Page 46 of Off-Limits Bad Boy

The secrets piling up between us feel heavier by the second. The club isn't just her brother's world, it's hers, too. And the deeper I fall into whatever this thing with Emma is, the harder it gets to keep the truth from her. I exhale, glancing up at the ceiling as if the answers are written there. Of course, they’re not.

I’ll have to ask for her forgiveness later. Because there’s nothing else I can do. I scan my empty kitchen, thinking about how different my life is than it was even a week ago.

A shower seems like a good idea—maybe I can wash off the guilt.

I set my coffee on the counter and head for the bathroom, thinking about how Emma’s skin felt as I rubbed suds across every inch of her. Steam clouds around me, water drums against tile, against my skin, but it does nothing to wash away the thoughts buzzing in my mind.

Dressing takes longer than usual. The navy-blue button-down feels right, sharp and clean. It's something that says I've got my act together—even if the truth is that my insides are a tangled mess of nerves and excitement.

How is she going to look at me now? After last night, after everything we shared, everything I took and gave. We’re going to cross paths at the club; there’s no possibility we won’t.

I run my fingers through my hair, making the dark locks look smart. Tucking my shirt into my slacks, I glance at my reflection. I look ready to face the day, even though I can't stop my heart from doing somersaults.

“Let's do this,” I say, grabbing my keys and heading out, ready to step into the ring of whatever today throws my way.

Chapter Nineteen

Emma

The club isn’t open yet, but it will be soon.

I’m rushing around, trying to do the last few things that need to be done before opening. One of the bouncers smiles and nods at me as I hurry past toward the walk-in to get a couple bottles of wine.

As I move, I catch sight of Kade.

I almost stop moving. His presence is a magnet, drawing me closer, despite my best efforts to resist him. His attention wanders from the conversation he’s having with one of the crew, and his eyes lock on me with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine.

Part of me wants to bask in his attention, but another part feels exposed and vulnerable under his piercing gaze. Inhaling a deep breath, I step out of his sight on my way to the walk-in. The door closes behind me and the chill eases some of the burn within me as I lean back against the door, hearing it click closed.

But I’m not worried - I got the emergency release fixed and it works perfectly now. And as I finally take a few steps forward, I can't help but question my own feelings. Can I work around Kade without giving away the time we shared? Or am I just fooling myself into thinking I’m acting normal?

Some part of me is unsettled by the way he looks at me now, like he sees right through to parts of me I haven't even discovered yet. Every look is so... intimate, so personal, that it heats up my blood in a way that I’m almost uncomfortable with. I feel too much for him, and that scares me.

Because what happens when we decide that the pressure and fear is too much? What happens when my brother finds out and makes some ultimatum? What happens when everything goes wrong? Because life has taught me that everything will go wrong, eventually.

“Maybe I should go to therapy,” I say. Lila had suggested it, but who has time for that? I work so many hours, and my downtime is consumed with the need to relax and try to push back the feeling of burnout that keeps creeping in.

I stand among rows of neatly stacked bottles, my fingers grazing the glass necks as I search for a bottle of Merlot, and I can't help but let my mind wander back to the night Kade and I found ourselves trapped in this very cooler.

“Damn you, Kade,” I whisper, upset that he dominates every single thought I have. But even as I say the words, I smile, thinking about how I’d been so certain we were trapped in the walk-in, only for him to reveal he knew how to get out the whole time. He’d been messing with me, and that was right around the time my feelings for him began to shift from anger and hate to something else, something I still can’t quite define.

“Relax, Emma Riley,” I whisper as thoughts of what I’d do now if we were trapped in here together with no chance of being walked in on heat up my cheeks. I don’t know what happened, but being with him woke some sex-starved monster within me that craves him.

I shake my head, smiling despite myself as the memories flood my senses all at once.

Finding the wine I’m looking for, I grab the neck of the bottle and head for the door of the walk-in. With a shake of my head and a smile, I push the emergency release and hear the lock disengage.

Leaving the cold room, I make my way back to the bar, watching the lights flicker as the new DJ messes with things.

As I hurry past, he flashes a grin at me, a smile that’s all charm. I return the smile, a quick, hopeful curve of my lips. “Good luck up there,” I say over the thump of a bass line warming up.

“Thanks,” he shouts back, his eyes lingering on me a touch too long.

I can't help but wonder how the crowd will react to him. We need some magic around here. Turning away, I make my way to the sanctuary behind the bar.

I put the wine in the chiller and move around, getting things ready and prepped for the night as thoughts of Kade fill my mind.

But even as I start prepping for opening, I feel it — his gaze on me, heavy and intent. He’s so damn distracting. I shake my head slightly, trying to focus on slicing lemons and limes, setting up rimming salts, and the other bits of my night that make things run a lot more smoothly.