HIS Return (Hamilton Investigation & Security: HIS Series Book 3)

by Sheila Kell

  Emily pushed away and floated on her back, ignoring the rapid beating of her traitorous heart. The push and pull of her libido, the battle raging within, drove her to the steps of the pier. She pulled herself up the ladder, water sloshing from her clothes, and studiously ignored Jake calling her. Instead, she walked back to their picnic. She needed space. Otherwise, she might fall into him and beg him to take her.

  He caught up to her after she’d disposed of everything on the blanket to pick it up and wrap it around herself like a safety blanket.

  “Em, look at me.” The pleading in his voice drew her gaze. He reached out, grasped the top edges of the blanket and moved her closer to him. She couldn’t find it in herself to fight him. His lips met her forehead in a tender kiss. “I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

  Did he realize that could be an awfully long wait? She might want him with every fiber of her being, but she might never be ready again.

  JAKE couldn’t decide if his new sisters-in-law were a godsend or the Devil’s spawn. Kate and Megan had read him the riot act on how he’d best treat Em. He’d never been dressed down so expertly in his life. They reminded him of how much she had been hurt, and they needed to ensure he was serious. No way was he toying with his true love’s emotions as the women had worried.

  Only after they felt comfortable with his pursuing Em did they agree to keep everyone out of the way so he could romance to his heart’s content. The problem was he didn’t really know romance. He’d never had to work to get a woman in college. Of course, he’d never wanted one to love him either.

  Megan’s idea of a picnic the day before had worked. Em’s resistance had cooled, and she seemed open to him. He’d also seen her watching him with heat in her eyes. God, he wanted to make the leap in their relationship to physical. He needed to touch her. But, he held strong, barely, needing her to be sure about her feelings for him first.

  Now what, though? He didn’t want to go to the women and ask what else he should do to win Em’s heart. He couldn’t take her to a nice romantic dinner because they were still keeping her out of the public eye.

  He’d spent half of the night worrying about this thing with Em’s work. He worried more about Amber. But, not her safety with the Ponzi scheme issue. It was her safety with him. That initial hug and his reaction—almost freaking out—still bothered him. Sure nothing had happened since, but was he capable of being the loving father his daughter deserved? Or, would he freak out on her, haunted by his nightmare?

  “Do you want to play Scrabble?” Em stood from the couch and walked to the shelf holding board games and pulled one out before he responded. Her tight backside in green capri pants filled his vision, ripping his worrisome thought from his mind. A bolt of heat shot to his groin.

  He’d only had his hand for a companion since the night he’d left the Hamilton house all those years ago. Em had been his fantasy woman during that time. Since returning, whenever he saw her, he fought wisking her in his arms and carrying her to bed.

  Looking at her tight rear, he wanted to walk up behind her, yank down her pants and plunge deep inside her until his cock was covered in her sweet juices. This waiting for her to be ready was hell.

  She turned, a hopeful smile on her face. It hadn’t been what he’d wanted to do to romance her, but he had no idea what else to do at the moment that didn’t involve tossing her to the ground. So, Scrabble it was.

  He slid his chair over to the coffee table, across from the seat she’d vacated, and rubbed his hands together. Time alone was time alone. He’d take advantage. “Bring it on.”

  Laughing, she returned to her spot and pulled out the board and pieces. “I remember playing with everyone when we were growing up. I don’t think you ever won.”

  “Ha-ha. Very funny. I will have you know that I did win one time.” Although she hadn’t been playing, or he probably wouldn’t have won then. She had no idea that in the beginning, the brothers would throw the game so she could win. Then she challenged them so much they couldn’t find a way to beat her.

  She shook the bag of letters and then opened it, holding it out to him. “Draw.”

  Their hands brushed and heat worked its way up his arm. Their gazes locked and he could tell by the fire starting in her eyes that she’d felt the connection. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to pull her close, but instead, he reached in and pulled out a game piece to see who went first. His mind focused more on shifting to get comfortable than to the actual letter in his hand.

  She reached into the bag, played around with the game pieces and then pulled one out. “A.” She beamed proudly.

  Jake shook his head and chuckled. It had already started with her luck in letters. “Okay, sprite. Do your best.”

  Em narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her face. His chuckle cut off any words she might have said. Instead, she turned her focus to her game pieces.

  Three turns later, and she was already kicking his ass with her double-word scores. He didn’t pay attention to potential words on his rack. Instead, he leaned forward, his forearms on his knees, and silently observed her.

  Em stared down at her letters, extreme concentration on her face. He had the urge to reach out and smooth the deep groove that had formed between her brow. He feared if he touched her, he might not stop.

  “Covered.” She laid the tiles on the board in their respective boxes. “Double-word score and all seven letters.”

  He jerked his attention back to the game. Son of a bitch. He hadn’t cared if he won the game or not; he’d just wanted the time with her, but to have his ass kicked this badly? No way. “Lucky.”

  She smirked and played around in the bag to refill her letter holder. “Be jealous all you want.” Damn if she didn’t smile broader when she saw her new letters.

  This game with his fun-loving Em had been a great idea. Seeing her laugh and not worry about anything lightened his spirit. They would have plenty of fun family nights to enjoy each other. And for her to kick his ass at board games.

  Reaching down, he shuffled his letters around, hoping to find more than a measly three-letter word worth three whole points.

  “How long do you think they’ll keep us here?”

  He stilled his hand at the fear in her voice. Oh, how he wanted to pull her on his lap and hold her, assuring her he would keep them safe. “It’s only been a few days.” He looked at her and shrugged, hoping to convince her there was no danger to her and their daughter while here. “They just need a bit of time.”

  “I know. I just wish….” She trailed off in a wistful voice.

  That was it. The men had to work harder. She deserved to be free to do as she wished without worrying about her daughter being kidnapped or worse. He had to push them to resolve this. It rankled him that he couldn’t do more than be there for his family. While a couple of men from HIS were in New York City, the team depended heavily on Devon to dig into anything electronic that he could find to tell them who might be responsible.

  On a much-needed break between assignments, her brothers and the team hadn’t grumbled a word or blinked an eye when it came to providing protection for Emily and Amber. They didn’t plan to relax their security of the place even though it already had one of the best security systems available. No one would breach the property. If they did, Jake might take him down bare-handed himself. The asshole had been responsible for taking his daughter and for causing pain and heartache to his Em.

  If only he’d allowed them to tell Em he’d been alive, she might’ve been visiting them with Amber instead of being alone in New York City. He’d been selfish about how she saw him for the first time, and his daughter had paid the price.

  Of course, if he’d never left in the first place none of this would have happened. He needed a mental slap for thinking of that again. Those thoughts had no place. He couldn’t change them. He could only move forward and be the man he was. The ma
n who loved her and Amber with everything he was.

  She cocked her head. “I think I’ll help Devon.”

  “I think he’s counting on it. Let him do the digging first.” Jake gave her what he hoped was his most charming smile before he looked down at the game board. He rubbed his hands together. “First, let me whoop some ass at Scrabble.”

  Hearing her chuckle set his mind at ease. Somewhat. He didn’t want her to fret about it. That was his job. And, he’d been doing it every second since everything had happened. She didn’t need to know that. She needed to think him calm and confident so the situation would resolve itself quickly.

  He still had to think it through. If Devon didn’t find a clue, how long did they keep Em and Amber under wraps? He planned to protect them for the rest of his life, but to live like this wasn’t in the plan. Being around the family was great, but being around the family meant little time without them being involved in their lives.

  No matter what, he would help find the person responsible for creating the upheaval in her life. They would pay for having his daughter kidnapped. Yet, even in the midst of his need to see her safe, he couldn’t stop wondering what happened after this? If they found out who was responsible too soon, he might not have won her heart back, and she might push to be on her own, without him.

  Yet, he couldn’t fathom it taking long. He just wanted his little family living together, alone and, most importantly, safe. He wanted to curl up every night next to the woman he loved after kissing their daughter goodnight.

  They would be together. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. He wouldn’t rest until she was in his arms forever. As for being a good father, he’d have to figure it out as he went along.

  “Quip with the letter q on a double-letter spot.” Spending time with her like this was a good start. She only had to get comfortable with him again. He was sure of it.

  She laughed in that sweet voice that tugged at his heartstrings. “You’re going to have to do better than that to catch me, Jake.”

  “Oh, I plan to,” he murmured in answer, knowing they had different interpretations of her statement.

  Ten

  JAKE GLARED AT Emily. “Please do the smart thing and stay on the airplane.”

  She clenched her fists and wanted to sock him in the nose. This wasn’t the romancing Jake she’d been dealing with lately. This was the alpha with his arms crossed over his chest screaming “you’d better listen to me,” Jake. Although he pissed her off like that, he was damn sexy. A delicious shiver jumped through her veins. She mentally shook her head and relaxed. It was not the time.

  “No, I’m not staying on the plane. It’s not your landlord who called and said your home had been broken into and tossed.” She jammed her thumb in her chest. “It’s mine, and I’m going to see if anything was taken.”

  “Dammit, Em. You shouldn’t even be here. It’s not safe.”

  She raised her eyebrows in question. “How can I not be safe? I have my own armed guard with me.”

  He looked around the small plane on its way to New York City. Her brothers napped or chatted quietly. Turning back to Emily, Jake sighed in resignation. “Will you at least wait until they clear things?”

  Good grief. She wasn’t so stupid as to run right into her home, not after her last experience in her hometown. She smiled. Let him think he’d convinced her to wait. Based on how her brothers reacted to their wives doing the same thing, it was a magic balm to their ego. “Of course.”

  He nodded and then looked at the window, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  Even though the police officer who’d contacted her had told her otherwise, Emily knew this wasn’t a random home invasion, and she suspected nothing would be missing. She didn’t have what they were looking for, and she couldn’t tell any officer she met what she suspected. HIS wanted first crack at it since it affected family. But, that didn’t keep her from demanding her brothers take her with them. She’d been pleased that Jake insisted on coming along also. Having him near calmed her nervousness and fear. Yes, she remained afraid about what could happen, but she trusted her family to protect her. And, she trusted the men from HIS who’d stayed back to keep her precious daughter safe.

  This incident told her they, whomever they were, wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted or until HIS caught them. God, she hoped it was soon. She and Amber had a life to live that didn’t require hiding out with her family. Yet, the time with Jake….

  “Em, snap out of it,” Jesse said.

  She looked up at her older brother who stood beside her. “Sorry. What?” Surely pink tinged her cheeks. She was that embarrassed at where her thoughts had been about to take a turn.

  He grinned knowingly and then sat beside her. “Brad and Matt are going to go by your old boss and coworkers’ places again. We’ll have you call them from your home while we’re there.”

  Emily missed being able to use her cell phone, but Jesse had demanded she turn it off until this was over. She drew her brows together in thought. “So, you think Teri is the one who downloaded the information?” It made perfect sense. No one had said it aloud before, but she could see it happening. The woman had been alone near Emily’s computer. And, thinking about it, there had been a file open on her desktop that she hadn’t opened when she’d rushed to shut it down in her escape.

  Jesse waited until after the pilot informed them they were landing before he spoke, “I can’t be sure, but it’s a possibility. The big question is whether they are together or not.” He patted her leg before buckling his seat belt.

  The landing and deplaning had gone well, as had the trip to her house and her waiting for the men to secure the area. Then, she walked into her home. Jake stood beside her. She’d barely registered him holding her hand and giving it a squeeze. Someone had destroyed almost everything.

  The sofa had been sliced open and stuffing tossed across the room. Books from her bookshelf were strewn on the floor. DVDs had been pulled from their spot and opened. She sniffed. Some were broken. Actually, many things were broken as the burglars had either knocked items out of the way or broke them on purpose. Probably to see if she’d hidden anything inside.

  And, that was just the living room. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see the rest of the house. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough.

  She found herself wrapped in Jake’s arms, his hands rubbing her back soothingly. With her head against his chest, a soft sob escaped her.

  “Shh,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay.”

  Emily allowed herself to absorb his strength. She would not allow this to get her down. So they’d destroyed some of her belongings. She and her daughter were alive. That was what mattered. She stepped back from Jake’s arms and stiffened her spine. “Actually, I’m pissed off. I can’t believe they did this.” She reached down and picked up a broken DVD. She shook her head and held back a snort. At least now she didn’t have to watch that DVD of The Backyardigans again.

  Jake stared at a white pearl photo frame with broken glass. He smiled and showed it to her. “Was this her first time in Santa’s lap?”

  Her heart ached for him at the missed moment. But, he’d have a chance to see the photos of Amber growing up. A chance to get closer to his daughter without her even being around.

  Remembering the photo session put a smile on Emily’s face and forced a small chuckle. “Yes. She was afraid of him.” She looked around and moved forward, reached down and picked up another picture. “This is her first birthday.”

  And so the day went. The sharing of Amber’s childhood in photography as they straightened her home.

  Deciding to pack up a few of her daughter’s things, Emily sifted through the mess in Amber’s bedroom. She paused when she heard a feminine voice. Curious, she poked her head into the living room and smiled. Jesse chatted with Sofia Strickland.

  Emily and Sofia had been
friends for as long as she could remember. Bill Strickland, Sofia’s father, and her father were old college buddies and attended the first game of the season at Ole Miss each year. The kids always stayed home and played. That was how the siblings had come to know Sofia. Over the years, the two women had become somewhat close, speaking a couple times a month. But, they hadn’t seen each other the last couple of years since Emily had forgone the games with her family.

  A squeal and big hug later, the two broke apart. “Emily Hamilton, you look magnificient. Motherhood wears well on you.”

  Embarrassed, and possibly beet red, she took it in even though she knew her friend was full of false flattery. “Me? You look fabulous.”

  “Of course I do. It’s the European spa treatments. They’re all the rage.” Sofia laughed. She turned to Jake. “Oh my God. Is that Jake?”

  Emily jumped, and her hackles raised a bit. Damn jealousy.

  Jake moved closer to Emily and smiled. “Hi, Sofia. I think you’ve caught us at a bad time for a social call.”

  Sofia’s eyes widened. “I know. I can’t believe it. Jesse and I were just talking about it. It’s a good thing no one was home.”

  Emily cleared her throat. That thought hadn’t occurred to her. Thank goodness her brothers had rushed her off. “Maybe we can get together another time.”

  Her friend heaved a dramatic sigh. “Well, I only stopped by because I can’t get through to you on the phone. I wanted to share the good news that I’ve moved here and now we can hang out.” She scanned the room. “I hope I don’t have this to look forward to.” She shuddered.

  “Are you going to the game this year?” Emily had to steer the conversation away before Sofia asked questions that shouldn’t be answered. Like where Emily was staying and why the armed men outside.

  “Yes.” She smiled. “Please tell me you’ll be there this year. It’s not the same without another woman my age.”

  Although doubtful that she’d attend, she knew saying yes would buy her time with her next visit with Sofia since it wouldn’t be easy to just pop down the street for coffee when she was in Maryland. “Yes.” She ignored Jake’s glare.