Emma looked back and forth between the two men. Now, she could see the slight resemblance. Both men had the same black hair, but there had to be almost fifteen years between them. Where Croft’s eyes were silvery, his brothers were a pale blue. “I’m fine, Grey,” she whispered, touching her face lightly.
“Your lip is bleeding,” he said, finally noticing she was wearing his t-shirt. He was horrified at how a relatively good day could become an unmitigated disaster so damn fast.
“My face hit the floor.”
Croft glared at his brother. “You’re twice her size, damn it!”
“I didn’t jump her at first.” And then he realized that the conversation was going to get worse. “I held her at gunpoint.”
He pulled Emma closer to him. “Honey, go get dressed. I need to kill my brother, and I don’t want you to have to lie for me in court.”
Emma accepted his gentle kiss as she tried to navigate the spilled coffee beans. When she got to his gun, she picked it up off the floor, removed the magazine, and unloaded the bullet in the chamber. Both men watched as she placed it on the counter before leaving wordlessly.
They all knew this all could have ended badly.
Greyson counted to ten, and then stared at his brother. “Let me get this straight,” he said, lowering his voice. “You entered my home, armed with a firearm that you don’t have a permit to carry as a concealed weapon. You held my woman at gunpoint, and then tackled her?”
Dante thought about it and knew he was screwed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
He stood, and looked at the coffee beans all over. “Dante, what you did was absolutely insane. That gun could have gone off and killed her or you.”
“I didn’t think she’d fight. If it’s any consolation, she got a few shots in too.”
Croft stared at his brother like he was insane. “I’m in love with her and want to marry her. Now, she’s going to get dressed, get in her car, and drive out of here thinking my family is criminally insane. Normal people don’t pull guns on people making coffee. Here’s a thought, you could have knocked on the door. Had she run, you would have known she was a burglar. Had she opened the door, you could have simply introduced yourself.”
He didn’t know what to say. “It isn’t that bad. It was a misunderstanding.” Dante had never heard his brother discuss a woman and marriage in the same sentence.
Ever!
Greyson glanced over his shoulder, making sure Emma wasn’t right there. “Dante, she was a victim of attempted rape while an intruder murdered her brother in front of her. This isn’t a misunderstanding to her. This is her having to relive it all over again. Plus, she’s a sheriff and had she gotten to your gun, you would be dead. You may not have shot her, but she would have killed you in self-defense.”
“Oh, Grey, I’m sorry.” He realized why the woman fought so damn hard. “I didn’t mean to do this. I really thought someone broke into your house.”
“I know,” he replied. “I’ll handle it. Just go and tell mom that the damn cat is fine.”
“What can I do to help? I should help fix this mess.”
Croft thought about it. “I don’t want anyone else knowing about this. You can tell them all about Emma, but not her past. I trust you to keep it quiet. I only told you because of this,” he waved his arm around the chaos, “disaster.”
“Done.”
“Now get out of here so I can try and salvage my relationship.” Greyson began picking up coffee beans as his brother took his gun and escaped out the back door.
Emma found him on his knees on his kitchen floor and joined him. “I’m sorry I punched your brother,” she said, feeling bad. He told her he loved her, and she lost her mind and tried to beat the hell out of his family.
He was shocked. “Emma, you thought he was going to hurt you. Trust me, Dante needed to get his ass handed to him on this one.”
“When he stuck the gun in my back, I couldn’t…” She paused, her hand shaking. “I slipped back there and couldn’t differentiate from what happened then, and now. I was back in Gage’s kitchen, and I had to fight. I thought I was going to die.”
His heart broke as her eyes filled with tears, and they spilled down her cheeks. “Honey,” he whispered, taking her in his arms and leaning back against the cabinets. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
It occurred to him that he got what he wanted. The woman was coming to him while she was hurting, but all he could wish now was it hadn’t happened this way.
She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to stop it. It bubbled up, boiled over, and flooded from her. Emma clung to him, needing his strength to get through it. He was her lifeline back from all this pain that had resurfaced.
Croft sat there holding her to him, whispering words of promise.
He’d never let her go.
He’d keep her safe.
And he’d do whatever it took to make sure she was his.
Emma wasn’t sure how long they sat there, but eventually the tears dried up. “Let’s clean this up,” she said, wiping her eyes.
“I’ll cook you dinner, and we can head back to Celestia,” he said, knowing she couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t do it to her, especially after what happened.
“We can stay,” she replied, secretly glad he knew what was inside her, and how hard it would be to sleep there.
“No, Emma. I want to go,” he said, touching her lower lip with his thumb. “Can I bring my cat?” he said, knowing he wouldn’t be returning here without her, and that meant one thing. His life was heading down a different path.
She started laughing, and then stopped. “Wait, are you serious?”
It was good to hear her laugh again. “You don’t like him?” Greyson pointed at the giant furball batting coffee beans across the floor as if they were something to play with.
She giggled at the absurdity of it all. “I love you, so that means I love your cat.”
He kissed her gently. “I’ll go start up the grill. You get to bond with Hairy.”
Emma finished picking up the coffee beans and stared over at the cat. “If you use my furniture as a scratching post, you’re going to be coming back here. Are we clear?” she said, as the cat stared at her laying down the silent ultimatum.
“Crap.”
~ Chapter Twelve ~
Saturday Night
From the shadows, he watched her excitedly. After missing the last whore, he was excited to finally catch another one off guard. It would be so worth the planning.
Maybe she wasn’t his first choice, but she would have to do.
This woman deserved what was coming and planned for her. It was time to make his move. Everything was set and ready.
When she pulled into the parking lot on her day off, he knew it was a sign to take her.
He grinned as she discovered her ‘car trouble’.
It was time.
* * *
She sat in her vehicle in the parking lot trying to turn her engine over, and it was completely and totally dead. She banged her well-manicured hand on the steering wheel. How could this be happening? Now, she was going to be late for dinner and all because of her stupid car battery.
Pulling out her phone, she looked at the time and prepared to call her husband to come pick her up. Her plan was to get home, shower, and have dinner ready for him before he got home from his fishing trip.
“Crap, now I’ll have to call Dave” she sighed, and then jumped at the tap on her window.
“Oh my God! You scared me!” she yelped, opening the door to the familiar face.
“Sorry about that! I swore you saw me. I started calling your name across the parking lot. You must have been distracted. Do you need a ride home?” he asked, praying she would take the offer.
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t want to inconvenience you,” she replied, thinking about how it was important she beat her husband home.
“It’s no problem. I’m going that way anyway.”
“I would real
ly appreciate it! I’ll have Dave drive over tomorrow to check it out. I have a nice night planned.”
“I bet you do,” he grinned. “How long have you been married now?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, ten years? It feels like forever,” she answered, following him to his car.
“It’s not easy to stay married that long,” he said, opening the car door for her. “So many people fall out of love and have affairs,” he said, waiting until she looked at him before he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the dashboard.
Her only answer was a gurgling sound.
“Yeah, but you don’t know anything about that now, do you whore?” he said, dropping the seat back and covering her with a blanket, just in case.
“I guess you’re going to be late for dinner. I’m sure once the truth gets out, your husband won’t be as sad,” he stated, closing the car door.
It was time to go have his fun.
* * *
Emma stood in his kitchen making the salad and couscous that she’d bought at the grocery store. Her nerves were settled now that the entire incident was behind them, and she could enjoy having dinner with him before heading back to Celestia.
From her spot by the counter, she could see to the back yard and the man grilling dinner. It was the largest grill she’d ever seen in her life, and that meant he most likely used it often. She wondered if his family came here to have their BBQ’s.
He must have felt her eyes on him because Croft turned and grinned at her.
She smiled back, heading for the door.
Outside, he met her at the corner of the patio, and she went into his arms. “Burgers are almost finished. Well, mine is. Yours isn’t real food, so I’m not sure how to measure doneness,” he teased.
“Do you do this a lot?” she asked, pointing at the grill.
He wasn’t sure what she meant. “Cooking in the back yard?”
Emma nodded.
“When I’m around I do. I sometimes have my family over to have dinner. My mom and dad are retired, so they travel a lot. My sisters are married and my brother,” he began before pausing, “Dante is in the military. He’s really a good guy.” He tried to reassure her and make it an apology all at once.
Emma held his hand. “I’m sure he is. After all, he’s your brother.”
Greyson was uncomfortable. “Emma, I’m sorry. I brought you here to be safe, and I didn’t keep you protected. I feel horrible that you were hurt.” He rubbed his thumb over her swollen lip.
“I’m okay, Grey.” She pulled him down for a kiss, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Words wouldn’t make either of them feel better, but she had a way to show him. Slowly, she pulled his mouth down to hers and hungrily devoured it.
When he pulled away, he stared into her eyes. “That was some kiss.”
“You’re some guy and deserve it.”
He pulled her against him, ready to kiss her again when he heard the knocking on the privacy fence. Both of them looked up to see a white flag on a stick.
Croft muttered, “Oh hell. What do you want, Dante?” He protectively held Emma against him. Had the afternoon been different, he would have found his brother’s antics entertaining.
“Can I come in? I’m not armed,” he reassured holding both hands over the fence in proof.
He glanced down at Emma and she nodded. “Okay, but if you try to tackle her, I’m going to hold you down and let her kick the shit out of you,” he warned, “or I may shoot you myself.”
The gate opened and he peeked around the edge. “I come in peace.”
Emma watched him approach her, and she definitely could see the similarity.
“Hi, I’m Dante, and I’m an asshole. We met earlier,” he said, holding out his hand. “I came back to apologize, not finish you off.”
Greyson groaned and closed his eyes. His family was destined to chase her away yet. It had to be a conspiracy. The first woman he genuinely loved and this fiasco was making it one hot mess.
She willingly took his outstretched hand. “I’m Emma.”
“I wanted to tell you that I don’t usually tackle my brother’s girlfriends. You’re actually the first,” he said, glancing over at his brother. “By that I mean his first girlfriend. He’s generally celibate.”
Croft stared at him. “Seriously? I’m going to get my gun.” He went to turn.
Emma started laughing at both of them.
He turned back at the sound of her happiness. It filled the air in his back yard and gave him reassurance that maybe she’d forgive his brother. Croft certainly wasn’t expecting it, not after the earlier events. How could he blame her for holding a grudge?
“I have something for you,” said Dante, reaching behind his back and pulling out a bunch of flowers he’d tucked into his jeans. “In our family if you tackle a woman and scare her, you have to buy flowers. Hallmark doesn’t make a card. I checked.”
She laughed more. “I can’t imagine why not.” Emma took the peace offering. “They’re pretty, Dante, thank you.”
“I’ll let you both get back to dinner. I wanted to say I’m sorry for hurting and terrorizing you.” He started walking away, hoping that he had fixed it enough for his brother. Dante wanted him to be happy.
“Dante?” she called, waiting for him to turn.
“Yes?”
“Do you like salad and couscous?” she asked, feeling Croft’s hand on her lower back.
“Yes, why?”
“Want to stay for dinner?” she offered, looking up at the man beside her. “Grey would love to share one of his burgers with you.”
Croft watched her with no emotion on his face as his heart skipped. The woman was amazing, and he was a lucky man. Her compassion and willingness to not let there be a chasm between brothers astounded him.
“Really? You’re going to let me stay after today?”
Emma nodded. “I’ll go put these in water before they wilt,” she said, turning and heading into the house.
Greyson watched her as emotion welled up in his chest.
“Wow, that’s some girl,” he said, standing beside his brother. “Did you make her forgive me?”
He shook his head. “I think she should still be mad at you. This was all her.”
“Mom’s going to love her.”
Croft flipped a burger, elbowing his brother in the arm as he gave him a look. “Yeah, because that is exactly what I was worried about at forty-one years old. Who cares what my mommy thinks of my girl?”
Dante didn't have a reply for that.
Croft dropped his arm over his brother’s shoulders. He was glad that everything seemed to be working out after all.
* * *
He tied her hands and feet, leaving no chance at escape. He couldn’t risk her running and getting to the sheriff’s department. Staring down at her, she had finally woken up.
There was a lump growing in her forehead and lines of blood from her nostrils.
What a pity she had to be a whore.
He pulled out his hunting knife, and she whimpered in fear. “What’s wrong? Want to repent for your sins?” he asked, slapping her hard across the face.
Her head snapped violently to the side.
“It’s time. Are you ready to show me what kind of woman you are?” he said, slicing the clothes from her body.
She began begging for her life.
“This is going to be fun.”
* * *
Emma sat beside Croft at his table on the patio. She leaned against him as they ate dinner. That little connection together made her feel calm. She couldn’t explain what it was in him that called to her, it just did.
“Your brother tells me you’re in the military,” she said, taking a bite of her veggie burger.
Dante nodded. “I wanted to be like my idol in life,” he said, noticing Emma looked over at his brother. “Not him, Rambo.”
Croft shook his head as Emma laughed.
“I’m kidding. I wanted to be ju
st like Grey since I was a little kid.”
He finished swallowing a mouthful of burger and put his arm around Emma. “I was eleven when my mom and dad brought home the bouncing bundle of torment.”
Emma didn’t believe he didn’t love having a kid brother. She could see the affection in his eyes. “So, you followed him everywhere, huh?” she asked grinning as she ate some salad.
“The sun rose and set on Greyson as far as I was concerned,” said Dante. “He drove first, he dated first, he got laid…”
Croft kicked his brother under the table.
Emma started laughing. “It’s okay, boys. I think it’s safe to say everyone at this table has had sex a few times. If one of you hasn’t, then we have a whole other problem.”
Before he could speak, Croft pointed at his brother. “Shut it or I’m coming over there.”
Dante laughed. “I’m shocked that Grey has a woman in his life. He’s been married to the FBI since…” He took another kick to the shin.
Grey shook his head. “We’re not going there, Dante. I mean it.”
Emma looked back and forth between them. “Going where?”
Dante stared down at his plate and pretended to be focused on eating. Once again, he’d managed to put his foot in his mouth.
“I’d rather not talk about it, if it’s okay with you,” he muttered, not ready to discuss the woman who destroyed his heart years ago.
Emma laid her head on his shoulder and ran her fingers up and down his leg soothingly. “Okay, babe. Have some more salad,” she said, spearing a tomato with her fork and offering it to him.
He took the bite, and then went to kiss her.
“Hell no! You’re eating a burger. It’s not happening, Grey.”
Croft started laughing. “You know you want to kiss me right now. What if a meteor crashes into me in the next thirty seconds and this is your last chance to make out?”
Emma rolled her eyes.
Celestia is Falling (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 1) Page 31