Hatred With Benefits

T H I R T Y - T W O

EVA.

I take a peek at the door behind me to make sure it's closed before I turn back to Emerson who moves

off my bed and strides towards me with a grin on his face.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" I question in a whisper and Emerson's grin fades into a

frown as he places a hand on his chest and says, "Ouch, Carson. "

"I'm not messing around, Ford. Why are you here? How did you even get up to my room? What the

fuck was going through your head when you made this decision?"

Emerson heaves a sigh as his hands fall to his side and he slips them into his pockets. "That I needed

to come provoke you?"

"It isn't funny, Ford. " I say in a serious tone and he chuckles, "You take everything damn too serious,

Carson. There was a ladder out there, " he jerks his head to the direction of my window. "And I already

texted you the reason; my room is too hot. "

I fold my arms against my chest and cock my brows at him as I say, "So you drove from Washington

university, down here and climbed through a window to sleep in my bed because yours is too hot?"

He bobs his head and a scoff falls from my mouth. "I don't believe you. "

"Okay fine. Every other was right except me driving down from school. I've been here since yesterday. "

He confesses and I say, "By here, you mean you've been home?"

Emerson hums and takes another step forward, securing his arms around my waist and bringing me

into his chest. "You look alright; I'm guessing nothing big happened?"

"Can we talk about how stupid you were to climb up to my room? I could just throw you off, you know. "

I tell him in a grim voice and Emerson shakes his head, a daring smile covering his lips. "I don't think

you'll do that, Carson. "

"Are you daring—" I start to speak, but Emerson moves one hand from my waist to press a finger to my

lips, silencing the rest of my words. "Less talk about the move I just made and more talk about what's

happening. "

When he withdraws his finger from my lips, I scowl at him before I soften my gaze and let the words

slip through my parted lips. "She's fine. Just minor stress, nothing more. "

"Then why didn't you return to the apartment?" He questions as he trails one hand to the small of my

back, before letting it fall to the hem of my top and slipping it under the clothing, caressing and soothing

the skin under.

I angle my head to the side as a tiny smirk climbs on my face. "Why do you ask? Did you miss me that

much?"

Emerson's lips twitch, but he doesn't say a word as his hand stops its movement underneath my top

before he abruptly presses a hand to the back of my head, pushing my head against his chest.

"Ford–" I call as I struggle to get out of his hold, but it only gets tighter, and the more I try to resist; the

harder he holds onto me.

"Just stay still, Carson. Don't move. " His words come out in a whisper and I groan against his chest,

"You're fondling me, Ford and you smell awful. When last did you take a bath? God, you reek so

fucking much. " At my words, Emerson is quick to pull away from me, putting some distance between

us as he checks across his body and tries to sniff his underarm, and a laugh breaks from my throat at

the silly movement from him.

"You honestly didn't take a bath? I was fucking with you, Ford. " I tell him and he lifts his gaze in

realization, his hands falling to the sides as his shoulders sink in a sigh. "I hate you. "

"I know. " I beam before walking past him to my window. I gaze down to the ladder with which Emerson

climbed into my room before looking back to the said man. "This looks unsteady. What if you had

fallen?"

Emerson twists his entire body in my direction to say, "I'm more skilful at that than you think, but cute of

you to get worried about me, Carson. "

I snort out a laugh. "Worrying for you is the last thing on my mind. I was worried your father might react

differently to his son climbing through the window of his rival's daughter. " At the mention of his father's

name, Emerson's expression changes to a sourful one and my smile drops.

I walk to my bed and settle on the soft mattress before calling out to Emerson and patting the space

next to me. "Come here. "

He looks between me and the bed before moving from his spot to my side and taking the seat beside

me. The irritated expression doesn't leave his face and I clear my throat as I shift closer to him till our

shoulders are pressed to each other.

"Why are you home?" I ask and duck my head to get a good view of his face. Emerson stares down at

me and uncertainty seems to cloud his features before he opens his mouth to give a response to my

query. "Just some family shit; nothing serious. "

When I don't remove my gaze from his, Emerson continues, "And I was serious about my room being

too hot. "

I shake my head as I begin to pull back from his face, but his hand moves to my shoulder to keep me

on the spot and his gaze softens as he says, "I'm not messing around, Carson. "

"I'm sure there are plenty of rooms in your house, Ford. " I remind him of that fact, but Emerson doesn't

seem to agree with my words as he argues, "They are all hot. "

"Now that's just a ludicrous lie. " I cackle and he pushes his face closer till his hot breath blows over my

face and I close my eyes at the warmth that comes with it before opening them to the brown orbs

surrounded by specks of gold. Emerson's voice becomes an echo that resonates deep at the back of

my mind as I get lost in those gorgeous eyes of his.

"Carson, " Emerson calls, pulling me out of my trance and I blink once before lifting my brows and he

says, "They are all hot because you aren't on the other side. " Emerson dares to speak those words to

me, then he has a bigger audacity to lean over my shoulder, close to my ear to whisper, "I'm sleeping

here tonight. " It's not a request; it's a declaration. The kind that doesn't get to be questioned.

"And if I say no?" I raise my brows and confidence oozes from his words as he says, "You won't say

that. "

"You sound so sure of yourself, Ford. And you shouldn't be. " I say and he smiles before wrapping his

arms around me, dragging me along with him as he falls on the bed.

"I sleep better with you around, Carson. " He confesses and I press my lips into a thin line at the

reaction those words elicit from me.

"I need to change. " I tell Emerson and move his hands from my body before getting off the bed to

change into my usual attire. Emerson's gaze shamelessly remains on me after he got out of his

clothes, and climb back into the bed.

"You could have had the decency to turn away. " I taunt him as I fall next to him, and Emerson wraps a Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

hand around my body, twisting me so my back is pressed to his front. "I've seen those movements too

many times to have decency, Carson. "

"You wouldn't if it were to be otherwise. " I say and he chuckles, the sound tingling my face before it

dies down and peaceful silence settles in the air.

"Hey, Carson. " Emerson whispers with his lips on my ear and I shudder at the contact before I say,

"What?"

He lifts his body slightly from the bed and drops his mouth on my neck as he whispers, "Go out with me

tomorrow. "

"What?" The word falls from my mouth in surprise as I twist my body in his direction to stare up at him,

and Emerson repeats the words; firm and clear. "Go out with me tomorrow. "

"No. " My response to his suggestion comes out sharp and Emerson appears slightly taken aback by

the word, but he's quick to catch onto himself as he lifts his brows at me. "Why not?"

"What do you mean why not? I'm not going to go on a date with you, Ford. " I state the obvious with my

lips turned in a frown. A date with Emerson Ford is transcending all boundaries; going beyond what

shouldn't be; crossing a line that should never be crossed between the two of us.

"It's not a date. " Emerson says, pulling me back to the moment. "I don't want to stay home, and I need

some company. "

"Then you should head back to school. " I tell him with a dismissive raise of my shoulder and Emerson

shakes his head, "No, I can't do that. Not yet. "

"Why not?" I question, narrowing my eyes at him and he shifts his gaze from me, his eyes falling on my

lower body as he slips his hand underneath the thin shirt I have on and twirls his finger around my belly

button. I swat his hand away when it begins to tickle and Emerson lifts his head to me again to say, "I'm

not done with what I came here for. "

"A day home wouldn't kill you, Ford. " I point out and he disagrees with my words. "Not physically, but it

would somehow. "

"Asking me to go out with you is against the rules of our agreement. " I remind him and Emerson only

thinks about it for a few seconds before he says, "Rules are meant to be bent to make things easier,

Carson and if we're being honest, we've been doing things that go against some rules at certain

moments, but as long as we only bend it for those moments and not break it, then it should be fine.

Plus it isn't actual closeness, it's more of passing away time. "

I shouldn't. Do not cross that damn line, Eva. No matter how much you want to be there for him, do not

fucking cross– "I'll rethink my decision if you beg nicely. " The words leave my mouth against my better

judgement, pushing away the rational thoughts screaming at me from the back of my head.

Emerson moves his other hand from around my neck and turns his body over mine completely with his

hands pressed on either side of me, pinning me to the bed.

"I have a better idea that could change your mind. " He doesn't remove his eyes from mine as he lifts

one hand and caresses the skin of my exposed thighs– igniting a reaction from me the second there's

contact and leaving a burning ache everywhere his hand glides over.

My eyes move to the door and the realization that I'm about to fall into Emerson's game when my

parents are literally down the hall snaps me out of the enhancement his touch got me into and I slap his

hand away with a scowl directed at him as I say, "You are lucky I'm letting you sleep here, Ford and

now you want more?"

"What are you afraid of?" He mumbles as he moves over me again and I push at his chest, causing

him to lose his balance and fall next to me.

"I'm not afraid–" I start as I turn to the side to meet his eyes. "But I'm not about to let you fuck me in my

father's house. "

"Will you change your mind if I manage to do that?" He wiggles his brows and I throw him a glare,

which earns a laugh from him.

"Fine, " he says through the sound. "Come out tomorrow with me, Carson–" when I give him a blank

face, he adds, "Please. "

"That's more like it. Maybe I would after all. " I wink at him and he lets out a tiny chuckle before draping

a hand over my waist to bring me closer. As I attempt to get into the favourite position with him, there's

a knock at my door and what follows is the sound of my father's voice. Oh fuck–

I lift my eyes to Emerson and press a finger to my lips as a gesture for him to keep quiet before sliding

out of the bed, and striding towards my door. Pulling the door back, Dad stands in front of me in his

usual attire which tells me he just finished working.

"Hey, dad. " I smile at him and he tries to take a peek behind me, but I move along with the movement

of his eyes and when he looks back at me, I stop. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard some sounds coming from your room. Wanted to check to make sure you're alright. "

He says and I nod. "Of course, I am. That was just the sound of my movie. "

"Are you sure?" He furrows his brows as he repeats his earlier action and I move along again. "I don't

know, it sounded like you were speaking to someone, Princess. "

"Oh, that was the movie. I was too invested in it. " The lie falls smoothly that I pat myself in the back for

it when Dad gives me a look that tells me he believes those words.

"Alright, Princess, but you shouldn't stay awake all night doing that. You need to take a rest, and try not

to talk too loud. " When he jerks his head in the direction of his room, I give him a thumbs up to tell him

I understand.

"Will do. " I assure him and he smiles, moving forward to press his lips to my forehead before pulling

back to say, "Goodnight, Princess. "

"Goodnight, Dad. " I give him a wave before shutting the door when I ensure he's down the hallway.

The sight of Emerson on the bed with his hands behind his head, flexing his biceps which gives a surge

to a fantastic view, welcomes me as I push back against the doorframe.

"Come to bed. " He says, and goddamn– if those are not the sexiest words I've heard all day. With the

lowered voice and the eye contact, I suddenly wish this was a different situation and we weren't stuck

in this room so I would crawl to that man and give him a show that'll undoubtedly be one of the best

he's ever gotten in his entire life. But with everything surrounding us, I have no choice but to press my

thighs together to soothe the ache that has risen because of Emerson Ford and hope I can make it

through the rest of the night with him on my bed without jumping at him in the middle to swipe my

tongue down his mouthwatering skin.

"Carson–" the familiar call of my name snaps me out of my perverted, raucous thoughts and I push my

body off the wall to walk to bed, climbing on my side and snuggling into his chest without another word.

"You're wet, Carson. " Emerson announces as his hand slips between my legs and rubs the sweet spot

between my thighs; doing absolutely nothing to get those dirty images off my mind and everything to

intensity them.

I lift my head from Emerson's chest to stare down at his boxers and his cock is straining against the

material, threatening to make a hole if it isn't let out. "You're hard. " I tell him as I give faint rubs over his

bulge and I feel Emerson's loud sharp inhale.

"That looks painful, " I say as I continue to give faint rubs that I know only worsen the situation as much

as he does to the mess between my legs with his fingers.

"I know. " He sighs as he moves his hand from my thighs. "Eyes shut should get me out of it. "

When my lips parts to speak, Emerson says, "I can't handle a touch from you to me or from me to you;

I'll end up moving you to your fours and fucking you, Carson and I wouldn't give a shit whether your

father catches me in the act or not, and trust me he would– because I won't let you hold back your

screams. " There's a thrill that's attached to dangerous things and that thrill floats through me at those

words from him, but that thrill doesn't always turn out to be fun if it goes the wrong way, which is why I

follow Emerson's safe advice and close my eyes as I press my head to his chest.

"Your heart is beating too fast, Ford. " I call him out as a tease and Emerson growls lowly in response.

"Shut up and close your eyes, Carson. "

I chortle and let him stroke my hair before I do as he said.

~

When I open my eyes, the first gaze I take is to my right and the space beside me is empty with the

imprints of Emerson Ford's body nearly invisible, which means he's been out of here for a long time.

I breathe and stretch my hands behind my head before the vibration of my phone interrupts me and I

grab the mobile; his name staring back at me.

ANNOYING FORD: Dress sexy and meet me where I dropped you last time.

His message is straight to the point and I scoff at the first words. Dress sexy?

ME: I've never dressed ugly, Ford and why the fuck are you texting me this so damn early?

Before I can scroll away from his message, there's a new text.

ANNOYING FORD: Aww, cute of you to have such high esteem about your dressing, Carson. It isn't

early, it's past nine.

I'm about to call out Emerson for his words until my gaze catches the time at the edge of the screen

and my mouth hangs open. Past nine? Why the fuck did I sleep so much?

Dismissing the other topic, I type out a reply to his insult.

ME: That explains why you're obsessed with my body.

ANNOYING FORD: I love your pussy and your tits; not your clothes. It's what's underneath, Carson. If

it were to be otherwise, It'd be such a pity.

ME: Could have fooled me, Ford but expressing your thoughts about yourself to me isn't the right way

to deal with it, and one more point: what's underneath is as pitiful as what's on the surface.

With a satisfied grin on my face at my response, the three dots appear at the edge of the screen which

indicates he's typing and when a few seconds pass without a text, I cackle and throw my phone to the

side before getting out of bed.

I make my way into the bathroom, and strip out of my clothes.

Walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist, I grab my backpack and spread

the clothes on the bed.

After a few minutes of indecision, I settle on my light blue short dress with short sleeves. Cladding my

body in it, I stare at the mirror in front of me and pull my hair into a tight ponytail before grabbing my

phone to walk out of the room.

Making my way into the living room, mom is on the sofa with the remote control in her hand.

"Good morning, beautiful. " I greet her with a cheerful voice and her gaze drops to me.

"Morning, baby. Are you heading somewhere?" Mom asks as her eyes roam across my body and I bob

my head. "Out with a friend. "

"You didn't tell me Aliya came back with you, Eva. " She says with a frown.

"It isn't Aliya. She's back at campus. " I inform her and she furrows her brows, "Then what friend do you

mean? I didn't think you have any other friend apart from her?"

"Mom!" I exclaim, feigning annoyance and she laughs. "What? It's the truth, baby. I don't see you

around anyone else, but her. "

"Of course, I have other friends. Aliya just happens to be the best out of them. " I tell her and she hums.

"When do I get to meet this friend of yours?"

"You don't have to meet her, and no telling dad about this. " I say and when mom looks me down as a

silent complaint about the tone of my words, I add, "Please. "

A smile climbs on her face, taking over her hard demeanour and she gives a nod. "Alright, I'll cover for

you this time, but you don't get to be late. I don't want to be the only one in the house. "

"I'll be back before Mrs Martins leaves and before dad arrives. " I assure her, striding towards her to

press a kiss to her forehead before I pull back to say, "Don't do anything. Let Mrs Martins take care of

everything. "

"I won't. "

"Promise?" I pin her down with a hard look and she shakes her head, a laugh slipping through her

parted lips before she says, "Promise, baby. "

With another kiss on her cheek, I make my way out of the house and take the path that will lead me to

Emerson Ford.

True to his words, Emerson's car is parked at the same spot he dropped me four days ago, and I take a

look around out of instinctiveness before striding closer to the car. I make contact with my knuckles to

the window and when I hear the sound of a click, I pull back the door and climb inside his car.

Emerson is in his usual attire of blackness when I snap my head to him, except this time; he doesn't

bring his jacket along, leaving him in his round neck black T-shirt that tightens around his upper arms in

an annoyingly attractive way.

As I fasten my seatbelt, Emerson says, "I told you to dress sexy, Carson. "

"Fuck off and start the car. " I scowl at him and the sound of a chuckle swirls in the air before he starts

the engine and drives out of the spot.

I take a peek at Emerson when his eyes are on the road, and when he's about to meet my gaze; I look

away and stare down at my phone with a fast heartbeat.

The more Emerson drives further away from our houses; the more I'm reminded that this is a fucking

disaster, but we're somehow both getting into it.