by Nalini Singh
The question made her cheeks burn. "Technically."
He sounded a little choked as he said, "Technically?"
"I'm twenty-two, Emmett. Just because I chose to wait for the right man doesn't mean I wasn't curious." She thought she might have shocked him when he remained silent for several long minutes.
She should've known better.
"Where do you keep the stuff you used to satisfy your curiosity?"
Her throat dried up. "Never you mind."
A squeeze of her hip. "Please?"
Her heart tumbled over. This man, she thought, could enslave her. "No."
"Next time?"
"No." She didn't know if she could survive the eroticism.
Emmett grazed her throat with his teeth. "I'll buy you some. And make you open them in front of me."
Her mind overloaded. She felt her body ready itself for another ride, and dear Lord she wanted it. "Less talk, more action, pussycat."
That got her a pinch on the butt, a low male growl, and all the action she could've hoped for.
Ria couldn't meet her mother's eyes the next morning. Not because she was ashamed--how could she possibly be ashamed of the glory of what she'd done with Emmett? The sex was one thing, but he'd been so affectionate afterward, not leaving until almost dawn. She'd felt petted and adored.
That was the reason she couldn't meet Alex's eyes. She was sure her mother would spot the bubbling joy in her, the certain knowledge that she was in love with a man who was almost perfect. And that almost, she thought with a frown, might yet be a big problem. She had more interviews lined up this week, and while Emmett had hinted that they were close to catching Vincent, that still left her with a bodyguard.
The phone rang as Alex was muttering about it being nine already. Since the shop opened at ten, she had plenty of time to get there, but Alex didn't like being late. "I'll grab it," Amber said, having just walked into the room. "Hello? Yes, she's here. One moment." She held out the phone to Ria, mouthing DarkRiver Construction.
Ready to hear the bad news, Ria took the receiver, not bothering to step out of the kitchen/dining room--Alex, Amber, and Miaoling would simply follow her. "Ria speaking."
"It's Lucas Hunter."
"Good morning." Her eyes narrowed. "May I ask a question?"
A chuckle. "No. Ask Emmett."
That was the problem, Ria thought. Emmett wouldn't answer her questions. His protectiveness was starting to get on her nerves--even the nerves that loved the bejesus out of him. "Then what can I do for you?"
"How about sorting out my filing system?"
Excitement shot through her . . . before coming to a crashing halt. "No, thank you."
A pause. "Ria, this has nothing to do with anything else. I'm an ice-cold bastard when it comes to business--I need an assistant who can deliver the goods."
"And the fact that I'd be protected at DarkRiver HQ is coincidence?"
"Yep. If you suck at your job, I'll boot you out after the probationary period."
Hearing that delighted her. "I," she said, starting to grin, "am very good at what I do."
"Then when can you start?"
Ria blinked. "Today if necessary."
"I'll see you when you arrive."
Hanging up, Ria looked into three pairs of avidly interested eyes. The symmetry of it struck her deep in the heart. Miaoling, with her wise, laughing gaze. Alex, so energetic and impatient. Amber, with both Miaoling's sense of calm and a slight wickedness it took even friends and family a long time to see.
Smile cracking her face, Ria pumped her fist in a victory salute before jumping over to do a little dance around the three most important women in her life. Alex opened up a bottle of champagne she'd secreted away--though Amber had to be satisfied with grape juice--and did a toast. "Here's to my daughter. Much too smart for that imbecile, Tom."
Emmett walked into Lucas's office area and winked at the assistant sitting primly at her desk. "Boss in?" "You look like a hoodlum," he was told, before Ria got up and came over. "Did you even brush your hair after you showered?" She was threading her fingers through that hair as she spoke.
Emmett savored the feel of her so close. Hearing Lucas's door open, he bent down, picked Ria up, and planted a bone-tingling kiss on her lips.
She was panting for breath by the time he finished, her cheeks adorably red. "Emmett! I'm at work."
Shrugging, he met Lucas's eyes over the top of her head. His alpha held up his hands, his amusement open. "We ready to go?"
Emmett nodded. "He's parked about half an hour out of the city."
Ria looked between the two men. "Vincent?"
"Yes," Emmett said as Lucas made a signal that he'd be out in a minute and walked back into his office. "Bastard's ass is toast."
Ria put a hand on his chest. "Are you going in with lots of backup?"
"Don't worry about it, mink. I know what I'm doing."
"Emmett!" Her voice was a whip.
Surprised, he looked at her. "What?"
"Don't tell me not to worry! Don't pat me on the head as if I'm a brainless bimbo and tell me everything's going to be okay." She poked him with a finger. "If we're going to be in a relationship--" Snapping her mouth shut, she folded her arms and returned to her desk.
Stupefied, he prowled after her. "If we're going to be in a relationship, then what?"
"Nothing." She began to order papers on her desk. "Just don't get yourself killed. That would make me seriously angry."
He knew that wasn't it. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her toward him. "I'm not leaving till you tell me what's up."
Ria looked toward Lucas's open doorway. "This is not the time and place."
He waited.
She blew out a breath. "Are we in a relationship?"
"What did you think last night was?" This was one of those times when he didn't get women. Scratch that. When he didn't get his woman.
"Well, men don't necessarily equate sex with a relationship." It was a whisper, her eyes flicking to Lucas's door again.
Emmett decided not to remind her that Luc could probably hear everything anyway. "That wasn't sex, Ria. That was fucking-amazing-sex." He grinned at her blush. "And I equate everything I do with you to a relationship. Try going out with another man and see where it gets you."
She tried for a glare but a smile peeked out. "Go. Be careful." A tight hug. "We'll discuss the other stuff when you're back safe and sound. I'll be waiting."
He walked out with the scent of her bound into his very skin, her promise in his ears.
Ria found herself escorted home by an older man called Cian that day. "Any word?" she asked him as they reached the front door.
A shake of his head. "I don't think they'll move until a few hours after dark."
Something about Cian struck Ria as oddly familiar, but she was sure he'd never been on protection detail before. "Will you let me know if you learn anything?"
His eyes were warm when he looked at her. "Of course, Ria."
Nodding, she thanked him and walked inside. Her father had beaten everyone home and was at the stove, concocting his (in)famous secret spaghetti sauce. "Hey, Dad." She bussed him on the cheek. "Where's Amber?" she asked, guessing her grandmother was catching a nap as she sometimes did.
"She thought she might be having contractions--Jet came home and took her to the hospital."
Ria stopped in the process of taking off her coat. "Is she in labor?"
"Doctor thinks it's false, but he's keeping her there for a couple of hours to make sure." He touched his back pocket. "Jet's gonna buzz me if it looks like my grandbaby's going to come early."
Smiling, she hung up her coat and went to stand by his side, sliding one arm around his waist. "Smells good."
He put his free arm around her shoulders. "So, you involved with that cat?"
"Yep." She'd never lied to her father. Skirted around the truth maybe, but never lied. "I'm crazy about him."
A sigh. "Invite him to dinner."
/> "So you can grill him?"
"It's what fathers do." A squeeze of her shoulders. "I only want what's best for you. Have you considered how this man is going to support you?"
Ria didn't point out that she could support herself. That wasn't the issue at hand. "Well, when he's not acting as a DarkRiver soldier, he has another job." She'd discovered that sometime last night--even now, the memory of Emmett's lazy voice murmuring the answers to all the little questions she had about him was enough to make her body flush.
"Oh?"
NINE
"Yeah." She drew it out, knowing it would drive her father Ycrazy.
"Ria."
Laughing, she met his scowling eyes. "He's an engineer."
Her father's eyebrows climbed to his hairline. "Who does he work for?"
"DarkRiver Construction. He specializes in making sure buildings are built to withstand seismic events." That was how he'd put it, sounding far more academic than she'd expected. It had been obvious in that single sentence that he not only knew what he was doing, but that he loved his work. "He trained with Angus Wittier." Wittier was considered the premier expert on seismic-proof building in the country.
Simon nodded, his face contemplative. "Pass me the oregano and go get changed."
"Will the spaghetti be ready soon?" She wasn't hungry, her stomach in knots as she waited to hear the outcome of the DarkRiver-Crew showdown, but she wanted to keep the emotional temperature mellow for her father. Simon only cooked spaghetti when he was stressed--Amber's situation was clearly worrying him more than he'd admitted.
"Ten minutes."
"I'll set the table after I change." Walking up to her bedroom, she closed the door before calling Jet. "How's Amber?" she asked when her brother answered.
"She's okay right now, resting." His voice was soft. "Tell Mom and Dad not to worry--the doctor says everything's super with the baby."
"Hah," she said, with a smile. "You know how they are."
"You'll keep them calm, Ri-ri." Said with absolute confidence. "I'll call you as soon as anything changes."
Hanging up, Ria changed, and then did what Jet had expected her to do--she made sure everyone remained calm--though her own emotions had her feeling incredibly fragile beneath the surface. What if something happened to Emmett? No, she told herself, somehow managing to maintain her composed facade even when Amber suddenly went into labor and the entire family rushed to the hospital, escorted by a trio of DarkRiver soldiers.
They were walking past the emergency room when several ambulances came screaming in. Ria recognized the shock of white-blond hair on the stretcher they pulled out of the back of one vehicle. "Dorian," she whispered, looking for Emmett's big form. He wasn't there. But Dorian was bleeding, the red stark against the pale gold of his skin. "Popo--"
"Go." Miaoling squeezed her hand. "I'll take care of your mom."
Cian by her side, Ria ran to the fallen DarkRiver soldier, slipping her hand into his as the medical team worked around her. "Hold on, Dorian." He was unconscious, but she felt as if he knew she was there. She turned to Cian. "Tamsyn?"
A nurse pushed Ria out of the way as they wheeled Dorian into an operating theatre. Turning, she found Cian on the phone. "She's almost here," he told her, putting the phone in his pocket. Tiny lines of concern fanned out from the corners of his pale blue eyes.
Tamsyn ran in mere minutes later, a slender blonde female by her side. While the healer ran through to prep for the operating theatre, the woman halted beside Cian. The soldier immediately put his arm around her shoulders. "What're you doing here?"
"I was at Tammy's when the call came in," the woman said, pushing back her hair.
The instant Ria saw her eyes, all the pieces fell into place. The way Cian moved, the way he spoke, no wonder it had seemed familiar. "You're Emmett's parents."
"And you must be Ria. I'm Keelie." Emmett's mother's smile was wide, those whiskey-colored eyes she'd bequeathed her son as bright as diamonds.
Ria didn't even think about shaking hands. She walked forward and into open arms. The hug was tight. "Have you heard from Emmett?" Keelie asked.
Surprised that Keelie expected Emmett to call her first, Ria shook her head. "Not yet." Her phone rang at that very instant. Pulling it out, she put it to her ear.
"I'm on my way to the hospital, mink. Don't faint."
She felt her stomach drop. "What's wrong? Emmett, if you've been shot--"
"It's just a flesh wound. You can kiss it better." His tone was warm, a caress across her skin. "I'll come by after I stop in at the hospital--"
"I'm here," she interrupted him. "Amber's in labor."
"Problems?" Sharp concern.
Her heart clenched. "It's a couple of weeks too early, but the doctor said he didn't foresee any difficulties." She took a shuddering breath, trying to convince herself of that. "I'm in the ER. I saw Dorian being brought in."
"Is Blondie okay?"
"Tamsyn's in there with him."
"He took a bullet through the ribs--don't think it hit anything major. Hold on. Be there in a minute."
Closing the phone, she turned to share what he'd said with Keelie and Cian, but the couple shook their heads. "We heard."
"Oh, right."
"Emmett'll get you an earpiece," Keelie said. "It's what the other human members of the pack use when they want to have private conversations."
Ria's curiosity momentarily overwhelmed her worry. "You have human members?"
"Of course!" Keelie smiled. "I guess people must assume they're cats."
Ria opened her mouth to reply but something made her turn to the doorway. She was running toward Emmett before she realized she'd moved. He caught her with one arm, the other in a sling.
"Flesh wound?" She pushed aside his shirt to reveal the bandage. "That's an awfully large bandage for a flesh wound."
One big hand stroked over her hair. "It'll be fine as soon as Tammy has some time free. Gimme a kiss, mink."
"Emmett! Your parents are standing right there."
But he was already kissing her, and what could she do but kiss him back? She held on tight, so glad he was safe. "When did you turn into such an exhibitionist?" she whispered after he drew back, her cheeks nuclear-hot.
A small, wicked smile. "Just letting the others know you belong to me."
Her eyes widening in horror, she looked around his shoulder . . . to see the grinning faces of ten more DarkRiver soldiers. Including her boss. And a tall redheaded female who was giving her the thumbs-up. "Oh. My. God." She buried her face in Emmett's chest and felt the laughter rolling through his body. "I'm going to kill you." But in truth, all she wanted to do was stay pressed to him forever.
Dorian was pronounced stable half an hour later, and Tamsyn had enough energy left over to do a little extra healing. "How does it work?" Ria asked as the healer put her hand on Emmett's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Some healers say it comes from within, but I think I act as a reservoir for pack energy." Tamsyn's forehead furrowed in concentration. "My body can only hold a finite amount, so if Dorian had been hurt too badly, I would've been wiped out. But he's a strong one."
"She's selling herself short," Emmett said. "Tammy directs and channels her energy so it does the most good--probably knows more about the human body than most doctors. Though she's one of those, too."
Ten minutes later, the sling was gone, Emmett's wound a soft pink. Ria ran her fingers over it, taking utmost care. "Does it hurt?"
"Naw, I'm tough. But if you want to kiss it better, I won't object."
Laughing, Tamsyn backed out of the cubicle. "Remember kids, this is a hospital." She closed the folding door behind herself.
Ria punched an unrepentant Emmett gently on his uninjured shoulder. "How did you get shot?"
"Aw, come on, mink, you don't want me to get into that."
Putting her hands on her hips, she faced him head-on. "Emmett, you know how we were going to have a conversation later?"
; He looked a little wary. "Yeah?"
"Well--" she began just as her phone started to beep in a frantic pattern only the family ever used. "Amber!" She put the cell to her ear. "Mom?"
A fragile response. "Amber's in trouble."
Ria began moving, conscious of Emmett at her back. The maternity ward was in a completely different wing of the hospital so it took precious minutes to get there. She arrived to find Miaoling sitting down, her hand intertwined so tightly with Alex's her fingers had turned bone white. Simon sat on Alex's other side. No one said a word.
Ria's heart stopped. "What? What is it?"
It was her father who answered. "There was bleeding. Complications. They don't know if . . ."
"No one will talk to us," Alex said, sounding on the verge of tears. "They just rush in and out."
"Wait." Ria took a deep breath and grabbed the first nurse she saw.
Crouching down beside Miaoling, Emmett took her small, wrinkled hand in his as he watched Ria quietly and effectively intimidate a nurse into giving her the information her family needed. She returned several minutes later, a small fierce warrior. "They've got a fetal heartbeat. Amber's conscious and talking."
"The bleeding?" Alex asked, her voice breaking on the words.
"They're working on getting it under control." Ria looked up as another group burst into the waiting room.
Amber's parents, Emmett realized as Ria greeted them in a flowing burst of Mandarin, clearly trying to stave off their panic. The couple sat down on Simon's other side, asking Ria more questions. She shot Emmett a grateful glance as he continued to talk to Miaoling and Alex in a low voice, telling them about life in the pack, anything to take their minds off what was happening in the room only a few feet away.
They asked him all kinds of questions, but he knew they'd be unlikely to remember any of it come morning. Still he talked, giving them the distraction they needed, as Ria did the same with Amber's parents. Simon spoke to both his wife and mother-in-law, and Amber's parents, in turn, obviously trying to stay strong for his family.
But Ria was the glue, the quiet strength that held everyone together.
His leopard growled in pride.
Forty minutes later, there were tears of happiness, not sorrow. Amber was pronounced stable--though she'd have to stay in the hospital a bit longer than usual--the baby was a squalling ball of red-faced anger, and Jet was grinning like a fool.