A Game With The Billionaire

Chapter 28:

Jeremy:

Last night was a disaster. The moment I saw the text, I did what I always do best. I disappeared, walking under the heavy rain, replaying her accidental text message over and over again until my brain couldn’t over think it anymore.

I know what the rumours say, that my smile, words and charm can snag any woman into my bed but for Emma to actually think that, it just broke something in me and—

“What do you think, Mr. Hart?” Kade is showing me his iPad with some of the recent illustrations that Lira Kane sent over; however I have been too busy thinking about something else.

“What?” I ask, blinking as I stare hard at the screen.

Kade stares at me, his face unreadable. “Well, I have been droning on for the past fifteen minutes. You are never distracted, what is going on, Jeremy?” Oh, I am glad to know that we are on the first name basis now.

“Nothing.” I say gruffly, massaging my temples. Honestly, I am tired, weak and wrecked. Also it seems I caught a cold because I have been feeling shivery for the past hour. “It’s the lunch break, you should probably go eat now and then we can continue later.” I say hoping that he will take the bait and leave me alone but he presses me with a hard glare.

“Is that about Emma?” he finally asks, leaning into his chair with a causal smirk.

“Yes, no. I don’t know. Leave my office now.” My voice comes out defensive which makes him raise his brow in amusement.

“This is about Emma, isn’t it?” Why do I have a feeling that he is taking great pleasure in taunting me? “Usually, when guys feel conflicted and have that dummy look on their face, it’s mostly about a woman.”

“Please leave my office.” I say calmly, restraining myself from saying any more words. Kade nods, jaw tight and leaves the room, seconds later, my phone pings.

Kade: I am always available for a good talk and an expensive drink!

I turn the phone off and stare into space. I know Emma was sorry but damn, I just keep replaying it in my mind over and over again. My phone starts ringing and for a minute, I don’t want to pick up but it’s Emma’s twin brother, Ethan.

“Hello?” I say rigidly, Ethan and I have a good enough relationship; a few check-ups here and there over the past few years but that has always been that. Besides, he is Emma’s brother.

“Isn’t it your lunch break?” As always, Ethan doesn’t go for greetings. He and Emma are polar opposites of each other. “The guys and I are in Golden Retreat; want to catch a drink with us? We can chill and have some guys’ time.”

I tick it off in my head: Ethan is inviting me for guy time? Nicholas, my cousin is one of Ethan’s best-friends so I have no doubt he won’t be there. But can I survive sitting across them and drinking? Maybe.

“I will be there soon.”

--

“Yoo, Jeremy. Over here!” Ethan roars the moment he spots him, did I also forget he is loud? He waves frantically to the booth he’s occupying with Nicholas, Devon, Liam and is that Xavier?

“Hey, guys.” I approach their booth, sliding in effortlessly. There are glasses of club soda, beer and kombucha. Ethan grins, tossing his slightly sun bleached ash-brown hair and hazel eyes that catches the light whenever he’s playful. Devon gives me a look that translates to: ‘I would rather be anywhere but here, but these dinguses forced me to be here.’

Xavier nods at me, taking a sip of his beer. At first glance, Xavier gives off the rugged ‘I could end you vibes’ with his jet-black hair, Italian accent and the ink that wraps along his arm, crawls across his shoulder and disappears under his shirt but so far, he has this dry humour that most people don’t get.

“Thank you for joining us today.” Ethan coughs, earning a glare from Nicholas, my cousin. “You are officially welcomed to the group.”

“The group?” I ask, raising a brow.

“Damn it, Ethan. You can’t invite him to the group yet, he hasn’t performed the ritual.” Nicholas says, his face serious.

“Ritual? What ritual?” Horror washes over my face. What in the hell are they talking about?

“The ritual you have to perform before getting into the group.” Liam pipes in, grinning furiously. He’s Devon’s twin brother, he is a crime author with a very thick British accent.

“There’s no ritual.” Devon says calmly. Devon Brookes, New York’s most powerful CEO, acts nothing like these men, he is cold to everyone except his wife, Arya and three and a half daughter, Vera. “The group is just us men dating or married, we meet together for advice on relationships, and well we drink. According to the group’s leader, Ethan.”

I look at Ethan, Nicholas and Xavier. “You three are single.” Liam is married to one of the most influential fashion designers, Wendy Brookes.

“Doesn’t matter.” Ethan throws a wink at me. “Oh and for the record, no one here wants to know about the details that include my sister. So gentlemen, let’s drink!”

Surprisingly, I do feel better drinking and talking with them. Ethan drones away about a hook-up in Las Vegas and how he almost accidentally got married, Devon chips in sometimes with a sharp ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘I don’t know.’

Liam talks about his upcoming book and how he’s researching serial killers, Xavier offers to help because well, he ‘deals with that sort of thing’.

When Nicholas mentions his twin sister’s name, Nicole. Xavier’s nostrils flare with annoyance. Apparently, they have been in a long life feud for a long time and they don’t plan on ending it any time soon.

After our chatter, everyone makes their way back to their office. Xavier stops me back. “The dudes that took Emma the other day are quite tough. They won’t reveal anything.”

“Let them go.” I sigh, there is no use forcing them to speak but they did harm Emma and already got their punishment. “But not without a warning.”

“Alright.” Xavier responds, wishing me farewell. When I arrive back at the office, it’s better. I go over the illustrations that Lira sent over and even though our system got hacked again, the programming department was fast enough to detect and disable the bug.

After a long day of work, I go back home and I am surprised when the smell of something burning comes from the kitchen.

Tracing the smell to the kitchen where Emma is standing facing the counter, her messy strawberry blonde hair scooped into a bun, an apron is tied around her tiny waist. Smoke curls lazily around the kitchen making Emma’s posture appear more rigid.

“Damn it,” she mutters under her breath. I stand there, amused and completely taken aback. If there’s one thing Emma is not an expert in, it’s cooking. It hasn’t always been her forte so why is she cooking tonight?

She turns and jumps when she sees me. “Jeremy! You’re home.” There is a streak of flour across one freckled cheekbones that makes her look ridiculous yet insanely attractive. She waves a slightly charred plate at me and I stand in the entranceway of the kitchen, folding my arms across my chest.

“What is all this?” I stare at her.

“Dinner.” She breathes out. “As an offering to what happened yesterday, it did get burnt but the chicken is still good. Sit. Sit!” she gestures at the chair. “I will serve.”

I do as told and sit; she places the plate of chicken on the table, looking at me earnestly. “Go on, try it.”

I take the first bite and it’s salty, it might be lemon but it tastes like acid.

It’s the worst thing I have ever eaten.

It’s perfect.

Because she is standing there, cheeks flushed from the oven heat, eyes pleading. The freckles scattered across her nose steals my attention and that curl that keeps falling into her lashes and she keeps blowing it away with these little anxious puffs that make her lips into the shape of a kiss.

I set the fork down and swallow the bite. “It’s really good.”

Her shoulders sag. “It’s awful. I know. I am sor—”

I cross the dining room in two strides, and cup her flour streaked gorgeous face. She doesn’t pull away and then a laugh rumbles out of me, a deep laugh that has my shoulders shaking.

“What’s funny?” she frowns, not understanding.

“You burned dinner.” When I finally recover, I say, the hint of a smile still playing on my lips. “You hate cooking, Emma. So why did you do it?”

“I screwed up yesterday.” She whispers, and the sincerity that flashes in her whiskey eyes jabs at my heart. “I am sorry, Jeremy.”

“It’s okay.” I sigh. “I don’t stay angry for too long.” She narrows her eyes at me. My phone rings loudly and I almost swear out loud, picking it up, I scowl.

“Hello.” Nicholas’ voice rings through the speaker. “It’s about grandfather. He collapsed.”