CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
When the doorbell rings, I hurry around the house, grabbing my things. Jamille came and picked the kids up a couple of minutes ago and she said they were going out on a night on the town, to the trampoline park and to get ice cream, so she’d drop them back off when I got back home. She also offered the invitation to keep them overnight in case I needed her to, as she winked at me, but I’d turned her down.
As much as the idea of spending the night with the guys excites me, I’m not ready for the kids to stay a night away from me yet.
“I’m coming,” I yell, as I pull on one of my ankle boots.
Finally, I make it to the door and I try to catch my breath for a second before I pull it open. Emmet is standing in front of me and he has on a pair of jeans that shockingly aren’t ripped and it makes me raise a brow. His beautiful, black locks are down and flowing around his shoulders in soft waves. He’s wearing a black tee without the usual graphics that adorn them.
“Hi.” He gives me a smile as he leans down and kisses me on the cheek.
Before he can pull back, I grab him and turn my head, pressing my lips to his. The kiss feels familiar, but it still sends butterflies shooting through my stomach and when I pull away from his tantalizing lips, I feel a little light headed.
“Hi,” I finally reply, my eyes meeting his.
He smiles and shakes his head softly. “The others are going to be jealous.” He laughs softly before holding out an arm to me, much too formal for the laid back man. Still, I lock up the house and take his arm.
He leads me down the driveway where Chase’s car is running. When Emmet opens my door, I look up at him, smiling. “Taking some notes from Nathan’s book?” I ask.
“More like stealing,” I hear Nathan mutter from inside the car and I look to find him sitting in the backseat with his arms folded over his chest.
I laugh and slide the rest of the way into the car. Chase is in the driver’s seat and he smiles, leaning over the console to give me a kiss on the lips, reigniting the flames that Emmet has already set in me.
“Fuck,” I mutter softly after he pulls away. The arrogant grin on his face only widens.
“I’m feeling a little left out,” Nathan grumbles from the back seat.
“Oh hush,” Chase says, waving a hand at him. “You got more than enough time with her the other day.”
The words hang in the air as my cheeks flush. I had a feeling that Emmet and Chase know about Nathan and I having sex. Chase did say that they didn’t have secrets, after all. Plus, I know the text that Nathan had sent to tell him to stay away from the house had to have tipped them off.
“Don’t sound so jealous,” Emmet says, breaking the silence in the car.
“I’m not jealous,” Chase mutters. Emmet laughs and the corner of Chase’s lips tip up into a grin. “Fine, maybe I’m a little jealous.” Despite his words, his voice is light and there isn’t any visible tension in his body.
My shoulders relax and I place a hand on his arm. He turns and looks at me. “No worries, there’s enough of me to go around.”
His hazel eyes heat up. “Oh yeah, how about I turn this car off and we go inside so you can show how much of you there is.”
“Absolutely not,” Nathan says before I can think the idea over. “We have plans already.”
Chase lets out a groan and turns, glaring at his friend. “Fine. Asshole,” he mutters under his breath before he finally pulls out of the driveway, distinguishing any plans of us going back inside.
I turn around to look at Nathan. “How did you end up pulling back seat duty?” I ask.
He shakes his head, those blue eyes penetrating even in the semi dark car. “Well, Emmet rarely drives his car, so we weren’t taking his and then Chase threw a little fit about how his car was better than mine so we should take it. I agreed just to get him to shut up.”
I look at Chase to confirm the story but he only shrugs, not an ounce of guilt on his face.
I don’t burst his bubble and tell him that there’s not too much of a difference between the men’s cars. I think Chase’s may be slightly newer but otherwise, they’ve both run the same while I was in them and the AC works, which is the only thing I care about.
“So where are we going?” I ask, settling into my seat.
“Can’t tell you, it’s a surprise,” Chase says, putting his arm around the back of my seat and blocking me from being able to turn and look at Nathan to try to pry answers out of him.
“Emmet? Do you want to tell me?” I ask, inclining my head back a little.
He lets out a soft laugh from behind me. “No, Chase said that if I didn’t break and tell you, he’d pay for Charlie’s spa next week and that shit is expensive, so my lips are sealed.”