by Pj Fiala
JT opened the fridge and pulled three bottles of beer out and popped the caps.
“Enough with the mushy crap, I’m hungry.”
Giggling, the girls continued their tasks as Gunnar grabbed plates from the cupboard and set the table. Ryder stepped out on the deck and lit the grill while JT slouched in a patio chair.
After they had eaten their fill, the women began clearing the table.
“Well, would you look at that? Two smoking hot babes in the kitchen, the place smells like heaven, drinks in our bellies, and I’m filled to the brim with fantastic food. Would you both marry me?” JT waggled his eyebrows. He grabbed Molly in a big hug and spun her around, planting a kiss on her forehead as he set her on her feet. Emma laughed as she watched them. JT turned to her and did the same thing.
“Boys, I’m engaged to your women. You may leave.” JT grabbed a beer off the counter, popped the top and took a long pull from it.
“Go tug off, JT; you’re not getting my woman.” Ryder grabbed Molly and kissed her.
“Dinner was fabulous, babe.”
Gunnar grabbed Emma around the waist and pulled her to his body. His lips touched hers and the evil of the week vanished. Yes, he had that kind of power over her.
Chapter Sixteen
The laughing and teasing continued into the night. Emma had to admit, this was the most fun she’d had in such a long time. Around ten o’clock, Ryder and Molly decided to head home. They stood to leave as Emma’s phone rang. She rolled her eyes, thinking it was Greg, but she looked at the screen and saw it was Ashley.
“Hey, Ash, what’s up? You made it okay, right?”
Ashley’s voice was hysterical. “Emma. We got a call; the house is on fire. The police called and I was worried you were in it. Please tell me you’re okay.”
“Oh my God. What happened? When?” Remembering Ashley's words, she continued. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“I don’t know. Police and fire crews are there. They called us to find out where we were and I was worried you might be there. I’m so relieved you’re okay.” Ashley’s sobs tore through Emma’s heart.
Emma’s voice quivered with shock and emotion. “God. Ash, I’m heading over there right now. I’ll call you later when I know more. I love you.”
They hung up and Emma told Gunnar, Ryder, Molly, and JT what had happened. “I have to go and see what’s going on. I’m sorry, you guys.”
Emma started toward the door, “You’re not going alone, babe. We’ll all go with you.”
Emma smiled, relieved. “Thanks. I wasn’t looking forward to facing this alone.”
When they got to Ashley and Ron’s house, a sob escaped Emma’s throat. Flames were shooting out of the roof of the house. They climbed out of Molly’s car and walked to the barricade to watch the firemen put the fire out. Emma couldn’t say anything. Ashley was so proud of their new house; she would be devastated. Of course, thank God no one was home; but, still, this was going to be a nightmare to deal with. What on earth could have happened?
They waited until the fire was out and JT and Ryder found their Uncle Tommy standing by his police cruiser. They walked over to talk to him; Gunnar pulling Emma along with his arm around her shoulders.
“Hey, Uncle Tommy. Do you know what happened here?”
“Hey guys. What are you doing here?”
“This is Emma’s sister’s house.”
Tommy looked over at Emma. “Emma. Honey, I’m sorry. I understand your sister and brother-in-law are out of town. Have you spoken to them?”
Emma swallowed the big knot in her throat, “Yeah. Ashley called me because someone called her. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t in there. What happened?”
Tommy looked at Gunnar and then back to Emma. “It looks like arson. One of the neighbors saw a car slow down in front of the house and throw something. She heard the glass in the front window break and a little while later she saw the flames. Investigators will get in there once the fire is out and confirm that. Do you have any idea who would want to harm Ashley or Ron?”
Emma shook her head as new tears streamed down her cheeks. Her knees were weak, her face felt grimy from the soot floating in the air, and her lungs felt heavy. Gunnar pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. After Emma had composed herself, she pulled away and wiped her eyes with her hands leaving dark streaks on her cheeks.
Her voice was soft and shaky. “I have to call Ash.”
Gunnar nodded. “Let’s go over there where it’s a little quieter.”
Emma and Gunnar walked over to a neighboring yard where there was a large tree near the street. They sat on the curb under the tree and Emma dialed Ashley’s number.
“Em. What happened?”
Emma’s plan to be stoic was gone when she heard Ashley’s voice. “Oh Ash…they think it’s arson. A neighbor saw a car stop in front of the house and throw something. A while later the fire started. Police are asking if anyone is angry with you or Ron.”
Emma looked up at Gunnar when she heard Ashley crying. Emma held her phone between them and tilted it out so Gunnar could hear. He wrapped his arm around Emma’s shoulders and pulled her close with no room between them. They were touching from foot to shoulder.
Between sobs, Ashley whispered, “No! We live a quiet life. We’re quiet people. Oh. My. God. I have to talk to Ron. Go home and go to sleep, Em. We’ll call you in the morning. Ron is on the phone with police right now. We don’t want to bring Tyler and we don’t want to leave him. And,” choking back a sob she finished with, “now we don’t have anywhere to come home to.”
“Oh. Ash.” Catching herself before she started crying, Emma swallowed, took a deep breath and said. “I love you, Ash. Don’t worry. I’ll do what I can for you here. You guys sit tight until we know how bad it is. Okay? Promise.”
“I love you, too, Em. Thank you. I promise.”
Gunnar listened to Emma talk to her sister and his heart felt heavy. He knew Ashley and Ron felt helpless being so far away. By the looks of the house, they were going to need another place to stay for some time. His Uncle Bryce and Aunt Angie owned apartment complexes; hopefully, they’d have a nice unit available for them and the baby. But, Emma was coming home with him.
Emma ended the call and laid her head on Gunnar’s shoulder. Gunnar kissed the top of her head and they sat quietly for a few moments. JT, Ryder, and Molly found them a while later and sat alongside Emma and Gunnar on the curb.
“Are you ready to go home, Em?”
Emma lifted her head and looked at Molly, indecision in her features.
“There’s nothing you can do here, honey. Let’s go home.” Gunnar looked into her eyes, swiping at her tears with his thumbs.
“Yeah, okay.”
Gunnar squeezed her shoulders and stood up. He reached down and pulled Emma to her feet, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started them walking toward their car. The ride home was quiet, each of them lost in their thoughts.
Molly and Ryder didn’t come in, they dropped them off in the driveway, and JT, Gunnar, and Emma went into the house.
“Do you want a drink or anything, Em?” The serious JT sounded funny to her and Emma smiled.
“No, thanks. If you don’t mind, I would like to go take a shower. I smell like smoke.”
Gunnar kissed her forehead. “Go ahead, babe. I’ll be in, in a little while.”
Emma went into the bedroom to shower as Gunnar turned to JT. “We’ve already talked about her moving in. She’ll be here for certain now. You sure you’re okay with that?”
“Gunnar, I told you I have no problem with Emma being here. I like her, she’s great, funny, she gets along with everyone. I don’t have a problem with it.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“So, you in love or what?”
Gunnar looked in the direction Emma had gone, his lips pressed into a straight line across his face. He turned his head back to JT and said, “Yeah, I think I am.”
“Hmm. Sucks.�
�� JT smirked at him. “I’m hitting the hay. See you in the morning, lover boy.”
Gunnar turned out the lights and walked to the bedroom. He heard the water in the shower running and walked to the closet to take his clothes off. He put his shoes in their normal spot on the floor and saw five pair of pretty, high heeled pumps sitting alongside his. Emma’s tennis shoes and a couple pair of sandals were there, as well. Gunnar stood and looked at the clothes hanging in the closet. There, to the back, were beautiful dresses and skirts, tiny little jeans, and two very neat stacks of sweaters, t-shirts, tank tops, and yoga pants. The little vixen had moved a few things in.
Peeling his t-shirt over his head and dropping it in the hamper in the corner of the closet, his jeans and boxer briefs quickly followed, along with his socks. Emma was right, they smelled like smoke. He took another quick look around the closet, and with a grin on his face, he went to join Emma in the shower.
Chapter Seventeen
Emma woke up to warm lips pressing against her neck. She smiled as she felt a warm, hard erection poking at her bottom. She wiggled her bottom enough to let Gunnar know she was awake, only to be pushed onto her stomach as his body covered hers from behind.
“When were you going to tell me you moved in?” His voice was sleep groggy, but very, very sexy, whispering in her ear.
“I didn’t move in. I just brought a few things.” Her voice soft and the smile gone from her face she sobered. “It’s all I have now.”
“We’ll get you new clothes. Heck, you can come to the shop and pick out anything you want. You’ll be a biker babe from head to toe.”
Emma giggled then sighed.
“Why didn’t you say anything when we got home?” Gunnar ground into her ass, teasing her with his erection.
Emma smirked. “I came in to take a shower, and as I recall, you joined me and weren’t interested in talking. It would have been hard for me to say anything with your cock in my mouth.”
Good point. He had joined her in the shower with the intent to ask her about her clothes hanging in the closet, but as soon as he saw her naked, he forgot about anything other than sliding into her somewhere. She turned around as he stepped in the shower and dropped to her knees almost instantly and started sucking him off. He was just a man after all. When a gorgeous woman dropped to her knees and put her mouth on his cock, there wasn’t another thought in his head. Sad, but true.
“So, if it had happened after the fire, I would have always worried you moved in because of the fire. Now, I won’t have to worry about it because I know you want to be here with me. That’s true isn’t it, Em? You want to be here with me?”
Emma wiggled her ass against him, as much as she could while pinned to the mattress with his body.
“I told you, I didn’t move in. I just brought a few things for the weekend, and maybe next week too.” She groaned as he rubbed against her.
Gunnar chuckled. “I love the way you think, Em.”
Gunnar slid his hand down between Emma and the mattress, finding her opening and slid his finger inside. Emma heard him let out a breath. “Fuck, baby, you’re so wet for me. That drives me insane.”
“It seems as though you’re ready too. What are you waiting for?”
With a groan, Gunnar raised his hips, slid his hand between Emma and himself, fisted his cock and pumped a couple of times and maneuvered it down between Emma’s legs. He rolled his hips forward and easily slid into her wetness with a groan.
Emma whimpered again and fisted the sheets in her hands. She could feel the power in his thighs as he thrust into her, the corded muscles of his arm against her hip. And his fingers—God his fingers between her legs were driving her mad, combined with his cock sliding deep inside of her—there were no words.
Gunnar started a frenzied pace, both of them sweaty and hot. Emma gasped as she flew over the edge again just as Gunnar thrust one last time. Holding himself inside, she felt his cock jerk and pulse as he spent himself inside her. He fell on top of her, his mouth by her ear, his breaths jerky and shallow.
“Fuck, baby. That…fuck.”
Yeah, that’s how she felt.
*****
Grabbing a cup from the cupboard, Gunnar filled his cup, topped off Emma’s and walked to the table to top off JT’s. He brought the pot back to the coffee maker and grabbed the bacon off the counter while Emma pulled the last of the pancakes from the griddle. They all sat to eat.
“So, what’s up for today?”
Emma sighed. “Well, I need to go by the house. I only brought one load of my clothes over. I have a lot left at Ashley’s, if they aren’t ruined. I want to see what it looks like in the daylight. And depending on what happens there, the rest of my day is free.”
“I’ll go with you to the house. I already called Dad and told him I needed to be with you today. Even though it’s a busy time of year, the college kids can change oil and spark plugs, so they should be okay.”
“Gunnar, you don’t have to take off if you don’t want to. I can deal.”
“I don’t want you to. I want to be there. And, I called Uncle Bryce this morning. He and Angie own apartment complexes. They have a nice, two bedroom that Ashley and Ron can move into until whatever repairs to the house are completed. He won’t hold them to a one-year lease. So, when you speak to Ash, let her know that so she isn’t stressing about that. Luckily, they packed for a whole weekend, and from what you told me, took almost everything Tyler needs with them, so they should be set for a little while. Until insurance comes through and they can shop to replace things.”
“Oh, Gunnar.” Emma shot up and hugged Gunnar. She squeezed him tight as he pulled her onto his lap. Emma had tears swimming in her eyes when she pulled back to look at Gunnar. “Thank you so much for helping Ashley and Ron. Thank you.”
Gunnar reached up and swiped at a tear falling down Emma’s cheek. He kissed her nose and pulled her in tight with his other arm. “Don’t thank me. I’m happy to help. I’m sure they’re feeling helpless being so far away. I know it doesn’t help that Ron’s mother isn’t very loving towards Ashley, so I wanted to be able to relieve some burden. It’s all I can do for them.”
“It’s so much, really…so much. Thank you.”
Emma hugged him again and moved to her spot at the table. Wow.
They cleaned up the dishes after breakfast and went to Ron and Ashley’s to assess the damages. They still were not allowed inside the house; the fire investigators were inside at the moment. The back bedrooms seemed to be intact from the outside, but the fireman they spoke to said the items inside would probably be smoke damaged. So, Emma was going to need to replenish her clothing. They waited around hoping to hear what the investigators found out.
“Do you think your Uncle Bryce has the unit ready for them to come back in the next day or two?”
“He said he had a couple of units available, so I would imagine they’re ready. I’ll call him and check on it.”
Gunnar walked a few steps away to call Bryce and find out about the apartment. Emma turned and looked at the house, waiting for the investigators to come out.
“What happened, Em?”
Emma’s eyes grew large and her mouth dropped open. What the heck? She planted her hands on her hips and glared at Greg.
“What the hell are you doing here? I thought I made myself perfectly clear, I have no intention of ever getting back together with you.”
“Em. I’m sorry. If you’ll just talk to me and let me explain, we can work things out.”
“Greg, there is nothing to work out. I have no intention…” Heaving out a breath, “We have nothing together, and I realize now we never did.”
“Em, that’s not true; we were together for three years. We’re good together, really good.”
“No, Greg, we weren’t. You were good going whenever and wherever you wanted to. Cheating, lying, and who knows what else. Your family never liked me, I never liked them. I think that’s a huge sign. Now, go away and leave me alo
ne.”
“You think he’s going to make you happy?”
Greg jerked his head in Gunnar’s direction. Gunnar was watching, still on his phone, leaning against a large tree. Emma looked at him, grinned and nodded, and then turned her head to look at Greg.
“Yes. He makes me very happy. His family is good to me, good to each other. They’ve made me feel very welcome already.”
“I believe the lady told you to get lost, though she’s been so nice about it and clearly, you are so dense that someone needs to be very, very clear about it. So allow me to be perfectly clear. If I see you anywhere near Emma, Ashley, Ron or Tyler, I will make very sure you leave with a permanent reminder of why that was a very bad idea. Understood?”
“Threatening? Nice, I’ll be sure to let the cops know you threatened me with bodily harm.”
Gunnar lifted his hand in the air and crooked his fore and middle fingers in a gesture to call someone forward.
A cop walked up behind Greg. “Hey Gunnar, Emma, how you today?”
“Good. This is Greg. He’s Emma’s ex-boyfriend and he doesn’t seem to know what the words, ‘I never want to see you again’ mean. Do you think you can help him, Uncle Tommy?”
Greg turned to look at Officer Tommy Sheppard. “That so? How is it you don’t understand when a woman tells you she doesn’t want to see you again?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, I understand. I just want her to sit and talk to me and she won’t.”
“Well, there isn’t a law forcing her to sit and talk to you, so if she says no, then no it is. If you continue to bother her, I can assist her in obtaining a restraining order. For that matter, maybe you need to come and sit with me for a few minutes and tell me where you were last night. Let’s go have a conversation, shall we?”
“I’ll have you know I’m an attorney in Chicago, so I won’t be intimidated.”
“No intimidation at all, mister…?”
“Graff.”
“Mr. Graff, we have been questioning anyone that has anything to do with Ashley, Ron, or Emma. Since it’s pretty clear that you have been trying to get her attention and not succeeding, I think it prudent that you and I have a conversation about where you were last night.”