“Emma—”
“Today has been so long and emotionally draining,” I said as I placed a hand over his. “The last few days have all been exhausting in one way or another, even though I had such a great time with your family. But I’m worn out. I need you and I need sleep, so please . . . just not tonight.”
“That isn’t helping ease any of the thoughts going through my head on how you might know him.”
“I told you, I don’t.”
Jarrod was just a man who tried to have his way with me once and who I’d, unfortunately, run into twice more.
There was nothing I truly knew about him other than he was a disgusting excuse for a man.
“I don’t like this lie.”
“I don’t like talking about someone else when you’re holding me this way.”
Other than the sound of the water surrounding us, silence met me for a while before he sighed. “Then not tonight,” he conceded, but I knew in his tone that Jarrod was something Reed didn’t plan to drop.
“Tell me something you think I should know about you,” I pleaded when the following silence got to be too much.
“I like the way you fit in my life,” he said after a moment and finally began washing my body again, his hands cupping my breasts and lightly teasing my nipples when I arched against him. “My family, my friends . . . everywhere.” His mouth brushed across my shoulder as one of his hands drifted up my chest, his fingers gently teasing the slope of my neck. “I feel possessive over you in ways that would probably scare you.”
My chest shook with the impact of his confession. “You want to possess me?”
“No,” he said immediately, voice rough and dripping with sex. “I want to fuck the pain from your past until there are no more demons lingering in your eyes. Until all you see and feel and crave is me.”
Warmth pooled low in my belly and desire raced through my veins. My heart hammering recklessly as he pressed his hand between my breasts to feel the frantic beating.
“I want to show you how worthy you are to be loved, and I want to be the one who gets to love you.” The hand at my neck crept higher, curling around my jaw to tilt my head back until I was looking into his darkened eyes. His mouth a breath from mine when he said, “I want to brand my name on your soul because you’re already burned into mine.”
He lingered there, waiting for my reaction.
Clearly refraining himself from what he wanted and expecting that push.
“You’re shaking,” he whispered.
I nodded slightly, my lips faintly brushing against his. “Because it does scare me,” I admitted before saying, “But I want it all.”
His mouth captured mine as he turned me in his arms, moving us until my back was against the shower wall. Pulling me closer and pressing every soft curve of my body to every hard line of his. Shielding me from the spray of water and caging me in with his large frame.
Trapping me.
My breathing hitched and my hands quickly moved to his chest as memories broke free, but before I could react, he met me there.
Holding my hands close to his chest and gripping them tight. His voice all rough comfort as he spoke through the kiss. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” His mouth moved to my jaw and down my neck as my chest rose and fell wildly. “I’m the one here with you, Emma,” he said into my ear before nipping the soft skin beneath it. “Not them.”
I closed my eyes tight, my head shaking as I struggled to fight against what was so quick to overwhelm me.
“I love you,” he breathed before lifting one of my trembling hands to press his mouth to my palm.
My next breath came out ragged and broken because I could feel his love surrounding me, and I wanted to embrace it and this time with him. But I couldn’t figure out a way through the nightmare being caged against a hard surface put me in.
Surprise and need bled from me on a fractured whimper, my eyelids flying open when Reed’s mouth caressed the underside of my breast to see him lowering to his knees in front of me.
I was so dazed by the sight of this man on his knees and the look of absolute desire in his gunmetal eyes that I just stood there, shaking with all my demons as his hands moved up my thighs to grip my hips and then slowly worked back down.
Oh God.
“What do you feel?” he asked as he gently pushed my legs farther apart, his hold firm and somehow gentle at the same time.
“You.”
He placed a kiss to the inside of my thigh, sending a tremor through my core. “What do you see?”
“Everything,” I answered honestly.
I saw every man who’d taken advantage of me, made up into a blur. I saw Manhattan.
Most of all, I saw Reed.
His head slanted. “It’s just you and me.” With another kiss to the inside of my thigh, he whispered, “Push,” before he set his mouth on me. His tongue slipping through my folds and flicking against my clit and making my knees go weak.
“Oh God,” I whispered as I reached for the adjacent wall with one hand and gripped at his hair with the other.
He made the path again and again, slowly tormenting me and making the world fade away when his stare met mine for a brief moment. All desire and love with a hint of all that trouble I’d always known he was.
And then he let go of the leash he’d been keeping himself on.
Devouring me until it was all I could do to stay standing. Pressing a finger inside me as he brought me higher and higher with his tongue and teeth and lips. My stomach curling with heat when he added a second, fucking me until my body was buzzing. Winding me up until I was standing on the edge and trying not to fall.
And then he curled his fingers and sucked my clit into his mouth, and I was lost.
Floating in a sea of stars as pleasure coursed through my veins for immeasurable moments until I came crashing back to Reed as he stood and pulled me close. His tall, hard body forming to mine and humming with an energy that was all wicked pleasure, waiting to be set free.
“What do you see?” he begged, his mouth hovering over mine.
“You.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up before he captured mine for a slow, brief kiss, tugging on my bottom lip as he released me.
Grabbing my hands in his, he slid them up his slick abdomen until they were pressed firmly to his chest. A silent offer and demand to push if I needed to. Then his fingers were sliding past my hips and gripping my legs as he lifted me and settled between my thighs.
“Gonna fuck you now, Emma,” he rumbled, voice pure sin and doing dangerous things to me.
Dangerous things that I was sure I would never get enough of as he slowly inched inside me. My lips parting at the feel of him stretching and filling me so wholly until he was fully seated. Again and again, filling me only to leave me. Making me breathless with the agonizing torture until he slammed into me with one long thrust. His mouth falling to mine to swallow my cry as he set a harsh rhythm that had that knot of heated pleasure in my belly forming and my body trembling as I struggled to hold on to his wet skin.
He held me tenderly, fingers gripping and clinging to me as if I were something to be worshipped.
He kissed me until I was his air, and he was mine. Both demanding more from the other and giving just as much.
He fucked me roughly, savagely, as if he’d never get enough.
The contradicting combination made my head spin in the most exhilarating way. And while he fucked me, there were no icy fingers trailing down my spine. There were no taunting demons. There were no memories.
It was just Reed, claiming me until I fell apart around him.
His mouth tore from mine with a curse as he drove harder still. Prolonging my orgasm as he thrust with abandon, losing all sense of rhythm. His muscles bunching and tightening beneath my fingertips until he went still as he found his release inside me.
His chest and shoulders heaved with ragged breaths as he continued holding me in his arms. Tremors rolling through
his body and transferring to my own as I let my head rest against the wall I was pinned to, never taking my eyes off him as I slid one of my hands from around his neck to feel the unruly pounding of his heart.
“Reed, I love you.”
His stare lifted to mine, all wonder and disbelief. “For the rest of my life, I’ll never get tired of hearing those words from you,” he said softly, then leaned forward to capture my lips. “Burned into my goddamn soul.”
“Where are you going?”
Rowe barked out a laugh, and Emma’s shoulders sagged as she turned to face me early the next morning, muttering, “Damn it,” under her breath.
My brows lifted at that, but then her stare skated over my bare chest. Her cheeks heating and the corners of her mouth twitching when her gaze met mine.
And, fuck me, that’s when I finally noticed what she was wearing: Skin-tight jeans and one of my shirts, knotted high on her hip to keep it fitted to her body. My blood pounded through my veins at the sight of her, all primal satisfaction in that simple claim.
“I told her she looked like she was doing the walk of shame,” Rowe said as he leaned back against the kitchen counter and lifted his mug.
Emma scoffed and shot him a glare before setting down the heels she’d been carrying and stepping into them. “I was trying to be quiet so you could finally sleep.”
My head slanted when I stopped a few feet from her. Sometime earlier, I’d woken to her hands slamming into my chest as she’d scrambled away, breaths harsh and eyes vacant and frantic.
After I’d calmed her and pulled her back into my arms, I’d whispered with her in the dark until sleep claimed me again. Considering there hadn’t been any more pushes and I’d just woken alone, I was assuming she’d slipped out of bed soon after.
“There a reason you didn’t want me to know you were going?”
“Because you don’t ever sleep,” she said, all exasperation as if she’d just had this conversation.
From Rowe’s smirk, she probably had.
“You haven’t gotten much sleep recently either.”
“Right, but I have to go,” she said, glancing at her phone. “The bookstore’s reopening is in less than an hour, and I have things to do before then.”
“Shit,” I mumbled and scrubbed my hands over my face. With the wreck and everything we’d found out about Lala, I’d completely forgotten. “All right, let me put a shirt on.” I’d turned to head back to my room but stopped at her genuine confusion.
“Okay? But I’m leaving.”
“Did you want me to drive you? I mean, unless you wanted to take my truck.”
Surprise lit her expression. “What? No, of course not. I have a car coming.”
“Why?”
She gave me a look as if she couldn’t understand the problem and then glanced at her phone again. “So I wouldn’t have to walk?”
Rowe coughed out a laugh and tried to cover it by drinking his coffee.
“We have cars here,” I said slowly. “Why would you have walked?”
“Because they aren’t mine.” Some of that girl I’d first met bled free. Fierce expression and tone, daring me to keep challenging her.
And, Christ, I wanted to.
But then she said, “And you need to be here for Nora.”
“I’ll take you,” Rowe offered.
I nodded toward him in agreement and added, “Or you can just take my truck.” Each word coming out low and firm to emphasize how ridiculous this conversation was.
“Or I can go get in the car that just showed up, and you can be okay with it.” Her brow ticked up as she grabbed her purse, and then she was walking from the house without another word.
“Have I mentioned I like her?” Rowe asked once the door shut.
I heaved a sigh and jogged after her, leaving the front door open wide as I called out her name and cleared the porch.
She turned in time for me to cradle her face in my hands and crush my mouth to hers. The kiss hard and just as fierce as the girl I was holding.
“You’re infuriating,” I growled against her lips.
A ghost of a smile crossed her face before she pressed her mouth to mine again. “You’re welcome.”
A rumbling laugh built in my chest. “I love you.”
She inhaled quickly, her eyes dancing when she looked at me. “You still can’t drive me.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
She pressed her hand to my chest, her next smile wide and unrestrained. “I’ll see you later.”
“Congratulations on the store.”
Excitement burst from her when she pulled away, the tips of her fingers lingering on my chest as long as possible. “Try to get more sleep.”
I just stepped back and watched her go, knowing sleep would be impossible without her.
A couple nights with her in my arms, and I was ruined for anything less.
* * *
“Damn, what did this place used to be?” Rowe asked that afternoon when we walked into Morrison’s Books with Nora.
“Apparently, this bookstore.”
“No shit?” I gave him a look, and he cringed. His stare darting to where Nora was trying to disappear into my side. “No way? I never even knew this was here.”
I lifted my eyebrows in agreement. “Same. Emma said it looked forgotten inside and out. What she described . . . shit.”
Rowe shoved my shoulder and then went still when his stare followed my line of sight to the person I’d just noticed.
Nora gasped from beside me and bounced on her toes. “My Leah!”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said in low warning to my friend.
“Man, I didn’t do anything. I haven’t done anything.”
“And we’re keeping it that way,” I muttered as Leah disappeared down another row without noticing us.
“Can we go talk to my Leah?” Nora asked and tugged on my hand. “I want to tell her that my Peter made me pancakes and now we’re going to get burgers! But no pickles and no onions. I don’t like those. Maybe she can come with us?” she rambled quickly.
“I don’t—”
“What are you guys doing here?”
I turned at the sound of Emma’s voice, surprise lighting up her face as she looked at us. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Amusement danced in her eyes before concern wove through them when she focused on Nora. “How are you feeling today?”
“Good!” she said excitedly. “But not really that good because I hurt in lots of places. But my Peter made me pancakes this morning, and now we’re going to get burgers.”
“We wanted to swing by here first,” I said, stopping the rest of her repeated ramble. “Check out how things were going and maybe look for some Fancy Nancy.” I drew out the last words, making them sound like a question and earning a gasp from Nora.
Mischief tugged at Emma’s mouth, her eyes bright as she glanced between the three of us. “I think I saw some books with that title in the children’s section. However . . . there’s something I wanted to show you first.” She scanned the store for a moment before whispering, “Follow me.”
“Stop,” I warned softly when we started after her, Rowe lagging behind and cautiously glancing over his shoulder.
“Jarrod is here,” he muttered beneath his breath before falling into step with us.
I didn’t bother reminding him that was Leah’s husband—he already knew. Besides, from the way Rowe’s stare darted curiously over Emma, his thoughts had gone to the same place as mine:
How did she know him?
I gave her last night because we’d had a hell of a weekend and a shitstorm of a day, and I’d give her this time while she was at the store. But once I got her back tonight, I wasn’t letting it go.
“The secret room?” Nora asked on a soft gasp when Emma led us to the hidden staircase in the hall. “But my Lala said I couldn’t go up there.”
“That’s because it wasn’t finished yet,” Emma said over her sho
ulder, looking so at ease and taking my damn breath away with the gentle smile touching her lips. “But I know she’s okay with you being up there now.”
Nora still looked at me in question first, and then it was all I could do to make her take the stairs slowly when she tried to make a mad dash up them.
“Wow,” she said loudly once she stepped into the loft. “My Reed, look! You can see the whole store and all the people from up here.” Her bright laugh followed soon after when Rowe fell heavily onto the couch. “That isn’t for you, my Peter.”
“This is definitely for me,” he argued with a strained smile.
“How’s it been so far?” I asked as I stepped up beside where Emma was watching them, suppressing a laugh when Nora tried to squeeze onto the couch next to Rowe.
“Incredible,” she breathed, eyes bright as she moved closer to my side. “Already this morning, the store’s brought in more than it has in the last three years.” At my shock, she conceded, “Granted, Donna hasn’t had much business these last years. But, still huge, and she’s been on cloud nine all day. And we’ve had multiple people ask if we’re planning on doing certain things—like Mommy and Me mornings and book clubs. Which, we weren’t, but I’m going to look into it now.”
“That’s amazing,” I said on a stunned breath. “You’re amazing for doing all this.”
She let out a disbelieving huff. “Anyone could’ve done this.” When I started to argue, she stepped away and said, “Hey, Nora, I wanted to tell you something.”
Nora popped up from where she’d been trying to push Rowe and then jumped from the couch, hissing and grabbing at her side even as she darted over to where we stood.
Emma went into a crouch, somehow managing to balance on her high-as-fuck heels as she looked directly at Nora. Excitement slipping into something darker—shadowed. Something I couldn’t accurately begin to describe, but it had me going still.
As if every part of me that was connected to Emma knew I needed to hear whatever she was about to share. Already knew the words about to leave her mouth were going to make me ache for her.
“You know, when I was growing up, I didn’t have anyone who read with me,” Emma began, lips trembling.
Lie to Me Page 38
