Page 31 of Miles Apart
Son of a bitch.
Chapter 13
Miles
Iexpected the heat of Em’s anger when we saw each other tonight. She all but spat out my name after she attempted to eviscerate me with her glare. My standing her up wasn’t intentional, and it comes with an explanation, one that stalls at the hurt pushing against the mask she’s trying hard to keep in place.
Emma doesn’t strike me as someone who allows her emotions to rise to the surface, and it wouldn’t surprise me if part of her anger she reserved for me is frustration with herself for caring.
“You two know each other?”
My nod is for the congressperson, but my eyes are still on Em. “We’re together,” I say to narrowed brows and a glower that wishes me a lifetime of ass-whoopings. “Had to leave her for a meeting with Richard that couldn’t wait.” I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss it. “I’m sorry, baby.”
If Emma wants to curse me to Hell and call me on my bullshit, she has the bullet to take the shot. I’ll stuff my hands in my pockets and carry on with my night if she wants to dead the“my man” charade. I don’t owe anyone here a damn thing, and I couldn’t care less what these people think about me.
She’s a different story.
Emma pretending my absence didn’t affect her does something to me.
Congressperson Daniels opens his mouth to speak, but I brush him off to take the woman who I’m faking is mine on the dance floor. “Excuse us.”
The string lights hanging from suspended garlands cast a glow from the nape of Emma’s neck to the small of her back. My dick bricks at her black dress dipping to the top of her ass, and I nudge her forward into a spin to put distance between us. We settle in a casual sway to whatever the band is playing.
“You good?”
She trips over her own foot and cuts her eyes somewhere across the room. “Fine.”
“You sure about that? The lip between your teeth and your two left feet say otherwise.” I chuckle as she trips over my black loafers. “Damn, baby, can’t you hold a two-step?”
My laugh folds into a groan at her heel digging into my big toe. “Funny now?” she taunts through red lipstick.
I shift us around another couple and subtly shake out my foot. “There better not be a scuff mark on these motherfuckers.”
“If there is, you deserve it.” The look Emma hits me with is too heavy for our usual banter.
“I’m sorry I didn’t reach out,” I tell her. “I thought I could get back to the resort in time, but I got caught up with something here.”
Her eyes cut back to me with wry amusement. “What could you possibly have to do here?”
I don’t typically account for my whereabouts but feel the need to with her. “A meeting with two congresspeople about cybersecurity. They were in town for this fundraiser. I consultedthem on a couple of projects and had to fly out last minute. It didn’t dawn on me that I didn’t have your number until I touched down. We’ll correct that later.”
“Cybersecurity? Is that what you do?”
My head tips from side to side as I search for a simple explanation. “Mostly, yeah.” There’s much more it than that, but it usually flies over people’s heads. Not that I talk about my company or the work I do.
Em’s lip sinks between her teeth. She considers the info I hit her with, turning it over in her mind. Like I said, I don’t talk about my work. But for her, I will.
“Makes sense.” She chuckles at my frown. “You’re loud and obnoxious sometimes, but you’re also calculated.” Her eyes linger on my face. “You don’t let too many people close, but you protect the ones you do.”
The air shifts to release some tension. My senses heighten, noting the rush of pink staining Emma’s amber cheeks. Her throat works against the pulse points that flutter as she swallows. A quiver surges through her veins when I bring her closer and inhale the scent radiating from her body. She settles against my chest at first but catches herself and backs away from my grasp, taking the warmth of her curves with her.
I clear my throat and drop my hands into my tux pockets. “Want to tell me about your family I’m about to meet?”
Whatever moment we had blew off this dance floor like a wig in the wind. I tell myself not to sweat it. We’re not like that, and we should keep it that way. The draw I’m feeling toward Emma is for fucking purposes only. Everything else is a side effect of not having had her.
You sure about that?
Em’s gaze gets lost somewhere between my lips and chest. She rights herself and lifts her chin once she realizes she zoned out. “I—this was a mistake, Miles.”
