Sheltering Emma (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha): Finding Shelter #1
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He pulls me against his chest and kisses the top of my head. “I promise to try, sis.”
Eli rarely calls me sis, but every time he does, it reminds me that he’s the only brother I have. The only one I’ll ever have. And if he doesn’t make it back, I’ll be all alone again.
* * *
Thursday drags.
I usually don’t notice the time when I’m working because I’m running from delivery to delivery, but today feels like the longest day on earth. And I’ve only been working for three hours. I groan when I see my next delivery is to the police department.
And, of course, Rena placed the order. Great, just what I need. Although, maybe he is just what I need. Now that Eli is gone, that particular stress is also gone, but a whole new batch of anxiety and tension has replaced it.
It’s almost two in the afternoon when I exit the elevator in front of Rena’s desk. She looks almost giddy when she sees me. “You can take it into his office, dear. He’s expecting you.”
I walk into Hunter’s office with his food, and a fat stack of cash rolled up into one of the containers as a little surprise for him, but something Rena said doesn’t add up. “How were you expecting me? You can’t request drivers, and there are tons of us working today. How did you know I would be the one making your delivery?”
Hunter grins as he leans against his desk. “I have my ways. Now, would you like to join me?”
“Oh, thanks. But I ate earlier.”
Hunter’s eyes lock on me, and I feel his gaze penetrating into my core as he waves me toward his desk. “Are you sure? I ordered plenty.”
No shit. This bag weighs a ton. “Thanks, but I should get back to work.”
If Hunter is disappointed, he hides it well. “What about that dinner? Or do you have people at home waiting for you?”
I cock an eyebrow in his direction, confused by what he’s saying. “What people? You know I live alone.”
Hunter doesn’t look away, which makes me feel like he’s looking for a lie. I want him to concede, tell me he’s mistaken. But he doesn’t.
Of course, he doesn’t.
Instead, he opens a container of food then unwraps his chopsticks from the paper package they were delivered in. “I thought so, but I was driving down your street last week, and I thought I saw you walking with a man and a child. Needless to say, I was surprised.”
He must be talking about the day Eli and I were with Ollie. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was babysitting, and the man is my brother.”
Hunter bites into an egg roll then looks right at me as he chews. “I’m happy to hear I’m not a homewrecker.”
I turn toward the door to make sure his admin isn’t standing there, listening to our conversation. I’m sure he wouldn’t want her to know just how loose his moral standards are. On the other hand, she would have to live under a rock to not know, so maybe it doesn’t matter. “Anyway, I should get going.”
“Emma.” Hunter stops me before I can get out of his office.
“Yes?” I ask without turning to face him.
“May I have your number?”
I slowly turn toward him then take two steps forward without even realizing it. “You want my number?”
“If you wouldn’t mind giving it to me.” The look in his eyes is predatory, sending a chill down my spine. Hunter is holding a pen out to me, and all I can focus on are those strong fingers and the way they were wrapped around me, marking me.
“Um, sure.” I close the gap between us and reach for the pen. After I scribble my number onto a Post-it note, I make the mistake of looking into Hunter’s beautiful brown eyes. I want to lean forward and kiss him, but I don’t. I can’t. Not here, in his office.
Instead, I turn on my heel and head to the elevator.
Horny and alone.
The story of my life.
Fourteen
Hunter
“Eli Walt is her brother. You’re sure?” I’ve been tapping my pen on the edge of my desk so hard that it looks like I ran it over with my car.
“He’s listed as her emergency contact on her last three job applications. Relationship says brother.”
“And the kid?” I’m more freaked out about him than the guy. Guys come and go. I know that better than anyone. But kids last a lifetime. Those are definitely deal-breakers for me.
“Her last five tax refunds show no record of a dependent. I think the babysitting story is probably true.”
Thank god. “Anything else I should know about?” Not that I want to know anything else that doesn’t pertain directly to me fucking Emma again.
“She seems relatively boring. No obvious skeletons, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“It is.” Someone easy and low key. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. Other than working her ass off, Emma seems like a safe fuck buddy.
“Well then, my friend, you should go for it. She’s smoking hot.”
My jaw clenches at Tim’s words. He’s not wrong, but he doesn’t need to be looking at Emma like that. “All right. Thanks, man.”
As soon as I’m off the phone with Tim, I send a text to Emma. Free for dinner?
Within seconds, I can see that my message has been read. But the little bubbles that indicate she’s typing a response don’t appear for a good five minutes. Who is this?
Ouch. I’m not surprised she doesn’t know who I am since she doesn’t have my number in her contacts. But a small part of me wishes she would’ve asked if this is Hunter. At least then I’d know I’m the only person poking around and asking her about going out. For all I know, I’m at the bottom of a long line of guys calling her. Hunter James. Are you free tonight?
This time, her response is immediate. I’m not. Sorry.
Is she still playing games with me? I truly don’t understand this woman. When we’re together, her body definitely responds as if she’s interested. But she’s stubborn as hell when it comes to actually saying yes. What about tomorrow?
The response bubbles light up and then go away without a message coming through. After I watch them appear and disappear for several long minutes, she finally sends it through. Tomorrow works.
Okay. At least I know she’s willing to be reasonable…sometimes. Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.
I can meet you somewhere.
If she thinks this isn’t going to end with me in her bed again, she’s as delusional as she is stubborn. I’ll pick you up at seven.
See you then.
Good girl. She knows when to give in. That’ll suit her well when we’re together tomorrow night.
* * *
I pick up Emma at exactly seven. In the few seconds it takes for her to turn off some lights and grab her jacket, I take a quick look around her apartment. I’m pleased to see she’s alone. But I’m not so pleased that I don’t at least ask the question on my mind. “Is your brother here? I’d love to meet him.”
“No, thank god. He was only here for about a week.”
“You don’t get along?” It’s hard not to notice her mixture of relief and discomfort when talking about him.
She sighs heavily, as if the conversation is already taxing. “He brings a lot of drama with him. He’s okay to hang out with sometimes, but life’s less complicated when he’s not crashing on my couch.”
“Understandable.”
Emma opens her front door and steps through it, giving me a chance to look at her from the back. She’s wearing a brown dress that stops at her knees and black boots that tuck up just underneath the hem.
“You look beautiful.”
She turns to face me and runs her hands down the front of her dress from her rib cage to her thighs. “Thank you. You look nice too. I wasn’t sure how dressy to get, but since it’s kind of chilly tonight…”
“You’re perfect,” I whisper, catching myself too late. I shouldn’t say that shit out loud. “What I mean is, you look perfect for the restaurant I have in mind. Do you like Italian?”
“What?” I press, stepping over the threshold of her front door to meet her.
Emma shakes her head with a small grin. “Nothing. Just a stupid joke.”
“I like stupid jokes.”
She rolls her eyes indulgently then pulls out her keys to lock up. “Usually I say I like all food, especially when it’s free. But that’s a little tacky to say on a date.”
“You don’t ever have to hold back with me.” I pull the door shut behind me. “I can handle tacky.”
“Gee, thanks,” she says sarcastically, reaching around me to lock the door.
Wordlessly, I take the keys from her hand and engage the deadbolt before handing her keys back to her.
“Thank you,” she says quietly, slipping her keys into her clutch and turning toward the elevator.
I can’t tell if she’s upset that I’m being so presumptuous, but she’ll get over it. I just feel better knowing the door is properly locked, so when I bring her back later to fuck her into the mattress, there will still be a mattress waiting for us.
Gentry is waiting right outside Emma’s building when we step out. The drive down Pecan Street to my favorite restaurant is short, but it feels longer because of the tension in the car. Emma seems distracted as she fidgets with the zipper on her clutch.
“Everything okay?” I place my hand over hers to still her fingers.
“Yeah, sorry.” She flattens her hand over her bag then gives me a quick smile. “So, where are we going?”
“Have you been to Dionisio’s?” Dionisio is a good friend of mine. We met through Isabelle, and I got to keep him after the breakup. He was dating her sister at the same time I was with Isabelle, so he knows better than anyone how the crazy runs in their family.
“No, but I’ve heard it’s good.”
“It’s one of my favorites. I think you’ll like it.”
Emma smiles and raises an eyebrow. “You take lots of women there?”
“Actually, no. I don’t date much.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Gentry pulls up in front of the restaurant, and I get out first, holding the door open while Emma slides out my door.
“I rarely lie, Emma. And certainly not over something so silly.”
She looks oddly pleased. “Okay, sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.” I rest my hand in the small of her back and guide her inside. Dionisio promised one of his best tables when I talked to him last night, so I’m not surprised when the hostess takes us to a table in the back that is spaced farther apart from the other tables for maximum privacy.
As soon as we’re seated, Emma folds her hands on the table in front of her and looks right at me. “If you don’t date much, why did you ask me out?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I pause while glasses of water are placed in front of us but never take my eyes off Emma.
“No, it’s not,” she says once we’re alone. “I don’t really get it.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, and I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you so far. Why wouldn’t I ask you out?”
Emma shrugs. “You probably have your pick of the women in this town. Why me? You already know I’m not exactly in your pay grade. Is this more of that altruistic charity your secretary was telling me about?”
Now I’m speechless. I don’t know what Rena would’ve said to her, but Emma obviously thinks higher of me than she should. Her gaze holds mine, and she doesn’t back down when I return her stare.
Finally, I answer in the only way I know how. Honestly.
“Let me make this clear. I don’t do pity. Just because I can be generous at times doesn’t mean I’m out to save the world. My acts of generosity are more about paying forward some of the advantages I’ve had my whole life, so I don’t feel like such a privileged tool. If the tips I’ve given you helped you out of a tight spot, that’s great. But that has absolutely nothing to do with why you’re here tonight. My reasons for sitting with you now are completely selfish and totally inappropriate.”
Emma’s gaze flits down to my mouth, and her tongue wets her lips. “Inappropriate, how?”
I lean forward and speak low so only she can hear me. “If we weren’t at my friend’s restaurant right now, it would be hard for me to resist flipping you over, pulling up that dress of yours, and fucking you right on this table until you were screaming my name. Because that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about all damn day.”
“Oh…” She reaches for her glass of water and takes a sip. A slight blush colors her throat as she swallows. “So, um, your friend owns this restaurant?”
“He does.” I lean back and smirk, enjoying how flustered she is. “I’m sure he’ll come out and say hello at some point.”
Emma has both hands wrapped around her water glass as she takes another sip, looking at me over the rim. That’s exactly how she looked when she had her hands wrapped around my cock and was drinking from it too.
Absolutely gorgeous.
Fifteen
Emma
Hunter is looking at me like he’s serious about wanting to shove me down on this table and take me from behind. If he wasn’t a cop, I think he might actually do it. The weight of his stare has me soaking wet, almost wishing he would. I’m tempted to excuse myself to the restroom to see if he’ll follow me. But I know he won’t. Like he said, this is his friend’s place, and it’s way too fancy for a toilet-side fuck.
So I try to focus on the delicious food and the fancy people surrounding us, but my eyes never stray far from Hunter’s. And his eyes seem to get darker by the minute. I know it’s my imagination and the dim lighting, but if his stare were any more intense, it would sear a hole right through me.
“Are you ready to order?” Hunter asks with a smirk on his face.
Is this not the first time he’s asked? Oops. I grab my menu and choose the first thing that looks interesting. “Mushroom risotto, please.”
“I’ll have the same.” Hunter reaches across the table to take my menu then hands it to the server. “And can you ask the chef to recommend a bottle of wine to go with it?”
“Of course, sir.” The man quietly disappears, leaving us alone again.
“So, tell me what has you so distracted.” Hunter has an evil gleam in his eye, and I know he’s teasing me.
A shudder runs through me at the visual still playing out in my head. “Just wondering if this table actually could hold my weight.”
Hunter smiles, and his hand closes around my knee underneath the table. “Keep licking your lips like that, and you’ll find out.”
I inhale deeply, trying to get control of my racing heart and labored breath. “It’s kinda hard.”
“Oh, it’s very fucking hard.” Hunter laughs at my unintentional innuendo. “And I have a feeling you’re very fucking wet.”
I nod, way more hungry for him than any food. “Yes.”
Hunter stands abruptly, reaching out to me. “Come.”
My pussy tingles, and I wonder if I might do just that as he drags me down a private corridor. “Where are we going?”
“Dionisio’s office.” Hunter opens an unmarked door and flips on the light. It’s a small office but it’s private, and there’s a lock on the door. That’s good enough for me.
Before the lock is fully engaged, Hunter’s mouth covers mine in a deep kiss as his hand hikes up my dress. Instinctively, I wrap one leg around his waist, forcing my dress to fall back so he has easier access. He takes that as his invitation to slide two of his large fingers beneath my thong and straight inside my dripping pussy.
I grind against his hand, pressing my clit onto the heel of his palm to the point of almost climaxing. But just before I get to the point of no return, Hunter pulls out of me then carries me to the small table in the corner of the room.
“Lean over.” His command
goes straight from my ears to my pussy, and I quiver in anticipation as I do exactly as he says.
With both hands planted firmly on the table’s surface, I brace myself for impact while Hunter slips on a condom. Once his hands are free, he lifts my dress and tears off my panties in one move. Another spike of arousal shoots straight to my clit at his show of dominance.
He has me right where he wants me but only because I’m exactly where I want to be.
Hunter gently caresses my ass cheeks for all of two seconds before lining up his thick cock at my opening and shoving into me, easily slipping through the hot slickness in one smooth motion. Even with the copious lube my body has produced for him, I still feel the burn as my channel stretches to accommodate his impressive girth.
“God, Hunter!” I hold the far ends of the table and lock my elbows to keep myself in place. “You’re so thick.”
“And you’re so fucking tight.” He pulls fully out then pounds back into me, setting an aggressive pace that makes me even hotter.
I want to reach for my clit since it’s not getting any attention, but I don’t dare let go of the table. Fortunately, Hunter is some kind of sexual mind reader so while he leaves one hand on my shoulder to hold me in the position he wants, his other hand slides around my waist and dips into my folds. Using two fingers, he teases my swollen nub while thrusting in and out of me.
The fear of getting caught in a stranger’s office with my ass in the air and Hunter fucking me over the table causes me to respond to his stimulus even sooner than I did last time. I just can’t slow down with this man. My hips jolt in time with Hunter’s as he raises one foot onto a chair and almost lifts me completely off the ground as his pace increases.
“Oh, god. That’s too much.” I rock my hips to take as much of his length as I can on each stroke while still riding his hand. “I’m gonna come.”