Kiss Me if You Can

Josh didn’t wake up until it was nearly afternoon. Still lying down, he blinked blankly at the ceiling before slowly sitting up, disheveled. The only reason he’d been able to sleep this late was probably because of the “cold” excuse. Thanks to that, his body now felt much lighter.
Thank god the heat cycle didn’t come.
He let out a soft sigh of relief that slipped out on its own, then finally got out of bed.

“Huh?”
“Hey.”
As he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, he happened to lock eyes with Isaac, who was walking from the other side. Isaac picked up his pace and greeted him brightly.

“How’s the cold? Are you feeling better?”
Josh nodded.
“What about you? What happened yesterday? Mark seemed really pissed.”

“Eh, it’s fine.”
Isaac replied briefly. He clearly didn’t want to talk about the previous day, so Josh didn’t press further. They continued walking down the long hallway together before Isaac spoke again.
“…What happened with C?”

“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?”
“I mean…”
Josh could tell what Isaac was trying to ask, but he pretended not to notice. Isaac hesitated, then said,

“C hasn’t come out of his room since yesterday. So… I thought maybe you knew something…”
“No, I don’t.”
There was really only one thing Isaac wanted to know: why Josh had come back covered in so much of C’s pheromones. Unless he found the courage to ask directly, he’d never get an answer. Not that Josh had any intention of telling him even if he did.

Their conversation ended there, and the two of them reached the main hall.
“I’m heading out for a patrol then…”
“Oh, Josh.”
“What?”

Isaac called to him like he’d made up his mind, but then hesitated again. Josh waited a moment, but when no words followed, he spoke.
“If you feel like saying it later, say it then. I’m going.”
He kept it simple and turned around. Behind him, a bell rang and Isaac answered his phone.

“A visitor? …C approved it? Yeah, I’ll bring her in…”
Josh kept walking, stepping outside the mansion. The blazing sun beat down as always, and he pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put them on.
Aside from the occasional rustle of leaves in the cool breeze, the world was eerily quiet. The peacefulness felt surreal. What happened yesterday seemed like a dream—doing that with Chase, getting outed as an Omega by Seth, even just now with Isaac.

Was I really just dreaming something completely absurd this whole time?
He was half-doubting everything when a car rolled up across the garden.
Huh?

He suddenly stopped. The car looked familiar. He blinked in confusion as the vehicle passed him and stopped at the mansion’s front entrance. A moment later, the car door opened and the driver stepped out. As she turned her head, her face showed a surprise equal to Josh’s own.
Emma.
Her name echoed silently in his mouth. Just then, the front door opened. Josh turned instinctively, just as Isaac appeared and greeted her.

“Hello, I was expecting you. Please, come in.”
“Thank you.”
Emma smiled smoothly with a practiced, professional air. Isaac turned and began leading her inside. As she followed, Emma glanced back. Her eyes met Josh’s—and her smile vanished like a mask being ripped off. The meaning in her stare was unmistakable.

We need to talk. Later.
As she turned back to Isaac, her face returned to a serene and pleasant expression as if nothing had happened.
From the moment Chase woke up, his mood was awful. Technically, it had started the night before—if anything, waking up just reminded him how miserable he already was.

The reasons were plenty. Lack of sleep. Self-hatred. Raw nerves.
And sexual frustration.
He ground his teeth audibly. Just remembering the biggest reason sent rage flaring through him. His eyes were bloodshot, heavy and sore, and there was no chance he’d fall asleep again now. After sitting blankly for a moment, Chase jumped up and stormed into the bathroom.

The cabinet was packed with all kinds of medication he regularly took. He grabbed a few bottles, dumped a handful of pills into his palm, and tossed them into his mouth without hesitation. He gulped down two full cups of water just to swallow it all.
Haa, haa.
Panting, Chase stared at his reflection. Tousled blonde hair, exhausted eyes ringed red, lips parted and wet from the water. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) His pale face glistened. His clenched hand nearly slammed into the mirror—but he stopped just in time.

What saved the mirror was the sudden ringing of the phone. A moment later, the answering machine picked up, and a man’s voice flowed out.
[Mr. Miller, are you awake? You have a visitor.]
The calm, professional voice belonged to one of the security team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the voice of the man who’d kept him up all night. The man continued.

[She says she’s Mr. Pitman’s secretary. She’s here to thank you for attending last night’s party. Should we let her in?]
Chase said nothing for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, the guard called to him again.
[Mr. Miller? Are you still asleep? Should we send her away?]

He sounded ready to hang up. Just before the call disconnected, Chase reached over and picked up the wall phone.
“Let her in.”
[Understood.]

The line went dead immediately, followed by silence. Chase rubbed his tired eyes and let out a long breath.
***
“Good morning, Mr. Miller. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Emma Bailey—Mr. Pitman’s secretary.”

With a smooth tone and polished elegance, Emma introduced herself. Chase stared at her with complete indifference. She was stunning—like she’d stepped off a screen. A striking beauty with a sleek figure and flawless enunciation. It almost felt like a statement: This is the level of Pitman’s secretary.
Even so, he didn’t react. Face blank, Chase flipped through a script and ignored her. But Emma didn’t flinch. With the grace of a pro, she continued her prepared lines.
“Thank you for attending the party. Thanks to your presence, everything wrapped up smoothly. It was an honor to have you—”

“I left in the middle, so what kind of bullshit is that.”
His blunt interruption caught her off guard. She paused for a second but quickly recovered, flashing a composed smile.
“Mr. Pitman asked me to check if there was anything that made you uncomfortable. I heard there was a small incident before you left. Things like that aren’t unusual at parties, of course, but…”

She deliberately let the implication hang. Chase didn’t respond. With his dry, blank expression and slow blinking, Emma assumed he wasn’t fully awake yet.
And she wasn’t wrong. Chase had clearly just forced himself out of bed—his eyes were still red, his face drawn with fatigue. Is he even understanding what I’m saying? If he claimed later he didn’t remember any of this, it would be a problem. Still, Emma kept going.
“You’re starting filming next week, correct? I’m here to relay that we hope you’ll approach the work with full commitment. We’d also appreciate it if you could wrap up your preparations before the shoot begins.”

She didn’t drop her smile as she added,
“Then I can report that there are no issues, and that the shoot will proceed smoothly as scheduled.”
Chase lifted his head and looked directly at her. Emma instinctively wanted to step back but instead straightened her spine and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Everyone’s really looking forward to your Doctor Flame, Mr. Miller.”
Without warning, Chase hurled the script in his hand. The thick booklet hit the wall with a heavy thud. Emma flinched, but quickly fixed her gaze back on him. Chase, visibly irritated, finally spoke.
“Yeah, I get it. Just tell them to leave me the hell alone. …I’ll forget what happened at the party.”

“Thank you.”
Emma bowed slightly, offering a smile that, for once, was genuine. It was a relief to hear those words from someone as difficult as him. She’d come here anxious that he might raise another fuss like he had during contract negotiations—dragging things out for no reason and making everything harder. But if she could file a clean report now, everything would be over. She hurried to finish speaking before he changed his mind.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact us. I’ll be on my way, then.”

Her tone was a little rushed, but she managed to wrap things up fairly well. With a brief smile, she turned on her heel. Just like when she’d arrived, the sound of her high heels was minimal, her stride controlled and deliberate.
“Finished?”
As she passed through the corridor, Seth spotted her and asked casually. From his voice, Emma immediately realized he was the one who’d asked her business from the monitoring room earlier.

“Yes, thanks to you. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Seth smiled, then offered,

“Shall I walk you to the front?”
“Oh, that’s alright. I can manage. Thanks, though.”
The cheerful refusal made it clear there was no room to insist. Seth chuckled awkwardly and stepped back. Emma nodded politely and turned without hesitation—leaving behind yet another overly muscular man, not her type at all.

“Emma.”
As soon as she stepped outside and the mansion doors shut behind her, another man not even remotely her type was waiting. Unfortunately, this one was her blood relative. The moment she saw Josh’s face, she dropped the polite smile and let her real self come out.
“Josh, what the hell. This was your job? You’re assigned to Chase Miller’s security now?”

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you…”
“I get it. We both have jobs that involve secrecy. But still, it’s insane. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
She threw her hands up in disbelief for a second, then let them fall. Josh didn’t drag things out—he grabbed her arm.

“Come with me a sec.”
“What, seriously, what’s there to talk about?”
Emma grumbled but followed him anyway. Josh led her around to the quiet rear of the mansion.

“What is it? What’s this about?”
Only once they were alone did she ask. But Josh didn’t look particularly rushed. Emma narrowed her eyes at the bright, charming smile her brother reserved for luring women—and now, apparently, was trying to use on her.
“Just wondering if you’re doing okay. You and Mom, everything alright?”

“Pete included, we’re all fine. Can you not smile like that? It’s creepy.”
“Hahaha.”
“I mean it.”

Emma repeated herself, but as always, Josh didn’t take her seriously. He kept smiling and added,
“I didn’t see you at the party yesterday. Didn’t expect to run into you again this soon.”
“House parties are handled by the butler. I didn’t know anything until Mr. Pitman called me himself with instructions—on a weekend, no less. At least I didn’t have anything scheduled.”

She added to herself: He better pay me extra for this. Tossing her lush blonde hair behind her shoulder, she asked again.
“So what happened at the party? All I was told was that there was an incident and I should check if he’s going to be difficult. You’d know, wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t.”

Josh only told her half the truth.
“I was on patrol outside. By the time I found out, it was already over.”
“You’re useless.”

“What?”
Emma had spoken her thoughts without meaning to and quickly coughed to change the subject.
“Anyway, you don’t have anything special to talk about, right?”

Josh had just wanted to see his sister. He nodded slightly, but then a thought struck him.
“How have you been lately? Seeing anyone?”
“Why? If you’re about to set me up with some ridiculous friend again, I swear—don’t even think about it. I’m warning you.”

Her defensive snap was something he’d seen countless times. He didn’t actually have anyone in mind for her, though—his concern lay elsewhere.
“It’s not that. Just curious. So, uh… Pitman’s not your type, right?”
“What? Who? Mr. Pitman? Are you seriously talking about my boss? Josh, tell me you haven’t completely lost your mind.”

Her horrified expression said everything. Clearly uncomfortable, Emma continued.
“Would you stop worrying about my love life? I’ll find someone who’s my type. When have your attempts ever worked out? You just get in the way!”
“You always pick guys who can’t be trusted.”

“And I told you I hate jock-types! I’ll date who I want, and you stay out of it!”
Emma glared daggers at him. Another familiar reaction. Josh was sure of it now.
“That guy… he works in the same department, doesn’t he?”

His sudden question made her pause and fall silent. Her expression gave her away, and Josh didn’t need to press further. Emma quickly changed tactics and shot him a deadly glare.
“Just try showing up near my office.”
“I’d never leave my client’s side.”

Josh replied smoothly, still smirking.
“But if Mr. Miller pays a visit, I’ll have to tag along. Strictly for work purposes, of course.”
“If you do that, I’ll put beans in Pete’s scrambled eggs every day!”

“Pete’s not going to blame me—he’s going to be mad at you.”
“You evil little—!”
Emma wanted to throttle him right then and there, but she held back. Clenching and unclenching her fists in the air a few times, she finally took a breath and spoke.

“Josh, please don’t screw this up. You’re doing really well.”
“Really?”