He nodded.
“Who am I?” I asked.
“The…The Green Machine.” Good, he knew who he was facing now.
“Yeah, and Emory’s my woman.” When he started to back away from me, not just in fear, but absolute terror, I continued. “I’d say I’m a more matched fight than a woman, don’t you?”
I cracked my knuckles and I saw him swallow.
“You wanted to just scare her? Well, dude, I don’t plan on just scaring you.” I stepped toward him and sought the retribution I wanted.
Five minutes later, I met Casale on the steps and Frank tossed me a rag while Casale’s men went in to retrieve the guy. I wiped the blood from my knuckles as the fucker was dragged out of the hovel he called home and tossed into the backseat of the second Casale SUV. One of the men held up his hands and I tossed the rag to him. He walked over and leaned against the car, face impassive.
The air was heavy and I was sweating from my exertions, but the night was still. Only the far-off hum of the highway and a distant siren broke the quiet. I shook Casale’s hand. “I’m done here.”
“Yes. Frank will take you back to your car.” Beating the shit out of someone was one thing. What Casale intended to do with the guy was out of my league and I wanted nothing to do with it. Neither did Casale. As he walked over to the SUV, his man moved to open the door for him. They both climbed in then drove away, leaving me alone with Frank.
“I thought my dad was fucked up,” I told him, “but yours is scary as shit.”
EMORY
I had no idea how late Gray would be, but I forced myself to stay awake and decided watching TV would work, but it had taken a half an hour to figure out how to use his remote and work the complex, very male electronic system. By the time I heard the elevator doors whoosh open, I had practically lost my mind from really bad cable. I hopped up and saw him over the back of the couch
. He looked…perfect.
“Gray,” I almost sobbed, relief washing over me with a strong pulse of adrenaline. He didn’t seem hurt at all, no cuts or bruises, but there was a stain, something that looked like blood, on his shirt. I wasn’t going to ask what had happened because right now, I didn’t care. He was fine and he was here.
His hardened gaze softened and he held out his arms. I ran around the couch and launched myself at him, our mouths meeting. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my dress riding up my thighs. His hands cupped my bottom as he turned and walked down the hall to his room. He put one knee on the bed and lowered me down onto my back, never breaking the kiss.
This was desperate and frantic, the need almost feral. My hands worked at the buttons on Gray’s shirt as we rolled so that Gray could slide the zipper of my dress down my back. He worked the dress down and off me, tossing it onto the floor, his motions just as eager as mine. But then he paused and my hands stopped working on his shirt. He was looking down at me, his breath ragged.
“What?” I asked.
He brushed a hand over the curve of my breast. “Pink and lacy.” His voice was dark and guttural.
Pushing off the bed, he stood and looked down at me, his eyes heated, his lips slick. “I love you.”
I sucked in a breath at his words. It was not what I expected to hear, but exactly what I wanted. I came up and onto my knees before him. “Gray, I…this is insane.” I brushed my hair back from my face. “I love you, too.”
His eyes flared and he took a step back. “Why?”
I frowned. “Why do I love you? Why do you love me?”
He shook his head in dismay. “The first time I saw you, it was like I’d been sucker punched. You smiled at that bartender making you the fake gin and tonic and I was jealous. I wanted you to smile like that at me. And when you did, that first time, I fell in love right then and there.”
I couldn’t help the smile or the tears. Gray’s beautiful face blurred and I didn’t see him step closer and wipe the tears that streamed down my cheeks away. “Shh, don’t be sad.”
A watery laugh escaped. “Sad? I’m happy, you idiot!”
“I’m not an idiot, I’m just distracted by you in your pink and lace.”
The tears disappeared and I flushed as his gaze raked over me.
I continued to watch him as I brought my hands up to my breasts, cupped them. His pupils dilated and he licked his lips. “Baby, what are you doing?”
“That bartender? I gave him a smile. You? I’m giving you everything.”
“Everything?” Gray repeated, closing the distance between us.