Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucy
“W hy do you keep looking out the window?” Jenny asks, scaring me half to death as she comes out of nowhere and pops her head on my shoulder.
I gasp and slink away, holding my pounding heart.
It’s a Monday night and the restaurant is pretty dead. I only have two tables, but I don’t mind because it allows me to stare all I want at the hot protective cop parked across the street.
“Are you looking for those guys who were asking about you?” she says, following me into the back. “Who were they?”
I love Jenny, but she’s the town gossip. If I tell her about Angelo, she’s going to let the whole town know about it. There’s no way a gossip of her caliber would ever keep a juicy story like that a secret. She’d never be able to resist letting everyone know that the new girl in town is being chased by hardened criminals for stealing their dog.
“I was just looking at that cop,” I say as I grab a rack of clean coffee mugs to put away. “He’s cute.”
I might as well use her talents to my benefit. She probably knows everything about Emmanuel and I have a lot of questions for her. I want to know everything about him.
“That’s Emmanuel,” she says, fanning herself. “He’s so hot.”
I get a little jealous at her reaction. I don’t want anyone putting their eyes on my crush but me.
“Is he single?”
I hold my breath as I wait for her answer. It’s the question I’ve been dying to know the answer to since this morning. I even looked him up on all the socials, but I couldn’t find a profile anywhere. He probably has better mountain man things to do than stare at a screen, like chopping wood shirtless or swimming naked in a cold lake.
“Oh yeah,” she says with a sad little sigh. “I’ve known him since we were kids and he’s never had a girlfriend. None that I know of anyway and trust me, I would know.”
I don’t doubt that.
“ All the girls in high school tried to snag him,” she goes on, “but none of us had any luck.”
“Why not?”
She rolls her eyes. “He’s one of those .”
“Those what?”
“Those guys who wait for their soul mates,” she says, clearly annoyed that she wasn’t the one he was waiting for. “They’re only interested in the girl who was made for them and all the rest of us are chopped liver.”
“Oh,” I say, glancing at the window.
“Ridiculous, right?”
I don’t think so. I’m getting tingly all over thinking of Emmanuel like that, with so many options, who chooses to remain loyal to his soul mate.
“I think it’s kind of romantic.”
Jenny scoffs. “I think it’s a waste. A body that hot and he doesn’t want to share it. That’s a crime against nature.”
I can’t help but chuckle as she heads to the kitchen window where her plates are coming up.
“So, he’s from here?” I ask as I grab one while she grabs the other two.
“Oh yeah,” she says as we head into the dining room. “He was born in these mountains and now he protects them. Well, he was born in the hospital but you know what I mean.”
I’m keeping one eye on his cop car and I walk right into an empty table, slamming it with my thigh. Ow! I’ve been distracted all day. I can’t stop thinking of him.
The intense way he was looking at me… God, it still gives me shivers.
His big strong hand wrapped around my wrist… His delicious masculine smell… I want more …
We deliver the plates and then head back to the server area. I take the long way through the quiet restaurant, swinging by the large window that gives the best view of Emmanuel’s cop car. It’s dark out now and the street is pretty empty. I don’t think there’s a lot of crime to worry about on a Monday night in the Greene Mountains.
If Emmanuel wasn’t looking out for me, he’d probably be napping in his car somewhere or looking at his phone. Actually, that’s what I would be doing. He’d probably be doing a thousand push-ups.
His car is empty. Damn it. I need my hot mountain man fix!
I’m trying to remember every detail of his tattooed arms as I walk into the back, looking for something to do. I’m going crazy here. I keep thinking of him in that tank top and getting turned on.
I need something that’s the opposite of sexy.
The garbage…
I pull out the bag and tie it into a knot, but even that doesn’t work. I’m back to thinking about that massive chest and wondering what it would feel like to drag my fingertips down it as I head to the back door. Nothing is working.
I’m crushing hard on this man.
“I’m bringing the garbage out,” I call out to Jenny who is crouched down and hiding behind the counter, absorbed into her phone. She gives me a thumbs up.
I step out through the back door and take a deep breath of the crisp night air. I’ll never get used to the feeling of this cool mountain air filling my lungs. It’s electrifying.
I smile as I walk over to the garbage bin, trying not to drag the heavy bag on the ground.
“Where’s our dog?”
I gasp as Angelo’s goon steps out of the shadows like a horror movie villain. I know this guy. Well, I recognize him anyway. He was always speeding into the chop shop with a different car each time, and then walking out all wiry and twitchy.
His face is thin, all sharp angles and bad choices. Greasy hair slicked-back like he’s trying to look cool, but it just makes him look dirty. His eyes are sunken and his movements are wild and jittery like he either just had a fix or is desperate for his next one.
I swallow hard when I spot the knife in his hand, this cool mountain air suddenly feeling razor sharp in my throat.
My legs get a little weak and wobbly as I stare at the dull blade. I know he won’t hesitate to use it. I’m nothing to him.
“I said,” he growls, stepping closer, “where’s our dog?”
I drop the garbage bag and stumble back. “No,” I whisper, not quite believing this is happening. “No, no, no.”
My heart is going wild in my chest, and for a second, all I can think is: Is this seriously how I die? Beside a dumpster next to a garbage bag full of soggy onion rings?
“Lucy,” he growls, his right eye twitching. “Where’s Cutter?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, still backing away. My back hits the dumpster and I gasp.
He moves in… So fast, it’s a blur, pinning me in with his long scrawny arms.
I wince as his fowl breath washes down on my face, the knife only a few inches from my cheek.
“You’re going to make me kill you over that mutt?”
I try to speak, try to explain, but the only thing that comes out is a sad pathetic whimper.
“Maybe if I start cutting, you’ll remember where that damn dog is.”
“Hey,” a deep manly voice says, cutting through the crisp air. “Get the fuck off her.”
His twitchy little eyes open in panic as a big strong hand lands on his shoulder with a thump .
And just like that, the goon flies off me and sails back a good ten feet before crashing onto the pavement. His knife skids away on the ground.
My heart races as I look up at Emmanuel standing there in his police uniform looking like a prayer come true. He looks me up and down quickly, those dark sexy eyes brimming with possession, protection, and complete control.
He came out of nowhere just like Cutter did when he saved me. Silent. Fast. Deadly.
It seems that I have two protectors in my life now.
“Are you hurt?”
God, that voice… It’s got such a profound effect on me that I can’t seem to answer for a second or two.
“I’m fine,” I say, not quite sure that I believe it.
He looks me over one more time just to be sure and I start to blush, heat blooming inside of me. When he doesn’t see any blood or any other signs of injuries, he turns his attention to the junkie scrambling to grab his knife.
“Watch out!” I scream when I see him grab it. He holds the blunt blade up with a shaky hand as he gets to his feet.
Emmanuel doesn’t look scared at all. He looks eager for whatever is about to happen as he faces the man with his hands squeezed into fists.
This is a real man. Broad shoulders, muscular back, alpha energy radiating off him in droves. And not the fake alpha energy of those pickup truck driving losers who think they’re edgy because they wear an Affliction t-shirt and write mean things on Twitter.
This man is in complete control of the situation—of any situation he’s in. He’s a beast of an alpha. He’s a real man. One who protects, defends, and from the looks of it, punishes .
“Get back,” the goon screeches, waving his knife around. “I’m leaving!”
Emmanuel steps forward, that big sexy jaw clenched tight. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Angelo’s goon lunges forward, swinging that knife in warning, but it doesn’t have the desired effect. Not even close.
Emmanuel is bigger, smarter, and faster. He closes the distance in a blur and grabs the guy’s scrawny wrist. The guy squeals as Emmanuel squeezes hard. So hard the knife drops onto the ground. Emmanuel kicks it away and then slams him into the dumpster with a boom so loud it echoes down the dark alley.
“Why are you following my girl?” Emmanuel hisses into his face.
My girl… I swallow hard, wondering why he said that, wondering why it feels so wonderful to hear…
“I wasn’t!” the guy screams, tears welling in his eyes. “I don’t know this bitch!”
He screams as Emmanuel bends his wrist the wrong way. I close my eyes and cover my ears before I can hear the sickening crack.
“Give me the names and addresses of everyone in town looking for her,” Emmanuel growls.
“No one is looking for her,” he squeals. “I swear it!”
Emmanuel punches him in the face hard—once, twice, three times. He holds him up by his jacket as the man’s legs give out.
“I want names ,” Emmanuel growls as blood pours down the goon’s chin from his broken nose and split lip.
“You’re a fucking cop!” the guy shrieks, shielding his bloody face with his shaking hands. “I have rights!”
Emmanuel releases him and steps back. He never takes those smoldering eyes off him as he unhooks his badge from his massive chest and then tosses it onto the ground. His shirt comes off next—right over his head, and I’m treated to another show of this beautiful man in a sleeveless undershirt. Somehow his tattooed arms look even larger in the moonlight.
Next, he unbuckles his belt where his gun and taser are secured, and tosses it beside the door to the restaurant.
I know I’m in danger and this is not the time for dirty thoughts, but holy hell. This man is making it very difficult for me to stay focused.
“I’m not a cop now,” Emmanuel says, spreading his thick arms out wide. “I’m on break. So, we don’t have to worry about any rules, laws, or rights.”
“You’re a fucking psycho,” he says, scrambling to his feet.
“You attacked my girl.”
My girl. He said it again. It sounds better every time.
The guy lunges for his knife again, but Emmanuel is too fast. He descends on him like a force of nature. It’s like watching a bull fighting a goat.
Angelo’s goon gets a few punches in, but they don’t seem to have any effect on Emmanuel except to make his punches come out harder and faster. I stare in awe at his muscles all rippling and flexing in the moonlight. It’s visual poetry. It’s pure erotic desire.
The goon falls to his knees and Emmanuel grabs a fistful of his hair, his other hand cocked back in a fist.
“Okay! Okay!” he screeches with shaking hands up, surrendering completely. “ Stop! ”
“Where are they?” Emmanuel growls.
“I don’t know,” he says, “but they left! Angelo is coming back on Thursday night. I fucking swear!”
“If I find out you’re lying,” Emmanuel says, “I’ll bury you under that mountain.”
“ I’m not! ” he shouts, his fearful eyes pleading. “He’s coming back on Thursday to steal the dog and hurt the girl!”
“She’s under my protection,” Emmanuel says, pointing at me. “If any of you fuckers enter my town again, I’ll kill you with a smile on my face. You understand me?”
“ Yes ,” he says, sobbing.
“Go back to the rat hole you crawled out of,” Emmanuel says, slamming him into the dumpster one last time. “And don’t ever come back.”
The broken man scrambles to his feet and limps away as fast as he can, tumbling down the alley like a wounded animal.
Emmanuel watches him go, chest rising and falling like he’s trying to hold back the murderous thoughts racing through his mind.
I’m trying to hold back another type of thought. Those arms… Those shoulders… God, this man is fucking hot.
I’ve never had a man fight for me like that. Protect me like I’m his. Cutter was the only male who ever came close before Emmanuel, but he’s a dog so I’m not sure it counts.
He turns to me and I whimper when I see the intensity in his eyes, the blood streaked across his undershirt, the possession aimed directly at me.
“Are you okay?” The hard edge is gone from his voice. It’s only softness for me.
“I… uh… yeah.”
My breath catches and I start shaking.
He’s in front of me at once—warm, strong arms wrapping around me, pulling me close. I sink into his chest and let my tears come, hot and messy.
He holds me as I sob and whispers soft words into my ear.
“It’s okay,” he whispers. “They won’t hurt you. I won’t let them.”
“Thank you,” I whisper as I look up at him through watery eyes. I haven’t felt this safe, this cared for, in months, if ever.
His face is so beautiful. I could stare at it for hours .
I’m lost in those gorgeous brown eyes until his lips part. Once I’m looking at his mouth, I can’t look away. I want to feel it on me. I want to taste him.
My weight shifts onto my toes and my chin tilts up. He lowers his head just slightly, testing the space between us, giving me a second to pull away. I don’t. I couldn’t if I tried.
My heart is pounding so hard he must feel it against his chest. His fingers thread through my hair as his other hand settles on my waist, firm and grounding. And then?—
He kisses me.
It’s soft at first, like he’s testing how much I can handle. But when I moan into his mouth, it becomes something else entirely.
His hand tightens on my hip and he pulls me against his hard body. I whimper as I part my lips, feeling his hot, delicious tongue sliding against mine.
Yes… Fuck yes…
A deep groan rumbles up from his chest. His strong hands slide up my back and he deepens the kiss, making me moan. My breasts tingle as they’re pressed up against his solid wall of muscle. My insides combust and melt as I stand on my toes, trying to get every bit of him that I can.
I can tell he’s been dying to do this as much as I’ve been. I can feel his need and desire wrapping around me—making me crazy, turning me on even more.
When we finally pull away, I’m dizzy. I feel drunk. I feel like I’ve had a taste of an appetizer and am ready for the main meal.
I lick my lips, smiling shyly as I look up into his beautiful eyes.
He called me his girl .
“I don’t think that guy will be returning,” he says, still holding me close. “But just in case, I’ll follow you home.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, hating that I’m causing him so much trouble.
“I want to,” he says, his voice low and ragged. “And… I want to see you tomorrow.”
Is he saying what I think he’s saying?
“To file a police report?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I’m not working until night time. I want to take you out. On a date.”
I can’t help but smile.
“I want to meet this dog that’s causing so much trouble,” he says with a sexy grin. “And, I’d love to show you around.”
“Okay,” I say, smiling shyly. “I’d like that.”
He grins like I’ve just made his day…
And then he kisses me again.