Hatred With Benefits novel Chapter 48

EVA.

"Let me take a look now?" I try persuading Emerson about the pictures he took of me again, and he hums in objection as he opens the car compartment and throws the camera inside.

"You're such a pussy. " I cuss when he turns back to me and his famous signature look masks his face as he says, "Yeah, right. Your pussy. Want me to check on my pussy to see if it's doing alright down here? Possibly need some attention?" He lifts a teasing brow as he bends over the divider to my thighs and I shift back, pressing my body into the car's door as I push at Emerson's shoulder.

"Stop!" I say through a giggle and Emerson lifts his head with a satisfied smile gracing his lips before he nods behind me. "Come on, we should eat. "

He waits for me to get out of the car before he follows behind me and we make our way inside the place.

"I come here often; a woman here is a friend of my mom but she isn't around today. " Emerson explains as he leads me to take a seat in the same restaurant he brought me to last time.

"You must have been close with her. " I tell him as he takes the seat across from me, and he responds with a sad smile on his face, "Probably would have been the closest if she had enough time for me. "

"She did. You know a lot about her. " I assure him and he says, "I don't. I know those things because I trailed after her every time she was around; not because she spent enough time with me. "

"Emerson—" I start to say, but he cut me off before I could finish the rest of my words. "I should get us something. What do you want?"

"A coke is fine by me. " I tell him and a frown pulls to his lips as he says, "A coke? That isn't food. "

"I don't feel hungry. " I proclaim with a gentle smile and Emerson snorts out a laugh, "After how you were back there? I don't think so. I'll get you some fries. With more ketchup, right?"

"How do you know I enjoy my fries with enough ketchup?" I question in amazement and Emerson's lips remain parted for a while before he says, "I just guessed. "

I narrow my eyes at him, letting him know I don't believe a word from those.

"Everyone loves their fries with enough ketchup, Carson. Stop overthinking it. " He says in one breath before he's out of his seat without waiting for my reaction and a cackle leaves my lips as I watch him make his way to the front counter.

After a few minutes of standing at the counter, Emerson comes back with the fries and places them in front of me as he says, "There you go. "

"This is part of you trying to get on my good side, isn't it?" I drop my gaze on him and he smiles as he takes his previous seat, "It might be, and it might not. Maybe I'm turning out to be a natural gentleman. "

"I'll believe everything, but that, Ford. " I tell him before I look down to my fries to try one. With a nod of my head to the taste of one of my favourite fast foods, I take another fry and dip it in the ketchup, about to throw it in my mouth when I hear the sound of a click and I lift my head to see Emerson holding his phone in hand.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" I ask him, looking down at his phone and Emerson turns the screen to the table before he responds, "You think so of yourself so highly, Carson. I was taking a picture of that cute girl behind you. "

"Let me see. " I request and he trembles his head, "No. Finish your fries. "

"Emerson—"

"No, Carson. "

"Emerson. "

"Emerson. "

The sound of my voice and another's blend to the call of his name and I angle my head to the side in the direction of the sound. A girl in a mini skirt and a cropped tank stand a few steps away from us with her gaze on Emerson.

"Oh, fuck. Not her. " I turn my attention back to Emerson at the whine from him. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah. We used to fuck; took a while for me to get her off my back. " He grimaces at the sight behind me before he looks back at me with a pleading look on his face.

"It's your mess, and you should deal with it. I'm not helping you with shit, Ford. " I ignore the convincing look on his face and turn back to my fries just as the tall girl appears in front of us with a wide smile on her face.

"Oh my God, Emerson! It's you! I can't believe I'm seeing you again. " She paces to him and I watch as he slides further to the side while she takes the previous seat.

She locks arms with him and pushes her red lips forward as she says, "Why didn't you pick up any of my calls? Or respond to any of my messages? You have no idea how much I've missed having you inside me. " I scrunch my nose at the way she voiced that out, not caring about the fact that there's a third presence in the room.

"I told you I was done with you, Maya. Why's it so hard to accept that?" Emerson finally speaks in a harsh tone and you would think that's enough to keep Maya off, but it isn't. It doesn't even come as close as the girl opens her mouth again, "And I told you I love it when they play hard to get. I know you miss me more than you're willing to admit. You've probably missed these two—" my eyes widen as she snatches his hand to take to her chest and I clear my throat, interrupting her movement and catching her attention.

"Don't you think it's disrespectful to do that to him in front of me?" I lift my brows and Maya looks to Emerson before she looks back to me and says, "Do I know you?"