Yes, Sirs (Book 1 of Desire's Den)

Chapter 125 - Emma

Mateo didn't drive us to Callan as I had thought he would, seeing as we'd been at his apartment the last time we were together as a group. Instead, he drove out of the city and towards Gideon's estate.

"We decided that we would switch between our homes when we have group nights," Mateo explained, reading me so very clearly. "Next time, we'll be at my place."

"Oh, that sounds fair." To be honest, I didn't mind either way. As long as I was with them, the place we were at didn't matter.

With my work being over, I finally had the time to check my phone. I'd sent Kevin a text before the shift, just to hear if he was okay. I would absolutely tell Mateo to turn around and get me to Kevin's apartment if he needed me. I didn't know what I was thinking earlier when I thought Kevin might've skipped his shift just to avoid working with Oliver. I knew Kevin wasn't like that; I guess I was just stressed about working with the dirtbag myself when I'd planned for a day off.

I have a cold. Thomas is taking care of me, so don't even think about coming here. I will not have you cancel your night with your guys. Have fun! I'll call you tomorrow, Kevin wrote, easing my worries. I typed a quick message back, wishing him well.

After a forty-five minutes' drive, the beauty of Gideon's manor loomed ahead of us. I wondered how the place would feel with not only Gideon and me in it but the other guys as well. It was a huge house, with lots of empty spaces—maybe with all the guys there, it would feel livelier.

From what I'd seen, the only rooms Gideon used were the kitchen, office and playroom, and of course, his bedroom, which I hadn't had the pleasure of seeing. All the other rooms I'd been in felt cold and unused, and the thought of the emptiness made me feel sad for Gideon.

Instead of parking the car beside the main entrance, Mateo followed the paved road to the left of the manor to a garage. He picked up a remote from the cupholder and pushed a button to open the garage door before driving inside. He parked beside a black sports car, and I recognized it to be Callan's unless Gideon had the same model as him.

I looked around the massive garage as Mateo went to open the door for me. There were plenty of cars here, though as impressive as that was, he had nothing on Callan.

"The guys are probably waiting in the kitchen for us. We should go. I don't want to risk a beating for keeping you to myself," he joked, grabbing my hand and guided me through the maze that was Gideon's home.

His hand was warm and soft, and a tingling sensation started where he was touching me and traveled to my entire body. This was the first time I'd ever hold anyone's hand. It was such an innocent thing, but it still made me smile happily.

"What are you smiling about?" Mateo asked, looking at me curiously.

I shook my head. "It's stupid."

"Tell me." Not a question, an order.

"I've never..." I trailed off, blushing with embarrassment. I'd done so many things with him, one of them was participating in a public scene with him, and yet...this was making me feel something so much stronger than the embarrassment and self-consciousness I'd felt then.

"You've never?" he prompted.

"I've never held hands with anyone before," I admit, looking down at our hands intertwined. "Don't laugh!" I said when I looked back up and saw his mouth twitched, and I could tell he was about to.

"I'm sorry. It's just... you've never held hands with anyone before?" He looked shocked at my admission as if it was expected that anyone at the age of twenty-two had hold hands with someone, and maybe it was. All I knew was that I hadn't done it with anyone.