A/N: Hiya, kiddos! Let's see what these kids are getting up to. Hehehe.
Bella was relieved she didn't have her car. Instead, she Uber'ed back to her place. She made the barest minimum small-talk she could, and then spaced out in the backseat, running her fingers over her lips. From the moment he'd looked at her, his normally playful eyes gone dark and serious with want, all coherent thought had left her head. So she didn't try to think. Instead, she replayed the memory of his kisses all the way home.
She couldn't stop smiling. She was thrilled. There were chills running up and down her spine, delicious chills that only made her smile grow wider. She covered her face with her hands. Her cheeks were so hot.
Once she was home, though, the quiet house left her nothing to do but think. She wandered around, restless. She picked things up, put them down again. She wandered to her room, changed the sheets on the bed, and then wondered what the hell she thought was going to happen when Emmett appeared at her door.
She sunk onto the bed, burying her face in her pillow and went quietly to pieces. She was trembling now, and she wasn't sure why. Her eyes stung. She was happy, and she was guilty, and she didn't know what she was supposed to want.
For minutes that turned into a solid hour, she curled into a tight ball, fighting a consuming wave of confusion and grief. She cried into her pillow.
And then, she calmed. When she could breathe again, when the tightness in her chest eased, she sat up and smiled.
Emmett McCarty likedher. It had been so long since anyone had looked at her the way he had in the shop, with eyes dark with intent and desire. It wasn't an unwelcome thing to have him look at her like that.
And, damn. His kiss...
The doorbell rang, and Bella's heart picked up speed. No more time left to think, which may have been a godsend anyway. If she had to think, she'd have to figure out why she was so goddamned giddy. And she was. She practically flew to the door.
Before she opened it, she made herself calm down. She felt all kinds of ridiculous and way too eager. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
And jumped back with a yelp of surprise. Instead of finding Emmett on her doorstep, she'd come face to face with a huge monkey who was hanging there, swaying slightly. She let out a huff of laughter, blinking when she realized it was the same monkey they'd won together earlier. She had no idea how he got it to hang like that, but now, in his other paw was a single sunflower almost as big as her head. She reached out to touch the petals. "Emmett?" she called, wondering where the hell he was.
He popped his head around the corner and flashed a cheeky grin. "I don't know anything about flowers, so obviously, I went for the biggest one I could find." He waggled his eyebrows.
Bella laughed, shaking her head. She offered her hand, and he took it, letting her pull him out into the open. He ducked around the monkey, pulling his hand from hers to wrap it around her waist. Bella pushed up onto the balls of her feet, tilting her head up as he tilted down. She sighed as their lips met, all the frenetic energy that had spiked her blood since she left the shop earlier that day calmed. She rested her hand at his side, curling closer.
He splayed one hand wide across the small of her back and reached up with the other hand. Bella squeaked, breaking the kiss as he settled the monkey's arm, with the hand holding the sunflower, around her neck. He settled the other one around his neck and smiled down at her. "Can I come inside, boss?"
"Oh, I suppose."
They kind of stumbled inside-man, woman, and oversized stuffed monkey. Bella moved the monkey to the floor, careful to keep the sunflower settled daintily on its lap. When she turned around, she yelped, finding Emmett right there. Anything she might have said went right out the window. He was just so big. Standing that close, he surrounded her; engulfed her without even having to touch her.
Her every muscle tensed for only a second before she gave in. Pushing onto the balls of her feet, she wound her arms around his neck and caught his lips when he bent his head to hers. She pressed up against him as they kissed, and he wrapped his arms firmly around her. He stepped and stumbled backward, and then fell back onto the couch, pulling her with him.
Without the pesky need to keep themselves upright, their kisses became more heated. Bella knelt on the couch, facing him, taller than him for once. Her fingers tangled in his hair. His hands wandered her back, stroking up and down.
His kisses then were different than the ones before it. There was a brashness, barely reined in, to the way he kissed her. There was an inelegance to it that was, rather than being off-putting, endearing. He shoved his tongue in her mouth, but corrected, gentling his movements. He squeezed her a little too hard, but gentled when she made a startled noise at the back of her throat. He drew his hands up her body and cupped her face with heartbreaking tenderness.
Then, with a groan, he pulled back. Bella opened her eyes to find his screwed tightly shut. They panted, both breathless, and her head spun.
"We have to…I mean…" Emmett gave a laugh that was closer to maniacal giggle. His eyelashes fluttered open, and his eyes danced as he looked at her. "Sorry." He licked his lips. "We should… You know. Talk."
Bella quirked an eyebrow. "You want to talk?"
He snorted. "No." His eyes followed the path of his fingertips as he stroked along the line of her cheek all the way down to her hip. He laughed, and the low sound sent a shiver through her that coiled, tightening her nipples. His eyes flicked back up to hers, and he grinned. "I'm not good at talking. I like doing." Again, his eyes flicked down over her body and back up again. "And there are a lot of things I want to do right now."
Bella was breathless, excited. She wouldn't have objected, she realized then. If he pulled her close again, kissed her again, she would lie back on the couch and let him consume her.
But, instead, Emmett closed his eyes again, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. With a sigh, Bella made an effort to put both feet on the floor. She ran her fingers through her hair, self-conscious and nervous.
Well. She supposed they had to think now. This was going to be interesting.
They sat side-by-side for seconds that turned into a full minute. He rubbed the back of his neck. Bella wrapped her arms around herself and bent forward a bit. She glanced at him to find him glancing at her. They both huffed out a nervous laugh.
Emmett reached out and took her hands. He played with her fingers, looking down instead of at her. "So, I don't know how to do this," he said.
"I suppose that depends on what this is." Her heart was pounding so fast.
He rolled his shoulders. "You know what I said that day." He did look up then, his lips twitching. "When I said I didn't know what played well with the ladies, it wasn't because I was into dudes. It was because I don't play the ladies very often." He furrowed his brow. "I mean… Well, that came out wrong."
"You mean you don't got game," Bella said, teasing.
"Hey, just because I haven't played the game doesn't mean I'm bad at it." Again, he furrowed his brow. "Except, it's not…I mean, it's not a game. It's not…"
Bella laughed. "You're cute when you're flustered."
He made a face, but his eyes were amused. "Just what every guy wants. To be cute."
"Adorable."
He rolled his eyes, but then his face grew serious again. "Okay. Let me try that again. There have been other girls, you know? But it wasn't… I mean, it wasn't a thing. It was fun. It was…" He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "This is different for me. This is new."
"Yeah." Bella pulled her hands from his gently. There was a restless feeling creeping through her blood, and she felt the need to wring her hands. "It's, uh...complicated."
"Is it?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "It's not the work thing. I mean. I don't know what the Cullens will think. If they have any feelings about… I mean, I'm your boss, but it's not… We're not a high-powered business. It's a Mom and Pop store, and-"
"Bella."
She paused and looked up at him, biting her lower lip.
His smile gentled, and he took her hands again, soothing her knuckles. "Do you mean that you don't know what they'll think about a boss dating their employee or what they'll think about their daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, dating someone who isn't their son and brother?"
She exhaled in a gust, staring down at their joined hands. Her eyes stung, so she closed them, letting grief and guilt lap at her for a few breaths. "I'm not…" She swallowed hard.
"Hey, this is all kind of sudden, right?" He tapped the underside of her chin gently, and when she looked up at him, there was that gentle smile again. The one that sent a rush of warmth through her. "I mean. I like you. You know. Likeyou. I knew that, but I wasn't planning on doing anything about that."
She pursed her lips, fighting a small smile. "And I thought you were with Jasper." She looked up at him, squeezing his fingers. "I like you too," she admitted. "And I don't know what I'm doing either."
"Well, at least we're on the same page. That's kind of comforting." He paused, shifting in his seat and angling toward her. "You know what I think?"
"What's that?"
"I think I've liked the dates we've had."
Bella arched an eyebrow. "Were these dates that happened in your head?"
He scoffed. "Lady, the things that have happened in my head couldn't be classified as dates." His grin widened when her cheeks flushed. "I'm an almost twenty-one year old man. My creativity doesn't run that deep."
She shook her head. "What dates, Emmett?"
"Like when you took me out for weiners."
Bella flushed even hotter. "Oh, man. That takes on a whole different context now."
"Yeah. Speaking of feeding the things that happen in my head…" Emmett cleared his throat. "And today at the fair. That was a cool date, I think."
She fought a grin, remembering their playful competition at the basketball hoop. "Mini dates."
"Yeah. So, maybe we start where a lot of other people start. With a real date."
There was that rush of giddiness again, that happiness that threatened to make her beam. "You're asking me out?"
"It'd be fun, right?"
"I don't know. What if you're boring?"
He looked indignant for a fraction of a second before he smiled at her again. "Go out with me."
"For soda pops and a movie?" she teased.
He cocked his head. "Oh, is this where we get into the age thing? You know, I'll be able to drink legally in four days."
She studied him a beat. "You really don't care that I'm older?"
"Pfft. Yeah, five years totally qualifies you for cougar status. Dating an older woman is hot." He tilted his head, giving her a knowing look. "Does it bother you that I'm younger?"
"I don't know," she said honestly. "I don't think so."
Something heavy had materialized in the air between them, invisible but stifling. Her skin crawled, though not in the disgusted way. She just…
"Does it bother you that I'm not Edward?" he asked, his voice soft.
She looked up at him, guilty. "Bother isn't the right word," she whispered.
"It's weird."
She nodded.
"I get that," he said. "Stuff… You know, my life, the things that have happened to my mother...all that. There was never a lot I could do about it. And that made me really, really angry. I don't like being angry, so I kind of decided not to be. Not to take things too seriously, because if I did, it would make me frustrated. I don't like that either.
"But it's complicated, right? Life." He pushed her fingers back and forth. "This. It's complicated, and that's a serious thing. And…" He laughed. "I'm rambling, but I think what I mean is, I can be serious about that. Take you seriously, because I think it's not going to be easy for you. I think that's okay. You know?"
Tenderness washed through her. She pulled her hands from his again and took his face between them. He looked up at her from under his eyelashes, his expression vulnerable, almost little-boyish. So sweet. She leaned in and kissed him. A soft kiss to the lips. "You're a good man, Emmett McCarty."
"Does that mean you'll go on a date with me?"
She smiled. "Yeah. I think I can do that."
His grin was blinding. "Cool."
"Cool." She ruffled his hair. "You're a sweet kid, you know that?"
"Kid, huh?" He sat up at his full height, looming over her. "You're a foxy cougar, you know that?"
She groaned. "Oh, man. Cougar. You suck." She smacked his chest playfully.
He wound his arms around her, pulling her close. "I think we've established that I don't suck," he said in a rumbling, suggestive tone. Before she could retort, he tilted his head and kissed her. A good kiss. Thorough and slow and building.
"Ah, hell," he mumbled when they broke to breathe. "I think I need, you know, to not be here. Would kind of mess up the first date thing if I…" He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah."
She bit the inside of her cheek. She felt foolish and nervous and excited. "Would it be a bad thing if you stayed?" she blurted.
It would be so easy. She could feel that in the air between them. It would be so easy to fall into something physical with him. It would be good and incendiary, and she wouldn't have to think twice.
He let out a shuddering breath. "A bad thing? Hah. No, it wouldn't be a bad thing." He flashed a lascivious grin, but almost instantly he reined it in. "Is it totally lame if I say I want to do things the right way? I mean, I know there's no rightway. But-"
"It's not lame." She kissed him once more, softly, and then disentangled herself from his arms, standing. "Now, get out of my house. How dare you come here without a chaperone? People will talk and my reputation will be ruined."
He stood, shaking his head. "Yeah, it's lame."
"But you're going to do it anyway."
"Yeah, well. You should do it once in your life, right? The traditional route. Just for funsies. Date then...whatever."
"See, the problem with that is that you kissed me before you asked me on a date."
He scrunched up his face. "Maybe I am bad at this game."
"Oooh." She kissed the tip of his chin. "I like a bad boy."
"Walking cliché, boss."
"And you're the one who wants to date me."
He sighed and looped his arms loosely around her. "I really do."
"Don't beg. It's unattractive."
"I didn't-"
"Get out of my house."
He didn't move, keeping his arms wrapped around her. "Okay."
"You have a date to plan."
"I do. That might be a bad thing for both of us seeing as I have no game. Good thing I have Jasper."
She gasped. "How did that go, by the way? I need to apologize to him."
"Peter is huffy, but he's listening. Jasper's a charming bastard. You know, he has game. They'll be fine."
"But if you ask Jasper for dating advice, he might exact his revenge on me."
"That would be fun for me, though. To see you squirm."
She scowled at him. "You're not very attractive to me right now."
"Pfft. Liar."
She grunted and kissed him again. Then, she sighed, melting against him. "You should go."
"Yeah."
They stayed like that another minute, but then he stepped back. She opened the door, and watched as he walked away. He waved before he disappeared out of sight. A cute wave.
When Bella closed the door, she leaned back against it. She gave a little scream, a squeal, really. Very unbecoming of an adult woman.
This was going to be a good thing.
A/N: Eleanor would like you all to know that she's a goddess. I believe it.
How are you kids?
