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The knocking sounds again. It’s gentle, yet persistent.
I take a deep, shuddering breath and walk to the door. My heart is thudding as I yank it open to reveal Emma standing on the other side. The early morning sunlight plays off the chestnut hues in her soft curls and she looks exhausted. My heart immediately beats once, hard and painful.
“Dane, we have to talk,” Emma says. “You have to let me inside.”
“No,” I say. I start to close the door but Emma pushes me back and steps inside. The alcohol must have affected my reflexes and I nearly stumble as I whirl back around just in time to see her close the door behind her.
“Emma, you should leave,” I say warily. “It’s not good for you to be here.”
“No,” Emma says. For once, she sounds totally confident and self-assured. “I’m not leaving until you hear everything that I have to say.”
I stare at her.
“I love you,” Emma says. “I love you so freaking much, Dane. I can’t be without you.” She licks her lips and stares deep into my eyes. My heart starts to pound in my chest with elation, but I know that I can’t listen to her.
“You’re a child,” I say bitterly. “You don’t know what you want. You should be with someone your own age. Someone who will love you and grow old with you.”
Emma rolls her eyes. Her brown eyes flash with anger. “I’m not a child!” She cries loudly. “I’m twenty-one years old, for God’s sake! And I know what I want. I want you. You’re who I’ve always wanted, I just didn’t know it until we met.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Emma keeps going.
“Dane, we’re perfect together. Neither of us ever fit into the real world, and we’re outcasts. I always felt so lonely! But when I met you, I didn’t feel lonely anymore. You complete me, Dane. You’ve made me into a whole person.”
Emma comes closer and wraps her arms around my waist. My first instinct is to push her away but her warm, supple curves feel so good against my hard body that I can’t help but pull her closer and put my hands on her thick waist.
She tilts her head back and looks deeply into my eyes. Her own brown eyes are two velvet pools of softness that I want to dive inside and never emerge.
“Dane, before I met you, my life was a mess,” Emma says softly. “I hated myself. I was a loser, and I didn’t think that I deserved to be happy. I tried so hard to please other people that I never thought about myself. And you changed all of that. Now I believe in myself. You helped me realize that I’m a valuable person.”
“You are,” I say in a low voice. “But Emma, I’m not. I’m not worthy of you. I’m an animal. I’m a wild man who lives in the woods, I can’t give you the kind of life you’re used to having. I lost so much when I went to prison.”
“I don’t care about money,” Emma insists. “In fact, I’m happier without it. Money turns everyone into monsters. All I want is you.” She licks her lips. “And you’re wonderful. You’re the best man I’ve ever met.” She starts to tremble in my arms and I see that her eyes are filled with tears. “And I love you so damn much that I can’t take it. Being without you hurts too much.”
Her words stun me. I’ve always known that Emma is smart, but she seems to have really grown up before my eyes. She’s realized at a young age what took me years and years to understand: that money isn’t the key to happiness.
“I love you,” Emma repeats fiercely. “And I know that you love me, too. I wouldn’t have come back here if I didn’t think that you loved me.”
Her words awaken something in me and without even thinking about it, I dip my head to hers and kiss her passionately. She tastes like flowers and honey and I groan as I slip my tongue into her mouth and tangle my hands in her hair. Emma clings to my body and I wedge one of my thighs between her legs, nudging at her pussy through her jeans.
“God,” Emma whispers into my mouth. She breaks the kiss and nuzzles me fiercely, then hugs me so tightly that it hurts to breathe. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too, baby girl,” I growl.
“You do love me,” Emma says softly. She wipes her eyes with the backs of her hands but she’s smiling now. “I knew you loved me, Dane.”
“I do,” I confess. “I love you so fucking much. I don’t want you to go. I didn’t want you to go before.”
Emma’s chin quivers and the sight breaks my heart all over again. I hug her tighter.
