Page 53 of Inevitable
“Hate me for it if you want,” he said drily. “But it feels kind of good that you’re still attracted to me. When you asked me to kiss you, I thought that you were confused. I’m still just a man, Emma, and I like the fact that you still look at me like you can’t wait to get me naked.”
I dropped my head to his shoulder again in defeat. “Dammit!” I cursed. “I’m a woman and I like the fact that you still find me attractive, too. I think we’re both screwed.”
Colin actually let out a small chuckle as his arms tightened around me reflexively.
He’d almost laughed, which made him even more attractive.
God, if this man got any more appealing, I had no idea what I was going to do.
Chapter 16
Marshall
“You still care about Emma,” Brock stated as we sat on Emma’s small deck a few days later.
Everyone else was in the house watching a movie that Brock and I had already seen, so the two of us had stepped out onto the back deck to have a beer.
The patio was only big enough for a few lounge chairs and a side table in between, but it was a peaceful place to be, especially when it was cooler in the evening.
It was warm, but the lake breeze made it comfortable. It wasn’t possible to actually see the water from Emma’s place, but every location in Cherry Cove experienced the wind coming off Lake Michigan.
I took a swig from my beer as I lounged in the chair next to Brock’s.
In the last few days, I’d gotten to know my Michigan team a little better.
I’d discovered that they spent a lot of time with Emma whenever possible.
One or more of them stopped by daily to check on her.
She also had running text messages where she chatted with her friends and her mom throughout the day.
That had seemed a little odd for me at first. I texted people when it regarded something about Last Hope, but I wasn’t aphone person.
It had taken a while for me to realize that keeping in touch with the people in her life was something that Emma needed to feel normal.
She was social.
I definitely was…not.
Tonight, Nate had called and suggested they hang out and watch a movie.
Apparently, that was an almost weekly event for all of them.
All four of the guys had arrived earlier with Emma’s best friend, Sara, only a few minutes behind them.
I had absolutely no idea what it was like to just hang out with friends for no real practical reason, but I was getting used to Emma’s friends dropping by just because they wanted to be with her.
Honestly, Icouldcomprehend exactly why people sought out Emma’s company.
I was actually pretty motivated to see her beautiful smile as often as possible myself.
I was getting to know Brock pretty well because he dropped by every single day because his writing schedule was fairly flexible.
Those initial feelings of jealousy I’d experienced had faded since the men acted like family to Emma even though they weren’t related by blood.
Okay, I still wasn’t exactly thrilled when Emma threw herself into their arms, but that was probably because I didn’t like to seeanyman touch her.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
