Arrogant Boss

I watched with great interest as her cheeks flushed. She didn’t look at me as she replied. “Yes, he does.”

Warmth flooded through me at the response. As if sensing my gaze, Emily’s green eyes flicked to mine. A soft smile spread across her face.

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said. “I promise I’ll never stop.”

Turner’s cough brought us both back to reality. “I’m also glad you’re with my sister, then,” he declared. “She’s been alone longer than I believe average for a woman her age.”

“Turner!” Emily hissed, but I nodded seriously at her brother. His blessing meant a lot to her, and by extension, it did to me too. He was the only proper family she had left.

“I’m glad to hear that. I think the world of her, but I’m sure you do too.”

Turner gave a noncommittal shrug as he doused his lamb in pepper. “I think you’re also a much better match for her than her last boyfriend.”

I couldn’t help it-this time I grinned wide. “Is that so?”

Emily put her head in her hands, but Turner only nodded. “He wasn’t smart enough for her.”

“Really?””He didn’t have his life in order. Em, will you pass me the bread?”

Emily handed her brother a roll and shot me an amused glance. “Actually, I agree with that. Julian is without a doubt the best man I’ve ever dated.”

I took a sip of my wine and tried to stop a faint blush from creeping up on my own cheeks. This woman had turned me inside out, upside down, and somehow she continued to wield that power. I couldn’t remember the last time a compliment like that made me almost bashful.

I cleared my throat. “I heard you’re building your own computer here at home?”

Conversation flowed easily after that. I saw Emily glance between me and her brother a couple of times, a private smile on her face, and my chest tightened again. Whatever test this dinner might have been, I was pretty sure I was acing it.

Much, much later, after dessert and jokes and the most intense round of monopoly I had ever played-the Giordano siblings took the game very seriously-Turner called it a night.

“You’re good at that game,” he told me.

“Thanks.””Well, I’ll go to my room now. Em, will Julian be staying the night?”

I watched, amused, as she fiddled with the tablecloth. “I’m not sure. We haven’t discussed it yet.”

Turner considered her response for a moment. “When you have, please let me know. You can text me.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

“Good night.”

“Night, Turner.”

He disappeared around the corner and up the stairs, and a minute later we both heard the soft sound of his bedroom door close.

I grinned at her. “So, am I staying the night?”

She rolled her eyes at me and started clearing the table. “I swear, sometimes… I love him, and I have nothing to hide from you, but…”

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed.”

“‘She’s been single longer than normal for a woman her age,'” Emily quoted. “I didn’t even know he’d noticed that.”

I pushed my chair back and crossed the room, caught her around the waist. Her thick hair tickled my skin as I pulled her close. “It doesn’t matter.”

She sighed. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

“The food was great.”

“Thanks.””And he’s great. I recognize a lot of myself in him.”

She twisted in my arms. “You do?”

I nodded. “Sure. He’s undoubtedly working away at the circuit board up there right now as we speak. I was the same. I spent most of my high school and college years behind a screen.”

Emily’s grin turned teasing. “A proper nerd?”

“Now you’ve found out.” I raised my hands in surrender. “Is this the moment you tell me I’m not cool enough to be with you?”

She laughed and tugged at the collar of my button-down. “No, silly. Come here.”

I let her tug me down and bent so that our foreheads touched. Her lips were soft and sweet on mine. She tasted of chocolate from the dessert and white wine and heaven. My hands found the small area of exposed skin between her top and her jeans, smooth to the touch.

“Mmmm,” I murmured against her lips. “Can I stay the night?”

Her arms wrapped around my neck. “I wouldn’t let you leave even if you begged me.”

“Come on, let’s finish up here so we can go to bed. Because if you continue kissing me like that, you’ll leave me no choice…”

She raised an eyebrow. “Really? What would you do, Julian?”

“You have a perfectly serviceable kitchen counter,” I said darkly. “Use your imagination.”

Emily shot me a heated glance but thankfully didn’t respond. We washed the dishes in silence, the tension rising by the minute. Suddenly I felt vulnerable again. It was like all the distance between us these past days came rushing in, every minute of absence and fear that she wouldn’t come back to me. I wanted nothing more than to twist my hands through her hair and make her moan my name. Bury myself inside of her and make sure she never forgot who I was, who we were together. How good we were together.

“I’m done,” she said quietly, closing the dishwasher.

“Your bedroom is down the hall?”

“Yes. The second door on the right.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Text your brother that I’m staying over,” I said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Emily’s hand caught mine, warm and dry. “We’ll have to be quiet.”

“We will be.” I bent, pulling her close, my voice against her ear. “We’ll have many, many nights in the future to be loud.”

Somehow, someway, Julian convinced me to go camping with him.