“Cooper!” Hearing Emily try to scold him was almost comical if she hadn’t just bit his nipple through his shirt. “Son of a bitch, woman! What the hell?” He half demanded, half scolded.
“You weren’t listening to me.” She harrumphed.
“So your solution was to bite me?”
“No, I called your name five times, poked you; well, tried to, but I think you have stones in your blood ‘cause your hard as hell. So then I bit you.” She purred the last part smiling coquettishly at him.
“Uh huh, we’ll see who’s biting who later. Now, what was so important?” He questioned, smiling when her eye’s widened at his threat.
“Umm, well, I spoke to Kenny earlier and she asked me to go shopping with her later this week,” she stated.
Looking to Dane, he saw the hard look in his eyes. Knowing his answer before even saying it, she tried begging. “Please, please, pretty please? She said Keeley can’t, something about a sex fest and then she started gagging, so I’m assuming they’re getting it on. I haven’t been shopping with, well, anyone in so long!”
“Shit!” Her begging eyes were sucking him in and she knew it. Slipping off his lap, she kneeled between his legs resting her cheek on his thigh and pouted. “Fuck!” He cursed looking to Dane who was now trying not to laugh at his predicament; whereas, Creed and Linc had no problem laughing their asses off. “Baby girl…” He tried soothing until her eyes narrowed on him and she gave what was probably a death glare but just made her look cute. “You were shot. You shouldn’t be shopping, and I really don’t think it’s a good idea yet.” He tried to reason.
Tilting her head to the side, she regarded him for a moment. When the tears started to well up in her eyes, he knew he was royally screwed. “Fine. On one condition.” Sitting up straight, with a bright smile on her face and happiness now shining from her eyes, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips, saying thank you repeatedly. Clearing his throat, “Emily,” he said sternly to get her attention. When she looked at him expectantly, he sighed thinking, Dude you are fucked. She’s got you wrapped around tiny, little finger. Defeat ran through his veins knowing just how screwed he was where she was concerned. He’d give her anything she wanted so long as it didn’t endanger her life. “I or someone we trust goes with you two.” “No negotiating.” He added when he saw she was about argue.
S
eemingly mulling it over in her head, she finally nodded in agreement. “Can I use your phone, please?” she asked sweetly. Handing it over after finding Kenny’s number for her, he watched as she practically danced from the room.
“Dude, you just got played by that little girl.” Creed teased.
“Totally wrapped, man, and loving it,” he answered with a smug smile.
“Got him!” Linc suddenly yelled.
“Where?” Dane asked as they all crowded around him.
“Looks like Roswell, New Mexico, and since we haven’t seen hide nor hair of this prick since the shooting on Saturday, I’d say it could be accurate. I know a guy in that area, I’ll get him on the phone and then Creed and I will fly down,” he told them gathering up his info and getting on the phone before anyone could respond.
“Looks like we’re going to Roswell! Damn, I’ve always wanted to say that.” Creed joked as he followed Linc out of the room.
Eyeing Dane, he wondered aloud. “You think it can be that easy?”
“I think this guy didn’t expect Emily to get help and he could be sloppy, but I also think he knew about us a few days ago, so anything’s possible at this point. I wouldn’t underestimate him about anything,” Dane told him thoughtfully.
After a tense day and a half of waiting on word from Creed and Linc, they tried to keep Emily occupied by bringing her into work with them for research and to give her new scenery. What she and Keeley managed to do was drive him, Coop, Nate, and Ty completely nuts.
As soon as they found out the guys had proposed to Keeley on Sunday, the girls took off and have been happily chattering and interrupting them since then. But they were both extremely happy, so not a single one of them said anything to disrupt their current blissful state.
Keeley had taken to bringing her new dog Rowdy to the office because she was afraid he would get jealous now that her men were home and she didn’t dote on him the way she had when she adopted him the week before. Emily confided in him and Coop the night before that he terrified the crap out of her. Not because of anything he did, but because she had been attacked by a dog when she was eight, for seemingly no reason at all.
She had been opening up to them more and more the last couple days, showing some of her quirks. Like how she danced while she cooked, and always forgot to put the cap back on the toothpaste, which drove Dane’s own constant need for order crazy, and she, of course, found that hilarious.
She was having nightmares, too, that at first shocked them because not once had she mentioned it since they met. Though, if he thought about it, it was obvious that she would. This stalker had been haunting her for years and had done some pretty horrific things. It wasn’t until the day after she’d been shot that they had found out about them though, and how when she was frightened, she hit and hit hard. Coop was now sporting a black eye from her right hand when she’d hit him so hard the night before. Immediately feeling horrible afterwards, she had been babying him ever since, and if he were honest, he was slightly jealous. Not that she was paying more attention to Coop, but more that he wouldn’t mind her naked body melted against his while she massaged his back. He was jealous as hell that he didn’t get more naked time with her. Coop was rubbing it in his face every chance he got, though. Frankly, Dane was ready to blacken his other eye.
Emily and Kenny were set to go on some shopping trip the following day for some college party thing. He always forgot just how young Kenny was. Having just graduated high school the previous year, she was almost finished with her first year in college to get her fashion degree, and she apparently wanted to make her own dress but needed another woman’s opinion that wasn’t her mother telling her anything she chose would look fabulous. She insisted Emily’s input was vital.
They had assigned a new recruit, Eric Michaels, to watch the girls while they shopped so that Dane and Coop could continue following any leads that cropped up on her stalker until they heard back from Linc and Creed in Roswell. They weren’t leaving any stone unturned. They couldn’t afford to.
Eric was an Army vet and retired officer from the Austin Police Department, with nearly ten years in combat and another six as a patrol officer. He had proven himself to be an asset to Maxwell Secures, and they had no problem trusting him.
Looking up at a knock on his door, he smiled wide seeing Emily standing there looking slightly nervous. She wouldn’t meet his eyes and was nibbling on her lower lip almost seductively. “Baby girl?” He questioned.
He watched her every move as she entered the room and slowly closed the door behind her. As she walked closer, he got a good look at the blush staining her cheeks and the way her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her white sundress with a gold lace trim that had a bodice that both cupped her gorgeous breasts and lifted them up to show a small, yet scintillating amount of cleavage that had his mouth watering for more. Covertly adjusting his hardening cock underneath his desk, he waited for her to answer him.
Having her walk around his desk, push his chair back, and hop up so she was sitting in front of him, legs sitting on either side of his so she was spread open like a meal, he met her uncertain eyes. Placing his large tanned hands on her creamy, white thighs and gripping them, almost bruising them, he stared at the contrast between their complexion whispering, “Em?” when she made no other move.