I didn’t come to New York to tell Emily Carlton I love her. I came because I couldn’t let her go off to see some dickhead who hurt her without having backup. I know I’ve been that dickhead, but I won’t be him this time. She’s flushed in the hall lights, a warm, lush shade that makes me want to kiss her everywhere. I want to capture her with my hands, my mind, so I can have her like this whenever I want. “My heart has been yours since you walked into the pool house to steal my towel senior year at Oakwood,” I continue. Emily’s lips part, those amber...