"To what do I owe this treat, Swan?" He turned his head to the side, hoping he could get a look at her face, but she had her lips buried in his neck, her hair falling down over his shoulder.
"Please act normal, Jones. Please."
"There's nothing normal about you draping yourself over me, love. And you know it. Not that I mind, but an explanation would be nice."
The lights of the club were dim, but he could still just make out the surprised looks of their friends when they caught sight of Emma as she made her way around him, and seated herself in his lap, never taking her arms from around his neck.
"See that douchebag looking guy in the beanie over there? NO, don't look. But look."
She was speaking quietly, directly into the shell of his ear, and combined with feeling her settled in his lap, it was taking everything in him not to pull her in close and whisper in her ear all the things he's wanted to tell her for years. But there was the matter of the douchebag, and the glares being sent in their direction.
"Yes, I see him. One of the skips you've apprehended? He looks particularly livid with you."
She grunted. "He doesn't get to be livid with me. I need you to do me a favor. Please?"
He merely looked at her with a raised eyebrow, indicating that she should continue with her request.
"Pretend to be my boyfriend tonight?"
Her request would ordinarily have seemed quite strange, but he was almost expecting it based on her behavior.
"Why, if I may ask?
"Because that douchebag is Neal."
It all clicked with him. While not the source of all of Emma's problems, he was definitely the most recent. Killian had met Emma just after Neal had left the scene, literally, with Emma holding stolen merchandise and spending a year in jail for a theft she hadn't committed. Killian had spent the past 5 years slowly being admitted into her inner circle, learning the bits and pieces that made up her life. Now he'd do anything for her.
Instinctively, every muscle in his body coiled ready to strike the man for the damage he'd caused this woman, but Emma stayed planted, unwilling to budge.
"No, Killian. Don't cause a scene. Just please, sit here with me." She pulled his arms around her, resting her head on his shoulder.
In any other set of circumstances, he would have counted his lucky stars and questioned every god imaginable. Nothing he'd ever done had made him deserving of Emma's affections. But tonight, knowing she was using him to make another man jealous, or whatever her purpose was, did nothing for him. He sighed. It was time to lay his cards on the table.
"Swan, I don't know why you feel the need to run to me to hide, or for protection. And I'll play along to assist. But know that I need for this to be more than pretend."
He could feel as her breath hitched at his words and he looked down to gauge her reaction. She met his gaze wide eyed, as though she were looking for a lie. He forgot everything he ever knew in the next moment when she pressed her lips to his. This wasn't about Neal or jealousy, or proving anything to anyone. He pulled her in closer as the room spun away. Nothing else existed but Emma and he didn't care if the moment never ended. They pulled back gasping for air, each studying the other in a way now allowed by the new level of intimacy.
It was Emma who spoke first as she stroked his beard.
"It doesn't have to be pretend."