Love Unbroken (Diamond Creek, Alaska Novels Book 3)

by J. H. Croix

  His hands roamed over her body, curling around her bottom, sliding into the cleft between and caressing back up to cup her breasts. He laved one nipple and then the other, the water mingling with the warmth of his lips. Her nipples peaked to an ache, bereft when his lips moved away, traveling down her abdomen in a meandering path. He pressed her back against the shower wall. Kneeling in front of her, his eyes locked with hers. Mesmerized, she couldn’t look away as he leaned forward and licked into the center of her, pushing her thighs apart.

  “Trey…” she choked out, her hips arching against his mouth as his fingers followed his lips, teasing apart her slick folds. Long moments passed in a mindless haze as he alternated with his tongue and fingers stroking deeply. Her brought her closer and closer to the brink, each time pulling back just when she was close to release. When she thought she could stand no more, he swiftly stood, lifting one of her legs high to hook under his arm.

  “Emma.”

  She opened her eyes to find his mere inches away. He shifted subtly, more fully lifting her, spreading her opening with his fingers.

  “Is this okay?” he asked in a whisper.

  “’Sss…okay.” Her words slurred with feverish want.

  Her eyes started to fall closed when he spoke again. “Look at me.” That warm command of his. Her eyes heavy with desire, she opened them again and kept them trained on his. Vulnerable, exposed and open, she was caught in the web he wove around them. The sheer want in his eyes, laced with something much deeper, undid her. In one deep stroke, he surged into her slick heat.

  He’d brought her so close already that the feel of his thick length filling her tipped her over the edge into a wrenching orgasm. He stroked in and out as she pulsed around him. The intensity of her release let loose the gates on her emotions and she cried out, tears falling down her cheeks. Had anyone asked, she couldn’t have said if they were tears of relief, joy or more—simply an expression of the immense release she felt.

  One arm holding her leg up, Trey brought his free hand to cradle her cheek, his thumb brushing across the tears mingling with the hot water that fell around them. She couldn’t look away, entranced by the feeling held in his eyes. He slowed his strokes on pace with her orgasm only to start the build up again. One orgasm led into another—a tide that washed in and out in waves. He finally drove deep with a guttural cry, the pulses of his climax coalescing with hers.

  Trey’s forehead fell against hers. Their breath slowed in unison. He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. They slowly untangled. Emma could barely stand, melted inside and out. After they toweled each other, they fell into her bed. She rested her head against his shoulder, her hand idly stroking his chest, a leg thrown across his. He softly ran a hand through her hair, his palm sliding in a warm path down her back, coming to rest at the small arch just above her bottom.

  Soft quiet fell around them. An owl called outside. No words passed between them. Comfort stole over her, a comfort she couldn’t ever remember feeling. The last thought that passed through her mind was one of surprise and wonder before she fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 16

  Trey glanced up from his desk when his assistant, Lucy, rapped sharply on his door and stepped inside. She quickly strode to the chair in front of his desk, sitting down and placing a newspaper on his desk.

  “What’s this about?” he asked.

  Lucy pursed her lips and gave a pointed glance at the paper. Ascertaining that he was expected to read whatever she set out, Trey picked it up and saw she’d folded it open to the police blotter section of the paper. He didn’t need to read far to find the brief description of Greg’s arrest, complete with his name listed as the caller.

  He set the paper down and looked across the desk at Lucy. Lucy arched a brow. “Well?” she asked.

  “Well what?” he countered.

  Lucy glared at him. “I’m wondering why the hell you didn’t bother to mention you’re dating someone! Don’t even try to pretend like you’re not.” She threw her hands up, her bracelet catching on the bright red silk scarf she wore. Lucy was relentlessly practical for the most part. She wore basic black slacks with a fitted cream-colored blouse. But she always added a dash of color, revealing her playful side. Today it was her scarf paired with dangly silver earrings and matching bracelets. Her close-cropped white hair allowed the colors to stand out.

  Trey was flummoxed. Though Lucy had been his assistant for years and he considered her a friend, personal talk between them was minimal. She’d worked with him in his law practice in Anchorage. She was steady, caring and efficient. Before Helen died, they had Lucy and her husband over for dinner once or twice a year and exchanged gifts for the family at the holidays. Trey had managed to keep up with the gifts since Helen died, but he hadn’t quite managed the dinners. Lucy had been a rock for him after Helen died, simply because she didn’t change how she interacted with him. She didn’t tiptoe around and just carried on as if she expected him to do the same.

  Lucy cleared her throat.

  Trey met her eyes and smiled ruefully. “I suppose I didn’t mention that.”

  “Oh there’s no supposing. You definitely did not mention it,” Lucy said firmly. “I don’t usually stick my nose in your life, but that’s because there was never any reason. Helen was lovely. You’ve been an amazing father to Stuart since she died. With Risa’s help, you seemed to have gotten through all that. But,” she wagged her finger at him, “don’t you go thinking you can just start dating someone without letting me know. Howard and I think of you as family. I don’t want anyone to take advantage of you, and Stuart needs someone around who’s good for him as much as you. So who is she?” Lucy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.

  Trey chuckled and eyed Lucy. Assessing that he wasn’t going to get out of this one, he offered a quick summary of how he’d met Emma.

  Lucy lifted her brows when he finished his brief description.

  “What? I just told you who she is.”

  “You told me what I could find out if I bothered to look her up online. How about telling me what it is about this woman who you’ve clearly fallen for? Is she going to take good care of your heart and of Stuart’s? Let me tell you something. After Helen died, I worried about you—a lot. Then you seemed to be okay. But honestly, I figured you’d stay single. You’ve been so…” Lucy paused and waved her hand, “…I don’t know, so closed off and serious. Like you just couldn’t be bothered. Nothing wrong with that. I figure any of us are lucky if we have one good marriage. You had one with Helen. But this Emma, all I have to do is look in your eyes when you say her name and it’s plain as day you love her. I’m not worried about the little mention in the police blotter except for the fact that I’m worried about what kind of trouble this Emma may have brought into your life.”

  Trey held quiet for a moment, absorbing what Lucy said. He’d admitted to himself that Emma meant a lot. But he hadn’t allowed himself to think the word ‘love’ when it came to her. That was something he wondered if others did when they lost someone they loved—simply stopped considering the idea it might happen again. Just thinking about Emma flushed him—the depth of feelings she elicited went far beyond the physical though the spark between them was unlike anything he’d experienced.

  Lucy cleared her throat again.

  Trey brought his focus back to the moment. “Right, my turn. Emma is amazing with Stuart. You don’t need to worry about her taking good care of his heart, or mine, for that matter. As for what you’re worried about…Emma’s ex was violent. In case you didn’t catch that little detail from the police report. Am I happy about that? Hell, no. Am I worried about what kind of trouble he might bring? Only as far as it affects Emma. If it’ll make you feel better, she was all set to shut me out of her life from the get go because of her history with him. She tried again when we found out he’d showed up in Diamond Creek. Way I see it, the upside to his tracking her down is we can probably get him out of her l
ife for once and for all. Risa came down to stay for the week, so she’s with Stuart until I’m confident Emma’s ex is long gone.”

  Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully and drummed her fingertips on the armrest. After a long silence, she nodded brusquely. “Okay then. I’ll try not to worry. Any chance I can meet Emma sometime soon? Howard and I would love to have you two over for dinner.”

  “Of course you can meet her. With everything going on, I hadn’t thought about that. Honestly, things have moved faster than I expected with her, but it doesn’t change how I feel. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. I hope you know that,” Trey said.

  Lucy smiled softly. “I didn’t think you were hiding anything on purpose, more that you’ve been so to yourself you didn’t think about it. And like I said, I haven’t been one to pry. How about we talk about dinner after this ex of hers is long gone?”

  Trey nodded. “Definitely.”

  Lucy stood up and turned to leave.

  “Lucy?”

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  “Thank you,” he said simply.

  Lucy smiled brightly and winked. “Back to work.”

  ***

  Trey tossed a duffel bag of gear over the edge of the boat, swiftly tugging it against the dock and stepping in. He’d persuaded Emma there was no reason not to enjoy a day of fishing. He and Stuart had come to the harbor a few minutes ahead of Emma and Risa who’d stopped at Red Truck Coffee on the way. It had been three days since Greg’s arrest and he’d been transferred to a pre-trial facility outside of Anchorage. According to Darren, Greg was resisting the plea agreement offered to him, though his attorney was trying to talk some sense into him. The District Attorney took a heavier tact than he’d considered, slapping Greg with felony charges for breaking and entering, on top of the assault charges. Darren had also updated him that Greg’s wife was on her way out to Alaska to bail him out.

  Trey put Stuart to work organizing the fishing rods while he checked the engine oil level and made sure they had enough gas for the day. Stuart was a churn of energy and excitement at having his beloved Aunt Risa and Emma with him for the day.

  “Hey ho,” Risa called out.

  Trey glanced over to see Risa and Emma approaching the boat. Emma’s hair was tied in a loose ponytail, wispy curls framing her face. Her stride was long and loose. She laughed at something Risa said. Trey wanted to see her laugh more. She’d been high-strung the last few days, on edge about whatever might happen with Greg. The only time she seemed to relax for more than a passing moment was when they were tangled up in each other. Not that Trey minded a bit, but he didn’t like seeing her so tense the rest of the time.

  The next few hours passed with moments of quiet alternating with bursts of activity—such was fishing. The weather was close to perfect, sunny with a touch of wind. Once they’d each reached the daily limit for silver salmon, Trey readied the boat to return to the harbor. They’d found a sweet spot near Seldovia, a small community on the opposite side of the bay from Diamond Creek.

  “See, Emma,” Stuart said, pointing towards the Seldovia boat harbor. “That’s where Dad took me for a festival last year.” Seldovia held an annual music festival on Summer Solstice, and Trey had brought Stuart over for the day.

  Emma was seated beside Stuart on a bench. Stuart was leaned against her, her arm tucked loosely around him. Her dark hair had fallen loose hours ago and hung in waves around her shoulders. Her cheeks were bright from the sun, deepening the blue of her eyes. She listened patiently when Stuart launched into a mini history of Seldovia. He was fascinated with the older Alaskan villages.

  Trey took a long look at the mountains before he turned the boat away. This side of Kachemak Bay lay within the mountains he saw every day from Diamond Creek. The hillsides were lush and dark green in the summer with patches of snow lingering at the peaks. An eagle called in the distance. Stuart’s voice quieted. Trey glanced over to see Stuart sound asleep against Emma’s side. She gave him a soft smile. Risa was busy putting gear away. Trey started the engine and headed back to Diamond Creek, thinking only that he wanted more days like this with Emma.

  ***

  Hours later, he watched Emma drive out of the harbor lot by herself. They’d had not quite an argument, but a quiet battle of wills. Emma insisted it would be okay for her to stop by her house and run a few errands before coming to his house for dinner with Risa and Stuart. Her point was that with Greg in jail at the moment, she didn’t need a shadow. Logically, Trey knew it made sense, but he couldn’t shake the unease he felt. He’d sensed her tolerance for his concern might be reaching a tipping point, so he’d conceded. He didn’t want to unnecessarily mar a good day.

  Risa returned to the harbor lot with Stuart after they had gone to the Fish Factory to have the day’s catch flash frozen. She pulled up beside his car and rolled down her window. “So you gave her a little breathing room, huh?”

  Trey rolled his eyes. “Against my better judgment, but yes.”

  Risa laughed. “And you’ll see her before you know it. So we’ll meet you back at the house? Stu’s sound asleep here,” she said, gesturing to his slumped form.

  “You got it. I need to swing by the post office. Need anything from the grocery store?”

  Risa shook her head and waved as she drove off. Trey headed to the post office. Noticing his phone battery had died while they were fishing, he plugged it into the charger in his car. His phone began beeping to indicate missed calls. He yanked the car over when he realized he had three missed calls from Darren, and another two from Jared. When Darren didn’t answer, he immediately called Jared.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Jared demanded as soon as he picked up.

  “Fishing. Phone died. What’s going on? Darren’s not picking up.”

  “Greg’s wife bailed him out today. Since he’s out on conditions of release, he has to give the court an address. He provided one here in Diamond Creek, down at one of the rental cabin places,” Jared said succinctly.

  Trey put his car back in gear and swerved back onto the road, gunning it to try to get to Emma’s house before she did. “Dammit, Emma finally talked me into leaving her side! She’s going home right now.”

  “I’ll head over there,” Jared said. “I’m home and my place is just a few minutes away.”

  Trey’s heart hammered, fear and anger boiled inside—fear for Emma and anger that Greg was so brazen to come right back to Diamond Creek. He almost missed the turn up the hill and swore savagely as his tires spun out when he turned at the last second. He’d forgotten he still had Jared on the line.

  “Man, I’ll be there in just a few,” Jared said.

  “What else does Darren know? Any word on Greg’s wife?”

  “Well, she bailed him out, but he didn’t mention anything else. Look, I’m hanging up because I’m on Emma’s road now. See you when you get here.”

  As soon as the call ended, Trey called Emma. She answered immediately. One word from her and Trey knew she wasn’t okay.

  “Emma, where are you?” he asked, desperately trying to keep his voice level.

  She made a choked sound in reply.

  “Just tell me where you are,” Trey asked.

  “In my truck,” she replied, her voice small.

  Her breathing was rapid and shallow.

  “Okay,” he said slowly. “Where’s your truck?”

  “At my house. I decided to come home first and…” her voice broke. “I can’t…”

  “Emma, it’s okay, it’s okay. Jared should be there any minute now and I’m not far behind him.”

  “Greg’s here. I don’t know if he knows I’m in the truck. I dropped my keys and can’t reach them. He’s…he’s walking around the house…I’m…”

  Trey swore silently, furious with himself for not insisting on accompanying Emma, and sick with worry that she was alone. He prayed for Jared to get there in seconds.

  He kept Emma on the line as he sped u
p the hill toward her house. He simply repeated to her that it would be okay though in his gut, he didn’t know if it would. Any more harm Greg did to her, even if she was okay in the end, was more damage piled on to the hurt she thought she’d left behind. Trey couldn’t stand to see her hurt again. The emotional toll this had already taken on her was too much, more than she should have to bear. Emma screamed and the phone went dead. He called Darren immediately, barking out that Greg was at Emma’s house.

  He swerved onto Emma’s road and down her driveway interminable moments later. A cloud of dust swirled behind him when he came to a halt. Jared’s truck was in the drive, the door left open. Both of the doors on Emma’s truck were open and her purse was spilled on the ground. What Trey assumed to be Greg’s rental car was parked toward the end of the drive. A woman he surmised to be Greg’s wife sat in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead. She didn’t even turn to look at him when he stepped out.

  Trey sprinted to the house. Yanking the door open, he found the house empty. He paused long enough to hear sounds coming from the backyard and immediately raced to the back. He ran out the backdoor onto the deck to find Greg holding Emma, his forearm wrapped around her neck, waving a gun wildly. Jared was a few feet away, frozen in place, his eyes locked onto Greg. Though Trey didn’t doubt for a second that Jared could easily dispatch Greg in a fight, Greg had a gun and Jared didn’t.

  Neither of them looked his way when he came out. He searched out Emma’s eyes.

  Her eyes were bright with a wild edge of fear. The side of her forehead was red and swelling. Trey had to swallow his fury and stay focused. He moved cautiously, watching and waiting.

  Greg finally turned to look at him. “Oh, so it’s your savior boy, here. What do you think you’re gonna do now?” Greg sneered at Trey.

  Trey took measured steps to the opposite side of Greg from Jared. “The police are on the way. How about you just let Emma go?” Trey asked calmly, calculating the best way to break Greg’s grip on Emma. “Looks like your wife is here with you. You’re already in enough trouble as it is. Why make it worse?”