AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not on your life.” I winked, then stood and reached out my hand to her. “Walk me out?”
She took my proffered hand and as I helped her from the couch, I couldn’t help but notice how well we fit. At over six feet, it was hard to find someone who I didn’t feel as if I towered over them. Emory was five nine, but with the sexy heels she loved to wear, she stood closer to five eleven, bringing the top of her head to my chin. Our height was only one small check mark in a list of a thousand reasons why I thought she was my perfect match.
After countless years of reliving the horrors I’d seen on the battlefield, after the all-consuming guilt I’d felt for those who were lost under my command; her mere presence quieted the ghosts of my past. She was my redemption…my salvation. I was fully prepared to be as relentless in my pursuit of our future as I needed to be. Emory was mine. Now and for always.
The days were getting longer. Spring quickly approached, changing the normally frigid winter mountain air into a more tolerable chill. As we stepped out onto the landing at the top of the stairs, the fading light of the sun cast an ethereal glow on her face. She still looked entirely too ashen for my liking.
“Nickel for your thoughts?” she said, bringing me out of my head.
“Nickel? What happened to a penny?”
I wrapped an arm around her back, drawing her into my body. Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, I stared deeply into her chocolate-brown eyes; noting how there appeared to be a bit of gold around the edges.
“Inflation,” she chuckled.
I belted out a laugh.
“I’ll pick you up at ten thirty in the morning.” I kissed her forehead. “Wear something comfortable. Jeans and a long-sleeve shirt preferably.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bellezza.”
With two fingers under her chin, I tilted her back and crushed my mouth to hers. She opened immediately, and what started out as a smoldering fire escalated to a blazing inferno in the blink of an eye.
I’d never felt these kinds of emotions surge through my body from a kiss alone. There were so many, I had trouble keeping up with them. Desire and desperation. Euphoria and nervousness. The strongest though was contentment. No other woman had ever invoked such a strong sense of rightness inside of me.
My cock was ready to explode in my pants like some randy teenager, merely from her luscious body being so close. I knew I needed to slow things down, but as our combined moans and groans filled the air, I couldn’t for the life of me remember why.
“Jesus Christ!” Quin shouted from the kitchen. “You could’ve at least closed the door. I donotneed to hear all of that, let alone see it.”
Like a bucket of ice water had been poured over us, we jerked apart. My body detested the separation from hers. I fought against the urge to pull her back against me where she belonged, but I lost the battle when Emory face-planted into my chest, giggling so hard her shoulders shook. The sound was magical, so light and carefree, like all the bad in the world wouldn’t stand a chance against her light.
“Sorry,” she muttered, taking a step back.
“Don’t ever apologize for being happy.” I stroked her cheek with my finger. “That’s all I want. Go inside and lock up. I’ll see you in the morning. Dream of me.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, I sprinted down the steps and jogged to my car. There were still a few things I had to get in place for our date, as well as figuring out how to get eyes on Martin Jacobs. The man may have slipped through Kolton’s fingers, but he wouldn’t slip through mine.
EMORY
I WAS GONNAdie. Correction. I was gonna kill Luciano del Toro.
I’d been so drained when he’d left the night before, I barely had enough energy to shovel one piece of pizza into my mouth before I excused myself and went to bed. Quin followed shortly after and, let me just say, I’m grateful for my ability to fall back asleep quickly. She tossed and turned most of the night. You’d have thought she was the one who had a crazy man slashing her tires.
When I woke up, she’d still been in dreamland, so I decided to put on a pot of coffee. Throughout her nighttime adventures, she’d somehow managed to knock all the covers onto the floor, which was how I saw them. Bruises of varying colors littered her arms and thighs. The cold temperatures had helped her hide them but now, with her in panties and my T-shirt, it was impossible to unsee them.
Quin was a bit of a klutz and she worked three jobs, yet my gut was screaming it was more than that. She was already a smidge closed off, so I knew I’d have to tread carefully when I broached the subject, and I’d need backup. River would know how to approach her.
She took off around nine saying she had to make a pit stop at Bliss, the bar she worked at in town, to check the schedule since she’d called out the night before.
My morning woes were almost completely forgotten when I opened the door to see Luc’s smiling face. I even pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The man was lethal standing in my doorway wearing a pair of blue jeans, a fitted, charcoal, long-sleeve Henley, and a black leather jacket.
“Morning, babe.” He picked up my hand, giving it a light squeeze before bending down for a quick kiss.
“Hi,” I squeaked.
“Go grab your jacket and a sweatshirt. We’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of us.”
