The downstairs is picked up, the lights are out, and the house is locked up in a matter of minutes, and Emma and I climb the stairs hand in hand. When we make it to our room, I turn on the bedside lamps while she takes her turn in the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. I follow her in after and brush mine. I love the domesticity of getting ready for bed with her. She’s comfortable here in my home—our home—and I love everything about her settling in with me
I follow her out of the bathroom and turn off the light before stripping off my T-shirt, I toss them toward the hamper. I think maybe our relaxing evening on the sofa put her in the mood to curl up and sleep, maybe cuddle a bit.
And it’s not until I see her climb up onto the bed on her hands and knees that I realize I assumed wrong.
Somewhere from the bathroom to now, Emma kicked off her stolen sweatpants and panties. As she climbs onto the tall bed, my shirt rises over her full hip, and I can see the glistening pink of her pussy. It’s enough to make my mouth water, but it’s the sexy siren look she tosses over her shoulder at me as she takes in my reaction to her arousal that pulls a growl from me.
“Did you have your fill of your barbecue, baby?” I rumble as I watch her body move.
“Yes, Lee,” she whispers. “Why?”
“Because now I’m hungry, and it’s your turn to feed me.” I hear the hitch in her breath at my words, and I drop to my knees next to the bed. I grip her hips in my hands and pull her ass back to hang over the edge as I part her seam with my thumbs and fuck her with my tongue.
“Yes, Lee,” she hisses as I lick and kiss and suck every inch of her that I can get to. I missed the sweet taste of her and the way she gets off for me in my mouth.
She grinds her pussy against my mouth, and it’s not long before she has the sheets twisted in her fingers and her head thrown back as she comes.
I gently help her lower down so that her breasts rest against the top of the bed and she has to turn her head to the side. With her lush ass in the air and her pussy dripping for me, I push my sweats down my legs and step out of them.
I rub her back gently and love the noises that fall from her lips. I let my hands slip down every few passes to brush against her inner thigh or occasionally her pussy, making her whimper and moan as she arches her back and reaches for me.
And then I slide a finger into her. She gasps and rocks against my hand, and I pump my finger a few times before sliding it out.
“Lee,” Emma starts to grumble, but she doesn’t have time to release the words I know are on the tip of her tongue because I plunge deep inside her before she can utter a single word. “Yes!”
I pull back, letting my cock slip almost all the way out before thrusting back in again and again. I grip her ass cheeks in each hand and push them apart so I can watch her take my cock, and it is the sexiest fucking thing I have ever seen.
“Lee,” she pants.
“I love watching you take my cock.”
“Yes.” Her voice is high-pitched and breathy as she reaches closer and closer to her climax.
“Show me how much you love taking my cock,” I growl as I pump in and out of her, and she digs her hands into the mattress and pushes back, making me drive harder and faster until she lets go with a keening cry.
I grip her ass tight in my hands and drive deep before I follow her over the edge.
I slowly glide in and out of her, rubbing the small of her back as we come back down to Earth, and I slip out of her and drop my lips to the back of her neck as I tip her to her side. I make my way into the bathroom and grab a washcloth. I take care of my girl before I lift her into the bed to lie back on the pillows.
I toss the washcloth into the bathroom before climbing into our bed and curling Emma deep into my side. When she settles into me, I say, “I don’t think that was the mellow, less energetic session the doctor had in mind.”
And then I get to fall asleep with the musical sound of Emma’s laughter still ringing in my ears.
Everything was perfect and it was exactly the way it was supposed to be. It was like the stars aligned and the universe finally said, “This is exactly where you’re supposed to be. You made it through hell, and here is your reward.”
But little did we know everything was about to change.
NINETEEN
* * *
EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED
My dad always says, “The days are long, but the years are short.” He means when Claire and I were growing up and how fast it all really happens, but when you’re in the thick of family life, it doesn’t feel like that. It drags on.
But I don’t feel that way.
I feel like there will never be enough time with Emma and our children. I feel like I can never make enough memories. And I feel like I don’t know where the hours in the day went when I lay my head on my pillow at night.
But I also know this is everything I’ve ever wanted.
Having grown up in a happy home with two parents who not only loved each other but doted on their children, that was the only type of family I ever dreamed of. But as I got deeper with the SEAL community and then with the police department when I came home, the darkness consumed me.
After a while, I didn’t think I would ever find my white picket fence and the woman I was meant to grow old with. And that coupled with the fact that I spent twenty-five years watching my baby sister turn into her own darkness, I began to wonder if our parents weren’t the gold standard but a rare occurrence.
And then my childhood best friend decided Claire was the one. Their path to each other was rocky, to say the least, but now they have it all. Watching it unfold and seeing them get to a solid place made me realize I wanted that too. I found the one I wanted to grow old with, but while I was drowning in my own darkness, I missed it. I fucked up the order, and it had cost me everything.
But not anymore. Emma is back in my bed and in my life, and we are building a beautiful future. Will it always be easy, smooth sailing? Absolutely not, but I wouldn’t want it that way either. It’s not real life, and what Emma and I have is as real as it gets.
And with that thought, I turn to her sleeping body and settle in to show her just how real we can be.
• • •
“Did this shit come with any instructions?” Wes growls.
“Uh oh,” Claire mumbles. “Maybe we should go order more pizza. Or buy more beer.”
“Bourbon, babe,” Wes rumbles. “This shit calls for bourbon.”
“Wes—” she starts, and I watch as Emma bites her bottom lip. I look to my feet so I won’t laugh at her reaction to Wes, but I can’t stop the smile that plays out on my face, because one, she’s cute as hell, and two, he’s not wrong. It would appear the beautiful, painted light-gray nursery furniture we picked out is not that easy to put together.
“I would even take instructions in Spanish, German maybe,” he continues to grumble. “But this is like a goddamn mime wrote it. And in fucking hieroglyphics!”
“Wes,” my sister warns.
“There are no words!” he shouts. “It’s just pictures that a monkey fucking drew!”
That’s when I lose it. I throw my head back and roar with laughter, because he’s funny as hell, and then I pull my girl into my arms and drop a kiss to her lips to soften the blow of my best friend being pissed as hell at our choice in baby furniture.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper. “He’s all bark and no bite.”
“I heard that!” Wes snaps, making Claire laugh.
“I’m not sure we’re talking about the same man,” Emma mumbles back.
“We’ll get it built,” I promise. “Why don’t you and Claire go catch up.”
“Okay.”
“And order some pizzas?” I ask as I hand her my wallet.
“Okay.”
“And try ordering some without fruit or any other weird shit.”
“I will not promise that,” Emma snaps. “But I will try.”
“That’s all I can
ask.”
Once the women left the room, I took up the instructions for the tall dresser and sent Wes to look over the crib, which proved to be much easier than the dresser—the instructions written in mime hieroglyphics.
And a few hours later, the room is filled with a heavy wooden crib, a tall dresser, and a short one with a soft pink diaper changing station on top of it. The pink floral sheet Emma picked out and I ordered is on the mattress, and a small stuffed elephant and blanket are nestled in the corner, waiting for my baby girl. Wes is hanging pictures, large pink flowers, and a giant ruler on the wall so we can measure her height as she grows. I’m hanging the long pink curtains with huge, sweeping ruffles that made my girl smile when she saw them.
“Well, I think that’s it,” Wes says as he steps back to take in the room.
“I think so too,” I agree.
“Never thought you’d be the kind of guy to have a girlie-pink baby room in your house, brother.”
“Me neither,” I agree, with what has to be a dopey smile on my face. “But I didn’t know it was everything I ever wanted.”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “I know the feeling.”
“I know you do,” I remark.
“And enough of the girl feelings bullshit,” he says, clapping his hands. “Before I start my period.”
“Thanks, asshole.” I laugh.
“Anytime, brother,” he says, slapping me on the back. “That’s what I’m here for. Time to show your lady.”
“Yeah.”
“Emma, Claire!” he shouts. “Show time!”
“Classy as always,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“What?” he prompts with a chuckle. “It works.”
“What is it?” Claire asks, sounding a little worried, but it’s Emma’s reaction I’m looking for, and she does not disappoint.
Her beautiful face softens, and she whispers, “Oh my God.” I know it’s everything she’s ever wanted, and my chest burns with pride, because I am the man who gets to be the one to provide that for her. I am one lucky bastard and I know it.
“Come here,” I tell her, my voice gruff with emotion, and again, she does not disappoint when she walks straight into my arms and I hold her tight to me.
“We’ll just be uhh…” Claire trails off.
“We’re going to put these tools away and give you guys a moment,” Wes fills in.
“Yeah, that,” Claire agrees, and I don’t even nod to acknowledge them. I only have eyes for Emma.
“Do you like it, honey?” I ask her quietly.
“Is the Pope Catholic?”
“Are you happy?”
“This is the happiest I have ever been in my entire life,” Emma admits, and I can’t help but place a soft kiss on her lips.
“Grateful I’m the man who gave that to you,” I tell her.
“You’ve given me everything, Lee,” she says as tears fill her eyes.
“No tears,” I order gently. “You’re the one who’s given me everything I ever wanted.”
“I’m glad, baby,” she whispers before clearing her throat. “Now, we better go find your sister before she has too much time to snoop around the house.”
“That’s unfortunately true,” I agree.
And Emma and I walk hand in hand through the hall and down the stairs, but Claire isn’t snooping, something we both know she loves to do. Claire and Wes are standing in the living room with a giant pink bow on a well-worn and slightly battered bassinet.
“Is that—?” I ask.
“The Goodnite bassinet our Grandpa Goodnite made before you were born?” Claire asks.
“Yeah, that.”
“Then yes, it is,” she says with a smile.
“You don’t want it?” I question. “I figured you’d use it.”
“Wes and I agree you guys need a little family love to start you off right,” she says gently before changing her tone, because my sister is not comfortable with outward displays of emotion. “Besides, all the baby books say twins need to be in the same crib, and this isn’t big enough.”
“Of course,” I murmur before pulling my sister into my arms. “You’re the best sister I could ever ask for.”
“Well, obviously,” she says, but even though she tries to hide it, I can hear the sniffle as she cries. One look at her overprotective husband, and I can see he hears it too, so I pass her off to his care and he wraps her up in his arms. “God, these hormones are a real bitch.”
“Sure, baby,” he says to her. “You show them what a real badass you are.”
“Sleep with one eye open, O’Connell,” she snaps, pulling away from him.
“You know I’d rather sleep dick-deep in you, baby,” he growls.
“All right, well this has been real fun, and I appreciate your help, brother,” I say, clapping my hands. “But there is no sexy talk about my sister in my house, so get the fuck out.”
Emma just laughs before hugging Claire. “Thank you,” she whispers to my sister.
“Of course,” Claire says with a wink, and then the door closes behind them and they’re gone.
“Happy?” I ask, pulling my girl back into my arms.
“Yes.”
“How happy?” I ask, letting her see the heat in my eyes.
“Very,” she answers.
“Then why don’t you take me upstairs and show me just how happy you are? I suggest.
She clears her throat before answering. “I suppose I could do that.”
“You suppose?”
“Why don’t you follow me and find out?”
And then she takes my hand in hers and leads me upstairs to do just that.
TWENTY
* * *
EMERGENCY MUS SHU
Three days later
“Babe, just go.”
I let out a frustrated breath. I need out of this house, and I know without a doubt that I am driving Emma apeshit hovering over her, but I am so damn scared that something will happen again. I can’t lose them after I’ve only just gotten them. But clearly, my worrying is not doing Emma any favors, and I get the feeling she’s politely trying to tell me that if I don’t get out of this house and out of her face, she’s going to punch me in mine.
“I’ll be all right,” she promises, and I know I should ease up, because she is the one who suffered; she is the one who ended up in the hospital, not me. But at the same time, I’m the one who held her limp body in my arms and thought, Not again.
“I know,” I say and shove my hand through my hair. In my head, I know that she’s right; she’s going to be fine if I leave her for a few hours to go see my sister, who is also on the verge of committing marital homicide against her overprotective husband. “I know.”
“It’s just lunch,” she says, laughing. “Besides. It sounds like poor Wes needs a break more than you do.”
I smile, because she’s not wrong. To say that my buddy/brother-in-law is nervous about becoming a dad would be a massive understatement. Add to that his wife is carrying twins in a high-risk pregnancy, and he’s a fucking basket case, and after she almost died at the hands of a madman last year, I can’t say I blame him. So when Claire sent up smoke signals and carrier pigeons that she wanted sprung from her mansion prison for some emergency mu shu chicken, Emma and Wes jumped on the idea. Wes, because he knows I would die myself before letting anything else happen to Claire and their babies, and Emma, because she wants me out of this goddamn house so she can get a moment alone.
So Wes is swapping working the baby-snatcher case for me in exchange for me taking Claire out to lunch. This mission plan is twofold. One, it keeps her out of trouble. Claire is a brilliant detective, but she’s a fucking mess with too much time on her idle hands. And two, because I’m fucking stuck. I know there’s something, some key detail I’m missing in this case. I’ve been searching through all the files, I’ve re-interviewed every witness, including those pertaining to the Jane Doe who kicked off this whole mess, because I know in my gut they are all related,
and nothing.
Not one damn thing.
So really, this break is for me too, because if this case doesn’t crack soon, I might. And with everything going down with Emma and me, that cannot happen. So to keep it together for my family, for my job, I agree to leave this house when it’s the last fucking thing I want to do on a Saturday.
I push out a frustrated breath before turning back to my girl and pull her into my arms. Her belly is so big now that she can’t press into me like she likes to do, but at the same time, I can feel our daughter in between us, and I fucking love that. I love her. I love them both. So I’ll do what she needs and get out of her hair. I can let go for a little bit, I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?
“Okay,” I say as I press my lips to the top of her head.
“Okay?” she repeats hesitantly.
“I’ll get out of your hair for the afternoon.” I look to her face and see she’s smiling. “I’ll only be gone for a few hours. That’s not enough time to get to Mexico.”
“It is a decent head start though,” she says with a smirk.
“Not funny,” I warn, but it’s an empty threat and we both know it.
“Maybe I just want to see what the punishment might be before I commit the crime.”
“If you want me to stay home and play, baby, then just say the word,” I tell her and watch her eyes dilate. My girl likes to play, but at the same time, she really does need an afternoon to relax, and I can see the two warring emotions play out across her face. “Maybe a raincheck tonight?”
“Yes,” she whispers just before I press my mouth to hers for a quick kiss.
I let her go so I can run back upstairs and tuck my feet into a pair of running shoes and grab my wallet and cell phone out the little bowl on my nightstand. I slip my drop gun into the holster at my ankle and head out of our bedroom.
Emma is puttering around the kitchen when I make it back downstairs. She’s making herself a cup of tea while classical music is playing in the background. The whole scenario is like one from an alternate universe, because I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see badass Emma Parker making tea and listening to sonatas.
Hush Little Baby Page 14
