Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Cap lay awake, staring at the dark ceiling.
Emma’s image refused to leave him. Her sexy curves under those cute pajamas, her intense gaze, nervous smiles, and, more importantly, the weight of her trust.
He closed his eyes and worked through his breathing exercises. In through the nose, hold, let it out slowly. His overactive brain calmed with each round.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
That peaceful slumber was in sight.
A light knock sounded on the door, and his eyes sprang open.
“Cap, can I come in?”
Hell yes, she could.
“Yes,” he replied as he sat up.
She slipped into his room, illuminated by the faint glow of the hallway nightlight.
“I’m scared and can’t fall asleep. My mind won’t shut off. Can I stay in here with you?”
He lifted the covers in answer to her question, and she slipped in beside him.
It was probably a mistake, but he allowed her to snuggle close to his side and wrapped an arm around her without thinking twice.
When she placed her palm on his chest, he wondered if she could feel the thudding of his pounding heart.
Her body melded nicely to his, too nice, and her fresh scent teased his nostrils, causing him to turn his head slightly toward her to take in more of it.
Probably another mistake. Her silky strands of hair tickled his face and neck, but he didn’t mind.
“I know you’re tired, but can we talk for a minute? Distract me from my thoughts?”
“Sure.”
A distraction from his thoughts would be nice right about now. All he could think about was kissing her, holding her, making love to her. Yes, he needed a distraction.
“What do you want to talk about?” he asked.
“Tell me more about your family.”
“Like what?”
“Anything.”
“I’m the oldest, then Cici, then Hunter. Cici and I are twins, but I’m older by twenty-eight days.”
Emma lifted her head from his chest.
“What? How can that be?”
“We each had our own wombs. I came a bit early, and Cici wasn’t ready yet. Might explain why she’s always running late,” Cap explained, using the old joke he used to tease his sister when they were younger.
“I didn’t know it was possible to have so many days between the births of twins.”
“It’s rare. Anyway, Hunter is two years younger than us.”
“Are they named after constellations, too?”
“Yeah. My brother hated his name so much that he chose to go by a nickname, too.”
“Don’t say it. Let me guess. Hunter…Orion?”
“You nailed it. Orion, the Hunter. And I get goat. His is a lot cooler, and he knows it.”
She tapped the tip of her index finger to his nose as one would do to a small child.
“Well, I think Capricornus is way cooler.”
“I’ll let him know that.”
“And Cici. Let me think a minute.”
“Oh, Cygnus, the swan?”
“Nailed it again. You and my parents would get along great.”
He tensed at his words. Would Emma someday meet his parents?
“I bet they’re great.”
Cap smiled.
“I like them. Tell me about your family,” Cap said.
“There’s not much to tell. We’re kind of boring.”
“I doubt that.”
Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could make out the soft smile that stretched on her face.
“My dad is a developer, mostly residential. Apartments and condominiums. That type of thing. My mom has a degree in interior design, but she’s never actually held a job. She helps my dad here and there, but she devotes most of her time to helping not-for-profit charities.”
“That’s nice of her.”
“I guess.”
“Earlier, you said you were an only child…so you were spoiled.”
The giggle she let loose was delightful to hear, considering the danger they were in.
“Guilty as charged, sir.”
So, she admits it.
“And what do you do for work?”
“I’m a graphic artist. I enjoy making designs.”
“Do you have your own company or do you work for someone?”
“I’ve been on my own for about six years now. I started at a marketing firm in the valley.”
Given her parents’ background, that made sense to him. She wouldn’t be afraid to venture out on her own. He recalled one of her earlier comments about not being brave. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Going on your own is a bold move. Good for you.”
She shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal.
She held his gaze for several beats of silence. He could stare into her eyes forever. No words were needed.
He enjoyed the conversation. It felt normal and real. It soothed him.
Emma clamped her bottom lip between her teeth and looked as though she contemplated revealing a big secret.
She released her lip, but the strange look on her face remained.
“I suppose you’re wondering about how I wound up here.”
What did she mean? He already knew she was a jilted bride who took the charter she’d booked as a present for her ex.
At his silence, she continued. “How I ended up with a guy like Jonathan. I keep wondering that myself. I had no idea what he was into. My dad met him through the bank and introduced us. Dad thought Jonathan was great. I really want to call my parents and let them know what’s happening, but I don’t want them to worry.
I hope they’re not in danger because of this. ”
“With us keeping the focus here, they should be okay. This is part of the reason we have Investigator Pearson-Hawk driving the truck around the county.”
“Huh?”
“Remember, the police have broadcast that you are missing. Markie is driving the truck around, so people can report it to see if we can keep the Colombians here to draw them out.”
“Yes, right. I guess I just don’t know how all of this works.”
“That’s what we have the police for.”
“This is so embarrassing.”
“What is?”
“I feel like Jonathan conned me.”
Boy, he understood that feeling. He’d once felt conned by a woman he thought he loved and had been utterly humiliated.
“It makes a person wonder why he deals drugs with the good-paying job he has.”
“Who knows?”
“And to con my dad, too. Dad is sharp and can usually read people well. And, about a month ago, when I mentioned to Dad I was thinking about calling off the wedding, he talked me out of it, telling me what a great guy Jonathan was. He was on Team Jonathan. Convinced me I had cold feet and I should rethink it.”
The thought of Emma considering calling off the wedding sent a refreshing jolt to his heart.
Maybe she wasn’t rebounding. Then, that old feeling of dread coiled in the pit of his stomach.
The one he’d experienced when he got dumped.
What was her reasoning? Was it the same as his ex-fiancée? He wasn’t good enough for her?
“You thought about calling off the wedding?”
She nodded. “Things suddenly didn’t feel right. It was like he stopped enjoying the things I thought we liked to do, making me think we weren’t a good match. You know, how people do things their partner likes that they don’t, just to make them happy?”
“I get that.”
Her face scrunched into a pout.
“I thought long and hard about our time together, and realized I always settled for what he wanted to do and when he wanted to do it. We rarely did things I liked to do. I realized I was selling myself short, and I didn’t want to spend a lifetime catering to someone else.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I realize that there are compromises in relationships and I’m happy to compromise with someone I love, but looking back, it was always all about Jonathan. ”
With all she’d just said, Cap wondered why she was so angry when her ex called off the wedding. He needed to know.
“If Jonathan hadn’t officially called off the wedding, would you have?”
Seeing as she lay in his arms right now, and they’d kissed several times, he should know the answer, but he needed her to say it out loud. He needed her to think about how they’d come to be here and know that she wasn’t rebounding.
“Yes. I think I would have. I knew I was wrong to let my dad convince me otherwise. He meant well, but he didn’t really understand how I was feeling. I realize now that I felt trapped. Like I had to go through with the wedding because that is what everyone expected. Does that make sense?”
It did and he could understand that. Now that she’d explained it that way, he no longer felt guilty or felt the need to resist kissing her—loving her.
He rolled slightly to prop himself on his elbow to face her more directly.
Desire flashed in her eyes, causing him to lean in and kiss her hard.
He dove his tongue into her hot, willing mouth, teasing hers, hoping to not only please her but drive the need for more.
Her responsiveness thrilled him and bordered on overwhelming.
Their tongues tangled in a needy, primal fashion.
His heart raced, and his fingers itched to explore her body, knowing they’d find relief if he just accommodated their request. Still, he had enough sense about him to wait for a cue that she wanted to take this desire-filled kiss further.
When her fingers dug into his shoulder, and she pulled him on top of her, he knew her answer. His mouth stayed on hers, and he kissed her with all he had.
Her tiny hands skimmed down his sides and over his bare back, practically lighting his skin on fire.
Under protest from his lips, he pulled away from her and leaned back onto his heels, allowing room to pull her up into a seated position so he could rid her of her pajama top.
Beautiful, cream colored, round breasts with raspberry-tinted nipples called out to his hands.
They were soft yet firm and felt exhilarating.
Emma covered his hands with hers and squeezed.
She closed her eyes and indulged in the enjoyment for a few moments before she pulled his right hand away from her breast and released it.
Then, she placed her hand at the back of his head and guided him to her exposed breast. He kissed that taut little nipple, circled his tongue around it, and then took it into his mouth.
Her whispered groan enticed him to suck harder.
She fell back onto the mattress, taking him along with her.
He liked a woman who wasn’t afraid to let him know what she wanted.
Her hands roamed over his upper arms, shoulders, and back as he teased her delightful breasts, moving his mouth from one to the other.
Wanting to taste more of her, he trailed kisses from her breasts, over her stomach, to the rim of her pajama bottoms. Her body tensed, and she squirmed slightly, causing him to stop and work his way back up, thinking she wasn’t quite ready for him to go any lower.
When he returned to her breasts, he lightly kissed each one and then trailed kisses up the side of her neck and didn’t stop until that lovely earlobe of hers was near his mouth.
He gave it a little nibble, then traced kisses along her jaw and returned to her delicious mouth.
The soft kisses that ensued drove him crazy, almost to the brink. He wanted her badly. Another day, he supposed.
He edged away from her and rolled onto his back, tucking her into the crook of his arm.
She rested her cheek on his chest, along with her palm.
He lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“Good night, Emma.”
Her slow, rhythmic breathing and slack body let him know she’d already fallen asleep.
Cap closed his eyes, but sleep didn’t come.
Between what he and Emma had just done and the depth of his feelings for her, his worry about her safety, as well as for Cici and Hunter, rough anxiety swirled in the pit of his stomach.
His body buzzed with adrenaline. His mind raced.
This constant edge was why he’d left the force.
Wide awake. Listening. Waiting.
If danger came through that door, it would have to go through him before reaching Emma. That would not happen. Could not happen.