Page 86 of Thaddeus

“That’s it, Emmy baby, take it. Grind down.”

My hips bucked, not because he’d suggested it but because I was so close, I couldn’t do anything but find it.

“Close,” I panted.

“Don’t need the warning, baby. You’re tight as all hell, and you’re clamping down. Hurry, Emmy. I got you.”

Thaddeus straightened and I lost his heat on my back, he started pounding harder and I was gone.

I found it.

My thighs shook, my arms gave way, and at the last second, I remembered his request and I came shouting his name.

“Fucking beautiful,” he roared and slammed deep. “Feels so damn good to be home.”

Sometime later when I’d come down from the high that was Thaddeus Bench, he was on his back, I was pressed close to his side, one thigh thrown over his, one arm over his stomach, and my palm resting on his heart.

Not only did I believe, but I knew deep in my soul, Thaddeus had meant every word he’d said. They weren’t spoken in the heat of passion. They weren’t said to make me feel good. He spoke the truth, so there was nothing I could do but hold on.

Which I figured would be easy. And I had to agree, it felt good to be home.

“I love you, Thaddeus,” I whispered.

“Se agapó, Emerson.”

Thad

We were in the rental car driving to Decker “Gumby” Kincade’s beach house and Emerson was in the passenger seat fiddling with her seat belt. She’d been doing it since we’d left The Del.

“Why are you nervous, Emmy?” I asked.

“What? Why do you think I’m nervous?”

“Because I know you. You fidget when you’re nervous, and you haven’t stopped moving since we got in the car.”

“I’m not sure I like that you remember all of my habits,” she mumbled irately.

I did. I liked that I knew her every tell, yet each day with her I discovered something new. It was the best of both worlds. We shared a deep connection and familiarity, but we were still on a journey of discovery.

“So, why are you nervous?” I asked again.

“Because I’m meeting your friends.”

I thought about what I could tell her about Gumby and his fiancée Sidney. I didn’t know much about the woman, only learning they were getting married later this month, from Declan earlier that morning. When the team had met Sidney at Faith’s animal rescue before the mission, there was an obvious connection between her and Gumby, and she was wearing what I’d thought looked like an engagement ring, but during the short meeting, there’d been no time for personal inquiries. Gumby’s team was leaving for a mission and so was our team and gathering intel had been more important.

“Gumby is—”

“Gumby?”

“Decker’s nickname,” I told her, forgetting I’d called him by his given name when I told her we were going to his house.

“Why is his nickname Gumby?” she asked.

“No idea. You earn your nickname, so it could be anything. The team could’ve christened him Gumby because he’d squeezed his body through a small opening and they thought he looked like the cartoon character as he did it. Or he could’ve gotten sick on a mission and turned green before he lost his cookies. Don’t know how he earned it, and I doubt he’d share.”

“Do you have a nickname?” she asked.

“When I was in the teams, it was Jack. Now when we’re on a mission that requires radio call signs, the team uses MacGyver.”