Page 9 of Unwrapping Ember
My jaw tightens. “This is why I told your ass to stay away, Mia. It’s late, and Ember is—”
Ember steps out of her room again, her smile a bright light against my growing tension. “You know, it’s nice to meet new friends. Whatever you need, I’m happy to share.” She says, looking at Mia, unaware of how manipulative and evil this girl really is.
“Right, because we’re all about sharing,” Baine chimes in. “Like Koda shares his burdens—”
“Baine,” I growl warningly, my eyes narrowing at him.
This is spiraling fast, and I need to regain control. My gut tells me it’s only a matter of time until things go sideways. “Mia, no offense, but can you just—”
“Actually, no offense taken.” Mia steps in, raising an eyebrow as she detects the tension simmering between us. “I didn’t mean to intrude on some special moment. I’ll be gone in a few, no worries." She winks at Ember. “But seriously, if you ever need a girl’s night out or just want to hear about the craziness going on in our world, just let me know.”
As she turns, I catch the glimmer of challenge in her eyes, aimed solely at me. She knows more than she should; she can easily blow apart the fragile world I curated for Ember.
I have a feeling that, in a wreckage of unresolved emotions, there’s no safety net left. As Mia finally slips away, Ember looks at me with renewed confusion, her eyes narrowing with sudden realization.
“What is she talking about?” Ember asks slowly. “What craziness?”
I groan internally, realizing that the night is about to get a lot more complicated. The sanctuary I hoped to create for us felt increasingly like a cage ready to collapse.
“Just some old friends,” I say, deliberately using the words with a casualness I don’t feel. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry?” Ember’s voice holds a note of disbelief. “If it’s no big deal, why are you acting so weird?”
Ican’t look into her eyes; I can’t face the potential collapse of the truth bearing down on us. “I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Just… trust me?”
“Trust you?” She echoes, her brow furrowing. “How can I trust you if you won’t be honest with me?”
I sigh, the weight of her unfiltered gaze pressing down harder than I anticipated. “Because I care about you,” I explain, my voice low and earnest. “And I’m trying to protect you, but I can’t do that if you’re afraid of the truth.”
“Then tell me the fucking truth.” The challenge in her voice is unmistakable, pulling me in with an urgency I can't ignore.
But how can I lay my past bare, the risks that come with it, and the way my heart races when I’m close to her? What if it shatters the fragile walls shielding her from what lurks just beyond our moments of stolen bliss? I realize now that walking the line between protecting her and letting her in has never felt more treacherous.
Can I ever truly be the man she needs? I know I have to find a way to balance the storms within me if I ever hope to keep her close. Just one misstep, and everything can fall apart—her innocence, my heart, and the fragile delicacy of the life we have a chance of building.
three
Seduction on Skates
Ember
Staring into Koda's eyes as we stand together in the living room, still unable to fall asleep, I see the familiar glint that comforted me when we were kids, but there’s something else behind it—something I can't quite place. He smiles, reaching out to take my hands in his, a look of mischief in his emerald green eyes that shoots straight to the heat between my thighs.
My feelings are in shambles, and I've never felt more confused. Between the assault with the football player and whatever secrets Koda is hiding, I feel like I’m already spiraling quickly, even though I only just arrived.
Koda can tell something is lurking within my gaze, deep within my mind, but he also knows I'd never come off of it so easily. Grabbing my hands in his, he swiftly tugs me onto his lap, our hands never separating.
"Wanna go have a little fun to get your mind off things?" he asks, smirking, making my lips break out into a smile even though I’m trying hard not to crack.
"Like what?" I ask, clearing my throat and forcing my tears at bay.
"Well, I know how much you loved to skate withme... so how about we take a walk to the pond in the backyard and have a little skate.. just the two of us?" His brow raises playfully, and I find myself nodding my head yes before second-guessing myself.
"Yeah, I think that might be fun," I admit, getting off his lap to try and put some distance in between us. It's only my first night here, and I don't want to complicate things, or worse, ruin the relationship we're just starting to rebuild after all this time.
"Alright, its settled. Let me go change, and I'll meet you back here when I'm done." He smiles, reluctantly getting up from the couch and leaving, staring at me until he disappears through the doorway.
I rush to my temporary bedroom, completely ignoring Everest and Baine by accident. With anxiety—the good kind—and a smile I can't get rid of, I dig through the clothes I just unpacked and layer on warm clothing. By the time I'm ready, there's a knock at my door, and Koda opens it, dressed from head to toe in blue and black snow gear, two pairs of skates hanging around his biceps.