On Monday, I finally approached Cory about the stalker messages I had received from the Californian girl named Roxy. He scoffed at my worries. “She’s a crazy chick, alright, but I highly doubt you need assistance from Covill,” he said. “You don’t even know who she is.”

“But she’s here,” I insisted. “And her texts get more desperate by the day. She continues to threaten her own life and others. That’s not okay.”

“I wouldn’t trouble yourself over it,” Cory said, drinking his morning coffee. “She’s most likely lying.”

My irritation got the best of me. “Look,” I said, standing close to him. “I’ve been around the world. I know that there are legitimately crazy people out there. I’m not worried about my own safety. I happen to be staying in an apartment another girl is occupying. Call me paranoid, but I don’t want anything happening to Emalee.”

Cory frowned at me. “Then maybe you should find another place to stay.”

I stared hard at him, our faces a foot apart, the testosterone levels rising.

“Fine,” I said finally. “I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

Cory smirked. I wanted to slap him across the face. “I know you’re my brother, Tristan,” he said. “But damn it hurt to find out you were purposefully trying to have sex with my girlfriend.”

My jaw dropped open. “You literally told me…”

“If it would help,” Cory corrected. “Getting laid with Emalee wasn’t your end goal. It was making sure she was happy for the night. You could have done anything. But you had to get into her pants.”

“Listen, she wasn’t even technically your girl, Cory…”

Cory cut me off with a look. “It doesn’t matter that we’re on a break. You know I want her back. What you did was low, even for you. I’ll be glad you’re not around to tempt my girl.”

My fist slammed on the counter, making him jump. “She’s not your fucking girl, Cory!” I snarled.

The room fell into silence. Cory stared at me, shaking his head. “I’ll reach out to Covill about your stalker,” he said. “For Emalee’s safety. But if I were you, I’d go ahead and invite her over to your hotel so you can blow off some steam.”

He placed his empty coffee mug in the sink and grabbed his briefcase. “You can stay tonight, but I expect you gone by tomorrow,” he called back before slamming the door.

I settled on the couch, my blood boiling. I had already been there for a week, and my attraction to Emalee had grown, pestering me as I trained, taunting me as I lay in bed at night, my dick hardening just from thinking about her.

I considered hooking up with one of the girls at the gym. But none of them quite compared to the woman sleeping in the bedroom across the hall from mine. She was so close… I could almost taste her sweetness on my tongue. The things I fantasized about at night…

The next morning, I packed up my few belongings to go hunt for another place to stay. I stepped into the kitchen for some coffee, and Emalee emerged from her bedroom, hair a mess and shorts riding tantalizingly up her thighs. It was her day off.

I watched her make coffee, getting a hard on when she bent to retrieve a packet she’d dropped.

“What are your plans for the day?” I asked her from the couch.

“I don’t know,” she said, fixing herself a slice of toast with orange marmalade. “I was hoping to finish my book. Maybe buy groceries.”

“That sounds boring,” I said. I paused. “Why don’t you take me to the Empire State Building today?”

She raised an eyebrow at me, buttering her toast. “I thought you weren’t interested.”

I shrugged. “Now I am.”

She pressed her lips together, glancing at the clock. “I suppose we can go this evening…” she said.

“Deal.” I sprang from the couch. “I’ve got more training to do. Race is next week already.”

After I spent several hours working out, and Emalee had finished her book, we set out for the evening.

Taking the subway, we made our way to Midtown Manhattan. We approached the towering building. I craned my neck to see the top. I couldn’t.

“That’ll be quite the view,” I said. “Especially with the sunset.”

“You don’t have to work hard for it,” Emalee teased. “But yes. The view is amazing.”

I followed her inside, where hundreds of people milled about. The ceiling was highly vaulted, and a gold embossing of the building took up nearly two stories on the back wall. The room echoed from all the people wandering around, reading informative plaques about the building and its construction.

Emalee led me to the ticket counter, and I bought us two tickets for $20 each.

While we waited in line for the elevator to take us to the top, Emalee pulled out her phone and began texting.

I glanced at her. “Cory rubbing off on you?” I asked.

She frowned slightly at the jab, but still texted away. “No. I met a new friend at the bookshop the other day. She’s asking if I want to meet up for coffee Friday.”

“This Friday or next?” I asked.

“I believe this Friday,” she said pocketing her phone. “But that’s the day I’m moving into my new apartment. Why do you care?”

I smiled at the ground, pleased she was beginning to feel comfortable enough around me to show some of that hidden sass. “My race is next Friday,” I said. I looked at her.

She stared at a small family across from us, silent.

“You are coming to that, right?”

“I don’t know,” she said, finally looking at me. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

I couldn’t resist a small frown. “Aren’t you supportive.”

“To be fair, you never invited me,” she countered.

“Well. I’m inviting you now.” Without thinking I grasped her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “Emalee. Will you attend my race?”

She flushed. “I’ll see if Cory wants to go,” she said.

I rolled my eyes. “Doubtful.”

Our group was next, and we crammed ourselves into the elevator. The way up was a long one. I didn’t mind, though. It forced Emalee to press up against me, and her scent of vanilla and coconut made my head light. I breathed her in, not quite touching my side, and restrained myself from grabbing her ass. It would be so easy…

The elevator dinged, and our group was let out.

We wandered into a hall full of more historical facts and infographics. But my eyes were drawn to the view outside – I could barely see the tops of the other buildings from here.

Emalee tugged on my sleeve. “You’ll enjoy it better outside,” she said.

I followed her out onto the observation deck, and my breath blew away with the wind.

I could see all of New York up here. The buildings sprawled below us, endless and chaotic. From this height, it was peaceful. Inspiring.

The orange sky from the sunset perfectly silhouetted the other buildings, which had started turning on their lights, thousands of pinpricks in the vast city.

“Damn,” I breathed. I glanced at Emalee. She bit her bottom lip as she looked down, her blonde waves tugging back in the wind.

In that moment, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

“Here,” I said, pulling out my phone. “Let’s get a selfie.”

She raised her eyebrows at me. “A selfie? Are you a teenage girl?”

“Come on,” I said. “I make a living off them.”

Before she could resist, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her taut against me, holding up the camera. “Smile.”

She did, and I was lucky enough to capture it. Her hand was pressed against my chest, her smile genuine and soft. She belonged by my side.

After taking three photos, I pocketed my phone. “You’re so fucking photogenic,” I told her.

“Thanks.” She went back to staring out at the city below, stretching out to the horizon.

It might have been the height. It might have been the view. But in that moment, all I wanted was to drink her in and engulf her in my arms, pleasuring her in every way I knew how.

“I’m disappointed we never finished, you know,” I said.

Her eyes snapped to me. “What?”

I came up behind her, pressing myself against her back, trapping her between the netted wire of the building and me. I lowered my lips so they brushed against her ear. “We never finished our pleasure play,” I said. “I still want to.”

She shuddered against me. “No,” she said.

“Are you sure?” I asked, pressing myself closer to her and nuzzling her neck. “I stay up thinking about you. Your lips, your body, your pussy. I jerk myself off to thoughts of you. I’ve fantasized and dreamed up the most exquisite—”

“Stop,” she said, but she didn’t move away from me.

“You think about it, too,” I concluded. “I know you want me deep inside you.”

She was biting at her lip again. Her hands clutched the concrete barrier. “I’m not going to fuck around with my boyfriend’s brother. Even if we’re on a break, it still feels like cheating.”

A surge of frustration flashed through my system.

I almost… almost told her, right then, about Brittany. But I had promised Cory not to, and I never go back on my promises.

Besides, I didn’t want to ruin her night with the knowledge. I definitely wouldn’t be claiming her tonight after dropping that truth bomb.

I came up with another strategy.

“He was okay with it before,” I coaxed. “He’ll be okay with it now.”

I could feel her heartbeat through my chest. I could almost hear the delicate sounds she’d make as I fucked her…

“But… it’s wrong…” she said weakly.

I’d had enough of her excuses.

Grabbing her shoulders, I spun her to face me. My lips slammed against hers. She startled, and I thought she might push me away, but she remained frozen, unmoving.

I dug my hands deep into her hair, clutching her roots, my mouth working passionately over her delectable, pliable, soft ones. One hand dropped down to her lower back, pulling her body flush against mine.

She was tense for a few more seconds, but as I kissed her and she became breathless, she slowly relaxed. She let her mouth part, and I devoured her, my tongue wandering deep inside her mouth.

The fiery sky matched my soul. I wanted her. I needed her. I could not live another day without claiming her as my own.

Someone snickered beside us. “Get a room!” a male voice hollered.

I broke the kiss, staring deep into Emalee’s green eyes. They were wide and I thought I saw flames flickering behind them. “Shall we?” I asked.

She nodded wordlessly.

We entered the next available elevator and waited as we plummeted down. My hand wandered to her ass now, giving it a hard squeeze. She uttered the smallest of gasps but didn’t brush my hand away. I held her tight against me, refusing to let her go.

I splurged on a taxi, telling him to take us to the nearest hotel.

Emalee glanced at me, confused. I shrugged my shoulders. “Cory kicked me out.”

Before she could react, I engulfed her mouth in mine once more. I shifted myself so I was pressing her back against the seat, trapped between me and the leather. My hand wandered up her thigh. She uttered a small moan.

Then, in a move I wasn’t expecting, she threw herself against me, her hands fumbling under my shirt, clawing at my chest as her now-swollen lips moved against mine, pulling at my bottom lip with her teeth and pressing herself hard against me.

Her hand wandered down, and my dick swelled as she pressed her hand between my legs. “Fuck,” I growled. “Show a little restraint, love.”

She giggled, the sound vibrating against my mouth.

When the taxi finally pulled to a stop outside a three-star hotel, we stumbled out, unable to exit the taxi fast enough.

I quickly requested a room and thanked the heavens when they gave us the key to a master suite.

The moment we were alone in the elevator, I rammed Emalee against the wall, grinding my hips against her and biting at her neck. She gasped, then let a little “uh” sound escape her throat as I grabbed one of her breasts, pressing it against her body and squeezing hard.

The elevator dinged, but we didn’t stop. I hoisted her up on my hips, and she wrapped her legs around me. I carried her out of the elevator, and she didn’t once break away from the kiss. I fumbled for the key, inserting it in the door to our room and opening it.

Throwing her on the generic bedspread, a rush of adrenaline flowed through my veins.

At last, she would be mine.