Hatred With Benefits novel Chapter 30

EVA.

Emerson's eyes are wide with astonishment and awe as he says, "You're a fucking twin?"

"Was. " I correct and his face falls at that one word. "She's dead. "

Emerson seems at a loss for what to say, and when he opens his mouth to speak; I can tell he's being cautious of his words. "What happened to her? And why are you to blame for her death?"

I drop my gaze from Emerson at the remembrance. The images of that day are clear and undisrupted in my mind, and it drives me crazy with each second I spend thinking back to each detail from that night.

"Carson!" Emerson's yell of my name snaps me out of my thoughts and I lift my eyes to him. "Are you okay?" I can effortlessly sense the worry in his voice and his gaze.

I give him a small bob of my head as I adjust in my seat. "I don't want to talk about it. " I'm not ready to. Not yet; Not to Emerson Ford.

"I understand. "Emerson's response comes and I clear my throat as I place my palms on my lap at the big change in the air. "My turn. Truth or dare, Ford?"

"Truth. " Emerson doesn't think twice before he says the words and I let out the question I've been dying to ask him since I was in his room. "That painting above your bed. What's it for?"

The moment Emerson's expression changes, I know he knows exactly what I mean and I can tell the meaning behind that painting is either a dark one, or a painful one.

"It's an eye. " Emerson whispers and I nod. "I know, but what does the eye stand for?"

"My mother. " His voice is small as the word falls from his mouth and my chest tightens in response when he continues and says, "She's dead. "

"Dead?" I repeat his words out of surprise. "But Mrs Ford—"

Emerson interrupts me before I can finish the rest of my words. "That's my stepmom. "

"Oh, " it's the first word to slip through my parted lips. "I didn't realize she was–" the rest of the words catch in my throat and Emerson chuckles.

"I know, Carson. You didn't know. I guess we've both lost someone important to us. "

"Come here. " He gestures to me with his fingers and I crinkle my brows as I ask, "Why?"

"Don't ask me the questions, Carson. Just come here. " He urges and I jerk my head. "No. "

"Carson–" he drawls, the annoyance dripping from his voice, but I stand my ground and stay rooted to my seat with a smile to frustrate Ford even more. "It's your turn. "

Emerson mumbles some inaudible words before he says, "Truth or Dare. "

Deciding we've had enough hidden and sad truths for the day, I go with the other option. "Dare. "

Emerson's lips lift in a tiny smirk as he stares down at his body before heaving his head towards mine. "I dare you to come here, Carson. "

"You have an obsession with me, don't you?" I taunt him as I begin to move from my seat and walk toward him. Emerson doesn't give a response to my words as he wraps his hands around my body and pulls me to his lap.

"It isn't comfortable. " I lie as Emerson twists my body so my chest is pressed to his and his hand stays at the small of my back.

"It is more than comfortable. " Comes Emerson's answer and I draw back to stare at his face. Shining brown orbs that seem to carry more burden than they'll love to reveal to the rest of the world stares back at me and I lift my hand to his face, stroking his jaw with my thumb.

I feel it when Emerson takes a sharp inhale of his breath as I stroke his lips with my forefinger, pressing hard into the flesh before slipping a finger into his mouth.

"Suck. " I tell him the words he seems to be fond of and Emerson glares at me before moving his mouth off my finger.

"You're getting bolder, Carson. " He whispers as he lowers his touch to my waist, his fingers digging into the flesh and kindling a reaction that he's capable of.

"I've always been bold, Ford. " I inform him and Emerson's lips tug up in a tiny smile as he pushes his face forward to whisper, "I know, Carson, but you're getting bolder. " With each word that falls from his mouth, his lips brush against mine and I crave to take them in mine, but I don't. Not yet. Not so soon.

"Why?" The words come out in a thick breath as Emerson's tongue swipes over my lips. "Not the Daddy's pet you expected me to be?"

Emerson wiggles his head as his eyes trace every inch of my face. "No, you're not. You're more annoying–" his hands move from my waist to my thighs and he pushes it forward, inching my skirt along the way and exposing more of my skin to his gaze. "You're less innocent and I find that sexy. " As soon as those somehow insulting yet praising words leave his lips, I push my head forward and close my lips over his, obliterating what's left of the space between us.

Emerson's hand moves to my back again as he slowly lowers me to the floor with the game of truth or dare long forgotten.

When he tries to snake his hand around me, the sound of a glass shattering brings us out of the moment and we stare down at the pieces of the broken glass by our side with the content in it smeared across the floor before we look back at each other then close the distance between us again, not giving a shit about what just happened.

Emerson Ford's touch is addicting– there's something about it that seems to provoke a reaction from me, even in the tiniest way, but more than his touch; Emerson Ford's taste is fucking heaven. He tastes like something I shouldn't have, yet I can't keep my hands or my mouth off, and that's one of the greatest tastes that's ever known to mankind– the forbidden one.

"You wanted to play a game out of boredom. " I press my palms to Emerson's chest and pull back to mock him.

He coils his fingers through my hair and keeps his eye fixed on me as he parts my thighs with one of his legs and settles between them. "Having you is more effective, Carson. "

And with those words, we go from a playful moment to a serious one and finally to the one where we're the most open to each other; the one where every skin, corner and inch of our bodies is worshipped by the mouth of the other.

~

"Hey, you. " Dan walks up to me as I walk out of my class and I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. "Were you following me?"

Dan cracks up at my words. "I'm not that obsessed with you, sweetheart. Not just yet. " He winks and I let out a small laugh before he falls into steps with me.

"Feels like it's been long since I saw you. " He says as we take the corner that leads us to the fields.

"I'm pretty sure we saw yesterday, Dan. " I tell him and he chuckles. "I didn't mean to see you in that way, Eva. I mean spend some alone time with you. It's been a long since our last date. " At his last words, Dan steps in front of me and stops my steps.

"When are we going on a second one? I've missed being around you; only you and I. " His tongue peeks out of his mouth and swipes along his bottom lip and I snort at the movement. "Seems like you missed something else more than you missed spending time with me?" I call him out and Dan lowers his gaze.

"I think I did. Don't you?" His words come out in a whisper as he takes a step forward, which closes the gap between our bodies.

"Dan–" I call him as I take a look around us to see students moving out and in– none of them paying attention to us. "You do realise we're on the campus?"

"I know, " he responds as he presses his forehead to mine. "I just wanted to do this. " He turns his face to the side just before his lips meet mine, and hangs his head over my shoulder with his hands wrapping around me in an embrace.

"Are you trying to eat each other faces in the middle of the field?" Dan raises his head and takes a step back at the sound of the voice, and I twist my body to see the blue-haired approaching us.

"You left me in the class to do this, Evie? I feel betrayed. " She raises a hand over her chest as she edges beside me and I roll my eyes before I say, " I left you in the class because you were too enthralled by the presence of Sage to take notice of me. "

Redness coats my best friend's cheeks as she glares at me and says, "I wasn't. We were just talking about stuff. "

"Of course you were. " I continue to tease her with a mischievous look on my face, knowing it infuriates her as much as it thrills me.

"Where are you guys headed?" I laugh at Aliya's miserable attempt to distract me from her topic, but I go along with it anyway, knowing if I should annoy her any further– she'll lose it.

"I was asking Eva to take me on a date. " Dan says as he stares down at me and Aliya grins, nudging me with her shoulder. "Looks like you're having a better day than I am, don't you think?"

"You still owe me a well-detailed explanation of what happened with the three of you last time, bitch. " I throw her a frown and she raises her brows, "A well detailed?"

"I don't need to know about how your tongues were down each other's throat and on each other clits. " I shush her in a whisper and she shakes her head, a taunting smile dancing by the corners of her lips. "You asked for it; you're going to get it, babe. "