Chapter 11
Reluctantly, Emmerson broke off the kiss and did his best to balance the woman in his arms while he snagged the suitcase of cash.
“What are you doing?” Rumor whispered, tickling his neck with her hot breath.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave this out here, do you?”
“I guess not, but why don’t you put me down.”
“Not on your life,” he said. “But I’ll let you hold the handle. I mean, it is on wheels.” He adjusted her body. She wasn’t very heavy, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be and he was still running on fumes. He managed to open the slider, clicking it locked behind him while she nibbled on his ear and neck, driving him crazy. He’d never met anyone like Rumor.
Gently, he laid her down on the bed, her legs still tight around his waist. He stared into her soft, adoring eyes. Everything was happening so fast. His emotions were swirling around his gut like a race car at the track. He didn’t know if he wanted to speed up or slow down.
He wasn’t sure if he had any control at all anymore.
The only thing he did know for sure, was that Rumor had taken hold of his heart and he didn’t think he’d ever get it back.
“What?” she whispered.
“You’re beautiful.”
“I’m already in your bed. You don’t have to?—”
He pressed his finger over her lips. “I’m saying it because I mean it. And also, I get the feeling you haven’t heard it enough in your life.”
A gasp echoed in the night as she sucked in a breath.
“Don’t ever let anyone make you feel less than. Not even me. You’re one special woman.”
“Thank you.” She palmed his cheek, running her thumb over his scruff. “This has to go.”
“I know. I hate it. My five o’clock shadow starts at three, and by nightfall, it’s out of control.” He smiled. “But not until tomorrow, unless you tell me otherwise.”
She gave him a good shove, rolling him to his back and straddling his hips. Ripping off her shirt, she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, tossing it across the room.
His breath caught in his throat as he watched her, mesmerized by her confidence and beauty.
Their connection felt electric, every touch igniting a fire within them both. She traced the outline of his lips with her fingertips, teasing him with a mischievous smile. He couldn”t help but be captivated by her, by the way she moved and the way she made him feel alive.
Her hair fell around them like a curtain, framing her face in an ethereal glow. His heart thudded loudly in his chest as she leaned down, pressing a trail of kisses along his jawline and neck.
She tugged at his shirt, yanking it over his head, and then dotted kisses across his stomach.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Removing the rest of your clothing.” In an instant, his shorts were at his ankles.
“If I’m going to be naked, then you have to be too.”
“All in good time.” She curled her fingers around his length.
He hissed, dropping his head back on the pillow. His breaths came in short, choppy pants. He fisted the sheet and curled his toes, praying he didn’t turn into a horny teenager as he stared down at the most erotic thing that had ever happened to him. “That’s enough,” he managed to croak out, tugging at her hair.
She stared at him, licking her lips.
“You’re going to be the death of me.” He slid off the edge of the bed, carefully removing her shorts and resting her legs over his shoulders. He kissed her intimately. Softly. Slowly at first. Savoring every lick. She tasted like honey and he wanted every last drop.
As he continued to explore her, she moaned softly, her hands gripping his hair, pulling him closer. Her breaths were ragged and he knew she was close to the edge.
Her sweet scent filled the room. She wriggled with every touch, rolling her hips with the motion of his tongue.
“Yes, Emmerson. Yes.” Her climax slammed into his mouth.
He didn’t need anything more. Her pleasure was all that mattered.
But once again, he found himself on his back, with her on top. She wasted no time guiding him inside, grinding her hips against him with wild abandon.
His hands tightened around her hips, pulling her against him, as she threw her head back in pleasure. He groaned, their bodies moving in perfect rhythm, the heat and friction between them building up to a crescendo.
She moaned his name, her eyes locked on his, and in that moment, their souls were intertwined.
Their eyes meeting was the only thing he needed—proof that this was more than just carnal desire. It was affection, it was—dare he even think it—love, and it was everything he”d ever dreamed of.
Their bodies shook with climax, their hearts pounding in unison as she fell to his chest, their breaths ragged and intermingled.
He held her close, running his hands up and down her back, unable to speak for fear he might actually utter the words I love you. It was too soon for that. Way too soon. And with danger lurking at every corner, he couldn’t risk it. They would have time to discover more about each other. Time to fall in love properly.
He rolled to his side, tugging the covers over their bodies, taking a moment to reflect on his life. This was exactly the position he’d promised himself he’d never be in again. It wasn’t about loving, but loving too quick. Trusting his heart to someone without holding a piece of it back.
Only, every other time he thought he’d been in love, that’s what he’d done. He’d hidden parts of himself away. As if to keep them secret, only to be revealed when he deemed whoever worthy.
But that never happened.
He propped himself up on his elbow. “Is there anything you want to know about me?”
“That’s an odd question right about now.” She traced her finger up and down his biceps. “What do mean?”
“I know a lot about your past. Do you have any burning questions about mine?”
“Have you done anything illegal?”
He burst out laughing.
“It’s a legit question.”
He cleared his throat. “There are levels of illegal and let’s say I’ve committed a few misdemeanors in my day, but nothing that would land me in anything but county lockup for a night.”
“I want details of the offenses and if you ever spent the night in jail.”
“You’re nuts,” he said. “Okay. Let’s see here. I ran naked through town.”
“No way.” She sat up, hugging the sheet to her chest. “How old were you?”
“Sixteen and my while my mom thought it was funny, she had to pretend she was pissed.” He fluffed the pillow and adjusted himself a little taller. “I smoked pot in high school and while it’s medically legally in this state now, it certainly wasn’t back then. I jumped the fence to the state park after hours.” He glanced toward the ceiling. “God, I’m lame and pretty much a Goody Two-shoes.”
“You’re a cop’s kid. I think one would expect you to be.”
He held up his index finger. “I did spend the night in the slammer when I was seventeen. But that was only because my mother made us all do that. She thought it would be a good lesson.”
“That’s just cruel.”
“Nah. She put us in there when it was full of drunks and morons. It kind of did the trick,” he said. “Anything else you want to know?”
“I kind of love this twenty questions thing.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “How old were you when you lost your virginity?”
“If I answer that, you have to as well.”
“Deal.” She nodded.
“Seventeen.”
“Eighteen,” she said. “With who? Where? And what was it like?” She tilted her head and batted her lashes.
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. I want to know the sordid details.”
“You asked for it.” No one he ever dated asked him questions like this, much less enjoyed the conversation. Not that he wanted to rehash his entire past, but this part of his life he could laugh at. It wasn’t too serious, though slightly embarrassing. And it felt normal to share it with Rumor. “Her name was Stephanie and she was two years older than me.”
“Interesting.”
He chuckled. “My mother hated her, especially because she was older. But seventeen is legal consenting age, so Mother didn’t have a leg to stand on and that burned her ass, especially when she found the box of condoms in my room. She went nuts, telling me that a woman like Stephanie was nothing but trouble.”
“What did you do?”
“I was in my rebel against Mom stage, so I brought Stephanie around every chance I got.”
Rumor shrugged against his body, resting her chin on his chest, and stared at him with wide eyes, hanging on his every word. She had a way of making him feel like he was the most important person in the room. It didn’t matter that he was the only person around, because no one ever gave him this kind of attention.
Except his immediate family.
And they didn’t count.
“To make a long story short, Stephanie was pretty experienced. She taught me a lot of things about sex.”
“Like what, specifically?”
“I don’t know. Like how to do it.” He laughed. “Oral?”
“You mean that thing you did with your tongue?”
“Yeah. That.” He shook his head. “We’re getting sidetracked. The point is, she liked sex. A lot. Even my seventeen-year-old self struggled to keep up. One night, she got ahold of my mother’s handcuffs.”
“Oh my God.” She lifted her head. “You let her tie you up.”
“One of the biggest mistakes of my life.” He let out a sigh. “I had a lot to learn about women and had no idea she was all that pissed at me for blowing her off to hang with my friends.”
“Oh, that’s not cool.”
“It’s not the worst, but yeah, I didn’t even call her.” He shrugged. “I thought she’d forgiven me. She hadn’t. She cuffed me to bed. Naked. Mind you, this was at an abandoned camp. Left me there and then called the cops about a trespasser. Imagine my surprise when my mother walked in.”
Rumor dropped her head to his chest and burst out laughing. “That has to be the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.” She brushed her hair from her face. “Any chance I’ll ever meet this girl?”
“Probably. She’s married to a buddy of mine and lives in town.”
“That’s got to be awkward.”
“Only when my mother brings up handcuffs.” He arched a brow. “Your turn, only I’m guessing I don’t want to hear about your first.”
“No. That would just piss you off and sour the mood.” She pressed her warm lips on his chest. “But I did once date this guy for a couple of weeks who had a foot fetish. He liked to suck my toes. It was gross and freaked me out. I had to break up with him.”
“Yeah. I’ll suck on a few things, but toes aren’t one of them.” He reached out, running his thumb over her bottom lip. “You’re a strong woman. I can see that. But I’m sorry you’ve had to run for so long. I hate that you’ve never been able to settle in and see what life is like when you don’t have to look over your shoulder. And that you’ve never been able to develop strong, lasting bonds with people.” She opened her mouth, but he hushed her with his finger. “I get you’ve been doing it all on your own and I respect that. But you don’t have to anymore. Not if you don’t want to.”
“Thank you for adding in that last part. It means a lot.”
“I can be a real selfish prick when I want to be and I want you to give this community a chance. But I also know that your entire adult life has been built on moving. That’s not an easy habit to break, even when you longer have to.”
“Why are you saying this?”
Oh boy. He’d really gone and done it now. He might as well lay it on the line. “Because I care about you. Because I want to see where whatever this is between us can go.” He kissed her softly. “I don’t take many risks when it comes to matters of the heart. Both times I jumped in headfirst, I got burned. Since then, I’ve been dating here and there, but never really putting myself out there. Until you walked into my life. Now look at me. I’m a blubbering idiot.”
“I would never call you that.” She palmed his face. “But can we get through one thing at a time? Deal with the whole Tony and Tom thing before we define what we are or I go making any big plans to stay.”
“I can live with that.” His cell buzzed. He reached across her to the nightstand and lifted it, staring at a text from his father. “My dad will be here in ten minutes.”
“Why?”
“He doesn’t exactly say. Only says to get dressed and meet him at the door.”
“How does he know you’re not wearing clothes?”
“He doesn’t, but he’s making an educated guess based on a message from my mother.” Emmerson waved his phone. “Shall I read you my dad’s text?”
“Sure. Why not.”
He laughed. “Hey. You and Rumor need to get out of bed, get dressed, and meet me at the door in ten. There’s something we need to discuss. Something your mother didn’t consider until after we spoke and it’s important. Get moving, Saucy. Damn, that’s an awful name. Who gave it to you anyway? See you shortly.” He tossed back the covers, found his shorts, and hiked them up over his hips.
“If I had known that name was going to stick, I would have never said it.”
“Trust me. They will tire of it. They always do.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He nodded. “We used to call Miles Mr. Fingers. It lasted a month. And Jameson was Fireball for a while and after Stephanie, everyone called me Houdini, so yeah, it will disappear eventually.”
“Good.”
Ding-dong.
“My dad doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” He waved his finger over the bed.
She pulled the covers over her head. “I have no idea why I’m so utterly embarrassed.”
“Of all the people in my family, he’s the least likely to razz either one of us too hard. But everyone still acts like a bunch of stupid teenagers, so expect a little teasing.” He leaned over, yanked the covers, and kissed her sweet lips. He’d never get enough of her. “Just remember it’s more about me, than you. And they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t like you.”
“Right.”
“I’ll see you out there.” He snagged a shirt and made his way out of the bedroom and to the front door. “You could have used your key.”
His father stepped into the foyer. He was starting to look his age with deep-set lines around his eyes and lips. His hair had begun to gray and thin and he’d put on a few pounds over the years, but he was still fit.
And handsome.
His dad was one of the fairest men Emmerson had ever known. Growing up, he’d always been the voice of reason, where his mom ruled with an iron gavel. Whenever any of the boys needed advice, they generally went to their dad, unless it was regarding police work. But even then, there were times Emmerson wanted his father’s perspective. He could always see both sides of the coin, something his mother struggled with.
“You have a young woman in this house. I wasn’t walking in on that.” His dad slapped his shoulder. “I’ve only met her a couple of times, but she seems like a nice girl and your mother really likes her. Can’t shut up about her. It’s Rumor this. And Rumor that.”
“Could have fooled me. One minute she was all over me to take her out. Next minute she was up my ass to stay away.”
“It was all about the timeline, never the girl, but that’s been cleared up.”
“Do you want anything to drink? Eat?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a beer.” His dad eased onto one of the stools at the island, setting his briefcase on the counter. “I have to ask. Where did this Mr. Saucy shit come from? I feel so out of the loop.”
“Believe it or not, Rumor started it.” Emmerson pulled out two beers, setting one in front of his father. “It all started with a random comment about handcuffs.” He waggled his finger. “At the time, she had no idea about Stephanie or what happened.”
“And she does now?”
Emmerson ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah.”
“Wow. I’m shocked. You hate telling that story to anyone and we’re not allowed to bring it up.”
“I find myself willing to tell her all sorts of things.” Emmerson leaned against the counter. “This thing with Rumor has come on hard and way too quick. I can’t seem to slow it down and honestly, I’m not sure I want to and that’s not like me.” Emmerson often saved these types of conversations for Emmett. Or Rhett. They both shared some major heartbreak. So had Jameson. They commiserated with one another at different times in their lives. But now that they all had wives and were happy in their relationships, Emmerson found himself at a crossroads with his brothers. It wasn’t that he couldn’t confide in them.
He could.
But it was different.
And he didn’t want to bring them down.
Besides, his father had always been a good sounding board and he understood Emmerson like no one else.
“Are you telling me this because you want my opinion? Or are you just saying it out loud to sort your thoughts.”
“Perhaps a little of both.”
His father took a slow sip of his beer. “You know I’ve always loved your mother and I always will.”
“What does that have to do with my insane feelings for Rumor?”
“I couldn’t let go of your mother because of you boys. And then there was Jameson. I made a commitment to raise him as my own. I can’t regret that even though it hurt him.” His dad raised his hand. “But your mom and I stopped loving each other the way a married couple should probably after Nathan was born. We kept having kids to keep our marriage together. Again, no regrets because you kids are everything to both of us. It bonded your mother and me in ways that are unbreakable and why we’ve been able to remain such good friends. But for me, it’s made me like you in some ways.”
“What does that mean?”
“Unable to trust.” His father arched a brow. “You mom was in love with another man and that hurt. It took a long time for me to get over that and to be able to be with someone in a loving relationship and not stew in the past. To not sit and wait for the shoe to drop. I’ve watched the way you form relationships with women and it’s always the same thing. You look for the flaws and the second you find one, you home in on it and expect the worst. But with Rumor, you knew she was hiding something and yet you trusted your gut instinct for the first time since Tessa.”
“That was a mistake.”
“Probably, but since then, you’ve never given anyone a chance.” His dad lifted his beer. “And to be fair, you pushed Tessa away. The second you bought a house with her, you started walking out that door.”
Emmerson stiffened his spine. “Are you trying to tell me it’s my fault she cheated?”
“Not at all. She did that. But cheating isn’t what ended that relationship. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” His dad tapped his finger on the counter. “Don’t go looking for trouble where there isn’t any. Rumor has baggage. She found herself in a shitty situation and she did a stupid thing out of fear. She had no support. No family. All she knew was abandonment, pain, loneliness, and the wrong side of the law. What’s important is that she’s doing what’s right now and there’s nothing wrong with falling hard and fast. Or for someone who has a checkered past. The key is communication and if you’re telling her things, and she you, then you have nothing to worry about. It’s when you stop talking that you need to be concerned.”
“That’s what happened to you and Mom? You stopped talking?”
“Your mother and I had seven boys to discuss. That’s how we lasted as long as we did. But outside of that, she dedicated her life to this community and I worked long hours. We couldn’t talk about what to have for breakfast without it being an argument.” His dad tapped his temple. “Stop thinking so much. And if there is something that comes up and you need an answer, ask her the question. Don’t sit around and wait for her, because all that will happen is you will end up closing yourself off from the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”