Layers Crossed

by Lacey Silks

  She squared her shoulders, gloating, “I had to leave mine at his house yesterday, after he got me all wet.”

  I knew that she’d visited – Eric had told me – but he’d skipped the ‘wet’ part. And even if my gut told me it was a misunderstanding, Claire had definitely planted a seed of doubt in my mind. She was trying to get to me, and it was beginning to work.

  “You haven’t been in a barn with him yet, have you?” she asked.

  There was no way I would spill our private life to her. She didn’t deserve it. I could have easily slashed her hopes by telling her that I had been in Eric’s barn, but that wasn’t the point. And I highly doubted it would have stopped her from whatever plan she had brewing.

  “That’s none of your business, but I can tell you that I’m not sure what the big deal is.”

  “You know, when Hunter comes back to town, I hope he takes you back to the hole you came from.”

  I froze. How the hell did she know Hunter? She must have sensed my confusion.

  “Yeah, he’s a good friend of Eric’s. And you thought you knew him well.” She swayed her hips and left me standing, completely speechless as pieces of a disturbing puzzle began clicking in my mind.

  Eric coming all the way to New York to hire a private investigator, his chummy demeanor with my family, guilt when I’d mentioned my brothers and tried to get more information about his friends at the camp... Had I been set up?

  Missy tugged at my arm, saying, “Don’t let her get to you.” And she was right. I had a much bigger problem at hand now. When Eric saw me with Missy heading for him, he rushed toward us.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Get your parents home. Now.”

  His brows narrowed.

  “He’s here,” I answered his unspoken question.

  CHAPTER 24

  Eric

  Emma huffed and puffed like a frickin’ wolf trying to blow down a concrete house. She avoided eye contact and removed my hand from her knee when I drove my parents to their house. I wanted to believe that she was in her investigative mode and upset over seeing Huntz, but I knew better. Something else was wrong, and this wasn’t the time to ask her about it. And what did Missy have to do with all this? Why was she here?

  “Are you sure, Emma?” my mother asked, her voice barely audible. Keeping her cover as my girlfriend, Emma quickly told my parents how she’d seen Huntz’s photograph at the Sheriff’s, who had told her about the story of our kidnapping.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” She replied in a stern voice.

  “We should call the sheriff,” my father said.

  “Huntz won’t be back tonight,” Emma responded. “He wanted to make a point, but it would be better if Missy stayed with you for now, please.”

  “How do you know this, Emma? What exactly happened back there?” I asked.

  She went over her encounter in full detail. I felt my hands fist into tight balls, wishing I’d seen the fucker so that I could have ripped him apart. And Missy, poor girl, had been living in fear all these years. She was the one who helped us escape. I owed her my and Annabelle’s lives – the least I could do was keep her safe from the bastard right now. God only knew the horrid childhood she had. I turned in my seat and held her gaze. There was something different about her eyes tonight. They reminded me of my own when I’d been held captive, and I couldn’t help but reach back to capture her hand. I’d imagined this moment countless times, meeting the brave little girl who’d helped us, lifting her into my arms and spinning, showing my gratitude in any way I could. But Missy wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a grown woman. How could I have been oblivious as to who she really was all these years?

  “I know this isn’t the right time, and it will never be enough, but thank you,” I whispered.

  For a split second, the fear disappeared from her face and was replaced by happiness. It was a moment I would never forget, and little did I know, one I wouldn’t see on Missy’s face again for a long time.

  “The best thing you can do now is stick together,” Emma informed us in a formal tone. What was going on here? And why did I get the feeling that sticking together didn’t include her? Why was she being so cold?

  I pulled up to my parents’ house, and once inside, checked all the locks and bolts. “Have this by your side, Dad.” I passed him his rifle. “We’ll figure it all out. Emma’s family owns a private investigations company, and I’m sure they’ll help, but I trust Emma. If she says he won’t show here for a few days, then he won’t.”

  “You take care of that girl, Eric. She seems upset with you.”

  You got that too, eh? But I simply said, “I will.”

  When I got back to the car, Emma was furiously texting with someone, her brows scrunching and lips tightening with each passing minute.

  I turned on the ignition, asking, “Are you okay?”

  “I just got a loaded gun pointed at me, Eric. No, I’m not okay.”

  She was lying. I doubted a cannon would scare Emma off. Her tone of voice gave me the impression she was more upset with me than with Huntz. She jumped out of the car and, slamming its door, headed for the house.

  “What the heck is the matter, Em?”

  She whipped her body around and came back toward me. Her petite frame now seemed larger and more powerful than a giant’s.

  “Why don’t you ask Hunter? I’m sure he’ll fill you in. Or does it work the other way around? Do you report back to him and my brothers?”

  Fuck!

  “Emma, I’m sorry. I’m so…”

  “Don’t even fucking say it, Eric. I trusted you! I thought what we had was real, and you betray me like that?”

  “Emma, I wanted to tell you, but…”

  “There shouldn’t be any buts, Eric. All it takes is one lie to destroy a relationship, and you accomplished that the first day we met.”

  “That’s a lie and you know it.”

  “Really? Do I? Because I’ve been living in a lie for the past three weeks, being made a fool of.” She pushed the front door open as soon as the key clicked in the lock.

  “Then every time I touched you and kissed you and had you in my bed…”

  I caught Emma’s hand before it reached my cheek to slap me. I squeezed my fingers around her little wrist, feeling my need to pin her to something hard. I wanted to trap her and talk to her. I wanted to rob her of the ability to run away so that I could tell her everything. And this time I would. If she only gave me another chance, I wouldn’t screw this up again. But before I could think, her other hand flew up, stinging the side of my face, leaving a burn I was sure to feel for a long time.

  “What the hell was that, Emma? You need to let me finish.”

  I grasped both her wrists and pushed my way forward, forcing her back against the wall. I pinned her there with my body and held her hands to the sides. If she really wanted to, she could have gotten away from my grip. I’d learned enough about Emma from her family to know that she held a black belt in kickboxing and jiu jitsu, and my hold on her was merely an inconvenience.

  “Look, I am not some little country girl who gets to be pushed around and controlled and told what to do and used. If you want that, go back to Claire.”

  Fortunately I was able to block her knee as it neared my crotch. “Emma, I swear to God if you don’t stop this, I will.”

  “Go ahead and try.”

  And so I crushed my mouth to hers, forcing her lips apart, pinning her so hard she had no way to breathe for a few seconds, giving her exactly what she wanted, finally realizing that what Emma needed was to have that pressure that had been building inside her tonight, released. Her breasts were squished against my chest, and her muscles bunched up and stiffened as she resisted me. Her mouth was so hard yet so needy, it made me want to pry those lips open and suck on her tongue until she gave in, until she realized she was mine and only mine. I didn’t fucking care about Claire or any other woman. I should have told Emma the truth about Hunter and why I ended
up at Cross Enterprises, sooner. I needed to right my mistakes and the only way I knew how at this moment was to be inside her. I needed Emma’s silky warmth around me. I only wanted Emma. My Emma, until the end of my days.

  Once I heard her moan into my mouth and felt her curves soften, I eased my grip and lifted her into my arms. Since we were already near the kitchen, I sat her on the counter, our lips never pulling apart. I swept across the cold marble, spilling whatever was on it to the floor, including the fruit bowl, which shattered. Neither one of us cared or broke the needy kiss. Whatever happened, I had to remain connected to Emma. I needed her now more than ever, and even if she didn’t admit it, even if she was as mad at me as a raging bull, I wouldn’t let her go. I couldn’t. When she pulled away, I saw tears in her eyes. I touched my lower lip, which was cut from her bite, and held her gaze. Emma’s mascara began running down her cheeks, and she looked so vulnerable and beautiful, I couldn’t take it. I grasped her shirt and tore it open, and then scrunched up her skirt to her waist and cupped her wet pussy with my hand.

  “I can’t,” she said quietly.

  “Shh, Em. Just be quiet. If there’s nothing else you can give me, please give me tonight. Please give us tonight. No questions, no words. I need to be inside you, even if it’s for the last time.”

  She sucked in a quick breath, leaned back willingly on the counter, and spread her legs open for me. I was so ready by that point, I couldn’t take it. Lowering my jeans to my thighs, I pulled her ass to the edge of the counter, moved her panties to the side, and dove into her tight wetness in one swift prod. Holding onto her hips, I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop. She writhed underneath me like a temptress from hell, pinching her nipples, pushing herself onto me, and lifting her feet to my shoulders. God, she looked so beautiful! How did I fuck this up? How could I let her go after this – this beautifully sensual and strong woman who’d been raised with so much passion that anyone who got near her had to feel it? They had to know how special she was. I adored her, admired her, and loved her beyond my sound mind.

  Fuck! I loved her. And she needed to know that, but now was not the right time. At this moment, seeing her this way, succumbing to my most carnal need as I crushed our bodies together over and over again, teasing her clit with my thumb, rubbing it just the way I knew would drive her insane was all that mattered. Once we figured this out in the morning and made everything right again, I’d tell her. I leaned my cheek against her calf, smoothing it over the faint lines of beautiful scars that decorated her legs, kissing each beautiful ripple. Telling her in my mind and showing her with my body just how desperately I loved her.

  And when she broke into a cry combined with a scream, I pulled out of her, watching my seed spill onto her tummy and breasts, her smoothing it over her body as if she wanted to cover every inch of herself with my essence. I lifted her up into my arms in her torn clothes and carried her into my tub. She curled in a corner without saying a word. I washed her and myself, thoroughly, dried her up, and again carried her to my bed where her body naturally curled into mine. As soon as my dick felt her soft ass, I found her opening again. She spread her legs willingly. We remained locked with me inside her as I whispered into her ear. “I’m so sorry, Emma.” She let out a long exhale, and we fell asleep.

  I didn’t exactly expect her to be in a good mood the next morning, or even to talk to me for a few days, but instead of her soft blond curls, I found a note on her pillow that crushed any hope I’d had in my chest.

  Dearest Eric,

  I’m sorry, but I cannot do this. By the time you read this I’ll be landing in New York. I’m a city girl and New Jersey is my home – it always has been and always will be. Secrets are not a good foundation to build a relationship on – I know this better than anyone. We’re much better off on our own, in our own nooks of the world. I’ll send a replacement to finish your case. Huntz is being tracked and it shouldn’t take long until we get another ping near Ogden.

  Love always, Emma

  “What the fuck?” I pulled on my hair, searching my house for any remaining evidence of her. Her clothes and toiletries were gone, and I couldn’t find one item to remind me of her, except for the cowboy hat. She’d left it here. Leaning against the mantle, I felt something underneath my foot and lowered to pick up the shining button. A memory of it bouncing on the floor after I ripped her shirt open tumbled through my mind. Was all I’d had left of Emma? Did she really leave? Didn’t last night mean anything to her, or was that just her saying goodbye? Have I lost the only woman I’ve ever loved? Have I lost Emma?

  CHAPTER 25

  Emma

  I sat at the bar patiently waiting for Grace and her betrayer boyfriend Hunter to join me. Honestly, Hunter was the last person I wanted to see. Part of me wanted to kill him for going behind my back, and another part wanted to hug him and kiss him for helping fate unite me with Eric – at least for the little time I got to spend with him. Except it wasn’t fate. It was Hunter, conspiring with my brothers, whom I’d refused to speak to for the past week. I shouldn’t have let my guard down so quickly, either. I should have made the connection that Reeve was not a first name, but last. I swear the way Eric swept me off my feet in Ogden, my brain lost half its functioning ability. At home I’d thrown myself back into work, trying to forget about Eric (which of course was impossible), skimming over his case for hours a day to see whether I’d missed anything. The trail on John Huntz had gone cold, and waiting for the next ping was like waiting for a Christmas that only came every ten years.

  My last night with Eric seemed so long ago. It was fading too quickly and beginning to seem like a dream. I shook off my memory. I couldn’t do this now. I didn’t want to remember what I’d had and lost – not in public.

  The crowd was already lining up in front of Kissed, Kendra’s nightclub. My brother’s wife had run this successful venue for the past ten years. Feeling all sorry for myself, I sat here on my own, listening to Matt doing last sound checks and watching Sandra stack the bottles of liquor on the shelves. I downed my third shot of tequila to drown my sorrows. There was no other way out of my misery. I couldn’t go back to Ogden. Eric had lied to me. He’d only walked into my office because my brothers had hired him to do so. Had he lied about other things as well? How was I supposed to trust him now? And Hunter of all people, my best friend’s boyfriend whom I introduced to ‘the love of his life,’ as he stated, had orchestrated the entire operation.

  “Need someone to talk to?” Kendra’s voice came from the side.

  Slouched, I swiveled on the stool toward her. “Yes and no. You know, this should not be allowed in a club.” I pointed to Kendra’s growing belly.

  “Why?”

  “It ruins the vibe for those who come to get lucky.” Seeing my sister-in-law wobbling around had to be the best contraceptive ever. I took another shot between my fingers and threw my head back.

  She laughed. “I’m only here for a few minutes. Besides, I really hope no one here is having sex in public. Wanna chat? Julian’s worried about you.”

  “I don’t really care what Julian feels.”

  “He loves you, Emma. We all do. At least tell me what your brothers have done this time. I promise to be impartial.”

  “Oh, K.” I lowered my head onto the bar. “I’m so confused.”

  “I haven’t seen you show so much emotion since David passed.”

  “That’s because I haven’t met anyone worthy of it, until Eric.”

  “Your case?”

  “Yes. Everything is such a mess, K. They fucking meddled in my business again. They set everything up. Me meeting Eric, him taking me away to his ranch. It was their idea. They asked Hunter if he knew anyone out of town, and of course he pointed them toward Eric. But I think my brothers didn’t plan on us having such a connection.”

  She laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I bet Julian and Tristan are both slapping themselves silly.”

  “Why?”
>
  “Because they didn’t realize they’d hired a man you’d fall in love with. I heard them talk about cowboys being not your type and all, so I’m sure they didn’t expect to be the cupids they ended up being.”

  “It serves them right. I should tell them that cowboys who ride horses develop a stamina and a rhythm I’d never seen before.”

  “Yes, that should really force them to ease up. Em, you gotta talk to them. Tell them how you feel. Make your own decisions not because of what you think they’ll say or do, but because what you feel is right for you.”

  “But it’s all over now. There’s no way this can work. How can I trust him again?”

  “Well, let me give you one piece of advice I hope you’ll take. People make mistakes, Emma. Every single person, including me and you. I once believed I attracted trouble like a bleeding seal in the harbor of Cape Town. Don’t let a good thing pass you by when you’re lucky enough to have it in your life. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are or if you met under a pretense you didn’t expect. Grasp it and hold onto it. And give your brothers a break. They’ve been worried sick about you since the accident. I think they’re worried now too.”

  “I just want to die.”

  She passed me another shot. “I’ll make sure you get home safely. Think about what I said, Emma. Not all is lost. Eric’s still on this Earth. What would you do if you found out something had happened to him?”

  “I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “Can you really go on not seeing him again?”

  “I don’t think so. No, I know I can’t. But what do I say?”

  “Think it through. Forgiveness is a powerful attribute. Believe me, I know, because I’ve been on its receiving end for years. It can make everything right again. It can heal that broken heart of yours.”

  “Thank you, K.” I threw back the tequila. It didn’t even sting anymore. In fact, it was almost like water. “But right now I just need to clear my mind.”

  “I gotta go. This one’s not letting me sleep through the night.” she rubbed her belly. “Plus, Grace is here.”