Chapter 13

"It's getting late. We should go." After sitting there for almost half an hour, even though David had been doing his best to strike up conversations and break the ice, Emma just couldn't bring herself to show any real interest. Her responses were lukewarm at best. "Ah, okay. Let me walk you out then?" David quickly stood up with a hopeful smile as soon as Emma spoke. "Thanks, but no need. I drove here. Take care." Emma's reply was polite yet distant. She grabbed her bag and walked straight out of the booth without another glance. Watching her leave, David could only shrug with a wry smile, tossed on his coat, and headed out as well. ... On the way back home— In the driver's seat, the longer Emma thought about how the evening had gone, the more irritated she felt. She tapped her steering wheel, then hit the call button to ring up Helen. "Hey, Emma? Done with dinner?" Helen's trademark teasing tone came through the car's speaker, which didn't help Emma's mood one bit. "Helen, I just wrapped up. Thanks for the coffee, by the way." Trying to keep her voice calm, Emma continued, "But honestly, I don't plan on dating right now. So maybe stop setting me up, yeah?" "What? Emma, seriously, did you even get a good look at David? I'm telling you, don't be too picky. You're already twenty-three, and David's got everything going for him! Don't tell me you turned him down?" Hearing Helen go off in that familiar lecturing tone made Emma both annoyed and amused. What is it with people these days? Are they really this bored? Even her director was starting to dabble in matchmaking? "Helen, whether I date or not is kinda up to me, don't you think? Don't stress over it so much." Emma's voice was cold as she directly cut Helen off. That caught Helen off guard—Emma had always come across as gentle and easy-going, and now she was snapping back at her? "Wait... be honest with me. Do you... not like men?" Okay, that came out of left field—but not entirely surprising. In Helen's eyes, David might as well have been Mr. Perfect. Only a fool would turn him down. And Emma? She was apparently that fool. "Wow, that's quite the joke." Emma let out a breathy chuckle, more exasperated than amused, and honestly couldn't be bothered to keep this conversation going any longer. Her director really was something else. "I'm driving right now, so I should go. Thanks again for tonight." Without waiting for a reply, Emma ended the call and tossed her phone aside. ... Hunt Enterprises. 7 p.m. "Mr. Hunt, the bidding results have been released." "Alright. You can go." Andy nodded, then walked out of the office. Leaning back in his chair, Ethan rolled his neck to ease the stiffness from a long day of staring at paperwork. Then he stood, glanced at the clock on the wall, grabbed his car keys, and headed downstairs. Once home, he noticed—Emma wasn't back yet."This woman's been coming home later and later..." Ethan muttered to himself, pulling off his jacket. He started undoing his shirt buttons as he walked up the stairs. Just then, the sound of the front door opening made him pause. He looked up—and locked eyes with Emma as she walked in. Emma wasn't expecting to run into him the second she stepped inside. There he was, leaning against the stairs, half-undressed. Her heart instantly started racing out of control. Yeah... no matter what stupid stuff Ethan did, she still couldn't help herself. After all, she'd been crazy about him for years. Avoiding his gaze, Emma dropped her eyes and moved to go past him. "You're back," Ethan said lazily as he leaned his elbow on the stair railing. "Yeah," she replied shortly, keeping her head down. Clutching her bag, she headed for the stairs—only to be pulled to a stop. "Forget something?" Ethan asked, one brow raised. He didn't let her pass. Instead, he suddenly yanked her into the corner by the stairs, boxing her in with one hand on the wall. Caught off guard, Emma looked up into his eyes, heart thudding wildly again. But when he spoke next, she figured out pretty quickly what this was about, and her heartbeat started slowing down. Must be about that big project Helen mentioned this morning. Classic Ethan—already here looking for a "thank you" before the deal even closed. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, frowning slightly and pretending to be clueless. "Didn't your company just get a new bid approved?" Ethan said with a knowing smirk. "Oh, you mean that one..." Emma dragged out her words deliberately, staring into his amused eyes. "Yeah," he leaned in a little closer, arm braced next to her face. "So? What are you gonna do to thank me?" Emma scrunched her brows, clearly not amused. "Thank you? For what exactly?" "You gave us that project on your own. I didn't beg you or anything," she said while pushing at his chest, but he didn't budge an inch. Ethan raised his eyebrows dramatically, acting all innocent. "Doesn't matter. Point is it got approved because of me. I went out of my way for you, you know." "Oh really?" Emma gave a sarcastic laugh, arms crossing in front of her. "Now what?" "Well, you could always thank me with your body," he said with a smirk, eyes locked on hers as he leaned down and kissed her. "Mmph—!" Totally caught off guard, Emma froze as his hands started wandering, lighting little fires all over her skin.