by Ali Vali
“You’re looking at a woman who’s been given her life back, Maddie. She still loves me. Even after all I did, she’s forgiving me a little more every day.”
“Of course she is, sweetie. You’re a hard one to say no to. Then to top it off, you come with cute stuff in the backseat. Cain doesn’t have a chance in hell. Is she doing all right with the injury? I still can’t believe she got shot trying to save you.”
“I can. You know how she is if family’s involved.”
The familiar bulk of Jerry’s Ford Expedition was close behind them, and Emma stared in the side view mirror at Cain sitting in the front seat talking to Jerry. What Maddie had said brought that one moment back to her in vivid detail. When Cain had grabbed her and thrown her to the ground to keep her safe, Emma knew she had a chance. Cain was many things, but she had a hard time hiding her feelings from those people she really loved. Lying on the floor of the warehouse that night, Emma had seen enough in Cain’s face to reignite her hope.
“When I got there that night she was so mad at me, but when the chips were down, as they say, her heart overruled her brain.” With a deep breath and one last glance she faced her friend. “So, how long have you known we were coming?”
Maddie let out a long laugh as she looked both ways at the intersection that, with a left turn, would lead them home. “She called a couple of days ago and asked us to play intermediary with your father, since she didn’t want to take the chance of calling over there and having your mother answer the phone. Cain sounds really nice, Emma. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, pal. I’m looking forward to spending time with you and Jerry.”
“Sure you are.” Maddie laughed again as Emma’s attention dragged back to the vehicle behind them. “I’m sure you’ll be able to concentrate on what I’m saying or remember my name even if tall, dark, and devastatingly good-looking isn’t anywhere in the area. On another subject, I thought Cain’s cousin was coming with you.”
Emma was about to say she had brought a cousin, but decided to keep that information to herself for now and tell Maddie about the cousin she knew about. “Muriel couldn’t afford to be away from the twenty phone lines she constantly has going and the contacts Cain will need when we get back, so she’s still working. Only she’s doing it from Vegas under the watchful eye of an old friend of the family, Ramon Jatibon’s son Mano. She took her father with her, and the people who work for her are busy trying to find a new office location.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to leave them back in New Orleans if all the people with guns are with you here and in Nevada with Muriel and her father?”
A familiar fence line came into view, and Emma looked out into the fields to see if she could spot her father. She felt bad for not calling him as often as she’d wanted to, but with Cain in the hospital, then taking care of the kids, it was always too late to phone him when it crossed her mind.
She was so happy she’d taken his advice and gone back to New Orleans in search of the love she’d lost. In his own quiet way, her father had always had her happiness in mind, and he’d demonstrated that by being willing to throw her mother out to make it happen. Carol Verde might have been disappointed in her only child, but Ross was proud of her and the family she’d built with Cain.
“I know it’s a strange concept to wrap your brain around since Cain doesn’t exactly walk on the right side of the law, but she has a strong sense of honor. It isn’t her style to leave anyone, especially any innocent, in harm’s way. True, we left with a lot of the muscle and the rest is with Muriel, but some of our friends are keeping the peace while we’re gone.”
Emma was irritated as well as a little disappointed in Maddie. She wouldn’t stand for anyone, even an old friend, to malign Cain’s character.
The yard in front of the house was still dormant because of the cold weather, and Emma could hear the wind blowing down from the north when Maddie pulled up and shut off the engine.
Maddie put her hand on Emma’s wrist. “I will never, and I mean never, judge you for any choice you make, Emma. If this is what makes you happy, then I’ll be happy for you. I didn’t ask that to cast doubt on Cain, or you for wanting to be with her. But I know why you left her all those years ago, and I don’t want the same thing happening if and when the heat starts to rise again. And my gut tells me her getting shot means someone has a huge toll to pay.”
“I told her forever, and that’s what I plan to deliver. As for the heat, the bastards who shot at my children and me deserve whatever Cain has planned for them. It may be wrong to wish ill on someone, but I hope she kills every last one of them.”
“I’m sure she won’t disappoint you, or us, for that matter. You know how I feel about Hannah, and what those bastards did makes my blood boil. Anyone who’d dare point a gun in her direction deserves everything the devil has planned for them.”
“Amen, sister,” Emma said, finally breaking a smile.
After a sudden cacophony of slamming car doors, about twenty of Cain’s guards started setting up the security system that would be in place by nightfall.
“Maddie, it’s nice seeing you again.” Cain offered her hand, and Emma busied herself with getting a sleeping Hannah out of her car seat. “Did I pass?”
Maddie looked up to Cain’s twinkling blue eyes and had to laugh. She loved Jerry with all her heart, but the first time Emma had shown her a picture of Cain, she could understand what being with another female was about. Add Cain’s charm to her looks, and Maddie instantly liked her.
With one hand Maddie tried to smooth her brown hair as the wind blew it into her face. As it swirled around, Cain could see the blond highlights in it and guessed the combination came from Maddie’s time in the sun and had nothing to do with an expensive salon.
“You have beautiful hair.”
Maddie blushed. “I…thank you.”
“Well, did I?” Cain asked again.
“Pass?” Maddie brought her other hand to her head and tried to control her locks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Honey, stop giving Maddie a hard time and come inside. I don’t want you catching anything in this cold weather.”
“Yes, Mother.” Cain winked in Maddie’s direction before following Emma.
Maddie muttered to herself, “My God, Emma, a nun wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell at telling her no.”
And no was the last thing on Emma’s mind, no matter the question, when it came to Cain.
Chapter Seventeen
“Mama,” Hannah said, still sounding like she was on the verge of unconsciousness.
“Go back to sleep, sweetheart. It’s all right.” Emma sat down and ran her fingers through her daughter’s black hair.
Hannah opened and closed her little hand in an effort to get Cain to come closer when she saw her standing at the door. When Cain sat on the bed, Hannah put her head in her lap. Emma stood back, wanting to give Cain time with their daughter so that they could establish a relationship.
Not caring if she tore every stitch the surgeon had so skillfully put in, Cain lifted Hannah off the bed, then held her and rocked her until the blue eyes closed again in sleep. But before Hannah gave in to her exhaustion Cain whispered, “I love you, baby girl.”
For once Cain wished there really was an afterlife where the dead went and were able to view the living. She smiled to think that her parents and siblings were looking down and seeing how beautiful the family she’d been gifted with really was. She placed her hand on her wound so she could bend and kiss Hannah’s forehead before she stood and started out of the room.
Emma leaned against the doorjamb and watched the touching scene.
When Cain turned around her smile widened, and once the door was closed she pulled Emma to her. Never had she been on the receiving end of such adoration mixed with a little bit of lust.
“Come on, honey, let’s get you settled in. You look a little tired.” Emma pulled on Cain’s hand to lead her to the bedroo
m next door.
“Mrs. Casey, is this some plot to get me alone?”
Emma’s sultry laugh confirmed that fact. “I’m merely looking out for your well-being, love, nothing more.”
“Hell, I must be losing my touch.”
Emma led her to the room at the center of the hallway and pushed her gently inside. “Trust me, hot stuff, you haven’t lost a thing.”
From the window they could see the men and women they had brought with them still working to get the precautionary system in place. Emma was surprised to see Hayden with a piece of electronic equipment in his hand, walking to the utility pole across the street.
“What’s he doing?”
“Learning the business from the ground up, like every Casey before him. Just ’cause you’re born with the name, you don’t automatically get to be the leader. Hayden knows that without anyone telling him, just like I did.”
Emma leaned against Cain and wrapped her arms around Cain’s waist. “Before that happens you’ll teach him everything you know, right?”
“I know you don’t agree because he’s your son, but—”
Emma pressed her fingers to Cain’s lips. “He’s our son, and you’ll teach him everything you know, right?”
“And then some, love.”
“Then let’s leave him to his work, and you and me get into that nice comfortable bed.”
Emma helped Cain with her shoes and took off her own heavy sweater before pulling back the blankets and climbing in beside her. They had to reverse sides from their usual sleeping arrangements because of Cain’s injury, but when Emma rolled over and snuggled up, it felt just as wonderful as she remembered.
“Tell me about the Raths,” Cain said as she rested her hand on Emma’s hip.
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me. I’m just curious.” She moved her hand from Emma’s hip up her side close to her breast. “They sounded nice enough on the phone.”
Emma felt like Cain was pouring liquid fire along her skin. While she’d missed Cain for a variety of reasons, when she was really honest with herself, she had to admit that the sex always came close to the top of the list.
“Maddie and I went to school together. Well, for a little while, anyway. I was just starting high school, and she was a senior. We hit it off from the beginning, and even though she didn’t want to go to college, she was the one who really encouraged me to attend Tulane.”
Emma moved so that she was almost on top of Cain, without putting any undue pressure on her chest. “When I came back here alone and knowing I was going to have Hannah, I cried on her shoulder the most. My father loves me, but he was at a loss as to what to do with me except try to convince me to go home to you and work it out, and my mother was just her usual self. Maddie understood me, but even she wondered why I’d run home and desert the two people I loved most in the world.”
“It was a dark time, love.” The long breath Emma let out warmed Cain’s chest, and Cain ran her fingers through Emma’s hair to offer comfort.
“To tell you the truth, I never understood it myself.” Emma sighed. “I was so lonely, and I missed you so much. It’s a miracle Hannah survived. I was so sick and didn’t want to eat. It was the most miserable time of my life.”
“Was Maddie there when Hannah was born?” Cain asked to keep their talk going. Having Emma get some of that hurt out would only help the two of them in the future.
“She, Jerry, and Daddy were the only ones who came with me to the hospital, but once Hannah was born and they knew I was all right, I sent them home. I remember sitting in the hospital holding my baby, staring at yet another Casey and crying because I was so happy and so miserable at the same time. Did I tell you that I brought some whiskey with me?”
Cain smiled and shook her head.
“I did, and I baptized her Casey-style just like I remember you doing with Hayden. Then I told her about the proud clan she was a member of. I swear if she could’ve talked right then, she would’ve told me to take her home to you.”
“Considering you and she lived with your mother all that time, it’s a wonder she’s so spirited.”
“It’s that strain of Casey bad grass running through her veins. My mother had about as much chance of breaking her spirit as she did yours. I’m just glad I don’t have to raise her alone anymore. Hannah’s a beautiful child, but let me tell you, she’s a handful. Sort of like someone I know and love.”
Emma moved toward the lips she couldn’t get enough of. Just as the kissing started, Cain’s wandering hand finally came to rest on her right breast, and Emma’s nipple came to life when Cain squeezed.
Their time on the plane, the cuddling they had done, and now this were making Emma want things she didn’t think Cain was capable of delivering because of her wound, but she certainly didn’t want to stop. She pulled back from Cain’s mouth long enough to check for any discomfort.
“Come back down here, love,” Cain said in a gentle voice. “I missed you something fierce, and I’m tired of waiting.”
“I really want to, but you’re hurt.” She knew her protest was weak at best.
“Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll leave you alone.”
Emma didn’t answer and was on the verge of giving in.
“Tell me you’re not sopping wet, and I’ll stop touching you.”
That did it. Emma lowered herself for one more kiss before getting off the bed.
She knew Cain was about to groan in frustration, but she just locked the door, then stood in the sunlight so Cain could see her. It would’ve been nice to have more privacy so they could really be uninhibited, but she craved Cain, and she had some idea how they could be together without causing her any more pain.
Emma slowly undid the buttons on her shirt one by one, well out of Cain’s reach. She wanted to peel away every stitch of clothing, laying herself bare for Cain’s pleasure. If Cain touched her before she was finished with her little show, she’d give in to whatever Cain wanted before she was done. The shirt dropped to the floor from her fingertips after it had slid down her arms. A dark green silk bra covered her full breasts, and the sides of Cain’s mouth lifted in a smile.
“We’ve been shopping, have we?”
“I remember someone once telling me green was her favorite color,” Emma said, moving her hands to the top button of her jeans. She was a little nervous because her body wasn’t the same as when Cain first fell in love with her. Two pregnancies had left her with more than one stretch mark.
“Are there some matching panties under there?”
The second button came undone, and the question shored up some of Emma’s confidence. “Maybe.” The other two popped open and Emma wiggled her hips, making the jeans shimmy to the floor and pool at her ankles.
Now the bra and a thong in the same shade of green were the only things hiding any imperfections Emma thought she had, and when a full minute went by without Cain saying anything, she wanted to cry.
“I know after Hannah—” Emma started, fighting the urge to put her clothes back on and wait until it was darker and Cain didn’t have the chance to study her this closely.
“I know that after Hannah you’re as beautiful and sexy as the first time I saw you like this.” Cain swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. “You have nothing to fear from me, sweetling. I want you so badly right now that I’m afraid of scaring you.”
“You could never do that.”
Emma watched as Cain unbuttoned her own shirt and stood, once she’d reached the top of her belt. She was mesmerized as Cain started to take off her pants. If this was a dream, Emma hoped nothing would wake her up. In a short time Cain was naked except for the stark white bandage around her chest that the surgeon had put there that morning.
The floor felt cool under Cain’s feet as she moved closer to Emma, and it crossed her mind to punch Giovanni in the face when they finally met. Because of his orders to have her shot, she couldn’t carry Emm
a to the bed like she wanted. Staring at the strings holding Emma’s undergarments together, Cain reached for them. She stopped at the last minute, looking at Emma’s face as if asking for permission.
“Touch me before I die from wanting you to.”
The thin straps of the expensive underwear came apart in Cain’s hands when she pulled them, running her hands down Emma’s butt to get them completely off. Then she unhooked the matching bra.
When they met skin to skin Emma almost came from the exquisite feel of having Cain like this again. “Please, baby, I can’t wait anymore, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“You don’t mind doing most of the work for a little while until I can move without hurting?”
“Are you kidding me?” Emma took Cain’s hand, led her back to the bed, and arranged the pillows so she would be comfortable, only to have Cain rearrange them.
“I need to lie down a little flatter for what I have in mind.” Cain stretched out and extended her hand in invitation. Emma straddled her at the waist, giving Cain a wonderful view of pale, soft skin.
Cain started at Emma’s knees and slowly caressed her way up the smooth thighs to her hips. Cain felt like she was rediscovering a landscape that she hadn’t visited in a long time. To avoid pulling on her stitches, she continued from there with only one hand to the pink nipples that had puckered to the point of looking almost painful.
“Cain.” The name came out of Emma’s throat with difficulty as two fingers pinched and pulled on her nipple. “Baby, I really need you to touch me somewhere lower.”
The bed was a beautiful old brass one with a headboard almost as high as the wall behind it. Cain studied the metalwork for a minute and figured it would make a wonderful handhold. “Like I said, I have something in mind.”
“Please, baby.”
“Come up here, Emma.”
Emma stood up on the mattress and walked to the head of the bed. No way was she going to chance dragging herself across Cain’s body and have to stop if anything went wrong.
