Tin Queen

by Devney Perry

  The past melted away.

  I kissed her until she was breathless, then pulled away to drown in those dark coffee eyes. “Hey, baby.”

  A smile stretched across her face. A smile I hoped to see every day for the rest of my life. “Hi, Ace.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nova

  “They won’t give me my deposit back.” I set my phone on the counter in the bathroom. “But they’re letting me out of the lease.”

  Emmett ran a comb through his hair, then dropped a kiss to my temple. “Fair enough.”

  While he’d been in the shower, I’d scrolled through the emails I’d avoided yesterday while we’d been unpacking. One had been from the property management company in Oregon who’d leased me a cottage on the beach near Manzanita. Considering how I’d backed out at the last moment, I was glad they hadn’t pushed for me to pay rent.

  When the dust had settled after the drama with Dad, a new town and a fresh start had seemed like the right next step. A little beach town where I could walk in the sand every morning had appealed, so I’d found the house to rent.

  “It wasn’t a small deposit.” Three thousand dollars gone, and I hadn’t even set foot through the cottage’s front door. “That’s enough for a new pair of heels.”

  He smirked, knowing exactly how much I’d paid.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Emmett had confessed to spying on my credit card and bank accounts, so he’d known that I’d planned to move to Oregon. I suspected now that we were living together, the spying would stop. Though he had asked me to leave the location tracker on my phone in case of an emergency.

  If it gave Emmett peace of mind, then I didn’t mind. Besides, I had a tracker on his phone now too, so we were equal. He hadn’t argued at all when I’d brought it up, probably because I’d been on my knees and my tongue on his cock when I’d asked.

  I leaned against the counter and caught a droplet of water as it skated down his bare chest. The towel wrapped around his flat waist, highlighting the perfect globes of his ass and doing little to hide the bulge beneath the V at his hips.

  “It’s just money,” he said. “And I’ll buy you all the shoes you want.”

  “I know.” I sighed. I could make more money. Though first I’d need to find a job.

  But I wasn’t in a hurry to find a new career path. My condo in Missoula had gone under contract on Wednesday and since Emmett had refused to let me move anywhere but into his home, I’d have the equity from the condo’s sale to keep me afloat.

  My life looked much different than it had a week ago. And not at all like I’d planned.

  “Do you think I’m crazy?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  I swatted at his chest and he chuckled, tossing his comb aside and shifting to pick me up and set me on the counter.

  “No, you’re not crazy.”

  “Do you think we’re rushing this?”

  “No, we’re not rushing this.”

  I took a deep breath and asked the question I’d been avoiding all week. “Do you think we can move past it all?”

  He framed my face with his hands, towering over me. “The future isn’t behind us, baby.”

  No, it wasn’t.

  It might take us a while to get over all that had happened. It would take time to show Emmett that he could trust me, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

  I looped my arms around his shoulders, dropping my gaze to the hair that dusted his chest. “I hope your mom likes me.”

  He hooked a finger under my chin, forcing my gaze to his. “She will.”

  We were going to Cherie’s tomorrow for Sunday dinner. I hadn’t had a chance to be nervous about it yet. Between my last day of work on Monday, finishing packing on Tuesday and Wednesday, then Emmett and I hauling everything to Clifton Forge on Thursday, the week had passed in a whirlwind.

  My furniture would stay with the condo and yesterday, the two of us had unpacked my things. I’d planned to do it over the weekend, to stretch it out since it wasn’t like I had a job to dive into come Monday morning, but he’d insisted we unpack immediately. He wanted to make this our home.

  “What should I tell her?” I asked.

  “Whatever you’re comfortable with. My mom was married to a Tin Gypsy for a long time. She knows what the club life is like. But if you don’t want to tell her anything, she won’t ask.”

  “Okay.” I ran my fingertips through the hair beside his temple. My father’s sins were my father’s sins. I kept telling myself that, though I had plenty of my own to deal with. But Emmett and I had made an agreement last Sunday when he’d shown up at my door.

  A clean slate. What had happened this summer was in the past. We were moving forward.

  Together.

  “I love you.”

  He bent down, brushing his lips over mine. “I love you.”

  My fingers went to the towel, loosening the fold that kept it around his hips. It dropped to the tiled floor with a muted thump.

  Before I could take him in my grip, Emmett swept me off the counter and in a few long strides, we were in the bedroom and I was flying toward the mattress.

  I bounced, laughing as he stripped off the sweatpants I’d pulled on this morning. They flew over his shoulder along with the T-shirt I’d worn to bed, one of his. It was gone with a whoosh before he came down on top of me.

  He dove for my pussy, shoving my knees apart and without any teasing or delay, he dragged his tongue through my folds.

  “Oh, God.” My back arched off the bed as one of his hands snaked up my stomach to a breast.

  He had my nipple pinched when his tongue stroked again. “You taste so fucking good.”

  I hummed and closed my eyes, the pleasure ripping through me as he feasted. My legs began to tremble by his ears and when he sucked on my clit, I cried out, twisting and writhing.

  But he held me in place with that one strong arm, giving me one more suck until he was up and his mouth replaced his fingers on my nipple. Then the thick head of his cock was at my entrance.

  “Ace, I need you.” I tilted up my hips.

  He released my nipple with a pop and shifted higher, locking his eyes with mine as his elbows bracketed my head. He was right. The future wasn’t behind us. It was right here.

  With one thrust he slid deep, my body stretching around him. “God, Nova. You feel . . .”

  “Good. So good,” I breathed, my inner walls already fluttering around him.

  Then he pulled out only to slam inside again, hitting the spot that always made me shake.

  Emmett planted a kiss on the underside of my jaw, trailing his lips up to my ear, then across my cheek as he started his rhythm, moving in and out until I writhed beneath him.

  “Say it again.”

  “I love you,” I panted.

  “Again.”

  “I love you, Ace.”

  “Again.”

  “I love you, Emmett.”

  He let loose a groan and buried his face in my hair, dragging in a long breath before leaning up and reaching for my hand.

  With our fingers laced together, he brought our hands between us to where we were connected. He held my fingertips over his slick shaft as he pulled out, then rocked inside, torturous inch by torturous inch. He kept me there, stroke after stroke, so I could feel us together.

  “I love you, Nova.”

  I brought my free hand to his face, my thumb going to his bottom lip.

  If there was a doubt that we’d be able to overcome everything, it vanished whenever we were together. Maybe that was why we’d been insatiable this week. In between the packing and moving, we were here, in bed or on the couch, our bodies linked.

  Emmett lifted our hands, raising my arm above my head. Then he pinned it there in the pillows as he quickened his thrusts, increasing his pace until he was slamming into me and my orgasm came on a gasp, stars breaking behind my eyes.

  I clenched around him, pulsing and squeezing as he lost himself to his ow
n release and the two of us came together.

  As the white spots cleared, I wrapped my legs around his hips, holding him to me. My hand clamped to his so he couldn’t let me go. Then I took a moment to savor his weight on me, his heat enveloping me.

  It was strange to think I’d been lost my entire life. That facing the man who should have been my enemy was what had brought me here.

  I hadn’t even known I was lost, yet here I was, found in Emmett’s arms.

  Emmett relaxed, twisting us so he wouldn’t crush me, but he kept us connected. As soon as we were comfortable, I sighed, totally content to take a nap. He’d kept me up late last night and a lazy day in bed sounded like the perfect way to pass a Saturday.

  But just as he was sinking into his pillow, his body tensed and he shoved up on an arm, his face whipping to the door.

  “What?” I sat up, listening.

  A grin stretched across his face and he kissed my lips, pulling out. “Better get dressed. We’ve got company.”

  My heart did a somersault. “What? Who?”

  He winked and rolled out of bed, going for the closet. “Take your shower. I’ll stall them.”

  “Them?”

  He didn’t answer. He disappeared into the closet as the sound of multiple doors closing echoed outside.

  I rolled off the bed and hurried to the bathroom, jumping in the shower. I didn’t bother washing my hair but did my best to put on some makeup with my hands shaking. The voices coming from the living room sounded like there were a hundred people in the house.

  I dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater. I stepped into my favorite four-inch Louboutins because I needed them to help me make it through today.

  There was no need to ask who was here.

  Whatever nerves I had for meeting Emmett’s mother were tenfold when it came to meeting the greater Tin Gypsy family.

  So much for easing into life here.

  “I can do this.” I closed my eyes in the closet and willed myself to be strong. Maybe they’d hate me. They had to think I was crazy. They were probably here to talk Emmett into rethinking this cohabitation idea because we were rushing this.

  Going to the garage months ago had been one thing. I’d faced Dash and Leo. But this . . . there were many female voices drifting down the hallway, and meeting the women was going to be an entirely different experience.

  Whatever the men might overlook, their wives would not.

  I’d deceived Emmett for months. I’d used him and now I was living in his house. Did they think I was still using him? Did they think I was still in collusion with my father? At the moment, I was set on proving myself to Emmett. But his friends? How was I supposed to show his friends that I wasn’t out to kill them or destroy their lives?

  I’d burned down the clubhouse, for fuck’s sake. Seriously, what was wrong with me? I was crazy. Officially, undeniably crazy.

  “Hey.” Two strong arms wrapped around me and my eyes whipped open. I was so stuck in my head that I hadn’t heard Emmett walk into the closet in his bare feet.

  “Maybe I should go.”

  “Go where? You live here.”

  I live here. That concept was a little flimsy at the moment. “A coffee shop.”

  He held me tighter. “They’ll love you.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I love you.”

  My body sagged into his. Mostly I wanted to avoid this forever, at least until Emmett and I had more time together. “How can you be so . . . sure?”

  “They’re my family.”

  “No, not sure of them.” I twisted out of his arms and looked up to his face. “Of me. How can you be so sure of me? It’s only been a week.”

  “Nova.” His eyes softened and his hands came to my cheeks. “Don’t doubt us.”

  I nodded and leaned into his touch.

  Don’t doubt us.

  “Okay.”

  Today, I’d do my best. Tomorrow, those doubts would come back, but for now, I’d borrow some of his confidence and face his friends knowing that he didn’t doubt us.

  “Come on.” He laced our hands together and led me out of the closet and down the hallway into the chaos of conversation.

  “Don’t leave me,” I whispered, hating the insecurity in my voice. But I needed him today.

  “Never.”

  A little boy streaked across the mouth of the hallway, followed closely by another.

  “Xander! Zeke!” a woman yelled. “If you want to play tag, go downstairs before you break something valuable.”

  They bolted in the other direction, disappearing as we emerged in the common area.

  Conversation stopped. All eyes turned my way and I squeezed Emmett’s hand tighter, raising my free hand to wave.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.” A petite blond woman with short hair appeared at my side with a baby boy in her arms. She looked me up and down, wariness in her expression as she waved. “I’m Presley.”

  I knew them, of course. But I simply smiled. “I’m Nova.”

  A tall man appeared behind her and I did a double take. Shaw Valance.

  It was one thing to know that Presley had married the famous Hollywood actor, but to see him standing here in Emmett’s—no, my house was something entirely different.

  “My sister has the biggest crush on you,” I blurted, then cringed. Smooth, Nova.

  Shaw chuckled. “Maybe we’ll get to meet her someday. I’m Shaw.”

  I wiggled free of Emmett’s grip and shook Shaw’s hand. “Nova.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Was it? His wife smiled and though she didn’t seem cold or rude, there was some hesitation there. Rightly so.

  In the kitchen, there was another woman—a version of Presley with long hair braided over her shoulder. Scarlett. Presley’s twin sister. Behind her stood Luke, the chief of police who had to know that I’d burned down a building in his community. Any minute now he’d probably haul out the handcuffs and drag me to jail.

  Scarlett had to hate me. My father had kidnapped her. But the smile she gave me was a lot like her sister’s. No hate. Just caution. Luke, on the other hand, grinned like he knew I was expecting the cuffs and he thought it was funny.

  Emmett just gave me a wink.

  The door opened and a beautiful redhead walked inside with a bouquet of balloons in one hand. “Hey. Sorry we’re late.”

  Cassandra. The Warriors had kidnapped her too.

  Leo came inside behind Cassandra with the most precious baby girl in his arms. Neither seemed fazed to see me. They came inside like they’d been here a hundred times. Cassandra handed over the balloons to Presley and then stopped before me to study my face.

  There was pity in her gaze. It was worse than suspicion. I inched back, ready to retreat to the closet, when Cassandra’s face softened and she pulled me into a hug.

  She hugged me.

  How did she know I’d needed one?

  “I’m Cass.”

  “H-hi.”

  She let me go and glanced over her shoulder at Leo, then took their daughter from his arms before going to Emmett’s side for a hug. “Happy birthday.”

  His birthday had been months ago.

  “We postponed his party,” Presley said at the confusion on my face.

  “Postponed. Because . . . right.” Because I’d burned down the clubhouse. My face flamed and even though I wanted to drop my chin, go back to bed and hide under the covers, I stayed strong and looked up at Leo.

  He shrugged. “We’ve all wanted to burn that place down once or twice in our lives.”

  “True,” Dash said, sliding off his stool at the island to join us. “Hey, Nova.”

  “Hi, Dash.”

  His beautiful wife appeared at his side, looping one arm around his waist and holding the other out to me. Her handshake was firm. Businesslike. This was a stretch for them all, but I’d give them credit for trying.

  “I’m Bryce,” she said. “Sorry we invaded your house bu
t if we had asked, Emmett would have told us no. We’re ‘beg for forgiveness, not ask for permission’ sort of people.”

  A nervous laugh bubbled free from my mouth. “I can relate.”

  She nodded for me to follow her into the kitchen, where I met Genevieve, Isaiah and their kids.

  The party was actually nothing more than a Saturday barbeque except with balloons and cake. Whatever gifts they’d gotten for him he’d received on his actual birthday, which was nice because I didn’t feel left out. And otherwise, it was surprisingly fun.

  His friends pulled me into their circle. The day passed without any discussion of the Tin Gypsies or the Arrowhead Warriors. When the party ended, hours later, I knew deep in my soul that there’d be no need to ask for their forgiveness. It would take some time to get to know each other. To trust. But forgiveness?

  They’d given it before I’d even arrived in Clifton Forge.

  It was dark by the time everyone began shuffling to their cars. They’d spent the entire day at our house, the guys watching a football game while I’d been encircled by their wives.

  Genevieve was a lawyer and the two of us had chatted about her work. They’d all been interested to know what I’d be doing in town and if I’d open my own practice. Maybe.

  Maybe I’d work as a freelance legal consultant. Maybe I’d find a job that had nothing to do with the law. My life was full of maybes at the moment.

  Except Emmett.

  He was my constant.

  “Next week, our place,” Leo said.

  “Sounds good.” Emmett nodded and handed over a sleeping Seraphina. She’d fallen asleep in Emmett’s arms and he seemed reluctant to let her go.

  Seeing Emmett with a baby brought up a lot of questions, ones I was desperate to ask, but I had held my tongue.

  Did he want kids? Did he want marriage? Before I’d moved in, we probably should have talked about both, because it might crush my dreams if he didn’t want a family. I’d take him anyway, but having his baby was an idea that had bloomed after seeing him with Seraphina.

  “Let me know what we can bring,” I told Cass, touching the soft skin on her daughter’s cheek.

  “I’ll text you.” She hugged me goodbye, then did the same with Emmett before sweeping outside with Leo.