by J. H. Croix
Trey faced her, his features somber, eyes dark. “Emma…” he started and paused. He swallowed and took a measured breath. He swore softly. Bracketing her between his arms, he rested his elbows on the wall behind her and abruptly kissed her. Her mouth opened to his instantly. His tongue delved deep, and she met him stroke for stroke. She was aflame, almost feverish with need for him. She arched against him. His lips traveled in a blazing trail down her neck. He slid a palm down and curled it softly around her breast, her nipple pebbling against his hand. She gasped when he lightly bit her other nipple through her shirt. His knee slid between her thighs. She wore a soft cotton twirly skirt that fell out of the way, his knee coming against the thin silk of her panties. Slick moisture built in her core. Her hips pressed against him, she rode his thigh, sweet pleasure spiking through her. All thought was wiped from her mind. All she wanted was him…now.
“Trey…please…” she gasped.
“Dear God, Emma…” he growled, his lips making their way back up her neck.
Someone in the deli nearby called out an order number, breaking into Emma’s consciousness. Trey pulled away. “Dammit,” he said softly. He stepped back, creating a small pocket of space between them though his knee stayed where it was. She flushed, knowing he could feel the wet heat of her need against his thigh. Even though a semblance of sanity had returned, she helplessly shifted against him, pleasure spiking with each tiny thrust of her hips.
A lingering caress of her breasts and Trey brought his hands to the wall behind her, breathing heavily. Emma looked into his eyes. The intensity of yearning she witnessed there took her breath away. “I didn’t mean to start this. But I miss you,” he said simply.
He stealthily shifted his knee. Emma closed her eyes against the pleasure. She was so close to release, she didn’t even care they were feet away from someone coming around the corner and finding them like this. “I miss you too,” she choked out, her hips restless against his thigh.
“Emma,” Trey whispered. “Please don’t shut me out.”
Emma heard his words, but she couldn’t focus on anything other than cresting past the point where she teetered. Trey brushed her bangs away from her eyes and brought his lips to hers. They were standing so that if someone came around the corner, it would be obvious they were kissing, but no more. This kiss started slow with soft nips, a tracing of her lips, their tongues tangling in a scalding dance. Another shift of Trey’s knee, her hips pressed down hard against him, and she came in a burst, her gasps captured by his mouth.
He slowly gentled his lips, his knee shifting away once the pulses of her climax slowed. She felt the heat and pulse of his cock against her hip. Lifting her eyes, she met his again. Thoughts tumbled through her mind. How could a kiss and a few caresses turn into a bonfire inside and push her to orgasm in mere seconds? She didn’t know. But that’s how it was. Rationally, she knew she should be worried someone would come around the corner. The muted sounds of activity from the deli and store filtered into the hall. Trey took a slow breath and stepped a shade further away. She immediately missed his warmth.
“So what do I have to say to get you to stop avoiding me right now?” Trey asked bluntly. Assured as he usually was, Emma saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
She gave in to what her heart and body wanted. “How about I come over tonight?”
A smile flashed across his face, almost boyish. “Well, that was much easier than I expected.”
She giggled. “I didn’t realize how much I missed you until now…” her words trailed off when he lifted a hand and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear.
His eyes sobered. “Have you been okay? Anything from Greg?”
Emma shook her head. “Nothing. And that makes me nervous.” She shifted and Trey stepped back. “Can we talk about that later?” she asked, not wanting to get into any talk of Greg now. She needed to gather her thoughts and figure out how the hell to keep her wits about her when it came to Trey.
Trey nodded. “Sure. Just tell me what time you’ll be over,” he said.
***
Shutting the door to her truck, Emma leaned her head back and let out a sigh. Her body hummed from her encounter with Trey. Just thinking about it flushed her again. Get yourself together. She’d been so distracted on the way out of the store that she’d left her groceries at the checkout line. Fortunately, the checker had caught up with her before she left completely. Her thoughts went one direction and her body another. She was still dripping with need. With a shake of her head, she fumbled for her keys.
When she started driving out of the parking lot, a quick motion caught her eyes. Glancing over, she saw a man climbing into a grey sedan. Though she couldn’t get a good look, she knew it had to be Greg. Something about the way he moved. Though she wanted to stop and confirm, she knew it wasn’t a good idea. Her hands started to shake. She tried to call Trey, but he didn’t answer. Forcing herself to drive, she turned off the highway onto the side road where Susie’s office was. Dust rose around her truck when she came to a jarring stop.
The sun in her eyes as she walked in, she called out Susie’s name. As Emma’s eyes adjusted to the light, she realized Susie stood to the side of the desk in the waiting area. Jared leaned against the wall nearby. Susie’s curls were in more disarray than usual and her face flushed. Jared’s eyes were inscrutable, and he looked wound tight. Though Jared was Luke’s brother, he’d always intimidated her. Just like his brothers, he was tall and dark. Today, he was dressed in faded black jeans and a black t-shirt. With his black hair, the only color came from his green eyes. Hannah swore he was a sweetheart, but Emma wasn’t so sure. Nathan, Luke’s younger brother, was much easier to be around—laidback with a half-smile almost all the time. Jared was serious and intense with a sharp intellect.
“Hey, hope it’s okay I just stopped by,” Emma said by way of greeting.
Susie nodded, almost too emphatically. “Of course! What’s up?”
Emma hesitated for a moment, wondering if she wanted to talk in front of Jared. She barreled forward anyway, too wired from her fear to stop. “I think I saw Greg in the parking lot at the grocery store. I tried to call Trey but he didn’t answer and…”
Jared quickly pulled his phone out. Before Emma could even ask what he was doing, he started talking. “Hey Darren, it’s Jared. Calling because Emma says she just saw her ex in the parking lot at the grocery store.” He paused while Darren said something and then moved the phone away from his mouth.
“Car description?” he asked.
Emma quickly told him what little she had. After Jared hung up, he pushed away from the wall. “Gonna head over there myself. If he hasn’t left yet, I can follow him.” He studied Emma for a moment. “Between Trey, Darren, me and my brothers, you can call any of us. Anytime.”
Emma nodded. “I know. I just hate this.”
Susie, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke. “We know you do, but stop worrying about accepting help. You’re family to us. Listen to Jared. Call me, call any of us whenever you need to,” she said firmly.
Jared started to walk to the door and turned back. “Hope you know Trey just wants to make sure you’re okay. No need to keep him at arms length.”
Emma’s heart skipped a beat. “I…I just…” she flushed, not sure how to explain, especially not to Jared.
Jared waited a beat. “Trey’s as good as they come. I can tell you mean a lot to him. It’s driving him near insane that ever since he ran into Greg, he’s barely seen you. Just think about that,” Jared said.
He turned his intense gaze to Susie. Something flashed through his eyes. Susie flushed again and lifted her chin. “I’ll have your quarterly audit to you by the end of the week.” Emma could have sworn Susie’s voice trembled, but she still wasn’t thinking too clearly herself, so she wasn’t sure. Susie continued. “Thanks for helping Emma. Will you call if you find him?” she asked softly.
Jared nodded brusquely. “Of c
ourse. Soon as I know anything, I’ll call.” He turned away quickly.
Several long moments of quiet elapsed after he left. Susie was subdued as she put away some files.
“You okay?” Emma asked, unsure what to say with Susie like this.
“Oh yeah. Just tired,” Susie said, giving the file drawer a soft push. As the drawer whooshed shut, Susie turned back to Emma. “You shouldn’t be worried about me. I’m more worried about you. Jared’s got a point about Trey.”
Emma sighed and rolled her head in a circle, trying to ease the tension in her neck. “I know. I knew Trey and Jared were friends. Guess I didn’t realize Trey would be talking to him about me.”
Susie shrugged. “Hey, guys have to talk too. Plus, between me and Trey, Jared’s heard all about how worried we are about this Greg thing. And whatever I might think of Jared, he takes care of family, and you’re family as far as he’s concerned,” Susie said matter-of-factly.
“I know he’s good like that. He’s so serious most of the time that he makes me nervous. And what do you mean, whatever you might think of Jared?”
Susie shrugged again. “Just that he’s uptight and so detail oriented, it’s enough to drive a person insane. You should try to be his accountant,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Aside from that, he’s a great guy. Controlling every detail of his life takes up most of his time. It’d be nice for him to find something else to focus on.”
Emma started to reply, but thought better of it. There was an edge in Susie’s words. Emma had some ideas about that, namely that Jared had a lot to do with it, but now wasn’t the time. If there was one thing she knew about Susie, it was that she tended to feel things strongly—good and bad. Emma kept the topic on her own situation, though she’d rather not seeing as the distraction kept her mind off her fears. “Well, I appreciate everything Jared’s done,” she said, hoping Susie would forget to ask about Trey again.
No such luck.
“So, still stuck on avoiding Trey, huh?” Susie asked.
“Can’t catch a break on that, huh?”
Susie shook her head and smiled. “Nope.”
“I told you already, Trey has Stuart. I can’t let this mess with Greg affect Stuart. I’d rather keep my distance until I know Greg’s out of my life once and for all.”
“That’s dumb,” Susie said bluntly, never one to mince words.
“It’s not dumb,” Emma said, feeling defensive. “I’ll be the first to admit I should have told y’all about what happened with Greg and those calls long ago, and maybe I’d have cleared this up sooner. But it’s not dumb to want to keep this away from Stuart.”
“I’m pretty sure you and Trey can keep Stuart out of this. It’s not like you’re going to chat with Stuart about it. Trey wants to help, you’re totally into him and according to Jared, Trey’s totally into you. So messy or not, it’s too late to pretend like none of that matters,” Susie said.
Emma glared at her. “Well, if you must know, even though I’ve been trying to stay away, I told him I’d go over tonight.”
A satisfied smile bloomed across Susie’s face. “See, even you knew better than yourself.”
Susie’s phone rang and she snatched it off the desk. “Yes,” she said abruptly.
Susie listened and closed her eyes. “Okay, will you call if you have any more updates from Darren?”
Emma’s heart sped up, her fear flaring again. Susie set her phone down. “That was Jared. The car you saw was gone. Darren’s doing a sweep around town and so is Jared. Jared said to tell you he left Trey a message too.”
Emma felt cold and weary. That’s how she’d ended up feeling every day towards the end of her marriage. The fear and anxiety became such a part of her daily existence that it settled like a suffocating weight over her. She wished Darren or Jared would have found Greg right away, and she could have thought that would be it. She hugged her arms around her waist and took a slow breath.
Susie stepped in front of her and pulled her into a firm hug. When she stepped back, her brown eyes were determined. “Maybe it didn’t happen just now, but they will find him. Diamond Creek’s not big enough to lay low for long. No matter what, in the end, it’s good Greg finally tried to play his cards. Now we can flush him out.”
Emma tried to smile, but her lips couldn’t hold it. “I know you’re right. I just want this over.” She blinked back tears, her throat tight.
***
Emma sat cross-legged on the floor beside Stuart. Stuart was showing her pictures in a gardening magazine. “See, you can eat those weeds that grow everywhere!” Stuart exclaimed, pointing at a picture of chickweed.
“I heard you could eat those. Haven’t tried it myself yet,” she replied.
“Well then, we’ll have to have Stuart plan a meal where you can try them,” Trey said, coming to sit on the couch nearby. “Right Stu?”
Stuart nodded, a random lock of hair that stuck straight up bouncing in rhythm. “Can we?” he asked her.
Emma glanced down into his face, so open and hopeful. “Of course. Will we just have chickweed?” she asked with a smile.
Trey chuckled. “Stuart likes to eat wild things. We’ve discovered chickweed works great in salad. Tastes like most greens do, on the mild side. This past spring, Stuart found us some fiddleheads after he learned about them in school. Do you want to tell Emma about those?”
Stuart looked up from the magazine. “Yeah! Fiddleheads are the curly things at the top when ferns start to grow. You have to get them when they’re all curled up tight. My teacher last year, Mrs. Roberts, said to…” Stuart trailed off and looked to his father, a question in his eyes. “I don’t ‘member how you cooked them.”
“Mrs. Roberts told us to steam them, so we did. Do you remember how we did that?” Trey asked in turn.
Stuart nodded, a tuft of hair bouncing along. “You boiled water and said the steam would cook them and it did!”
“Did you like them?” Emma asked.
“Yeah, Dad put butter on them and they were yummy.” Stuart turned to his dad again. “So when can we have salad with chickweed for Emma?”
Trey met Emma’s eyes, an unspoken question in them. She wanted to tell him that all she wanted was to be here…every night. But she couldn’t say that just now. Not when there was so much up in the air. Trey’s eyes shuttered, and he looked toward Stuart.
“Sometime soon,” Trey said vaguely before glancing at his watch. “About time for bed. You want to show Emma one more picture?”
Stuart carefully paged through the magazine, finally selecting to show her a delphinium. When he stood up to go to bed, Stuart came over and wrapped his arms around her neck. Emma held him for a moment and rubbed her hand up and down his back. She felt him take a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Night Emma,” he mumbled against her shoulder before pulling away.
“Good night, Stuart,” she started to say she’d see him in the morning, but hesitated when her thoughts caught up. The comfort she felt here was too easy to fall into.
Trey followed Stuart down the hallway. She stood up from the floor and walked over to the windows. The sun was making its bow in a kaleidoscope of red, orange and pink shafts of light. The water in the bay rippled with the colored reflections. Boats were still coming in, all headed toward the harbor. The mountains were dark in the fading light. Trey’s yard was mostly protected from view, but the road was visible in one corner, along with a neighbor’s house to one side. She started to turn away when her eyes caught sight of a car in the neighbor’s drive. Though she couldn’t say for sure, the car looked like the one she saw earlier at the grocery store.
Emma’s heart started racing and that familiar cold anxiety dropped over her. She moved away from the windows, aware the living room was basically on display. She frantically looked around to find the light switches, immediately turning them off. Waiting in the darkened kitchen, muted sounds filtered from the hallway—water running, Stuart’s footsteps padding across the
carpet, Trey’s voice saying good night, and then a door shutting softly.
Her breathing was shallow. Trey came into the living room a puzzled look crossing his face when he found her huddled against the counter in the kitchen. “Emma?” he asked, walking slowly toward her. He started to reach for the light switch.
“No! Keep the lights off,” Emma said, shaking her head.
Trey’s steps faltered and his hand froze. “What’s going on?” he asked sharply.
“I’m afraid Greg might be out there. I saw a car over in your neighbor’s drive. It’s just like the one I saw at the grocery store,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she couldn’t slow her breath down. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.
Trey moved quickly, walking over to the windows. “The gray sedan in the drive?” he asked.
Emma nodded, her throat tight.
Trey looked for a long moment and stepped away from the window. He walked slowly toward her, his hands in his pockets. Stopping in front of her, he reached up and curled his palm around her shoulder, sliding it down in a warm caress. His small gesture eased her anxiety, but only the slightest bit. Her breath hitched. Hot tears pressed at the back of her eyes.
“Emma, I know you’re scared. But I’m pretty sure that’s our neighbors’ car. Do you mind if give them a call to confirm?”
“But it looks just like the car I saw today! Are you sure?”
Trey held her eyes, his gaze steady and reassuring. “All I know is they have a car like that. If you don’t mind me calling over, we can find out for sure.”
“Okay, then call. I just don’t want them to think you’re weird for asking.”
Trey shrugged, entirely unconcerned. “I’ll tell them I heard the cops were looking for a similar car. That’ll be enough.”
