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, now we really have to go,” I laugh into the sheets as I try to regain my ability to move and speak.
His hands press into my ass and rub up my back, followed by a trail of long, slow kisses that drive me mad. “Don’t get me started again,” I quip.
I’m scared of losing myself in this. Everything about him is intoxicating. The winding curls of his hair, and his expressive eyes that give away everything that is going on inside of him. I see even more sparking inside of them every day. He’s finally opening up, letting the real him shine through.
“Started?” he asks coyly. “My goal is for you to never stop.”
We’re all afraid of the darkness inside of us, but Emmett has a way of bringing mine front and center. I can’t hide from it when he’s around. He forces me to confront the darkest parts of myself. What I can stand, what I can forgive. I have been able to outrun everyone and everything else I have ever encountered…except for him. I can’t outrun Emmett. I can’t get away from him, no matter how hard I try.
“Let’s just run away,” he blurts suddenly. “Let’s just get away from all of this.”
“What about Jameson Automobiles?” I reply heavily, knowing Emmett could never run away. And I wouldn’t run away with him regardless. I have a family here who loves me, but I don’t throw that in his face right now.
He sighs and lets it go. I don’t know if he was hoping for me to tell him it was okay to run away from the company, but I think we both know that can’t happen. And he would never let himself do that, even if I did tell him it was okay.
“Why do you always look at me like that?” I look away, blushing.
“Like what?” he asks.
“With that crazy look in your eye.”
“I’ll tell you a secret,” he says with a shy grin that quickly fades. “I have always wondered, if I stare at you long enough, if maybe you could read my thoughts. Know what’s going on inside of me so I don’t have to fuck it up trying to say it all out loud. Before…when my dad and the Elites were still around…I had to act a certain way. Say and do certain things that I hated. I used to wish you could read my mind. So you’d understand everything the same way I did.”
“That’s funny,” I smirk shyly. “I never feel like I know what’s going on in your mind, but I feel like you always know what I’m thinking. It scares me sometimes.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now,” he quips.
“Yes, you do!” I laugh. “I just told you!”
“Oh, don’t play dumb, Ophelia.” He teases my chin with his finger. “You expect me to believe there is anything less than at least a thousand thoughts going on in your brain at any given time?”
“I think you give me too much credit.” I smile.
“Or you don’t give yourself enough credit,” he quips back before rolling over.
It’s strange. I’m not used to Emmett building me up. I can’t understand why it’s so hard for him to just say how he feels, but it seems maybe he feels so much it’s hard to express. It’s a possibility that I’ve never fully considered before. I was so busy convincing myself he was heartless and malicious for so long, I never considered just how many conflicting thoughts could be happening inside of him. Or that he feels he has no way to get it all out.
But it makes sense considering what I know about his father. Emotion wasn’t allowed. It was considered a weakness. Emmett has been trained to suppress how he feels. More than that, he’s been trained to convince himself those feelings aren’t there at all.
“If only we could just hide away in some place like this for a few days. Or a month,” I say with a smile as I peel myself up and reach for my clothes.
“I’m serious,” he says with a kiss to my forehead. “I don’t ever want to be too far from your mind. Think of this and me at least a little all the time.”
“Ugh, I do,” I assure him bitterly. “That’s part of the problem.”
My mind drifts back to his sister, still believing that once we find her, everything between us will be easier. Could Bernadette have just run away? Or even killed herself? Emmett is convinced she would have left a note, but he’s not traumatized by his father’s death in the same way she was. But then another thought crosses my mind.
“Do you think Bernadette knew about your deal with my dad?” I ask cautiously.
“No, how could she have?” he replies confidently.
“I don’t know, but…do you think…she’d come after you if she knew?” I suggest. “Could that have something to do with this? What if she’s plotting some kind of revenge against you?”
“My sister isn’t smart enough for that,” he quips.
“No, be serious.” I lightly smack his arm. “Let’s say she did know…would she understand what you did? Or would she hate you for it?”
“She’d hate me,” he states plainly. “But the only people who know about that deal are you and your dad.”
