XXX CHAPTER 17 XXX

The elevator doors closed, and Edward's gaze locked onto the red digits ticking their way up to the penthouse level. Emmett had always appreciated the quick ascent, but it seemed his new friend didn't share the sentiment. 13, 14, 15 . . .

C'mon, guy. Breathe!

"Stop looking at me like that. I told you, I'm fine."

"Okay, okay. It's just that your face took on a greenish tint around the twelfth floor, and I was afraid you might be getting ready to bust through the doors. I don't think my condo fees cover that."

"Not to worry. I carry Hulk insurance." 23, 24, 25 . .

Emmett chuckled. "Good to know."

Edward didn't crack a smile, concentrating on the digital display with all his might. Come to think of it, this was about the edgiest Emmett had ever seen him. Maybe he should've opted for a hot dog on the beach after all and saved Edward from what was obviously a stressful situation.

Emmett was torn; he wanted to ask him if he was okay, wanted to take his mind off the rising numbers. Frankly, he wanted to stare for a bit longer at the way Edward's sweaty shirt clung to his belly and the way his glutes filled out his running shorts. But none of that would help Edward cope, so instead, Emmett averted his glance and fiddled with his phone, leaving Edward as much privacy and pride as he could in the small, enclosed space they were sharing for the next few seconds.

"Thirty-fifth floor," said the robotic female voice as the doors opened to Emmett's suite. He gestured for Edward to get out first, figuring anything would be an improvement over being trapped in the metal box.

Emmett kept a close watch on him as Edward's glance swept the space, steering clear of the windows and resting safely on the interior. "Nice place."

"Thanks. Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Juice? Whiskey?"

Edward laughed. "Water might be good, thanks. I don't usually drink before lunch."

Crossing to the kitchen, Emmett tapped one of the chairs at the counter. "Have a seat."

"I don't want to get your furniture all sweaty."

He'd already opened the refrigerator door, which conveniently offered Emmett a place to hide his wide grin. "Want me to sit down and mess it up first so you don't feel bad?"

Edward's bag hit the floor with a soft thud, followed by the slightly squeaky glide of the chair and the landing of one sweaty-but-perfect ass in said chair. Emmett pulled out two water bottles and slid one across the counter. "Cheers."

He couldn't help feeling giddy, watching Edward wrap his lips around the bottle, watching the bob of his Adam's apple as he guzzled the water, and best of all, discovering that Edward had been watching him just as closely as their eyes locked in an intense stare.

Edward broke the connection first. "Guess I was a bit thirsty."

Answering with a smile, Emmett leaned forward on the counter. "Plenty more where that came from."

"I'm good, thanks. So, how long have you lived here?"

"I got really lucky. The guy who owned this place was a muckety-muck with Starbuck's, and they relocated him to China about a week after I signed with the Mariners. The broker I was working with knew I wanted something on the water. It all clicked."

"It's nice when that happens." No more than two feet away, those exact sexy cat's eyes Emmett had conjured sliced a path straight to his heart. "Feels like the universe is telling you you're in the right place at the right time, you know?"

A hot blush threatened Emmett's careful camouflage. Deflector shields up! "By the way, I have a message for you from my trainer."

"Trey?"

Emmett grinned. "You remembered."

Hello, blush. Edward shrugged it off. "Lemme guess. I should do more ab work?"

"No, you're fine." And what the hell was it about Edward's blush that meant Emmett was about to make a damn fool of himself every time? "Trey noticed I was more patient on the mound and asked how that happened. He's been working with me for years to take my time, and I'm still all . . . 'Big Mac attack.'"

"You told him about me?" Edward took a long draw on his water, but Emmett caught the smile around the rim of his bottle.

"I did." Blush one. Blush two. "Told him I had a tyrant for a running coach, and he said I should thank you—for him." Emmett sucked down some water, gaze locked on Edward for his reaction.

Edward gave him back the most genuine smile Emmett thought he'd ever seen. "Tell Trey he's welcome."

Before their conversation could turn all moony and weird, Emmett quickly changed the subject. "I don't know about you, but I worked up an appetite out there. If you don't feed me soon, I might turn into the Hulk. You ready to hit the showers?"

"Sure."

"You can use the guest room at the end of the hall. I checked last night and everything should be in there—towel, soap, whatnot." Now Emmett was picturing Edward in the shower with the soap and whatnot; he could hear himself rambling, but he couldn't quite locate the off switch. "Just yell if you need anything." Like someone to soap your back.

"Thanks," Edward said, handing his empty water bottle to Emmett.

Emmett waited until Edward was halfway down the hall before saying, "And hey, don't be afraid to get the shower wet."

"Just for that, I'm gonna use up all your hot water!" he answered without turning around.

Emmett's shower was a tortured affair, and he had nobody to blame but himself. Well, not entirely true. He could blame Edward for being hot and sweaty and adorable, but Emmett's own stupid comment about getting the shower wet had left him completely incapable of thinking about anything other than Edward standing under a stream of hot water, soaping himself, cleaning those crevices and hard-to-reach spots with those long perfect fingers of his. Shit!

Emmett had half a mind to stand under the spray until all the hot water was gone, to make Edward wait while he took the slow boat to Cleansville. As usual, the other half of his brain—a.k.a. his cock—took over, demanding action of the hard and fast variety. Emmett let his mind wander down the hall, jumping into Edward's shower stall behind him, pressing his raging erection against the soapy mounds, trapping Edward against the cold wall, reaching around to relieve him of the aching pressure while he . . . ah, fuck, yeah . . . Emmett bit down hard on his lower lip, attempting to keep the reverberation of his explosive release within the confines of the shower, an effort he realized had most likely failed when he stepped out into the living room, fully clothed, and met Edward's eyes. Then again, Edward had a bit of a guilty air about him too. Huh.

"Ready to blow?" Emmett asked.

Edward gave up another deep blush before pulling his bag onto his shoulder. "Sure."

"Would you prefer Thai or Mexican? I promise they both offer great views of the ocean from sea level."

"Thai sounds good and thank you."

"Great. Thai Landing it is." Emmett grabbed his car keys from the bowl near the door. "Why don't I drive since I know the neighborhood?"

"Okay, but you really have to let me pay."

"Don't worry," Emmett said with a wink, "I will. I might even have a beer."

"Good. I was hoping since it's your day off, maybe you could relax a bit."

Pushing the button for the elevator, Emmett said, "I have to be at my sister's at six-thirty."

"That works."

They both stared at the elevator doors, but out of the corner of his eye, Emmett could see Edward's smile. A light ding announced the elevator, and as the doors slid open, Emmett asked, "Is going down any easier?"

Edward shook his head and took a deep breath as he stepped through the doors. "As long as I don't think about being stuffed inside a steel coffin with a limited oxygen supply."

"At least there aren't any clowns in here with us." Erasing every trace of teasing from his voice, Emmett said, "Sorry, man."

"That's okay. You're worth it."

Unlike the ride up, the elevator stopped several times to pick up passengers. Edward inched into the back corner, and Emmett anchored himself beside him for support. A few of the residents recognized Emmett and greeted him as they got on. Emmett was hyper-aware of Edward's closeness, could feel the hairs on their arms tickling at each other, but he stood stock still.

Edward exhaled as he escaped the close quarters, regaining his composure as they walked through the garage to Emmett's Spyder. "Sweet car." Edward had a way of admiring the trappings of Emmett's celebrity status without making him feel like a douchebag for having nice things.

"Excuse me one sec." As they pulled out of the garage, Emmett activated the hands-free feature of his phone. "Call Thai Landing."

"Calling Thai Landing," his car's computer responded.

A female voice floated into the car. "Good afternoon, Thai Landing. How may I help you?"

"Good afternoon, Preeda. This is Emmett McCarty. How are you today?"

"Very good, Mr. McCarty. Placing a take-out order?"

"Not today. I'm coming in for lunch with a friend." Emmett's gaze wandered over to Edward. "We'd like to sit outside, please."

"Sure. We'll have your table waiting."

"Thank you. See you soon."

He ended the call with a flick of his thumb.

"What's that like?" Edward asked.

Emmett glanced at his passenger, who was grinning at him. "What do you mean?"

"Having a table at every restaurant in the city?"

"I don't have a table at every restaurant . . . you have a sample size of two. You must know better than to draw conclusions, Professor."

"It wasn't statistics; it was an educated guess based on observation and extrapolation."

"Oh, and what have you observed?" Even with his eyes on the road, Emmett could see Edward's smirk, and he was barely containing his own.

"You have a certain charm."

"Edward, I go to the same few places all the time. They take good care of me, and I go back. It's a good deal for everyone."

"I guess I better leave a big tip."

"That helps too."

The ride was short, and soon they were following Preeda to a corner table on the patio. As soon as they were seated, Edward unfolded his napkin and grimaced when he discovered the chopsticks. "Ugh, you're probably one of those people who's really good at using these."

"It's all in the wrist." Emmett shrugged. "I'm sure they can scrounge you up a fork."

"No way." He picked up his chopsticks and illustrated exactly how clumsy he was, causing Emmett to laugh. "You did say you have a few hours to eat, right?"

"Sure. Knock yourself out."

"I'm more likely to poke my eye out, to be honest. So what's good here? Do you have a favorite?"

"I'm partial to their Panang curry, but it's pretty spicy."

"Hmm, sounds dangerous."

Edward studied the menu, and Emmett studied Edward. His head bobbed up and down the menu as if his life depended on picking just the right dish, his brows knit in deep concentration. Fucking adorable. Edward was still agonizing when the waitress came to take their order.

"Will you join me for a beer while you decide? It's lunchtime now." Emmett smiled with what he imagined was a huge dose of the aforementioned charm.

"Sure, what the hell."

"We'll take two Singhas and a few more minutes, please."

"No, wait! I'm ready. I'll have the Mongolian beef."

"And I'll have the Panang curry with chicken." They handed over their menus, and Emmett chuckled at Edward. "Boy, once you make up your mind, you're a force."

"So I've been told."

"Huh. No commitment issues then?" Emmett prayed his light tone made up for the overly personal probe.

Fortunately, Edward laughed it off, though Emmett caught a hint of darkness around the edges. "No, I am not that guy."

"Does that mean you're with someone now?" Emmett didn't like the quake in his voice; perhaps he wasn't hiding his feelings as well as he wanted to believe.

The beers arrived, and not a moment too soon. Emmett attempted a nonchalant sip, but every nerve was standing at attention, waiting for Edward's answer. Where the hell he thought he was going with this, Emmett had no clue. If Edward decided to turn the tables on him, he'd be screwed. He wasn't ready to answer questions.

Edward sighed deeply and shook his head. "No. It only means I wasn't the one in the relationship who was afraid to commit." He gulped down his beer the way he'd attacked the water earlier.

"Well, whoever it was, it's their loss."

"Yeah, I found that out the hard way. He certainly didn't turn out to be partner material." Having plopped the "he" bomb onto the table, Edward locked his intense green eyes on Emmett.

This is a test. Emmett recognized the signs well enough—he'd survived on them for years. Step one. Declare yourself. You're not asking the other guy to give himself away just yet, but boy, if he does, what a windfall! All you're hoping for at this point is to not get that "Oh crap, has he been sitting here thinking about sucking my dick the whole time?" look in response—or worse. Betrayal, anger, and fear—those are the emotions you don't want to see when you reveal yourself.

Of course, Emmett felt none of those. No, his challenge right now was schooling every impulse not to shout with joy and laugh and flirt and jump the guy. As matter-of-factly as he could, Emmett responded. "Ouch. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to reopen old wounds."

"That's all right." Edward's shoulders relaxed, and he loosened his vice-like grip on his beer. It seemed Emmett had passed his test. "As I said before, the universe has a way of making things right."

A shiver snaked down Emmett's spine. "I'll drink to that."

Author's Note: Welp, one question down. :) Hope you enjoyed the boys showering together sorta. Emmett's shower fantasy image is posted in the patch. *WINK*

XXX ~BOH