Mine to Hold

Chapter 12

Rumor stared at herself in the mirror.

This is your safe harbor.

Could it really be the one place she could stay forever? Could she actually allow herself to bond with this town and the people in it? With Emmerson?

She’d spent her childhood living in fear and feeling alone. Her parents were never around, even before they had abandoned her. They were drug addicts, a fact she had to accept.

Foster care had been no walk in the park either.

She might as well have not even existed in most of the homes she’d lived in. While her adult life had been an adventure, she’d still been alone. She had no one to call family. No one to call in the middle of the night if she needed a friend.

Up until now, she told herself it didn’t matter.

But it did.

She was thirty-three and she was tired of trying to tell herself she was happy.

She wanted a safe harbor.

A place to call home. Friendships. True bonds. Ones she could allow her heart to hold on to and have to say goodbye the moment her soul ached.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped from the master bath and made her way through the house. She paused in the kitchen, listening to the deep voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying and she could barely tell which was Emmerson and which one his father. They were so similar. She picked up the picture on the table near the fireplace. It was taken at Rhett’s wedding. The whole family. They were a good-looking bunch and it was obvious how much they loved and supported one another.

Her eyes burned as she gently set the frame back on the table. She’d brought them nothing but controversy and problems. She hated that for Emmerson and his family. They had done nothing but show her kindness, even Rebecca who had been harsh.

She’d only been doing her job.

Rumor couldn’t blame her for that.

She inched closer to the kitchen, collecting her thoughts.

“Hey, you.” Emmerson smiled. “You remember my dad.”

“I sure do. Hi, Mr. Kirby.”

“Please, call me Dalton.” He rose, leaning in and kissing her cheek as if she belonged in this house. “I don’t want to keep you two very long, so let me get right to the point.” Dalton opened his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “I used to be the district attorney, but two years ago, I left that position and became partners with my son Seth.”

“That really burned my mother’s ass.” Emmerson laughed.

“Everyone deserves their day in court and what your mom fails to understand, we’re not about seeing criminals get off, but about making sure?—”

“Save the lecture, Dad. I got no beef with what you and Seth do.” Emmerson pointed to the document on the counter. “What’s that?”

“Rumor, do you have a few dollars you can give me?”

“Why am I doing that?” Rumor asked, glancing between Emmerson and Dalton.

“Because I need you to hire me as your attorney.” He pushed the pen and paper across the table. “Sign that, hand me a few bucks as a retainer, and I’ll get to the point.”

“I don’t like this.” Rumor lifted the pen with a shaky hand. “Why do I need a lawyer?”

“I’m hoping that you won’t ever need my services. But after Rebecca and I spoke about this situation, I pointed out something that could happen and we both agreed that there are a couple of scenarios that could lead to you needing me. But I can’t get into them until you sign that. This way we will have attorney-client privilege. Make sense?”

“I guess so,” she said softly, but she wasn’t sure she followed.

Emmerson came up behind her and rested his strong hands on her shoulders, massaging gently. “It’s okay. Do it.” He reached around her and opened a drawer, pulling out a five-dollar bill. “Here you go, Dad.”

“Perfect.” Dalton placed the money and the document back in his briefcase. “Okay. Now, when Rebecca catches these assholes, and she will, we have no idea how it will play out.”

“Yeah, we do. Those fuckers will go to prison for a very long time,” Emmerson said.

“Well, there’s that.” Dalton held up his finger. “But there are some unknown factors we can’t account for. We don’t know if Tom is involved in Tony’s plan to take down Rumor.”

“I only met Tom a couple of times,” Rumor said. “I wasn’t involved in dealing drugs or anything. I wanted no part of that. I made that clear even though Tony didn’t listen and kept trying to pull me in.”

“This is part of the problem.” Dalton folded his hands and rested them on top of his briefcase. “I called a few people I know out in California about that murder you witnessed. They know Tony did it, but they can’t prove it. Since Tony went to prison, they consider it case closed. Two criminals off the streets. However, they want Tom. The heat got so bad for Tom that he moved his operation to Miami.”

“Dad, get to the point,” Emmerson said.

“Once Tom and Tony are arrested, it’s possible they will do what most criminals in their situation will do and that’s deflect, blame, and try to cut a deal. They will throw anyone under the bus. Now, they can’t blame Rumor for anything that happened here in Lighthouse Cove. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have something else up their sleeve.” He turned, pointing to the bag of cash sitting on the floor. “You took their drug money. You witnessed a murder. Whether you want to accept it or not, you have some knowledge of their operation back in California. And we have no idea how long they have been following you.”

“Rhett and Miles already looked into where she’s been and there has been no evidence of Tom’s drugs or related crimes.” Emmerson wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, as if to protect her.

She loved him for that.

Love.

What a strong and strange concept. She’d never loved anyone in her life. The closest she’d ever come to it was George. But she hadn’t loved him. She had deep feelings for him, which was why she boogied out of town. Getting too close to anyone was something she couldn’t afford to do. Not only because it could put her in danger.

But them.

Emmerson represented everything she tried to avoid. Besides being a cop, he was the kind of man she had always dreamed of. He was caring. Honest where it counted. Tender and loving.

And he showed up when she needed him most.

Even George hadn’t done that.

“I have them digging deeper, just to be prepared.” His father arched a brow. “My point is Tony spent almost fifteen years in prison. Because of what Rumor did. If he told Tom, and Tom is giving him some leeway to get her back, who knows what they are doing to set her up. All this is worst-case shit. I don’t think it will come to this. But I want our bases covered. That’s why I had to come tonight. So that document was dated today. If anyone asks, I was here when you told your story to Rebecca. Tessa and Johnny have already agreed to that fact.”

“Seriously? Tessa said she’d do that?” Emmerson asked. “I’m shocked. She hates me.”

“That’s not true.” Rumor shifted her gaze. “If you believe that, you’re a dumbass. She’s hurt and I feel bad for what I said to her.”

“I like this one. She’s smart. And she’s right. You and Tessa might not have been right for each other, but you’re both holding on to displaced anger. Time to let that shit go,” Dalton said, lifting his beer and taking another swig. “Rumor, if it comes down to them trying to pin anything on you, including that murder from fifteen years ago, we’re going to have to sit down and have a serious conversation about exactly what happened. And you will have to make a formal statement. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” He stood. “I’ll see myself out.”

“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate the heavy dose of honesty.”

“Call me if you need anything, son.” Dalton gave Emmerson a man hug before taking her by the shoulders. “This family has adopted you as one of our own. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.” He kissed her cheek. “Make sure my boy here is taking good care of you. He can be a little moody at times, but he’s a good egg.”

“I agree on both counts.” She wrapped her arms around Dalton. Never in her life had she felt so many emotions in one day. But mostly, she felt safe. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, darling.” Dalton snagged his briefcase and waved his free hand over his head.

“You look almost exactly like your father,” Rumor whispered.

“I get that a lot.” He kissed her forehead. “For the record, I’m not moody.”

She laughed. “Yes, you are. But I would be too if I had your job. Honestly, I don’t know how you do it.”

He lifted her off the ground and set her ass on the counter, wrapping her legs around his waist. “I’ve told you before, being a cop in this small town is mostly boring. I scare kids out of the park at night. I deal with stolen bikes. Give speeding tickets. Sometimes the most excitement I have is dealing with naked neighbors having sex in open spaces.” He arched a brow.

“Seriously?”

“A few months ago, we got a call about a couple who were constantly doing the nasty in their outside shower for all the neighbors to see. The problem in this state is if you have a cage over your pool, it’s kind of considered inside and if you want to walk around naked, you can. But they didn’t have a cage. We had to ask them to stop. Only, when I got there, they were in the middle of it.”

“Live porn. What fun.”

“Not really. They were seventy-eight. It was almost worse than walking in on your mother and her new husband.”

“Oh God. That had to have been embarrassing… for your mom.” Rumor rested her hands on his shoulders. Her chest tightened and her heart fluttered. No way could she be falling in love with this man. It couldn’t happen this quick.

And certainly not to her.

“All I can say about that is thankfully I didn’t actually see anything because it would have scarred me worse than having my mother see me naked, handcuffed to a bed.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “With my brother standing there laughing his ass off.”

“Oh my. You didn’t tell me that juicy piece of information before.” She palmed his cheek.

He blinked.

“The five o’clock shadow is sexy, but once it gets to this, you start looking like a bum.”

“I know. The only one of us boys who can do facial hair is Rhett. But he is a bum,” Emmerson said with a beaming smile. “I’ll shave it in the morning. Right now, I have other things on my mind.” He tugged her shirt over her head and pinched her nipple with his thumb and forefinger.

She groaned, dropping her head back, threading her fingers through his short hair as he sucked her nipple into his mouth. She couldn’t get enough of him and she never wanted it to end. She’d sailed into this town and it had touched her heart.

But Emmerson had stolen it and her soul.

He dotted kisses down her stomach as he removed her shorts and panties, tossing them haphazardly to the side. He licked the inside of her thigh, staring up at her with an adoring gaze.

It nearly brought tears to her eyes.

He ran his finger over her hard nub, teasing and toying with her until she begged him to give her the satisfaction only he could deliver. He smiled before diving two fingers inside and lapping at her clit with her legs draped over his shoulders.

She gripped the sides of the counter. Her breaths came in short, raspy pants while she watched him please her until she cried out his name, trembling in the purest of delight.

Never had she felt so loved. Valued. Appreciated. Sexy. A gamut of conflicting emotions washed over her body.

She loved him.

A fact she could no longer deny.

It was the single most gratifying sensation she’d ever felt. And yet she resented it. She resented him for making her fall in love.

She believed he cared, because Emmerson wasn’t the kind of man to take a woman to bed if he didn’t. But after everything he’d been through, she knew he’d never be able to fully give another girl his entire heart again. It wasn’t so much because he was broken, even though he was, a little. But because he was so guarded, he could never truly let anyone in.

Not even her.

Not even now.

And she felt his reserve.

He pulled her from the counter and quickly shed his clothes. He stared at her with hunger in his gaze. He turned her, spreading her legs, bending her slightly over the counter.

She gasped as he thrust himself inside her with a quick jerk, holding on to her hips. His movements were desperate.

Wild.

And out of control.

He groaned, spilling his climax into her as he kissed her shoulder and neck, whispering her name over and over again. It sounded so sweet. So caring.

His hands ran up and down her arms and back with a gentle touch, as if they hadn’t just defamed his kitchen counter. As if the sex hadn’t been… well, just hot and heavy sex.

The way he behaved, it was more like they had just made love.

As if there was a distinction.

“I don’t know about you,” he whispered in her ear. “But I will never be able to eat breakfast again and not think about this.” He nibbled on her ear. “Or you ever again.”

“Why, Emmerson, that has to be the sweetest thing you ever said.” She turned, wrapping her arms around his thick body, hugging him tight, trying not to think about the fact she was completely naked in his kitchen. Or that the air was thick with sex.

He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.” He took her by the hand and walked gloriously naked through the house, taking only his cell with him.

Snuggling beside him, she rested her head on his chest and stared out the sliders at the pool.

“Can I ask you a stupid question?” he said softly. His fingers danced up and down her arm.

“Sure. But if it’s really dumb, I might not answer.”

“I love your sense of humor. Actually, I love everything about you.”

Love.He didn’t mean it the same way she felt it.

“Does our age difference bother you?” he asked.

She lifted her head, catching his gaze. “That’s an odd question. Does it bother you?” She swallowed. Hard. Her brain scrambled to find a hidden meaning to the conversation.

“I asked first.” He batted her nose. Why did he have to be so playful all the time?

“It’s what, nine, ten years?”

“It’s almost ten,” he said. “So when I was having sex for the first time, you were seven.”

“That’s a dumb way of looking at things and no, your age doesn’t bother me. If it did, I wouldn’t be in this bed with you. Your turn to answer.”

“I’ll be honest, it did at first. But it doesn’t now.” He lifted her chin and kissed her so softly and tenderly, she wanted to cry. “Good night, Rumor.”

“Sleep well, Emmerson.” She let out a long breath and settled in for the night.

She had no idea what the future held. But she did know one thing. She belonged to him and she couldn’t fight it, even though deep down she knew this couldn’t last. Even if she could stay in Lighthouse Cove when all of this was over, she wasn’t sure she would be able to. She knew nothing of putting down roots. It didn’t matter that she wanted to. Or that she was falling for Emmerson. She knew his history. He’d been honest about his past with women and trust didn’t come naturally.

Loving someone wouldn’t come easy to Emmerson, a fact she couldn’t deny.

His concern about her age proved it. He was already looking for the holes. For reasons why this wouldn’t work. She didn’t need to know him long to know that about him.

And then there was her wandering soul, as he put it.

This is your safe harbor.

God, she so desperately needed one. She needed him. Wanted him and everything he represented.

In that moment, she made the decision she would stay until he decided it was over and someday it would be over. Someday he would walk away because Emmerson couldn’t give his heart.