Bourne to Love Emma (RED-Stone Operatives Book 1)

by Paxton, MacKenzie K.

I heard Heather and Ian talking as Heather wrapped an arm around my waist and we made our way to the front of the club. He told her what he’d seen and what happened when he intervened. I tuned them out and stood there feeling like my mind had been wrapped in cotton – a combination of the alcohol and the shock, I guess. After a few minutes, they usher me forward like bodyguards and help me into the dark sedan parked in front of the club. I don’t recognize the guy driving, but Heather seems to know him and tells him to take us to her house.

  “Heather. No. I want to go home. I need to see Mia. I just – I just need to go home.”

  “Em. I don’t want to leave you alone. You need to talk about what happened – you NEED to fucking press charges against his ass. Carla has Mia. She’s fine. You just need to stay with me tonight.”

  “I can’t deal with this right now. I need to go home. I don’t want to talk about it yet. I just want to go home.”

  Heather just stared at me before her expression changed and she started typing on her phone. After she had exchanged a few messages – with John, I assume – she tells the driver to take us to my building.

  After she walked me to my door, I basically kicked her out. I’m fine. The building has excellent security. I was going to leave Mia with Carla tonight and I would get her in the morning. I’m fine. Really.

  She finally left and I stripped out of my cute dress and sexy heels and stared at them in a puddle on the floor. I can still hear Dan’s ranting about being a tease. I shudder as I step over the clothes.

  I took a hot shower and scrubbed my skin pink before dressing in a tank top and pajama pants and curling up in my bed. I pulled all the blankets on top of me and shiver. I’m so cold. I closed my eyes and see his face distorted by so much rage. I opened my eyes again. Sleep is not going to happen for me.

  ~Jason~

  We were finally getting somewhere with the interrogation. The boss and I were still watching from the observation room when Crash finally got him talking. He was throwing truths in with some not-so-true things, though, so we weren’t quite where we needed to be, yet.

  John left the room to take a call and came back a few minutes later. When his phone started buzzing again, he started to leave and then stopped and sat back down. I glanced at him and saw him staring at me with an odd expression on his face.

  “What?”

  He just looked at me for another moment and then said, “I need you to do me a favor.”

  “Okay….” I wait for him to tell me what’s going on. John and I have worked together for three years now and, while we have a lot of mutual respect for one another and have a good rapport outside of work, we aren’t really ‘friends’ per se. So a favor was definitely new territory for us.

  “My fiancé’s friend lives in your building. She lives with her daughter, but it’s just the two of them. I need you to check in on her and keep an eye on her for a few days while we figure some things out. They went out tonight to a club and her ex-husband jumped her on her way to the bathroom and got really aggressive. He got away before anyone stopped him, so we don’t know where he is, but I don’t want her exposed if he’s going to try that shit again. Heather wanted her to stay with us tonight, but she just wanted to go home.”

  “Damn. I’ll do it, not a problem. I imagine she’s pretty upset. Did she go to the police? File a report?”

  “Not yet. I’m going to try to sit down with her tomorrow and get her to do that. Heather said she was in shock and didn’t want to talk about any of it. He hasn’t been in the picture since their divorce, so this is out of left field and we need to find out why.”

  I stood up and pulled my keys out of my pocket. “I’ll leave now. What’s her name and apartment number? Do you want me to make contact tonight or just increase security on her until morning?”

  John sighed and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. It had been a long night even before this happened. “Increase security tonight and make contact in the morning so she knows there’s someone who can help in the building with her. She doesn’t need to know how many guys we’ve got over there – just that she can trust you because I vouch for you. Her name is Emma Parsons. She’s in apartment –“

  “6C. Fuck!” I interrupted him and launched myself out of the observation room. I completely ignored John yelling at me as I ran out of the building.

  Chapter 9

  ~Jason~

  I don’t even remember the drive home. The rage running through me that anyone would put their hands on her to hurt her blinded me. When I parked my car, I took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. My hands were shaking with the adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins.

  Three knocks on her door and no answer. I yanked my phone from my hip pocket and text her.

  Em, I heard about what happened tonight. I’m at your door. I need you to open it.

  I waited. I knocked again – loud enough to wake up others on the hall this early in the morning. I text again.

  Em. I need to see that you’re okay.

  There was movement on the other side of the door. She flipped the locks and opened the door. My brain registered her bare feet and pajama pants peeking out from her robe. And then all I could see were the bruises already forming on her jawline, cheek and neck.

  “FUCK, Emma! What the fuck happened?!”

  Emma peeked down the hall before pulling me inside – I guess so I wouldn’t wake up the neighbors. She locked the door behind me and then just stood beside it.

  “Why didn’t you call me? What did that fucker do?? I will fucking kill him!”

  “How do you know what happened? And why are you over here yelling at me? It’s after two in the morning, Jason!”

  “I don’t care how fucking late it is, Emma. Someone hurt you and you didn’t tell me! I heard it from my damn boss when he asked me to keep an eye on a friend of his fiancé’s and then I found out it was you!”

  “Wait. A friend of his…. You work for John?”

  “Yes. But I don’t want to talk about John. I want you to tell me what the hell happened tonight.”

  I grab her hand with mine and pull her to the couch and sit down, pulling her into my lap. She started to pull away, so I just wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. She trembled in my arms but finally leaned into my chest and rested her head against my shoulder. I pressed my lips to her temple.

  “Talk to me Emma. Let me help. Trust me.”

  ~Emma~

  He was so big and warm. I felt…safe. And cared for. One of his big hands rubbed up my back and stroked back down. I took a deep breath and let it all go. I relaxed completely against him. I do trust him.

  “Heather got a phone call. I went to the bathroom. When I turned into the hall, he just… was there. He shoved me against the wall and pinned me there. I realized it was Dan – but he’d been drinking. I haven’t seen him in a year. I didn’t even really realize what was happening until he… until he kissed me.”

  I felt his legs tense under me and he stopped stroking my back for a second. I glanced up just a little and saw the muscle ticking in his cheek and saw his throat move as he swallowed hard.

  “He kissed me and I couldn’t turn my head. I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get away. The wall was behind me and he was against me and…his hand…. When I tried to call for help, he grabbed my throat and I couldn’t breathe. He…he grabbed my panties and his hand was touching me…. And then a guy – Ian – saw us. He grabbed Dan and pulled him away.” I finally started to cry.

  “Shhhhh. It’s okay, Em. I’ve got you.” His words were soft and he held me tight while I let it all out. The fear, the anger, the anxiety...I gave myself permission to lean on him and let him help me. After a few minutes, I’m finished crying for the most part. I reach up to wipe my face and then rest my hand on his chest over his heart.

  “Emma. Did he…did he…” I realize what he’s asking and see how absolutely horrified he is that we have to discuss that po
ssibility. He is the epitome of rage. Yet, I feel completely safe and his hands have been nothing but extraordinarily gentle with me.

  “No. He tried to…touch me. With his hand. But Ian stopped him.”

  He shuddered in relief and pulled me tighter against him. “Em. You need to talk to the police. Press charges. He

  needs to know he can’t pull this shit again.”

  I sigh. John wanted the same thing.

  “He was drunk. He’s never been like that before. He…. I’ve already dealt with all the attorneys he works with before and it’s just not worth it. I’m okay. He had too much to drink and went a little nuts, but he didn’t really hurt me.”

  Jason pulled me away from him enough to see my face and his face is … scary. “He didn’t hurt you? Have you seen your face, Emma? Did you look in a mirror? I can count his fucking fingers on your neck! How can you even –“ I put my fingers on his lips to stop the words. When he stopped, I slid my hand to his cheek and stroked his skin with my thumb.

  “I don’t want him in my life. I don’t want to talk about him or think about him anymore. Not tonight, not tomorrow. Please. Please can we not talk about him anymore right now? I’m so tired….”

  He wanted to say more. I could see it in the way he was clenching his jaw and looking over my head at nothing. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Then he slid his arm under my knees and stood up and carried me down the hall to my room.

  He set me on the edge of my bed and I pulled my arms out of my robe and shifted so he could pull it out from under me. He held the covers back so I could slide in. I curled into a ball and watched him as he set my robe on the chair in the corner before turning back to me.

  He walked back to the bed and looked down at me before reaching out and brushing my hair off my forehead. “Get some rest, Em. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight and we’ll figure things out in the morning.” He turned toward the door and I sat up.

  “Jason.”

  He paused and looked at me.

  “I… Stay? I … feel safe with you. Stay with me?” My heart raced in my chest as I stammered out my request. I held my breath waiting.

  His face went perfectly blank for a moment before he reached over and switched off the light. I could see his outline as he walked to my side of the bed. I scooted back to make room for him. He sat down on the side of the bed and I heard his boots drop to the floor. Then there was Velcro being unfastened and he started setting things on the nightstand and emptying his pockets. He paused for a moment before he pulled his shirt over his head. Then he turned and slid in bed beside me.

  I pulled the blankets up over him and wiggled until I was just a few inches from him. I could feel the heat rolling off his big body from there. I listened to him breathe and felt myself relax into the mattress. I yawned.

  He made a noise between a sigh and a groan just before he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his side.

  Suddenly, I wasn’t as tired anymore. All the warm, smooth skin of his chest was under my hand and his shoulder was under my cheek. His arm was wrapped around me and his hand rested on my hip. I was surrounded by him. And it was incredible.

  “I’ve got you, Em. Try to get some rest.” He smoothed his hand up to my waist and back to my hip. The side of his hand rested just at the edge of my pajama pants on the skin at the front of my hip. I turned my face into his shoulder and inhaled him. He always smelled good but usually I didn’t get to get this close and sniff. He went completely still under me. I kissed his shoulder softly and whispered, “Thank you. Goodnight, Jason.”

  He whispered back, “Goodnight, Em.”

  ~Jason~

  A single, tiny, ultra-fine thread. That is all I was holding on by. When she sniffed my skin and then kissed it, I almost snapped. Even knowing what she’d been through tonight, seeing her in that tank top when I took her robe had brought my dick instantly to attention. Her nipples straining against the thin fabric were just begging for my mouth. I knew I wouldn’t sleep, but I held myself perfectly still and focused on slowing my breathing to help Emma do the same. She moved her hand over my chest a couple of times – bringing my heart rate back up to jackhammer mode and keeping my dick from being able to stand down. But, eventually, she finally fell asleep.

  I let my mind wander over everything I knew about what happened. Unfortunately, it also wandered over everything that COULD have happened. What if he’d caught up with her somewhere else? What if he’d been able to actually get her alone? What if that guy hadn’t shown up when he did? What if Heather wasn’t engaged to John and they had gone outside to wait for a cab?

  I am going to find that piece of shit and make sure he will never even think of talking to her ever again, much less putting a finger on her body. But that thought takes me back to Mia. Emma said she hadn’t seen Dan in a year – so does he not see his daughter? I thought back to the report I’d run on Emma a while back. I couldn’t remember seeing anything about a custodial arrangement between them.

  Her whimper stopped me cold and I realized I was squeezing her hip while I was thinking about what could have gone wrong. I loosened my hand and stroked her soft skin with my fingertips until I felt her relax fully into sleep again. She needs her sleep. I know she will probably be up with nightmares through the night, too, which is why I said I’d stay.

  I know a few things about nightmares - memories that haunt you and won’t let go. I have more than my share of those. It’s been a while since they’ve kept me from sleeping, but I never forget the ones that seem to play on repeat over and over again as soon as sleep claims me. IEDs and limbs torn from bodies. Dead eyes staring into nothing. Women crying over dead babies. The smell of death and smoke and fire. The screams and crying. It never leaves.

  I’ve looked back on those nightmares and consider them part of my penance. It’s part of the cost I pay for doing the job I did – and still do, to a point. Part of the penalty of being the bringer of death is that you have to relive it forever. No one tells you that when you train for that job. No one warns you.

  I focused on her breathing and her warmth, the smell of her hair – some kind of citrusy coconut blend – and, eventually, I fell asleep, too.

  ~Emma~

  I woke up warm and toasty. Early morning light snuck past my closed eyelids. Not time to get up yet. I snuggled further into the heat and slid my head a little on my pillow. Not my pillow. Without opening my eyes, I slid my hand out a few inches to explore. Warm, smooth, firm skin, sprinkled with a little coarse hair…. I slid my hand down a few inches and felt the hair lessen and the dips of delineated abs.

  My breathing stalled as everything that happened last night came back. The club, Dan, Heather bringing me home, Jason coming over. Jason. Jason is IN MY BED. Several beats of my heart later, I push everything to the back of my mind and choose to focus on this amazing man being in my bed.

  My hand drifts further south, over the muscles one at a time toward his hip. I felt the hand on my hip move just a little and his grip on me tightened. My pinkie brought disappointment to the rest of my body when it ran into the waistband of his pants. As I started to slide my hand from his hip toward his belly along the edge of his pants, he jerked slightly and suddenly his hand pressed down on mine to keep it still.

  “Emma,” he rasped, his voice low and gravelly.

  I refused to open my eyes yet, wanting to stay in this little world just a while longer. I turned my face into his shoulder and kissed him lightly as I tugged on my hand. After a second, he let it go. I slid it back toward me, over the dips and valleys of his abs and then up over all the muscles covering his ribs. My fingertips traced his pectoral muscle from his side around and up his sternum. I followed his collar bone until I reached where my head was using him as a pillow.

  Touching him was turning me on and his uneven breathing makes me think I’m not alone in that. I shifted my legs restlessly as the ache grew just thinking about it. I finally opened my eyes.

  Then Jason r
olled toward me, rolling me to my back as he is half above and half beside me. His thigh slid between mine and I could feel his erection, hard and hot under his pants, pressed into my thigh. He wrapped both arms around me and buried his face in my neck. He hugged me tight for a moment, pressing his mouth to my neck. I wiggled one arm loose so I could slide my arms around his back and hold him to me. We just breathed together and held each other.

  After a minute, he pulled back enough to see my face. He smiled – more with his eyes than his mouth – just that crinkle at the corners and a happy light in the silvery grey depths. Then he kissed me hard for a split second before he pulled away. At my whimper, he stopped and looked at me seriously.

  “Not today, Em. Soon, but not today.” He leaned back in and kissed me on the forehead before sliding out of bed.

  As he grabbed his shirt from the chair in the corner of my room, he asked “are you going to be okay if I run home to shower and change?”

  I’m a little shocked at how deeply disappointed I am that he’s leaving – even just for a few minutes – and I pulled a pillow to my body, wrapping myself around it as I watch him sit to put on his socks and shoes.

  “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” It came out sounding…sad. He looked up at me and his gaze passed over my face and down a little – what little he can see with me snuggling a pillow. The muscle in his cheek bulged as he clenched his teeth before finishing his shoes.

  He came back to the bed and started picking up things from the nightstand. I raised up enough to see all of it and froze in surprise. He’s already tucked one gun into his waistband at the small of his back and was in the process of getting a very large knife into the side of his cargo pants. There was another small gun on the night stand and what looked like two flashlights and his keys, wallet and phone.

  “Uh…” escaped me.

  He looked at me and saw my questions and he looked away. After everything was in his pockets or otherwise put away, he turned back to me and held out his hand. When I didn’t move, he said, “Em, you have to come lock up behind me.”