“I didn’t see you, I swear. Someone turned off the motion sensors.” Slowly it dawned. “And I’m guessing that was you,” I muttered as I moved down toward the opposite arm and sat. Still way drunk, I couldn’t face the stairs although my bed beckoned. Pressing the remote, I surfed until SportsCenter appeared on the screen.
“What are you doin’?” she slurred, trying to lie back down. Apparently, Emmery was pretty tanked herself.
“I’m watchin’ TV, what’s it look like? Yoda? I mean yoga.” Fuck, I was too drunk to even make sense as I tried to be a smartass like her. Glancing from the television to Emmery, I saw that she’d already passed back out.
Drunk off my ass, I still couldn’t help but admire how truly sexy she looked with no makeup, hair a mess, tiny beater, boxer shorts scrunched up and passed out on my couch. I savored this moment—she was quiet. And it gave me the opportunity to memorize the full lips and high cheekbones set under olive, flawless skin. God, she was gorgeous. And half naked. Shaking my head, I tried to clear the wicked scenarios that had taken root and began to play out in my brain.
She’s Jane’s niece; knock it off, asshole.
I turned my attention back to the recap of tonight’s, well last night’s, game. My eyes started to get really heavy as I rested my head on the back of the couch. I was exhausted. I could’ve fallen out right there with no problem. I could have if there wasn’t a beautiful, dark-haired siren lying on the couch already.
Hell, I wasn’t going to lie to myself and say I didn’t want her. I was sure half of the men on the planet would agree. But she was Jane’s niece. No matter how long it had been, and it had been a long time, Jane was too important to fuck that up.
Pulling myself off the sofa, I pressed the off button and sat the remote down on the table. I reached down and pulled the blanket the rest of the way up Emmery’s supple body. Tamped down the overwhelming urge to scoop her up and bring her with me upstairs. The bed in the guest bedroom would have been more comfortable than that couch.
I climbed the stairs to the second floor, closed the master bedroom door behind me and fell into the bed fully clothed. I didn’t even have the energy to unbutton my shirt. Sleep came fast.
***
I woke the next morning with the most god-awful taste in my mouth. Opening my eyes, I wasn’t exactly pleased to see I was in my bed alone, but I was thankful I hadn’t done something I would regret. As I stumbled toward the bathroom, I hoped that I hadn’t done anything stupid last night. Brushing my teeth, I remembered driving home with Drew. I looked at my watch; it was only 7:20 a.m. Why the hell can’t I sleep in? Just once.
Turning on the shower, I slipped out of last night’s clothes. Stepping in, the steaming, hot water assaulted my skin, clearing out the remaining cobwebs from the night before. After I turned the heat level down, I stood there and let the warm water sluice away last night’s memories down the drain. Yep, I remembered sitting on Emmery. God, I couldn’t remember much else, but I remember her. The way she smelled. Her smooth, exposed belly. The way her skin looked good enough to lick. The way she curled up so small on my couch. Shaking off those thoughts, I reminded myself she was off limits.
But I couldn’t help my body’s response to the memories. Grabbing my dick, I worked my hand to release the pent-up frustration as I thought of how soft her body would feel against mine; how her perfectly round, voluptuous breasts would feel in my hands as I held her nipples between my lips. I let go with thoughts of how velvety her tongue would feel as she took me in her mouth.
The shower helped. Nominally. I dried off, went to my closet and got dressed. It was Sunday morning and I knew that Jane probably had breakfast already going. Leaving my room, I paused in front of Drew’s door and knocked. No answer. He was either sleeping, showering or already downstairs. As I descended the staircase, I couldn’t help but notice the smell, or lack thereof. No aroma of fresh-brewed coffee or sweet scent of pancakes wafting up the foyer.
Entering the kitchen, I saw no one. Backtracking, I looked around the breakfast area into the living room and saw an empty couch.
No Emmery.
Shrugging, I went back into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cabinet by the sink. Looking up out the window, I found Jane and Emmery. Jane was standing just outside of the fenced paddock watching on as Emmery rode Noir. My horse. Not one of the other three horses in the paddock. My. Horse.
“Who in the hell does she think she is?” I growled, storming out the back door and through the backyard. It wasn’t until my feet hit the cold, damp lawn did I realize in my haste I had lost sight of the fact I had no socks or shoes on. I continued toward my target, ready to flip my shit. The closer I got I saw she had actually dragged standards and poles out of the barn and set up jumps.
Approaching Jane, I cleared my throat. “Why is she on Noir?”
“She asked me last night if she could ride and since you haven’t ridden him in almost a month, I thought he could use the workout,” she said without batting an eye. “Is that a problem?” Her tone challenged me to answer affirmatively.
Sighing, I stood at the fence, barefoot, and watched Emmery command Noir effortlessly. He cantered around the paddock, gliding over three of the double Oxers with ease and poise. Emmery cleared the last fence and leaned forward to pat his neck, then rubbed her hand up and down his mane a few times, rewarding his flawless effort.
I had forgotten how beautiful it was to watch a woman ride a horse. Commanding his performance, pushing his limits and will. She was graceful and polished. I could see why she rode horses professionally. She was quite skilled and it seemed almost second nature for her to be on horseback.
When she caught sight of me she waved then trotted Noir over to us. “I hope you don’t mind me stealing your horse for an hour or so. He has a spectacular gait and is cautious as he clears the fences. I can’t believe you don’t have him on a show circuit,” she said as she brought the horse to a halt. She took the black velvet helmet off and shook out her own long, dark trusses.
“I’ve only ever used him for pleasure. I purchased him a few years ago from a schooling barn in Ridgeville. I happened to be out that way looking at some prospective properties when I saw him running in the paddock. When I stopped to inquire about him, the owner informed me she had actually been trying to sell him. She could no longer afford his farrier bills. As I’m sure you have figured out he needs special shoes for his dropped soles. Anyway, I bought him and the rest is history.”
She must have sensed my displeasure of her riding him. Ignoring me, she looked over to Jane and spoke. “All right, well, I’m going to get him cleaned up and then I’ll be up. Maybe we can make some breakfast to cure your hangover.”
“Hangover?” I questioned.
“Oh stop. I don’t have a hangover,” Jane chided.
“Did you get Jane drunk?” I asked with a chuckle.
“No.”
“Uh, really I think it was her getting both of us drunk,” Emmery laughed. “I’m teasing. Well, we did get tanked but it wasn’t on purpose. We were talking and laughing. The wine just helped the conversation along. It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a while.” She turned Noir around and started for the stables as I heard her mutter, “I wish I could say the same about the sleep.”
Returning to the house, I left Jane by the paddock fence and Emmery still on my horse. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about this unraveling situation with her. One minute I wanted to rip her off my horse. The next I wanted to rip her clothes off. Jesus, I needed to get a grip. She would be gone in a few days and that, thank fuck, would be the end of that.
I grabbed a cup of coffee on the way to the office to go over some emails and review a few bids for an upcoming project I had planned for Viper Security. The company had been working out of Leila and Jaxon’s garage and using my office for meetings. The conference room in the downtown location was slightly more aesthetically pleasing than a dank, old garage with flickering, shoddy fluorescent
fixtures. It would impress prospective clients to have the appearance of professionalism.
Through a little help, I had acquired a warehouse that was in dire need of repair. While Jaxon and Drew would probably have been able to do the remodel themselves, it would have taken three times as long. So I took it upon myself to acquire and renovate it before mentioning the new office space. This way there weren’t too many people making decisions and it moved the project along. Let’s face it, in business I was a control freak.
Okay, maybe in more than just business.
“Would you like breakfast? Jane made pancakes,” Emmery asked from the opened office door as I glanced quickly to catch sight of her. She was still in tight jeans with her tall, black riding boots. Even though it was broached as a question, she didn’t sound happy to be asking.
“Sure, I’ll be right out,” I replied, looking up only momentarily.
“Whatever.” She shrugged and walked out.
What the hell is her problem?
“Hang on,” I demanded, standing and walking toward her. “What is your problem? Did I do something to piss you off?”
“You mean like sit on me in the middle of the night while I was sleeping?” she asked facetiously. “Nah, I’m not pissed.” Her tone changed and was more playful. “I’m just tired and hungry. And if my aunt is anything like my dad, we won’t be eating until you come to the table. So get a move on it, boss man.” She grinned then spun around and left.
“Boss man, huh?” I followed her toward the breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen. “I do like the sound of that, sweetness.”
She stopped abruptly and whipped her head around, glaring at me. “What is that? Why do you insist on calling me sweetness? We both know I am anything but. Are you making a point?”
Smiling, I decided to let her twist a little. It obviously bothered her. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
As I passed by her, I couldn’t help but brush my chest against her arm. Sure there was plenty of room to get by, but I wanted her to sweat a little longer.
It backfired. It was like getting shot.
Something deep inside me shifted and came to life but I didn’t stop and refused to dwell on it. I continued on to the table where I saw Drew sitting with Jane. I had almost forgotten about him.
“Hey, bro, what’s up?” he asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee before adding a splash of cream. Jane had the table set and enough food for an army.
“Not much. How’d you sleep?” I inquired as I sat down, Drew to my left and Jane to my right.
“Good. Better than you from what I hear,” he laughed and looked over at Emmery as she approached the oblong table. Drew leaned in and whispered to me. “Man, you’re killin’ me here. Why you holdin’ out?”
“What are you two whispering about?” Jane asked with a knowing smile. She must have heard us.
Before I could come up with a lie, Drew spoke up. “I was asking Brody why he didn’t share just how beautiful your niece was.”
“Aren’t you a flatterer,” Emmery smiled from across the table. “I’m sure Brody,” she tipped her head and glanced at me, “hasn’t mentioned me at all.”
“Oh, on the contrary. I told Drew about you last night.”
“Oh, you definitely told me about her. You just neglected to mention she was gorgeous. I wonder if that was on purpose,” Drew speculated with a grin just before he shoveled in a massive bite of the fluffy, syrup-soaked pancakes.
Fucker. Why would he call me out like that?
“I doubt that. I’m more like the annoying little sister with a smart mouth. He probably doesn’t see me the way you think he does,” Emmery added. “So Drew,” she said, her voice laced with honey. “What do you do?”
“I recently started working in private security.”
“Hmm. What does that mean? Is that some sort of code for mall cop?” Emmery laughed. I couldn’t help but watch her mouth as she pulled the fork back. The way her pouty lips slid along the prongs was almost…erotic. A drop of syrup lingered, just a moment, before her tongue slipped out and swept across her bottom lip, claiming the excess sweetness.
“Ha,” Drew laughed off her mall cop comment. “No, babe, I’m part owner of a security firm with this asshat, as my sister lovingly calls him, and her husband, Jaxon. I was a cop. A real cop, with a shiny badge and big gun. I’d be happy to show you sometime.”
“Mmm,” she beamed back at him. “I think I’d like that. Maybe you can show me how to shoot it.”
This back and forth, cat-and-mouse flirting was beginning to piss me off. Drew and I needed to have a talk. And real soon. “Drew, speaking of which, I’d like to go over the numbers for a case from earlier this month. The budget seemed a little high for one of the assignments.”
Turning to me scowling, Drew nodded. “Sure. We can review that, bro.”
The rest of the time at the table was less than pleasant. Drew looked like I had pissed in his Cheerios, while Jane and Emmery continued to prattle away about my horses. She looked unaffected by my shutting the flirting down. I couldn’t help but notice how she would glance over to Drew with a devious smile.
After I finished my breakfast, I excused myself to the office and requested Drew’s presence post haste. Pulling up the expense report, I readied myself to go over the figures when Drew came through the door just before slamming it closed.
“What the fuck was that about man?”
“I don’t know what you’re referring to.” I cut my eyes to him for a split second before focusing back on the spreadsheet.
“Bullshit. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve gotta thing for that chick. Before, when I was talkin’ to her, you looked like you might jump up and stab me with your fork.” He flopped into one of the black leather armchairs in front of my desk. “You didn’t mention she was fuckin’ hot because you want that all to yourself.”
“Get the fuck outta here. She’s Jane’s niece. She’s off limits.” I pushed back in the chair and stood behind my large wooden desk. “You got me? She’s. Off. Limits.”
“Like my sister was?” Drew stood up, not backing down. “Cause I’m pretty sure I said the exact same thing and you’ve gotta a fuckin’ kid with her. So if off limits means I still get to fuck her, then I’m good with off limits.”
Adrenaline raced and testosterone filled the room as I stood there and stared him down. “Not a fuckin’ chance in hell. You stay the fuck away from her,” I roared.
“Bingo, I knew it. You’re already so hung up on her that you’d rip my throat out,” he gloated with a shit-eating grin on his face. “She obviously likes you. Why else was she checkin’ out of the corner of her eye to see if you were still watchin’ her?”
“Drew, I’m serious. Don’t fuck with her. She’s Jane’s niece. That means neither of us are to touch her.”
“And just whose decree is this? Hers? Jane’s?” he asked, knowing all too well it was neither. “I’m willing to bet money this is your order and no one else’s. She’s got you wound tighter than the girdle on a Baptist minister at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Do you even hear yourself?”
His minister comment caught me off guard and caused me to flounder for a moment before regrouping. “It doesn’t matter. She’s leaving in a few days to go back to New York.”
“You have a place in New York. Go visit her.”
“Okay, whatever.” I shook my head at his meddling. “Let’s look at these numbers so I can take your ass back to Charleston,” I said, rolling my eyes at him. Good friend that he was, Drew relented and we spent the next hour going through the figures.
***
“She’s completely and totally neurotic, man. She wants someone with her at all times. I had to keep switching out with Bear and Jace. That woman is a major pain in the ass but she pays on time and tips well,” Drew explained with a shrug.
“Fine, but let’s make sure she knows and we set some boundaries with her.” I had only heard stories about this woman, Alegra Valentine.
Luckily, as a silent—okay, not so silent—partner, I didn’t have much contact with the clients. I was the money. Jaxon, Kai and Drew handled the day-to-day operations.
We needed to find someone to start handling the financials soon. Viper Sec was taking off and the ledger was taking on a life of its own. I didn’t have the time anymore to manage AP or AR or budgets. I was too busy in real estate. The added time I was spending with Viper, I could have been spending with Lillian.
And that didn’t work for me. I refused to become my father.
Once we were ready to leave, Drew suggested that I ask Emmery to come with us so she could see downtown. Of course I ignored him. I wanted to drop him off and go pick up Lillian. Shit. I needed to call Leila and let her know I was coming into town.
“Hey, Drew, give me two minutes I need to call Lei and tell her that I’m going to pick the baby up when I drop you off, instead of her driving out here.” Pulling my phone from the front pocket of my jeans, I stepped into my office and pulled up her contact, pressing the phone icon.
“Hey, Brody. I was just packing her stuff up. What’s up?” Leila asked.
“Hey, Lei. I’m actually on my way to drop Drew off at his house, so I thought I’d just stop by and pick Lil up on my way back home,” I said, sitting down on the arm of the brown leather couch in my office. As I did, I noticed Emmery walk past the door toward the media room. She was wearing jeans that were different than the ones she wore riding earlier. Her ass looked fucking phenomenal in skin-tight denim.
“Brody,” Leila hollered into the phone.
“Shit. Sorry, Lei. I got distracted. What did you say?” I scrubbed my hand down my face, trying to wipe away the shame. Well, I should have been ashamed, but that didn’t stop me from contemplating getting up to watch her walk the rest of the way down the hallway.
“I said I would bring her. I want to see Jane and let Ruger run for a little. Is that still okay?”
“Of course it is. It’s perfectly fine. I should be back about twelve thirty or so. See you then.”
His Redemption Page 5
