The moment we’re outside with the door closed behind us, he pulls me in for a long kiss. “I couldn’t wait to do that,” he says, looking me up and down. “Damn…you look good.”
“So do you!” I chime, noticing his expensive shirt and pants. “Are these new?”
“Mm-hmm. I wanted to look nice for you too,” he grins.
I take a moment to breathe in the spring air as we walk hand in hand to his car. It feels good for it to be finally warm enough that I don’t have to wear a sweater. He drives me across town to a fancy restaurant. An expensive restaurant. So expensive that I assume the date is over after that, but I’m surprised when he insists on ordering dessert and then wants to see a movie.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” I say lightly as he parks in front of the theater. “But how can you afford all of this? I can pay for the tickets, you know.”
“No way,” he insists. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”
I feel thrown by his comment. It seems out of character for him, but I do my best to roll with it. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong anyway, aside from all the money he suddenly seems to have.
We only watch half of the movie, getting sucked into making out at some point. Before I know it, the credits are rolling, and I’m forced to rip my mouth away from his. The scent of cologne lingers on my skin, and I realize it’s a new scent.
“Think we have time to go back to your place?” I ask once we get back into his car.
“Not tonight,” he grins. “I’m taking you somewhere better. I’ve had enough of that dumpy old apartment.”
I can’t imagine where else we could possibly go for what I have in mind. All I know is I’m all worked up from our hour-long make-out session, and wherever we’re going I want to get there fast. But all that pent-up lust fades when we pull up in front of one of the nicest hotels in Jameson.
“Wait…we’re not…here?” I stammer as I watch the cars pull through the valet ahead of us underneath the ornate, golden pillars.
“I know we can’t stay all night,” he says. “But we can enjoy it for a little while at least.”
Big, red, flashing lights are going off in my brain. Something is definitely wrong here. Emmett went from being completely broke to suddenly having money for new clothes, cologne, an expensive dinner, a movie, and now a luxury hotel room that we can’t even stay the entire night in. He looks so excited that I don’t know how to bring up all the glaring problems with all of this.
I can’t imagine how much a room at this place costs, but as he leads me into ours, I have to assume it’s not the cheapest one in the joint. It looks like a fully-fledged suite with a living room area and an adjoining bedroom. The carpet is plush and spotless, and the rooms are filled with only the finest furniture and linens.
Just as I am about to broach the topic of where all of this money is coming from, I spin on my heels and come face to face with Emmett. He’s waiting there with a long velvet jewelry box in his hands.
“What’s this?” I gasp. He opens the box to reveal what looks like a real diamond necklace that’s stunning enough to instantly take my breath away. Before I can say anything else, he pulls it out and steps behind me to clasp it around my neck. He starts to remove the running shoe charm necklace he gave me at the beginning of the year, but my hand flies up to stop him.
“No, don’t,” I beg. “I’ll wear them both. That one is too special to me.”
“But it’s cheap. It’s turning your neck green back here,” he scoffs. “I wanted to replace it with something nicer.”
“No,” I insist. “Please…it means a lot to me.”
He gives in and adds this new sparkling diamond over top of the old necklace, but I can’t get over how strange it feels for him to belittle such a sentimental gift.
“You deserve all the nicest things the world has to offer,” his deep voice tickles against my neck. “But I haven’t been able to give you much of anything lately, so I thought I’d make up for lost time.”
His hands begin to spread over my body as he kisses behind my ear. I almost forget everything and melt back into his touch, but the necklace itches across my neck, urging me to try and figure out how all of this is possible.
“Wait,” I tell him, pulling away. I go over and sit on the couch, hoping the distance will help push my arousal down again, at least until after we talk. Regardless of where the money is coming from, we already have the room. We might as well put it to use once we’ve talked.
“Where is all of this coming from?” I ask him in disbelief. “The clothes, the food, the room…This necklace!?” I run the diamond between my fingers, thinking I still prefer my little running shoe charm. “How can you afford all of this? Be honest with me.”
He sits down next to me on the couch with a heavy sigh. I can tell he’s not looking forward to whatever he’s about to tell me. “I’ve already done so much work for Theo,” he explains. “He’s gone ahead and started paying me for my time.”
“Wait…so…all of this…it’s from Theo?” I question, my voice growing shrill and broken.
“No, it’s from me,” he shoots back, sounding irritated. “I earned the money.”
“Well, shouldn’t you be saving it or something?” I suggest, still feeling a gnawing uneasiness that all of this did come from Theo, no matter how Emmett wants to paint it.
“There’s plenty. Don’t worry,” he leans back, looking smug.