Chapter 20
Bright sunlight streamed in through the porthole in Emerson’s cabin as Dash awoke.
He rolled over in the small bed and curled up close to the alpha.
He’d lost track of how many times they’d fucked over the course of the night, but he figured he was making up for a lot of lost time.
Years of denial and refusing to give in to his body’s basic needs had taken its toll.
By the time he’d finally fallen into Emerson’s bed, he’d been ravenous for something as simple as touch.
Now, he felt near insatiable, the craving for Emerson as steady as his heartbeat. His body was sore as hell, but he loved it. He’d never felt more alive. Considering he’d been on multiple death-defying missions with the Black Guard, that was saying quite a lot in his opinion.
Dash watched Emerson sleep and smiled to himself. His chest tightened as he looked at the gorgeous alpha. He’d never thought he’d have someone like Emerson in his life. Even if they had to keep their relationship hidden away from the world, it was more than he’d ever thought he’d have.
All-in or nothing, hmm?
He was leaning hard towards all-in, even with all his qualms about the future.
The hidden part? That was feeling less and less feasible. The reporter’s words whispered through his mind. They had all night. Who’d want to live in the shadows with a man as glorious as Emerson Walker at his side?
Dash’s chest tightened, his heart’s beat rocketing a pulse or two.
He’d promised himself it was just sex, yet he’d known long before he’d yielded to the need that nothing would ever be simple with Emerson.
That instinctual pull refused to quiet. Lifting a hand to caress Emerson’s bearded cheek, he realized he was already losing the battle to remain detached.
How he could lose after two nights, he didn’t know.
But in reality, it was more than two nights.
Months apart, yearning and dreaming of an impossible happily ever after, had been torture on the soul.
All the while, he’d suspected that fate would drag them back together again.
Perhaps a part of him had even hoped for it.
All-in. That meant coming clean with all of his secrets, he supposed. That thought caused the panic to rise within. What if Emerson hated him for what he’d kept hidden?
If Dash didn’t tell him soon, Emerson might figure it out on his own.
“I see steam coming off your noggin,” Emerson whispered.
Dash turned his gaze back to Emerson and lowered his hand. “Just thinking I should probably go home, shower, and change before Randall gets here.”
“You can shower here. I’ll find you something to wear.”
“I don’t think it would be smart for me to smell like you,” Dash said.
Emerson leaned in and captured Dash’s lips, his kiss hungry. When he pulled back, he wore a sly smile. “I happen to like you smelling like me.”
“Not sure your brother would agree,” Dash said. “You might want to open up as many windows as you can to air the place out. It smells like sex in here.”
Emerson grinned. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”
He pressed his lips to Emerson’s again before climbing naked from bed. After hunting for all his clothing that had been flung every which way, he got dressed in the salon. Emerson came padding out without a stitch on, distracting Dash. How was he supposed to leave when Emerson looked so good?
“Hurry back?” Emerson asked, crowding in close and stealing a kiss.
“I’ll do my best,” Dash said. He checked his watch. “We’ve got about three hours until Randall said he’d arrive.” Dash paused. “Do you think he knows where he’s going? Should I have warned him it was your boat?”
“He might not show up if you do that,” Emerson said. “Things did not go well yesterday.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Emerson shook his head. “Not really.”
Dash frowned. “Maybe you can talk to him more tonight.”
Emerson shrugged, the light in his eyes fading more.
Dash frowned. He hoped tonight didn’t show Emerson an even worse side to his brother. “Maybe we should do this somewhere else. I can postpone until I can figure out another location.”
“You want answers. Better sooner than later,” Emerson said. “Jaye could be in danger. The longer this takes, the higher his chances of not being found.”
“If you’re sure,” Dash said, worried he’d be the one to blame for ruining the brothers’ relationship. He’d been so focused on wanting Emerson’s backup that he hadn’t considered what this might do to them. Yet, if Randall was into some shady shit, Emerson needed to know.
Better sooner than later.
“I’m sure,” Emerson replied, eyeing him with lust growing in his eyes.
That lust was all Dash needed to want another round in bed. He had to force himself to leave. Emerson kissed him one last time before he left.
Once home, he peeled out of his clothes and brought them to his nose.
Sure enough, he was doused in a spicy, wooden scent.
He’d need to be careful with that. If anyone noticed a change in his scent, they might realize something was up.
Fortunately, he had a small sliver of a soap that the Black Guard had procured for the few alphas they employed.
It masked his scent while on ops. He was pretty sure he could get his hands on more of it.
It would hopefully cleanse him of Emerson’s scent, too.
Not that he wanted that, but it was necessary if they wanted to remain safe.
After a long, hot shower, he redressed and collected his notes, preparing to return to Emerson’s boat. Before he could get to the front door, he heard a knock. He crossed the foyer, not expecting a visitor. When he opened it, he found an old friend standing there.
“Jackson?”
His old teammate from the Black Guard, Jackson Powell, stood there. He wore a broad, forced grin. None of the old warmth and friendship was there.
“Heyyy… there he is.” He walked closer and gave Dash an uncomfortable hug—and a quick scent—before stepping back. “Long time, no see.”
Being scented by another alpha caused a quick stab of anger. Dash shrugged it off, deciding to let it go without comment. This time. “Yeah, it’s been a few years since we’ve been face-to-face, hasn’t it?”
Jackson nodded. “Yeah, too long.”
They stared at one another a few seconds, an awkward silence lingering between them. Calling every once in a blue moon had felt different. They’d had miles and miles between them to allow for comfort. Standing and breathing the same air wasn’t the same.
Dash had forgotten just how striking Jackson’s green-gold eyes were, or how much they seemed to see right through him. Coupled with his smooth, mahogany skin, jet-black wavy hair, and muscled six-foot-nine frame, Jackson was a very handsome man accustomed to getting his way with one devilish smile.
Smiles that had never worked on Dash, much to Jackson’s annoyance.
“Hey, calm down, now. Don’t look so happy to see me,” Jackson murmured, his full lips quirking up on one side.
Dash met his gaze, warmth creeping up his neck. “I am… happy to see you.”
“Tell your face that.” Jackson lifted a thick file in his left hand. “Brought you a gift.”
Dash’s curiosity immediately beat out any discomfort. Jackson was almost as good at finding skeletons no one wanted found as he was. It was why he’d called the man in the first place. But he hadn’t expected the results to be hand delivered.
“Come in,” Dash said, stepping back to give Jackson a wide berth.
“We good?” Jackson asked before he took one step. “All’s safe?”
Dash drew in a steadying breath, his cheeks growing warm. “Yeah.”
Jackson searched his face a moment before he walked through. Once the door was closed behind them, he turned to face Dash. “Your lawyer friend is something else. He’s got his hands in a lot of pots, not all of them legal, either.”
“What’re we talking about?”
“Drugs, extortion, illegal import and export. Hell, it’s probably easier to tell you what he’s not into than what he is.”
“All him—or is this him covering for his criminal clientele?”
“It appears to be a mixture of both,” Jackson said.
“Looks like it may have started with clients, but then the fucker got greedy and dug himself deeper into certain operations. Seems he’s got several high-ranking members of the Red Guard in several provinces on his payroll, too.
” Jackson paused, sizing him up. “This goes deep, Dash. Deeper than I think you can handle on your own.”
Hearing Emerson’s concern repeated sent his hackles rising.
“Just because I left the team, that doesn’t mean I can’t do the job.”
“Oh, I know you can,” Jackson said. “But this is huge. And you don’t have all the resources you once did.”
“I’ve done more with less,” Dash snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jackson met his stare. “What’s with the hostile vibes? We are good, right?”
“Of course we are.”
Dash dropped his arms, breathing in deep. He wished he hadn’t. Jackson’s pheromones were thick, the aroma of sandalwood and bourbon filling his nose.
Jackson searched his face again, clearly unsure. But then, so was Dash. Were they really okay? There was a multitude of emotions filling him, all of them vying for his attention.
“It’s just… the first time I’ve seen you since…”
Jackson nodded before softly saying, “I know.”
Dash dragged his gaze away, drawing in a shaky breath.
“I wish nothing had changed, but we both know it did,” Jackson said, his voice low. “We never got a chance to get past it, either.”
Dash shook his head. “No. We didn’t.”
“I’m so sorry, Da—”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” Dash spat, cutting him off. “Let’s not repeat this same conversation over again and again, hmm?”
Jackson watched him, taking a step back and creating more space. “Consider it dropped.”
A bitter taste filled Dash’s mouth. When a copper tang hit, he realized it was blood. He didn’t remember biting anything, but his jaws had clenched so hard, clearly he had.