by Winters, KB
“Fuck, Nessa, you feel so good.” She felt too good, and I never wanted to leave her body. Or this room.
“Emmett,” she warned a moment before another orgasm tore through her, pulling mine out forcefully until my knees gave out and we both collapsed on the hard wood floor, my ankles getting caught in my pants. Vanessa let out a shaky laugh, her body still jerking with pleasure.
“I fucked you until you couldn’t walk,” she said, giggling into my ear.
I smacked a kiss on her neck and let my middle finger graze over her swollen clit. “Yeah, and I made you come. Twice.”
“Mm, yes you did.” She moaned and turned her head in search of my mouth, which I was happy to give her, happy to keep my cock buried deep while I kissed her like she mattered to me, because she did.
We kissed and kissed on the floor; our bodies still connected with my cock growing hard once again. A loud, familiar sound rang outside the door, and Vanessa jumped.
It sounded again. Bang. Two more times. Bang. Bang.
Then came the sound of glass shattering and startled, I pulled myself out of her.
“Stay down!” I pulled my pants up and crawled to the window to see who the fuck was shooting in this neighborhood. “Son of a bitch!”
“What is it?” I heard Vanessa moving around behind me as I took in the sight of my Tesla. Shot up all to hell. An axe buried in the front hood.
“Emmett, what is going on?”
I turned toward her. “Looks like I’ve pissed someone off.” At my words she slid around me and looked through the blinds with a low whistle.
“You did. Is this because of me?”
No, it was because of me but that was another conversation for another time.
“Probably not,” I told her honestly and dug my phone from my pocket. “I need to let Terry know what’s going on.”
“You think they’re gone?” she whispered.
“I don’t know, just get down and stay away from the windows.”
She nodded and disappeared down the hall.
Terry answered on the second right. “What’s up, baby bro?”
“Terry, someone just shot up my fucking place and fucked up my car. Vanessa is here with me.”
My brother sighed. “Fuck. Are they still there?”
I shook my head. “I don’t fucking know.”
“You still got that piece I gave you last year?”
“Yeah, upstairs. If I can get upstairs,” I replied, looking over at Vanessa and mouthing the words to get dressed.
“Okay, grab that piece, and stay down. I’ll be in touch,” he said and ended the call.
“Well?” Vanessa stood about a foot from me with her hands on her hips, skin pink from exertion and eyes bright with alarm.
“We can’t stay here.” I waited a beat, expecting an argument or accusation, but Vanessa nodded and looked around my place, not even seeing the details.
“You should pack a bag. You can stay with me.”
I smiled at her offer even as I shook my head. “I won’t put you in any more danger, Nessa.” This was all because I lied to her, didn’t tell her the truth about Fiona. If I had, she would have quit the job, and they wouldn’t have come after her, and I wouldn’t have whacked their guy. Now, I wasn’t about to bring more death and devastation to her door.
“You can because I’m not asking. I have plenty of room, so even if you don’t want to share a bed with me—”
“Oh Jesus Christ Vanessa, you know that’s not it.”
“No, I don’t know that. Not at all Emmett. I’m offering you a place to stay that comes with a bed buddy, so what’s the problem? I mean, if you don’t want me around…”
“Don’t want you around? Shit woman, I can’t stop thinking about you. Not when I’m at work, doing interviews, or training fighters, in the shower. In bed. Hell, I even think about you when I’m sitting in traffic. That’s not it, believe me.”
“Good, then there’s nothing to argue about.”
I shook my head and went to pack a bag. If we were going to argue, we could do it on the move.
“Nessa, ow much time do you need to pack a bag?”
Her dark brows dipped low in confusion. “I don’t need a bag.”
“You do if you’re staying with me. I’m going to Ashby Manor for the night.” Her flush faded into a pale, lifeless shade of white. “Still want to come?”
It wasn’t right to tease her, but this was her choice. It had to be.
She nodded absently and then her shoulders fell. “Do you think it’s too soon for me to be with someone else?”
“No, but I might be biased. Because I want to be with you. Do you think it’s too soon?”
She shrugged, thought about it, and shook her head. “I don’t think so, no. But will Sadie think so? And what about Provo?”
I took Vanessa’s chin and pulled her face to mine. “It’s just you and me in this, Nessa, got it? Everyone can and will have an opinion, but as long as you want me, I don’t give a fuck what they think.”
Slowly her tension faded and she smiled. “Me either.”
“Good. Let’s go upstairs.”
“We’re not leaving?”
“Nope. I’ve changed my mind. Those motherfuckers are probably gone, and I’m not sure I want to leave my house empty right now. Let’s get upstairs. On a bed.”
“I’m right behind you.”
Fuck that. “No, you’re right beside me.”
Her responding smile was the only answer I needed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Vanessa
“You sure you know what you’re doing with Emmett?”
I had a rare moment to myself inside the game room before the players arrived and Provo had picked his moment perfectly.
I looked into his serious blue eyes staring down at me, not in the mood for his shit. “You don’t have anything to say to me for months after Lance died, and the first thing you choose to question is my personal decisions? That’s not a good look for you, Provo.”
We faced off in the back room reserved for employees. I’d slipped in to refresh my lipstick, add another layer of concealer to my bruises, and just take a breath. Nonstop smiling for high-energy men wore me down about halfway through my shift, and I needed a break to recharge, but Provo’s heavy-handed judgment didn’t help.
“I don’t give a shit about looks, Vanessa; I just want you to be careful.”
He ran a hand through thick black hair, a move that made it stand up comically in all directions. “Be careful.”
“Believe it or not Provo, I’m always careful, whether or not you’re here to remind me of that fact.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why he suddenly cared. “Maybe you should focus more on your job and not my life.”
“Well, I am concerned, dammit. This world, it’s not for you.”
I put my lipstick in my purse and fluffed may hair, then turned away from the mirror and faced Provo again. “You didn’t have a problem when it was Lance working for the Ashby family.”
“He was your husband,” he growled.
“You don’t think I know that? He certainly was, but he’s not here anymore, so mind your business, Provo. You’ve proven we’re not friends, so don’t start acting like it now.”
I almost felt bad at the flash of hurt I saw in his eyes, but I didn’t let the feeling sit with me long because this was the first real conversation we’d had since the memorial at Midnight Mass.
“I promised Lance I would look out for you, and I have to honor that.” I should have known it was some macho bullshit like that.
“You should have been looking out for him,” I said automatically. Angrily. “But I meant what I said, Provo. Mind your own business.”
He opened his mouth, and I knew some words about promises and obligations and responsibility would come flying at me, so I held up a hand to stop them.
“If you wanted to look out for me, you could have helped me find a job. Maybe pu
t me in touch with some friends outside of the military wives who promptly forgot about me. But all you’ve done is growl and scowl at me, so don’t act like you care now.”
His scowl intensified, and Provo leaned in close. “Be careful or you might end up like Fiona.”
“Leave her alone, Provo.”
Evan entered the room, surprising me when he stepped in as my savior. He hovered over Provo with a threatening look on his face. “We don’t harass women at this establishment.”
Provo glanced at me, angry and disgusted. “Whatever,” he groaned before he walked away.
“Don’t worry about Provo,” Evan said softly. “He feels guilty about getting Lance the job, and that might be coloring his reaction to you working here and the attack the other day. And to you and Emmett.”
“You think I’m moving on too soon?”
“Me? Fuck no,” Evan growled. “I think grieving is personal, and we all do what we have to in order to wake up each morning and reach for a little more happiness than we had the day before.”
I had a feeling he wasn’t talking in generic terms.
“Been doing it since the day I lost my mom.”
“I’m sorry about your mother, Evan.”
“Thanks, Nessa.” His lips twisted into a crooked, almost amused smile.
“And I’m sorry Fiona left.”
His gaze darkened and he shook his head. “Yeah, that too. Sometimes life is nothing but a clusterfuck.” I didn’t know how to take that except there was more to the Fiona story than I thought. Had she been fired? Is that why Evan was so grumpy all the time?
“And I’m sorry for being such a dick to you,” Evan said, leaning against the small sink that passed for an employee amenity. “It wasn’t about you. I hope you know that.”
I shrugged it off. “I kind of figured it wasn’t.” He barked out a snort and shook his head. “So, how’s it going?”
“What?” His brows dipped in confusion.
I sighed. “Doing what you have to do to wake up and reach for more happiness than the day before?”
His smile was more genuine this time.
“Some days I’ll make it through the whole day without thinking about them and other days, every smile I see reminds me of mom, or I’ll get a whiff of perfume that reminds me of Fiona. It can be a real shit show.”
I laughed even though it wasn’t funny. “Yeah, it can. Well if you ever want to tell me about them when the memories hit, I’d love to hear about the women who meant so much to you.”
“Yeah? Why do you care?” Evan was back to the grumpy asshole.
“Memories are important and sharing the good ones with another person keeps them alive.”
Evan sized me up, a bemused smile on his face as he shook his head. “You look normal, all pretty and sunshine on the outside, but you are weird as hell, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “So I’ve been told. So, what happened to Fiona anyway? Did she just up and leave? Have you heard from her?
Evan looked me straight in my eyes and said, “No, and I don’t want to talk about her with you or anyone else. Not now, not ever.”
“Wow. Okay.” I replied, shocked at his intensity.
When Evan walked away, I felt like crap. What was it with Fiona that had everyone so uptight?
I had to get through my first shift after the attack, so I kept a smile plastered on my face for the rest of the night and eventually it became sincere even though my mind was full of two men. Lance and Emmett.
I missed Lance like crazy. He’d been my best friend and my lover for more of my life than he hadn’t. All of my important memories included him, but I couldn’t help but think that my relationship with Emmett was exactly what an adult relationship should be. He was protective, sure, but in a non-suffocating way, and he was eager for me to explore new things. It didn’t threaten him.
A thought that felt traitorous, but not quite as much as it would have a week ago. Or a month ago.
I guess Evan was right; each day I reached for a little more happiness and dwelled a little less on the sadness. The loss.
And loss brought me right back to Fiona. There was some mystery surrounding her departure that the guys had hinted at, but no one had said anything explicitly. And that in itself was odd…wasn’t it?
I made a mental note to ask Emmett about it. Later.
Then I got back to work, smiling and bantering with uber rich strangers, thinking that maybe Lance would’ve gotten a kick out of seeing me interact with them as if I belonged.
You always said I belonged everywhere, and now I’m finally starting to believe you.
It wasn’t much, but it was still progress and that made me smile just a little brighter for the rest of the night.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Emmett
I’d forgotten how good it felt to wake up with a soft, warm woman in my arms. Every time I woke up next to Vanessa, I had a smile on my face. It was a novel feeling, being happy instead of just existing. Surviving. I loved this feeling of connection with another person, of looking forward to spending time with someone, sharing my thoughts and hopes and fears with them. I was falling in love with the woman sleeping gently in my arms, but I had my doubts that it could last.
That we could last.
A low groan escaped as Vanessa came to with a long, sensual stretch that pushed her naked breasts toward the sky as her back bowed into an impressive arch. She opened one blue eye and then the other, a smile tipping the corners of her mouth up. “Good morning.”
“It is now,” I told her. Cheesy as fuck, but when a woman like Vanessa smiled up at a guy like me, it was hard not to be a little bit cheesy. “Sleep well?”
She emitted a low growl and covered her face in embarrassment. “So well! You gave me quite a workout last night, Mr. Manning.” A nervous laugh escaped and she peeked at me through her fingers. “Quite a workout.”
I leaned on one elbow and bent over Vanessa, smiling uncontrollably as I peeled her hands from her beautiful face until those blue eyes met mine, totally unobstructed. “Right back at you, gorgeous.”
That smile right there, the one that made my heart skip a beat, was worth every hour of sleep I missed pleasing and loving her body. It was worth every training session I cut short to be with her. Hell, the truth was, time with her was worth everything.
I dragged my fingertips up her thighs, and she moaned, “Emmett,” her pleasure evident in the sound.
“Vanessa,” I whispered in return. My fingers reached between her thighs and found her swollen and soaked already, and I’d barely touched her. “I love that you’re already so wet. So ready.”
“Ah,” she moaned and wrapped one hand around my wrist, using my fingers like her own personal dildo, slowing my moves when she was close and speeding it up when she needed more. “Emmett, yes!”
Watching her was an electrifying experience, and my cock hardened to the point of pain as she gripped my wrist tighter. A moment later, she growled out her orgasm. Her chest heaved as pleasure worked its way out of her body, and I couldn’t help but lean over her and take one of those sweet pink nipples in my mouth with a moan. Vanessa shook and trembled with more aftershocks, and I slid a finger over her clit to prolong her pleasure.
Finally, she collapsed back against the pillow, totally spent with a satisfied smile on her face. “I don’t get it, how am I always ready to go?” The wonder in her voice was adorable. Sexy.
“Maybe I just know how to push your buttons.”
Learning what she liked was an experience I was completely addicted to. The look of surprise when she discovered she liked having me put a clamp on her nipples before she left for work. Or when we attended a boxing interview at the local news station, and she squirmed in her seat, front and center, with an app based vibrator between her legs. Every time I laughed, I hit my phone in my pocket. She came on national TV. I loved that she was so adventurous.
And my personal favorite, tying her hands behind her back a
nd watching her get off just from sucking my cock.
How could a man ever get enough of that?
Big blue eyes locked on mine as she gently pulled my fingers from her body and licked one and then the other, from the base to the tip, a small smile on her lips telling me she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
“And maybe I know how to push yours too.”
“Without a doubt,” I told her and climbed up her body, sliding into her slick pussy in one deep stroke.
“Maybe I like the way you push my buttons.” I more than liked it and I was so hungry, so needy for her that I fucked her hard and fast, leaving her to cling to me while I brought us both to a quick, dirty orgasm.
“Holy. Fuck. Emmett.” She shivered when I kissed her shoulder. Her neck. Both corners of her mouth.
“I’m tappin’ out,” she heaved. “Totally. Spent.”
“Totally?”
She nodded, a satisfied smile on her face, eyelids heavy with exhaustion. “I’m sure you could tempt me for another round, but you’d have to do all the work.”
“Not a problem,” I assured her as I slowly slid from her body, groaning at the loss of her heat. “But I’ll have mercy on you, sweetheart.”
“Gee, thanks,” she deadpanned and snuggled close to me on the bed, no thought given to showering or sleeping which gave me a small thrill.
“Just this once, though.”
Her tinkling laughter sounded in the early morning silence as her body relaxed into mine and then changed the subject to keep us from killing each other with sex.
“Are you going to dinner at Sadie’s tonight?”
I nodded even though her back was pressed against my chest, loving the way we could go from the passionate to the mundane in a heartbeat.
“I always go to Sunday dinner unless I’m training for a fight or out of town.”
She sighed and turned in my arms so we were face to face. “Are you sure I should go with you? I haven’t been to a family dinner since I was back home. I’m kind of nervous.”
