A Game With The Billionaire

Chapter 23:

Emma:

Two very weird things happen when I wake up.

Firstly, my head hurts. Like crazy hurt, it’s banging so hard I have to wince in pain and secondly, there’s something wrong with my pillow. It’s not soft like it’s meant to be, it’s rock-hard.

I look.

I realize that I am resting on Jeremy’s chest, his hand draped lazily over me. I almost let out a scream.

It feels so intimate and warm and strangely familiar. Goodness, all of this, it is too much.

Jeremy stirs in his sleep and I forget how cute he is whenever he’s asleep, pouty lips, amazing collarbone that’s peeking out of his night shirt, did he seriously change then slip into my bed?

I try my best to think about what happened yesterday. First of all, the guy that hit me with a baseball, I remember being in this empty, stinking warehouse.

The only memory that’s solid is when I sagged in Jeremy’s hands, he carried me to the car, brought me home and asked if he could say.

And I said yes. Well scratch that. I can’t imagine how weird it’s all going to be if he wakes up and sees me sprawling by his side like a fish. Jeremy uses that moment to tighten his hand around my stomach, pulling me back to the bed like I weigh nothing.

“He’s asleep.” I tell myself, staring at the ceiling. “He’s asleep.” Jeremy tends to act like he is awake when in reality, he is asleep.

He opens his eyes slowly and those golden brown eyes rake over me. “Emmie.” Why does he have to go with my nickname?

“Jeremy.” My voice is hoarse; he removes his hand around my stomach and sits up straight.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asks, his voice still sleepy. I nod my head, how do I invite him to step out of my room?

“Uh, yeah.” I scratch the back of my head and there’s a tiny bump at the back of my head, probably when the baseball bat connected with my scalp. Damn, those bastards. “Thanks for yesterday, you know, rescuing me.” I shrug, like being kidnapped is no big deal.

“I dealt with it.” is all Jeremy says, what does that mean? Do I want to find out? No. “My mother wants us to have dinner with the family tonight; she has been harassing me for a very long time now. Are you free tonight?” he looks at me so earnestly, like he wants me to have dinner with his family.

“Yes, I am. Well, I am going to head to the bathroom now.” He takes it as his cue to leave the room, when he’s gone, I dash to the bathroom and stare at my dishevelled reflection in the mirror, there’s a tiny cut in my lower lip, but not too noticeable.

My hair looks like a nest for birds, and there’s dry blood along my strands. They really did a number on me.

I spend the next hour scrubbing everything away in the shower. I settle for high waist trousers and a cream blouse then I head to work, the moment I push through the company door, two hefty men in suits and sunglasses greets me.

“What’s going on?” I ask the two burly men in front of me.

“Mr. Hart sent us.” One of them replies plainly. “We are instructed to stay fifty feet away from you. Not talk unless we are asked a question, and no one is allowed to touch you.”

“What?” I blink rapidly, Jeremy sent them? I certainly don’t need bodyguards right now. “You know what; I am going to give Mr. Hart a brief call.” I walk out of the company and they follow behind me secretly. “Don’t follow me!” I walk towards my car and dial Jeremy’s number, he picks up in the first ring.

Before he can say anything, I rush into a load of words. “Jeremy, why are there two men following me?”

“Oh them,” his voice drops. “Ignore them; they are supposed to stay fifty feet away.”

“So I was informed.” I reply ruefully. “Look, I don’t get whatever is going on right now, but you need to tell them to leave me alone. I don’t need bodyguards watching over like I am some sort of baby.”

“Maybe you’re my baby.” He says back and my whole body catches fire.

Abort, abort, abort!

Jeremy is good with words; he should have been a writer or something. That’s the way he wins investors over, with his words. I can’t let myself fall victim to his words again.

“Jeremy.” I bite back but there’s a tiny smile playing on my lips. What is he and I doing? Am I laughing with Jeremy Hart right now? Absolutely not, this man broke my heart, left me dry and hanging. “Call it off, the whole bodyguard thing.”

“No.” Jeremy responds, and I wonder what he is doing now. “Just sketching a character design.” That’s the weird thing though; he knows what I am thinking before I can even say it out loud.

There was a point I believed that Jeremy and I were soul mates, maybe we still are, it wasn’t just about the deep love we share about gaming. We could talk for hours, gaming like the world didn’t exist. It’s like our souls sync, he always knew what I was thinking, he always let me take the lead. Sometimes a person comes into your life not to stay forever but to show you a part of yourself you haven’t met.

“Call off the bodyguard stuff.” I say again, stressing on each other. “Please.”

Silence reigns on the other end, and I wonder what’s running through his mind right now? Jeremy’s a practical man, he thinks before he speaks, weighs the options in his brain before saying them out loud.

“Go to dinner with me.” he finally says.

“What?”

“Go to dinner with me, Emma Roberts. And then I will call off the whole bodyguard thing. Goodbye. Also, there are flowers and your coffee waiting for you in your office. Goodbye, Em.” The call disconnects and I am left staring at the now blank screen.

What does he think he is doing? Damn, there’s only so much a woman can take.

--

“Oh goodness, it’s my beautiful daughter, Emma! Come in, come in!” Jeremy’s mother ushers us into the house. I’ve always known Jeremy’s mother to be dramatic, but in a fun way. As a mother to three sons, Jeremy being her last, she sure knows how to handle them. “You look beautiful as always, it’s been so long.” She hugs me tightly, pulling me into her arms. Like her usual hug, it’s warm.

I missed this so much.

“Mrs. Hart.” I say, my eyes stinging with tears.

“Nice to see you too, mother.” Jeremy replies under his breath, handing the bottle of champagne to her. She glares at him, gesturing that he go to the kitchen and store it in the fridge. It’s evident Jeremy cares for his mother, they have always been so close, she jokes how she loves him more because he’s her last child.

“Come, come.” She leads me into the living room where Jeremy’s elder brothers are already seated on the chair. Edward, being the first child, is in his forties, while Jason is the second child. “Everyone say hi to Emma.”

They are busy on their phones, they barely glance up to give me a non-committal shrug, muttering “hi, Emma,” under their breath. To be honest, I am used to it, I practically grew up in Jeremy’s household and it is normal for his brothers to ignore us whenever I am around. Considering the age gap, they had better things to do than to interact with scrawny kids who were geeks about gaming.

“Jeremy’s father can’t join us today, he’s in Spain.” Jeremy’s mother says. “So it’s pizza and beer night today!” Jeremy walks back into the living room and I am reminded of Friday night spent in the Hart household, pizza night, then we were underage so we stuck with Diet Coke while everyone had beer.

I kick off my shoes and sit on the couch; Jeremy joins me, pulls me by the waist and plants a kiss on my forehead.

“What’re you doing?” This closeness feels warm, and it’s making me panic.

“My family is watching.” He says. “We’ve to act the part.”

Truth to be told, Jeremy’s mother and brothers are watching us like wide-eyed hawks. I smile nervously; we have to play the part. This is all acting.

“I am so glad you both got back together.” Jeremy’s mother is grinning from ear to ear. “Jeremy was so miserable when you two broke up, he moped all day, didn’t even eat.” I glance at Jeremy and the tips of his ears are bright red, is this true?

My heart skips a bit. “What?”

“Pardon my blabbing,” Jeremy’s mother waves her hand, signalling the end of the conversation. I am sure it’s because of how Jeremy is glaring at his mother.

“Mom.” Jason says, annoyed. “Today’s my day off and I am spending it here. You have to make it worth it.”

“The kids are hanging out with my wife right now. Where’s the pizza and beer?” Edward says, frowning.

She glares back but her expression turns playful all of a sudden. “Pizza and beer night! Shall we watch Hockey or football?”

“Hockey.” Everyone in the room practically shouts it.