Yes, Masters (Book 2 of Desire's Den)

Chapter 36 - Gideon

Emma took her time getting into work today, as if she knew there were three determined men waiting for her the second she set foot inside Euphoria.

The tension around the three of us was chocking the room, sucking all the air from our near vicinity. We didn't know what we would find out tonight, but we were all aware we wouldn't like the answers. Still, it wouldn't deter us from getting them.

"There she is," Mateo mumbled low enough for only us to hear.

My eyes zeroed in on the entrance, and I found her immediately. Her hair was gathered in a ponytail, bringing her entire face into view, and fuck, she was breathtaking. Nothing—not the frown painted on her plump lips, the circles under her eyes that she'd tried to hide, or the strain in her eyebrows, or even the weight loss, could take away from her beauty. Not that I cared about weight all that much, it was more so that I preferred the real Emma; the one who looked healthy, and happy. This Emma? She didn't look so healthy to me.

The sight of her caused this annoying flutter inside my chest. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, it was still there. This better be a damned heart attack or something.

A smirk hid beneath my scowl when she stiffened at the sight of our table; or rather, at the sight of who sat at our table. I bet she hadn't expected to see all of us tonight.

"Hello, gorgeous," Mateo said when she got close enough to hear him without having to shout.

Her brows knitted together. She came even closer but still kept a decent amount of distance between us. "What are you all doing here?"

"I told you yesterday that I would come." Callan reminded her. "And Mateo decided he needed a break from work."

"Oh, right. I completely forgot you said that. I...I've been a bit distracted lately," she told us. The tension grew heavier at the mention of her being distracted, all of us wondering what had her so damn tied up. She didn't seem to notice the change. "It's nice to see you three together again."

Mateo smiled. "All thanks to you for putting some sense into me. I would've gotten my head out of my ass eventually, you just sped up the process."

She returned his smile shyly. "I'm glad."

"How are you doing, Bella? You look a bit tired; did you sleep alright last night?" Callan asked in a worried tone. A bit tired was an understatement, with the puffiness underneath her eyes made it look like she hadn't gotten properly sleep in a good while. And there it was again, that weird sensation in my chest. I rubbed the spot as if it would somehow ease the strange feeling. It didn't.

"Ah..." Her gaze flitted all around the place, telling me that whatever was coming out of her mouth next was most definitely a lie. "I'm great. Thanks to you guys though. Obviously I wouldn't have been great if something actually had happened yesterday, but it didn't. So yeah, I'm doing fine. Just fine." She nodded like that would make it more believable.

Hell, I wouldn't even have needed to read her body to find out she was lying. The rambling was the worst tell anyone could have.

"Anyway, I...eh...I should probably get to work. Have a nice evening." Emma backed away quickly, as if her ass was on fire.

"Have a nice evening?" Mateo echoed when she was farther away from us. "Why did that sound like she was talking to strangers?"

"You're reading too much into that. She was nervous though, that's for sure," Callan clarified, and if there was one man to believe, it was him. Callan had this uncanny ability to observe and interpret every situation that put both me and Mateo to shame.