18. Storm

18

STORM

"I did it," Emmett said as I slid into the passenger seat of his Porsche.

"Did what, exactly?" I asked. "Are you about to show me a tattoo, Emmett? I hope it's on your ass, if so."

He laughed, looking over at me with a sparkle in his eyes. We were parked outside my house, about to go to the dinner he had planned. Most of the snow on the ground had melted, but tiny white patches remained on some trees and shrubs.

For the first time in my life, I liked that. Because I knew Emmett must enjoy seeing it, too.

"No tattoo," he said.

I hummed, reaching out a hand to slide my palm along his thigh. "Do you want to tell me what you did while I drag you to my bed, by any chance?" I murmured. "Because you look good. You always look good, but I think my Emmett craving is acting up right now."

He bit his lower lip, his eyes dancing across my face. "I'd take you right here in the car if we had the time," he said.

A thrill shot through me.

Damn, he really was in a good mood.

"God, I like you," I said.

"I like you, too."

"So, what is it?" I asked, squeezing his leg. "What did you do, while looking this sexy?"

"Well, I… quit," he said.

I furrowed my brow. "Quit what?"

He swallowed, shifting on his seat. "I quit my job."

"Very funny," I said. "That's your number one pride and joy in life."

"Well, I'm going to have to find a new one," he said. "I turned in my resignation letter to Cutmore earlier today."

I watched him for a moment. "Holy shit. You actually quit, didn't you? This isn't a joke?"

"Not a joke. Also, you look really good."

Disbelief hit me like a ton of bricks, followed by a strange sense of pride. The type of pride that usually only flooded me when my football teammates made incredible plays.

But this went so much deeper than that. Emmett had an expression I'd never quite seen before on his face. Like he'd shed a mask that I hadn't even known he'd been wearing, and he'd revealed something radiant underneath.

It was surreal.

"Who cares how I look?" I said. "Fuck, I'm so happy for you."

I leaned over, acting on instinct. I caught his lips in a kiss and cupped the side of his face with my hand. It would be harder not to kiss him right now.

It was the kind of thing partners would do. A level of intimacy that would usually be reserved only for if Emmett was my boyfriend.

And when the idea of that word floated through my head— boyfriend —I felt like a swarm of butterflies was suddenly coursing through my body.

I hadn't been expecting that .

"Thank you," he told me, leaning his forehead onto mine.

"You fucking did it," I murmured, holding my face close to his. "You're a badass."

"Going to be a badass in a career tailspin if I don't snag myself some incredible clients of my own, though," he said.

"You're going to go it alone?" I asked. "Start your own firm?"

"It's all I really know how to do," he said with a nod. "Landry will follow me. I'll have to start small, compared to the Goliath that is Lux Marketing. But once upon a time, Lux Marketing was small, too."

I squeezed his arm. "If your dad grew it from nothing, you can grow your own company from nothing, too."

He breathed in, his eyes looking me over. "You really do look good, you know."

I pulled in a breath, leaning back a little and looking down. I'd chosen a black button-up shirt and slacks, and luckily they fit my body pretty well.

"I figured wherever you were going to dinner, it wouldn't exactly be a dive," I said. "Hope this is good enough."

"My client picked the restaurant, but it should be perfect," Emmett said.

I bit my lower lip, looking him over, too. He was in one of his tailored suits, this one a dusky blue-grey that looked like a darker version of my eye color, actually.

"I like this," I said softly.

"This suit is one of my favorites. But as you know, I have a lot of favorites."

"Not just the suit," I said, running my hand along his chest. "But… us . It feels strange, being all nice to each other."

He hummed. "Want to go back to fighting? Because I can pretend to be really, really mad about something, if that's what makes you comfortable."

I puffed out a laugh. "No need. I feel comfortable with you all the time, to be honest. Even when we were at each other's throats."

His gaze met mine. "I feel comfortable with you, too. Even though sometimes I feel like I shouldn't."

I gave him a look of mock horror. "Excuse me , Mr. Prince Charming? Why shouldn't you?"

He gave me a smile. "Because you're wild," he murmured, leaning in again to kiss my neck and God damn it felt too good.

"And you love it."

"You're also out of your damn mind, sometimes," he said, his lips near my collarbone, now.

"You love that, too."

"And because I'm afraid of what happens when I start to like someone's company this much," Emmett said.

I breathed in his scent, my cock throbbing. Fuck, he was doing things to my heart and my dick, all at once. How did this man have such a hold on me?

"What happens when you like someone's company, huh?" I said softly near his ear.

"Might start to want things too much."

Fuck.

Please?

I want you to want things too much. Desperately.

"I want things, too, you know," I said. "Emmett, I really would strip and let you fuck me right here if you wanted to. Want to spend the next four days in bed?"

"Yes," he said. "But I also am already worried we're going to be late for this dinner, so let's get on the road. I promise I'll drag you to bed afterward."

My mouth started to water, like I was Pavlov's dog.

"Is that a promise?"

"It sure is," he said, pressing one more slow kiss to my mouth.

Christ, it took everything in me not to leap over and straddle him right there and now on his seat.

"We won't be late, by the way," I murmured. "You're just used to being early for everything."

He leaned back into his seat and fired the engine back up, taking a deep breath. "This is what you do to me," he said, reaching down to grip the faint outline of his hard cock through his suit pants.

"Fuck, that is hot," I said. "I'm in the same position over here, don't worry. I'll be taking care of that later tonight."

He gave me a wicked smile. "Behave yourself at dinner."

"I always do," I protested. "Sometimes. Kind of."

We took off down the road, heading off toward the city.

I watched the trees flying by through my window, enjoying the look of the snow for the first time. I felt like I'd entered some other reality. One that I had never known was even available to me, if I was being honest.

My practice earlier had fucking sucked.

It had been brutal, my catches had been off, and I'd gotten in a brief argument with a teammate about routing. Football was usually the one thing that I could always count on to make me feel better, but I'd been distracted and exhausted all day.

I'd been worried about Emmett.

Worried about what that jackass boss of his might say or do to him.

So when Emmett told me that he'd finally stood up for himself, I couldn't believe how deeply it had hit me. Something about Emmett made me feel so unselfish. Like for the first time, I truly cared about someone more than I could understand. I'd always loved my mom unconditionally, but with my romantic relationships, I'd had some kind of small, almost invisible hesitation, every time.

I didn't have that with Emmett.

…Not that we were in a romantic relationship, anyway. Why did my head keep going there?

We listened to music as we drove to the restaurant, and by the time we arrived, a small buzz of nervous energy had settled in me.

I looked around at the people walking into the restaurant, and alarm bells rang in my head.

"You sure this outfit is going to be okay?" I asked as we got out of the car and the valet driver hopped in. "Because I am seeing a lot of suits walking into this place."

It was swanky, lit by gas lamps on the outside, and everyone heading into the place looked like a politician.

"Emmett!" a voice called from behind us and we turned to see a tall, very polished-looking man walking up. Alongside him was a blonde woman who was also tall, and a second guy, all of them wearing clothes that looked as expensive and tailored as Emmett's.

"Hugo," he said, reaching out his hand to him. "Wow, it is such a pleasure to see you. It's been too long."

Hugo smiled warmly. "You remember Camilla and Silas, my business partners?"

"Absolutely. Pleasure to see you both. My partner, Landry, should be arriving soon, as well."

"I heard my name," Landry's voice came from the restaurant entrance.

"There he is," Emmett said.

Everyone greeted each other, every one of them looking fancier than the next. Camilla was beautiful and dripping in fine jewelry, and even Landry looked impressive tonight.

And I felt a knot of nervousness gripping itself around my chest that was all too familiar.

Every bone in my body was saying one thing, over and over: You don't belong here .

You don't belong here or fit in with these people at all.

"Hugo, I wanted to introduce you to someone very special," Emmett said a moment later, turning to me. "This is—"

"Storm Rosling," Hugo said as his eyes landed on me, going wide. " Goodness , I didn't even realize it was you, seeing you out of your uniform. What a pleasure. You're one of the best players in the country."

I held out my hand graciously. "I do my best. Very nice to meet you, too."

Hugo introduced me to the others. It was a small relief to know that at least Hugo knew who I was, and that he obviously seemed like a nice dude.

But as we walked into the restaurant, I felt even more like a fish out of water.

"Ah, sir," the host said to me subtly as we walked in. "We do have a jacket requirement."

"I don't have a jacket," I said. A hot flash of embarrassment crept up my spine.

Like showing up to school without the right supplies.

Without the right clothes.

Without being prepared .

"But we have a full selection to borrow. I would be more than happy to provide one for you."

"Shit, I didn't know," I said. "Shit, sorry I said shit. I mean—well, fuck."

The host just nodded. "Come along with me, and we can find you a jacket of the appropriate size."

I felt my skin getting hotter. I looked back at Emmett for a moment before I was whisked off to a coat closet where the restaurant stocked jackets for situations like this. The embarrassment had blossomed into full-blown shame by now, but all I could do was keep moving forward.

After trying on a few, we found one that fit. Emmett was still waiting for me outside the coat closet. Bless his fucking heart, as my mom would say.

"I'm so sorry," he said near my ear. "I didn't know."

"Not your fault," I said, trying to get comfortable in the borrowed jacket. "Let's just go sit down, yeah?"

The walk to the table felt like walking the plank.

"Thank you for being here with me," Emmett said, and when I turned to him, it was like seeing a beacon of light in the dark.

Emmett was so fucking perfect.

It was frustrating sometimes, because I never felt like I measured up.

But when I looked in his eyes and saw how genuine he was, how deep his beauty went and how much he truly cared, it knocked me on my ass, every time.

Of course I'd fucking try, for him.

Nobody had ever made me feel the way he did. So challenging, so interesting and different from me, and so goddamn hot I wanted to pull him into one of the hallways here and grind against him until I came in my damn pants.

Not that it was time to think about that , right now.

I cleared my throat, scratching my head.

"I, ah, didn't know it was going to be a big business meeting," I said. "I thought it would be one guy."

"I didn't think he was going to bring more people, too," Emmett said, casting me a genuine I'm so sorry look. "But they're good people. I promise. Are you okay?"

I sucked in a breath.

There was a time when I would have refused to come somewhere like this, and I'd have said my opinion loud and proud, not giving a shit what people around me thought.

But… it meant something to Emmett.

I wanted to be here for him, and him only.

I wanted to do my best for him, and maybe that feeling meant more than my own stupid opinions, for once.

"I'll be okay," I told him, smiling as we arrived at the table.

For the first part of dinner, Emmett, Hugo, and Landry caught up with each other. They'd worked together years ago, and now Hugo wanted a big, sweeping marketing campaign for his new electrolyte drink company, Icy Tap.

"Wait," I said, piping up for the first time in a few minutes. "You're the owner of Icy Tap?"

"Yes sir," Hugo said, nodding at me. "Only been in production for about a year now, but we're growing fast."

"My team absolutely loves that stuff," I said. "One of the guys brought some about a month ago, and it's all we've been drinking. It's delicious. We hydrate with it before and after games."

A big smile came over Hugo's face. "I had no idea. I'm incredibly honored. You guys really like it?"

"Love it," I said. "You're making a great product. Hell, I can post about it on social media right now, if you want."

I reached to pull out my phone but Hugo shook his head. "No, no, that's not necessary. That's part of what I wanted to consult with Emmett about. I'm not sure if a grassroots, social media campaign is the direction we want to go, or if we want to seek out other brand deals or traditional advertising."

It occurred to me again that the people here didn't think like me.

They calculated their moves, making sure they didn't make a single public misstep.

I was the opposite. I acted on impulse. If I felt like posting something, I posted it. I didn't think about the consequences. Sometimes it bit me in the ass, and other times it paid off great.

But looking around the table here, I realized that I couldn't act that way around these people. Certainly not if it would have repercussions for Emmett.

And as the dinner went on, I was hit with reminder after reminder that I was the odd one out. The conversation soon turned to memories of college, and all of them talked about the different Ivy League universities they'd gone to, comparing and contrasting and talking about things that I didn't even understand.

What really was an academic secret society? What was the difference between magna cum laude and summa cum laude , and why did it matter? I'd gone to college on a full athletic scholarship, and while I'd done okay in my classes, my focus had been on football almost exclusively.

And as Emmett and Hugo began discussing potential avenues for marketing the Icy Tap beverage company, I was so aware of how out of my depth I was.

Hugo glanced over at me, and a chill hit my spine all at once.

I realized that it was very possible that Hugo didn't want me to post about his company because it might actually have a negative impact on his brand.

He might not want it associated with me at all.

Sure, I was famous and he thought I was a great player. But I was also a loose cannon. A liability. Always cruising toward a public scandal.

I swallowed hard, shifting on my seat for what felt like the millionth time tonight. I'd never felt more like a fish out of water than I did in this place, and looking over at Emmett's perfect, pretty face was only making it worse.

I wanted to be good enough for him.

As our dessert plates got taken away, I reached over under the table, squeezing his leg. The look I got in return told me everything I needed to know. That shine in his eye that had only increased since he broke ties with that awful boss of his.

This man deserved the world.

Fuck my petty insecurities. I'd always done whatever the hell I wanted, and what I wanted to do more than anything was treat him how he deserved.

We stepped out onto the chilly street after we'd finished dinner and I'd returned the dumb borrowed jacket. As we stood on the sidewalk, Emmett said goodbye to Camilla and Silas, and Hugo turned to me.

"Storm," Hugo said, giving me a smile. "I didn't want to put any pressure on you during dinner, but it means the world to me that you offered to post on social media about my company."

"I would do it anytime," I said. "I'm shocked. I was worried I'd overstepped a line, there."

"Not at all," Hugo said. "To be honest, I was a little intimidated to meet you, at first. You have no idea how many games I've rooted for you."

He may as well have just given me the best compliment I'd gotten in my life.

"Well, fuck me sideways. I was intimidated by you ," I admitted. "You all are so business savvy. So… goddamn smart ."

"You're going to make me blush," Hugo said. "But thank you. I'll be glued to the TV this Sunday for your game."

I shook his hand and he gave me his Icy Tap business card before we parted ways.

Emmett turned to me, exhaling. His breath left a faint cloud in the cold evening air.

"That went so well," he said.

That made it worth it. Even after I'd been so unsure of things at the dinner, if Emmett could come out of it that happy, it was what I wanted.

"How'd you do? Was tonight okay for you?" Emmett asked.

I sucked in a breath of air.

Just say it was good.

You don't have to be brutally honest at all times .

What was I supposed to say? That for most of that dinner, I'd been feeling like I was an outcast, even among nice people?

I swallowed, crunching my shoe onto a leaf on the sidewalk.

"Can we take a walk?" I asked.