Emma Cocker (Cocker Brothers Book 11)

by Faleena Hopkins

  He opens his palm and holds my face as I close my eyes. “I woke up and thought…”

  “Shhh,” he smiles, kissing my lips. “I should have realized you’d be worried if I wasn’t next to you. I’m used to only taking care of me.”

  Hugging him I tuck my face into his neck. “Were you working?”

  He pulls me across his lap and murmurs, “No, I ordered something for us to eat. I may have gotten too much since I don’t know what you prefer.”

  A small laugh relaxes me and I kiss him, closed mouth because I want to brush my teeth. It’s hard to talk when you’re only breathing in, but I manage. “Bacon and eggs. Pancakes are good, but I love scrambled eggs and really crispy bacon.”

  “Noted. Won’t forget.” He runs the pads of his fingers along my jaw. “There’s another robe for you.” Standing me up, he kneels in front of my mound and murmurs into it, “So beautiful.”

  I run my fingers through his thick, salty, black hair. Hovering in my mind is the fight with my father, his announcing his disapproval despite the misunderstanding, but Tanner hasn’t done anything yet to make me believe my choice was wrong.

  I’m deep in thought as I say, “Dad doesn’t know you.”

  Tanner laughs and rises up, adjusting his robe. “You’re going to talk about Jake when I’m kissing you…there?”

  Cracking up and running fingers through my messy hair, I walk away with a comical shake of my bare butt, “Oh, was that a bad time?”

  “Just a little.”

  Disappearing into the bathroom I call out, “I was just thinking of what happened. There was no connection.”

  His turn to bust out laughing. “I should hope not!”

  “Gross, stop it.”

  Nice toiletries here. I like these. All the basics that normal hotels have plus some nice additions. Hair ties. A new comb wrapped in plastic. Dental floss. Toothpaste, plus two normal-sized toothbrushes, not the stubby ones that are impossible to get around your molars. I only wish they had my favorite facial soap. Strange to be here with none of my normal amenities.

  I hit the shower, happy to breathe in the soothing steam. It quickly fogs the glass walls while I rinse sweat and sex off from last night. A rapping on the door shocks me, but then I glance to the door and smile. “Who is it?”

  “Mr. Hamilton.”

  “What are you doing here? Oh wait…we’re not in Atlanta.”

  He laughs, opening the door and calling through the fog, “Thought you might give me a tour of the showers.”

  Opening the glass door I gesture, “Behind you is a separate jacuzzi bathtub but in here you’ll find a gorgeous woman with your name on her.”

  He grins and drops the robe. “Then the bathtub can wait.”

  Since I have no heels on like I usually do whenever we’ve spent time together, Tanner towers over me, steam enveloping our naked bodies. He guides me to stand under the oversized shower head with him, hot water pouring over my breasts and everything else, as he watches, hunger lighting up his dark eyes.

  Skilled hands slide soap over my body while they explore, everything slippery from the suds. I softly moan and close my eyes. He buries his face in my neck, the cascading stream matting hair to his face, waterfalls rushing off it. He straightens up to gaze at me, dew on his thick fringe of eyelashes. He comes in for a kiss, molds me, and I bend into him, losing myself. He shifts his head, our noses smashed as we find new ways to devour each other.

  Firm hands flip me around and angle my ass a little up. He kneels and dips his face in, licking the opening between my legs and fingering it while I writhe. His groan as I whimper sends shivers into my core. He doesn’t stop until I’ve slapped the walls and cried out, tremors breaking through.

  Tanner stands up and rasps, “Stick your ass out like a cat for me.” I arch and he groans, “Just like that. Look at you.” He rubs my cheeks, steam everywhere, and positions his cock, ready to come in. I push closer, hungry for him.

  “What do you want, Emma?”

  “You,” I breathe.

  “All of me?”

  “Right now I just want your cock, Tanner. I want you to fuck me.”

  He nibbles on my earlobe as he barely penetrates me. “Say please.”

  I whisper, eyeing him from profile. “You say please.”

  A grin flashes on his dripping face and he pushes in a little deeper. “Emma, say please fuck me.”

  “No, you say it.”

  He laughs and pushes in a little deeper. I surprise him by rising up and letting him fall out, flipping around and running my hands down the waterfall on my body while he stares at me. “Say you want me, Tanner. Tell me how bad you want to fuck this pussy.”

  His eyes darken. He’s into it. “Please let me fuck you.”

  Thrusting my tits out I slide a finger down over my belly button while he watches the path. I pause it, hovering outside of my pussy, then dipping in to finger myself. “Didn’t sound like you meant it.”

  His breath grows thicker, water spraying over his open lips. “Please let me fuck you. Let me into your tight little pussy.” Palming himself and grimacing with need, eyes locked on every move I make he backs up. “Please for the love of God let me fuck you senseless. Let me make you cum. Let me make you scream.” Rushing forward he wraps me in his arms and gazes into my eyes, water splashing from his face to mine. “Let me claim you, Emma. Just you and me, for as long as you’ll have me.”

  I smile, “Okay, you can fuck me.”

  He grins but it slowly fades. I hold my breath as his gaze roams my face. My heart is pounding and I start to speak but he kisses me and shakes his head. “I’m memorizing you.” Completely undone I wait as he drinks me in. He brushes his lips over mine, then presses harder. I feel the fever through them and welcome his hooking my leg around his hip, diving into me without another word.

  I give myself to him, and he to me. Our gaze never breaks once. We make love, slowly, connected, entwined, lost in each other’s eyes.

  When we cum together, bodies tightening and clasped together, Tanner blinks too much. If we weren’t immersed in water I’d swear I’d seen a tear.

  CHAPTER 35

  T ANNER

  T his morning the first thing we did was walk the length of our private beach hand-in-hand while we admired rainbows of fish swaying in crystal clear water. We’ve done that every morning since we arrived, a quiet and peaceful habit I will miss whenever it becomes time to leave this paradise and face our real lives. Now Emma and I are having breakfast on the sunny patio, golden beams tracing her hair and skin even though she has no idea how beautiful she is to me.

  Without warning I casually announce, “I’ll take the first house you showed me.”

  Her knife pauses on half-buttered toast. “Oh? I thought you’d choose the shiny, modern one.”

  Taking a slow sip of black coffee I lick warm bitterness from my lips and explain, “The Lowry family’s renovations—I like how they preserved the antique feeling left behind by the Moodys. There’s a warmth to it lacking in the modern property, maybe because it was purely intended for a large family, the one it never received. Don’t you agree it’s time I gave it one?”

  As the sun dances across her arm she thoughtfully forks heaps of scrambled eggs onto the toast. “Cora always said, save the best for last. But what if you choose another home before you see the best one? So I prefer to show it first.” She takes a bite and chews for a bit, swallowing and adding, “The Moody/Lowry mansion is my favorite, too. Since I hadn’t heard from you about your choice, I wondered if you were going to choose another city for your project.”

  On a quick frown I ask, “Why would I do that?”

  “Why Atlanta in the first place?”

  Chuckling I wag bacon at her. “We’ve been here almost two weeks and you’re just now asking me? You’ve been wondering that this whole time, haven’t you?” I take a delicious bite, smirking.

  She leans forward, the strap of her new sundress slipping from her sh
oulder as she grins, “I’ve been kinda busy.”

  “Doing what?” I ask, playing dumb and eyeing her exposed flesh.

  She picks up a grape, peeling it with her thumbnail. “Fucking. Shopping for clothes. Fucking. Snorkeling with dolphins. Fucking. Hiking while getting bit by mosquitos. Fucking. Paddle-boarding with dolphins. More fucking. Laying on the beach. Eating out every night. Oh, and having dinner at restaurants every night, too.”

  My chest rumbles on a stifled laugh while I try to keep a straight face. “So you’re saying I’ve kept you entertained?”

  “Meh,” she shrugs. “It’s really all very boring, if I’m honest.” Her eyes twinkle as she gazes at the salt water in our little bay, fixing her strap. “I love all of this.”

  “I love all of you.”

  She meets my eyes, hers warm and happy as she brings a glass of orange juice to her lips. “I love you, too.” She takes a sip.

  “Would you like to have children with me?”

  She chokes and grabs a napkin to catch the liquid dripping through her nose. “Ouch! That burns!”

  Grinning from under raised eyebrows I mutter, “Probably should drink that with your mouth next time.”

  “You think?” she laughs.

  “I was thinking of Mr. Moody, how he constructed that beautiful home for eleven children, but only had two. Wondered if it ended up being enough for him, once it was over. That made me think of your family, all the cousins you’ve told me about while we’ve been here, how close you all are. There’s love in your stories, especially when you speak about your brothers, Ethan and Eric.” I pause and lean forward, “But it’s really you, Emma, that makes me want them. I think you’ll be the most genuine, funny and caring, mother. I admire you so much, you make me want to be a father for the first time in my life. It was never a goal until I met you. I can see us being a great team and excellent role models.”

  Her smile settles and shifts. “Oh, that’s so sweet,” she whispers, taking a deep breath as it soaks in. “I am really tired of crying.”

  Chuckling I chew on more bacon. “Happy tears are always welcome.”

  “And the sad ones?” she teases.

  “I’ll make those go away as quickly as I can. Speaking of family, I want you to meet mine. Jen and Ryder will love you. But you might want to keep my nephew away from those younger cousins of yours. You’ve told me how innocent they are.”

  “Not Lexi,” Emma reminds me.

  “Well Zoe and Samantha then. Warn them when he comes around. Ryder’s got the devil in him, just like I do. Only he has less control since he’s just now starting college.”

  “Oh God,” she groans, rolling her eyes. “I’ll lock them up like the men in my family locked me. I’m kidding,” she winks. “But Tanner, you didn’t answer my question. Why have the orphanage in Atlanta?”

  Taking a sip of coffee I nod and set the cup down, turning the handle to where I like it. “Well, it’s a difficult story. Knew I’d tell you in good time, but here goes. I had a woman working for my company, a bookkeeper named Riva. I found out she was putting in extra hours but not billing me for them. I watched her from afar after that, kept tabs, and saw how few errors she made. When she did make them, she brought them to her managing director’s attention, the necessary corrections already made. She could have swept them under the rug with a company as big as mine, fudged the numbers, but she didn’t. Since I was observing her, I knew and it made me more interested.” Clearing my throat I stare off at the waves, mind traveling back in time. “One year, when I caved in to Dan’s pressuring me to have a Christmas party, we took over a local hotel’s main dining room and bar. I found her sitting alone and grabbed the opportunity to ask what her roots were. She demurred at first, so I confessed I’d been watching her and admired her strength of character, her integrity. She was surprised, but it did the trick. She wanted to tell me why. She was proud of how far she’d come, had in fact probably been dying to tell someone the story.” Pausing I sip my coffee and meet Emma’s eyes, her meal forgotten, attention rapt. “Riva was raised in the lower-west side of Atlanta, in a section where most houses and businesses were boarded up, forgotten. Where crime was a way of life. Where nobody heard your call for help because nobody cared. The South was still holding onto racism then, even among her own race, African-American. The middle and upper class were so relieved to have fought their way out of segregation they sometimes didn’t look back to help their lower class sisters and brothers up. Easier to keep marching forward, especially when drugs were involved. Or gangs. Crime in general. You understand.”

  Emma nods, “Yes, go on.”

  Frowning I fold my napkin and lay it on the table. “Riva was orphaned at the age of seven—her mother was an addict, her father she never knew. ‘I had to offer my body to whoever would pay for it,’ she told me. I couldn’t believe it. She barely ate, saved that money, and put herself through school. She was good with numbers. Knew the value of hard work, that it was her ticket out of that hellish life she wanted no part of. The last thing she told me before the party interrupted us, I’ll never forget. She said, ‘If I didn’t help myself nobody would do it for me. I had the power to change my life. We all do.’” Clearing my throat I add, “Two winters ago she was in a car accident. Her managing director called me. The orphanage idea formed in my head as I broke every law to get to the hospital in time. When I told her my plan, her expression, I can’t possibly do justice to it. So stunned. So proud. Unfortunately, Riva passed the next day.”

  Emma rises up from her chair and kisses the corner of my eyes. “I’m the first person you’ve told, aren’t I?”

  “Yes.” I clear my throat again, but this damn lump won’t leave. “Not even Dan.”

  “Does he just think you’re crazy?”

  I pull her onto my lap and admit, “Probably. But I think he knows deep down, this one is personal. Just doesn’t know why. He would never ask.”

  “She sounds like a very special woman, Tanner.”

  “Anyone who changes their circumstances for the better, I can’t help but respect them. She was one of the true heroes.”

  Emma traces the back of my neck, smiling tenderly. “It’s kind of your redemption, too, isn’t it?”

  “How so?” I frown.

  “You’ve been telling me stories about the companies you’ve taken over, the people you’ve laid off, and I saw hints of regret.”

  “I’ve been shrewd, maybe at times thoughtless in my ambition.”

  Emma presses a gentle kiss to my forehead, stroking my hair.

  This is the mother of my children.

  But first.

  I must ask her father a question...

  CHAPTER 36

  EMMA

  F loating on my back in flawless water, soft sand not far beneath, I’m watching fluffy white clouds lazily changing shape in a peaceful sky...has it ever been this blue? That cloud has nowhere to be other than where it is right now. And this ocean is always here, every day of every year. That beach remains where it is, no matter where I am in the world. Those trees are ancient, and they will be here long after I’m gone.

  How big are my problems really?

  Where do I want to go from here?

  I get to choose.

  What kind of woman do I want to be?

  Am I her already?

  How do I handle my father and still stay me? While loving him, and honoring his feelings…

  But more importantly, my own.

  Sloshing my way out of the warm water, I smooth down wet hair and wave to Tanner working on the patio. “I’m going to call Hannah!”

  He nods without breaking his side of the phone conversation. “I want spotless reputations in every position. Have Carla double-check references with that background-check company I texted to you. Also, how are we on teachers? Have you contacted the local principals to find which ones are the best? I want to personally interview the final candidates when I return. Throw in a few wild cards, too, in case I
see potential in them their boss didn’t.” He pauses to gruffly mutter, “Because I’m not going to be anonymous anymore, Dan. It just makes things more difficult.” I kiss the top of his head as he grumbles, “No, it has nothing to do with Emma softening me. I’m hard as ever.”

  It’s so warm out, my skin is almost dry by the time I reach the nightstand. Unplugging my fully charged phone I dial Hannah and reach for a towel to sit on, curling up in the chair by the sliding glass door in the bedroom.

  “Hey, you busy?” I smile.

  “Not anymore. Still in love?”

  “So much in love, yes. How was the BBQ?”

  “Drama,” she mutters. “Gabriel and Ben. It was bad.”

  “Oh no! What happened?” I pick at my nails while she tells it all to me. When she’s done I sigh, “I’m glad I didn’t see that. How painful for everyone.”

  “Grandpa was appalled and disgusted with them.”

  We sit in silence, both knowing what I’m thinking. “God, and after my blowout at the fundraiser, too, huh? What’s happening to us?”

  “We’re growing up? I don’t know.”

  “I should have been there.”

  Hannah’s voice gets firm. “No, you needed this time alone together. Remember how Tobias and I were in Florida on our own for months? We did that to cement our foundation, our bond, before rejoining the Cocker chaos.”

  A small laugh escapes me, “That sounds funny.”

  In her voice a grin comes through. “It sounds like a horror film.” Mimicking a deep male announcer she says, “Chaos of the Cockers. Coming to a theater near you.”

  Deepening my voice I join her. “This time they’re serious.” We laugh, but it fades until we’re lost in our own thoughts. “I feel like it’s time to come home.”

  “Emma, please do me one favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Buy a house near me. I mean, by your brother, too, but Ethan’s not as important as I am.”