The girl eyes his basket and then smirks. “Wow, sweet tooth much?”
“You have no idea.” He winks at her. “I love, love sweet things in my mouth.”
She flushes and lets her eyes wander over him. “And I love tattoos.”
“You got any?” he asks, and I can’t stand it.
I nudge him with my elbow and say, “Knock it off, Em.”
Emery turns to me, and then one corner of his lip quirks up. He leans in and whispers loudly. “Jealous, brother?”
I feel my cheeks heat, and I remember, at this moment, why he used to irritate me so much. He loves pushing my buttons, and it drives me crazy.
“I’ll be outside,” I grumble and turn to walk away, tossing the t-shirt I was going to buy on the counter.
Fuck it. I don’t want it.
I wait for him out on the sidewalk, my stomach in knots.
A couple minutes later, Emery comes sprinting outside, slipping on the icy decking as he barrels into me. I reach out to steady him.
“Oh fuck, I thought you were going to leave me here.”
“I’m not leaving you anywhere,” I mutter and grab onto the plastic bag stuffed full of candy. “Did you get everything you need?”
He nods and then reaches into his coat and pulls out two t-shirts. “I got this for you. Since you rushed outside.”
I glance at it and then swipe it from his hand. “Thanks.”
“You’re mad. I made you mad,” he says, jogging next to me as I walk briskly to the car. He slips again, and I reach out and pull him into me. “I was just being silly. I wasn’t actually interested in her.”
I grunt in acknowledgment and unlock the car, sliding inside, and Emery moves into the passenger seat.
I turn the car on, cranking up the heat for him, and he holds one hand up to the vents while the other pulls his pop from his mouth. I can feel his eyes on me, but I’m still angry and can’t bring myself to look at him.
“Look, sometimes I do stupid shit for attention. I only want you though. You gotta know that. I’ve only wanted you since the first time we met. I saw you, and you looked so damn gorgeous and sweet. Like a fucking angel, and I knew I was a goner.”
I finally turn to him, my cheeks heating, and our eyes meet.
“But I saw nothing in your eyes when you looked at me back then, absolutely zero interest. And every time we were together, you ignored me. So, I knew it would never happen. That I would never be good enough for you. Not really. But it did happen, didn’t it? It happened, and it all just seems…way too good to be true. So, is it going to un-happen now? Was I right? Am I not good enough?”
His spilled words hang between us, and I have to force myself to remember that this guy is used to people leaving. That’s how he believes people operate.
My best friend says I’m the most loyal person he’s ever met. I’ve never let anyone down before. I’m not about to start now. And especially not because I’m suffering from a mild case of jealousy.
“Em,” I say and then close my eyes. “You are good enough. Of course you are.”
“But you wish this never happened? You regret it?”
He chews nervously on his candy and fidgets in the seat, his eyes blinking furiously.
I take a long, deep breath, tug the lollipop out of his mouth and discard it into the cupholder, and then I grip both sides of his face to pull him toward me.
“No.”
And my mouth slams onto his. Suddenly he’s scrambling over the console and onto my lap. The horn honks loudly as his back presses against it, and we jump apart, both breathing heavily. But when we realize it was just us, our mouths meet once more, his hands in my hair as he holds me to him.
“I only want you. Tell me you believe me and you won’t end this. Promise me, August. I couldn’t stand it,” he whispers in between gentle, open-mouthed kisses. The horn honks again as we move against each other, but neither of us stops what we’re doing. “Tell me.”