It gave him hope.
It offered love.
It made Croft… happy.
“God, Emma,” he muttered before she claimed his mouth again. It was a heated kiss that nearly curled his toes. When she pulled away, he stared into her emerald eyes. “I’ll love you until the day I die. There isn’t anyone else, Emma. How could there be? There is no need to ever doubt that.”
From here on out, she wouldn’t. Here sat her husband, and it appeared that he was working his way back. “Take me to bed, Greyson. I need to feel my husband’s hands all over my body,” she purred, waiting for him to make his move. Part of the healing would mean letting him be himself.
It was time to lure her caveman back into the light. He’d been suffering alone in the dark for far too long.
Croft didn't give Emma a chance to change her mind. He was up, with her wrapped around the front of his body, before she could utter another word.
Before he knew it, they were on the spare bed. Croft didn't think he could wait to get to their room. It was time to christen this one. “Emma, I want you,” he muttered, running his mouth across her shoulders. “I missed this,” he added, pressing her into the mattress. When her hands slid up his rib cage, burying themselves in his hair, Croft nearly went wild.
With his mouth, he dove in, plundering, taking, and stealing what was only his to own. His Emma came to life beneath him, her body moving with his in this very familiar dance.
God! He was home.
It wasn’t Sky Villa, but the woman beneath him.
For a while he’d forgotten that, but now he was seeing clearly again. Emma chased all the fear away, putting his life in perspective. Family came first, and at the top of that was his woman.
“Grey,” she murmured, rolling with him. When she was perched on top, she stared down into his grey eyes. They saw through her, finding her deepest, darkest secret.
She was madly in love with him and always would be.
Greyson couldn’t speak. Instead, he ran his fingers through Emma’s coppery red hair, admiring the silky feel against his flesh. It called to him, as did the forty-three ginger freckles spattered across her cute nose.
“Mine.” It was all he could manage.
Emma took that as her sign. Pulling the shirt from her body, she revealed that she wore nothing beneath.
“Yours,” she offered.
Greyson nearly groaned in pleasure.
He was dying to feel himself buried in her.
Only, it appeared his woman had other plans.
Kissing down his chest, she teased his pale nipples with tongue and teeth. When he moaned beneath her, she continued lower. Before, his body was in amazing shape, but now, because of training with Paris, he was even more ripped.
She was giddy with the prospect of reaping the reward of his hard work. With eager fingers, she traced the lines and angles of his muscles until her lips found the top of his boxers. Already, she could feel him aroused and hard as steel.
Emma could relate. She was wild with need.
Instead of tugging them down, she pulled him free through the front of them, giving her access to his erection. When her palm slid down his smooth flesh, he moaned more.
“Emma, please. I need to feel what I’ve been missing. Take me in your mouth and show me heaven.”
Who was she to argue?
Teasing the tip of him with her tongue, she only played with him for a few seconds before swallowing him whole. His entire body shook as she began making love to him with her lips.
The harder she worked him, the more vocal he became, begging, pleading, and offering the world if she promised to never leave him.
And she wouldn’t.
This was her husband, and she made a vow.
For richer or for poorer.
For better or for worse.
Until death do they part.
Those words meant something to both of them.
Now Emma was going to show him that being hers had its rewards. As he was moaning and so close to release, she slowly set him free.
His eyes had gone from their normal gray to the storm cloud color she loved. It meant he was lost in the passion and battling to remain in control of his body.
“I don’t want to spend another day away from you,” he admitted. “You’re what keeps me alive.”
Moving over his body, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I lied before, Greyson. I am your wife, and you do own this relationship.”
The momentary look of surprise ebbed away, and in its place was need and lust. The months of pain broke free, just as she slid down his erection, burying him in her body. Emma’s words and warmth stole the very thoughts from his brain.
What could he say to that?
She was giving him his power back. What stress had ground away over the last few weeks, his precious Emma was giving him once more.
She was fighting for him.
In this battle, he wasn’t the soldier. Emma was.
As she began riding him, her eyes never left his. They were the window to both their souls, and now they were sharing what they never should have stopped.
“You’re mine,” she promised, sliding down his erection until it filled her to capacity.
“Emma, my sweet,” he called, his body drinking in the ecstasy she was offering. “I love you, sweet stuff.”
She rode him, letting the joy fill her, even as the pleasure pushed her closer to release. This wasn’t some sweaty romp, like the ones they’d had the last few weeks, but one that mattered. “I love you too, love muffin,” she offered, reaching back to before they were married for their terms of endearment.
Emma and Greyson were already reconnecting, weaving the threads of love back together again to form something stronger and new.
“Fall for me,” he whispered, knowing she was close. He didn't mind her using his body for all the pleasure he could offer. “Take more,” he begged.
The orgasm rolled through her, pulling Emma under. All the while, she managed to stay on top. When her world began tilting, she opened her eyes.
Greyson had rolled, placing her beneath him. “I want you, Emma. I always will. You’re my other half. We’re made to be together.”
It was something he told her the first time they’d made love in Celestia. It called to her on some deep level. “Yes, Grey. Always,” she offered in return as he began moving.
They were long, deep strokes. They filled her and then left momentarily until they filled her once more. With each slide of flesh against flesh, her breath was stolen.
And so was his.
Together, they were healing their hearts as only lovers could.
When the tempo picked up, and Greyson’s heart began pounding, he knew he was close. “Emma!” Croft shouted, at the bite of her nails into his shoulders.
The explosion happened, pulling him from the edge and her with him.
Together, they fell.
She could feel him pouring into her body, replenishing hope and love from where it had once been drained. This was perfect and exactly what they needed.
Her Greyson was back.
Now, life could go on.
Croft floated up through the bliss, aware that she was beneath him. As he went to roll, to keep from crushing Emma, she stopped him.
“Please don’t,” she whispered in his ear. “I need you to hold me,” she said, as the floodgates opened.
He held his wife as she wept, knowing these weren’t because he hurt her.
It was because they’d healed each other.
These were tears of joy.
And they needed them in the worst way.
* * *
Late Wednesday
Luxury Condos
Across Town
Steele Bentley had one hell of a long day. What he wanted was to head home, get a shower, and watch what was left of the game with his boyfriend.
It was weird.
After years of no one knowing he was gay, now some of th
e truth had come out. Granted, his mother was well aware. After throwing woman after woman at him, Steele finally had to come clean. If not, she would have driven him crazy and purchased some Russian mail order bride.
Steele wouldn’t put it past her.
In fact, he’d never forget that day. She stared at him as if he had three heads and was the biggest disappointment to her. It was funny, since she just spent thirty years being married to a man who was dirtier than sin. His father stole, robbed, and broke countless laws to make them rich, and a gay son was appalling.
Go figure.
Since that day, he kept it quiet, giving up his social life. In Vegas, you could have quiet hookups, but he wasn’t one for casual sex. Steele believed in romance, happily ever after, and finding the one.
He’d patiently waited, throwing himself into his work.
Then, he’d met him.
The day he saw Dante Croft, he just knew. The man was meant to be his. He was pretty sure it was the sexy grin, the incredibly alluring eyes, and the tattoos all over his body.
There was just something there, and it called to him.
In fact, the big secret that he always carried, other than being gay, was that he lusted after Emma Croft’s husband.
Then again, who didn't?
Both men were blessed when it came to their handsome good looks, and strong bodies. Steele considered it a push from fate. What were the chances that the man he lusted after had a gay brother who looked like him?
Come on!
It had to be fate.
After that first day, when Dante stayed at the morgue and they got to know each other, he thought he was sunk. Oh, Dante had asked him out, all right.
Only, it wasn’t to dinner.
He wanted to go to a bar and check out the available people.
There was a moment when he almost decided to go along with the ruse, just to be near the man. Then, he grew a set and owned it. He told him the truth. He was gay, and they probably had two very different ideas of what ‘checking people out’ was going to be.
In a heartbeat, everything changed.
Dante had lowered his voice and shared something so intimate.
So was he.
And so it began.
From that minute on, they were inseparable. The first time they made love, he knew. This man was the other half of his soul. Never had he ever felt this way before.
If he ever lost Dante, his heart would be broken.
Sadly, that very scary reality loomed over them. Since Greyson Croft had found out that his brother was gay, the man was miserable. While they weren’t fighting, there was something dead inside Dante. Where he used to laugh and be happy, sharing his love, now it wasn’t the same.
Dante was pulling away.
He could feel it, and that was why he could sympathize with Emma. He was living the pain too.
Only, he lost more than his heart.
He lost it all. Steele longed to be part of a unit that was as cohesive as the Crofts. From what Dante told him about his brother, he was envious.
He couldn’t imagine having a role model quite like that. Here, Greyson would keep his baby brother safe, and that was alluring.
If only he wasn’t freaked out by the whole ‘gay’ thing. After all, love should be love.
What did it matter?
That was the age-old battle he’d been fighting for the last twenty years.
It looked like the road was about to get even bumpier.
Entering the condominium, he sought out his partner. When he found him, he was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Yeah, this was going to be a bad sign.
He could feel it.
“Hey, Dante,” he said, leaning down to give him a kiss. “How was your day?”
He sat up, offering Steele his half-finished beer. “Same old. I talked to my superior, he wants me to reenlist.”
Steele took a swig of beer. “What do you want to do?” he asked, handing it back.
Dante wanted his brother back. That was the only thing he knew. “I’m not sure.”
Steele didn't say anything, because he was afraid to lose the man beside him.
“How was your day?” Dante asked, dropping his arm over his shoulders.
Immediately, Steele leaned into him, grateful for the contact. He was so cold with the fear of what was coming. “We got more bodies. They were in the desert. I swear the universe hates us public servants.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I bet it was hot out.”
Steele relaxed. “You have no idea.” Then, he went for it. “I saw Emma today.”
Just her name made his entire demeanor change. The sadness washed over him.
“How is she?” he asked, staring down at his hand in his lap. It clenched and then flexed as if setting free some tension.
“Not good. She looks like hell.”
They both knew why. There were two big reasons. She was dealing with the repercussions of the situation, and being put in the middle.
“Is he being hard on her?” Dante asked, genuinely hurting for her. While he loved Steele, he loved his family too. As a soldier, he was well aware that you couldn’t always have it all. Something had to give.
It was a matter of time.
“She didn't say, but when she left, she was close to tears.” Steele wanted to say she was good because it would mean keeping Dante in his life. Yet, he couldn’t do it.
Not to her.
Not to him.
He’d suck it up.
“I know it’s late, but we could order a pizza and watch the rest of the game before bed,” Steele offered.
Dante wasn’t in the mood. Instead, he turned to offer the man beside him a kiss.
Steele could tell this one was different. It wasn’t a hello kiss, but a goodbye one.
Heartbreak was coming.
He had no doubt.
Breaking away, he stared into Steele’s green eyes. “I’m tired. I think I’ll just go to bed. I’ll see you in there.”
“Okay, Dante. I understand.”
He watched the man walk away. There was no doubt that Dante was going to leave him, and in the process, he’d take his heart.
Time was ticking.
This was the beginning of the end.
* * *
Thursday Morning
Waking up in Dante’s bedroom was different. Normally, the sun breaking over the city would be their morning wake up call, but today, it was the alarm on his phone.
As his wife stirred, Croft knew how awesome if felt to come awake with her against him.
God, he’d missed this.
Now, it was back.
When her eyes popped open, and she stared into his, Croft wanted to melt. Here was his girl, and she loved him.
“Good morning, my sexy pirate.”
“Yo ho ho, my sexy wench.”
That made her laugh. “How did you sleep, Greyson?” she asked, curling against him. When her hand ran across his abs, there was a tremor from his body.
Yeah, her husband was back.
“Good. I missed sleeping with my fiery redhead all over me,” he admitted. There was nothing like this feeling in the world.
“Are you running with Paris today?” she asked, sitting up in bed. She was a mess from rolling around with him all night. Then again, she loved it.
“No, I called him last night before I came home. You have full use of him for your serial killing case, and also two agents. I’m using Tessa and her new partner.”
“Oh, that’s great. I love working with them.”
“Yeah, and you’re not working the mob case.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. Where she should have been mad, she instead began laughing.
“How is this funny, Emma?” he asked, grabbing and pulling her back into bed.
She gasped as his mouth found hers in a scorching kiss before she could even answer his question. There was heat and power behind it, making her melt into a puddle of mush.
&n
bsp; When he pulled away, he stared into her eyes. “Listen to your caveman, honey.”
Well, he was definitely back.
“How about we make a deal on this one? I’ll turn this one over to the FBI if you can prove that this case isn't linked to the other ones. Then, not only will I let your people handle it, but I’ll take a special partner on for my case.”
He stared at her. “Who, Emma?”
She touched the dent in his chin with her fingertip. “You. Will you be my partner in this serial killing mess?”
He grinned wickedly. “How are you going to pay for my services?” Croft inquired.
“How about a down payment of soapy shower sex this morning?” she offered.
“Emma, my sweet, you have yourself a deal.” With that, he released her to slap her on the ass.
She gave him the look, and when he laughed, there was relief. Her husband was definitely back.
“Grey?”
He glanced up from picking his clothes up off the floor. “Yes, honey?”
“You need to fix this with your brother.”
Croft was well aware. “Tonight, I’ll call him.”
Emma smiled. “Good. I want my family back.”
“Do you think Curtis will come home too?” he asked, following her from the room.
“If you ask nicely,” she teased.
“I actually miss him,” Croft admitted.
“You aren’t the only one. I kinda miss how he calls us mom and dad,” she stated. “It’s sick, I know.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “If you want, while we’re in the shower, you can call me daddy,” he teased, grabbing Emma to toss her over his shoulder.
“Greyson Croft! You put me down!” she demanded, laughing.
“Oh, I plan on it, Mom.”
“You’re such a freak.”
* * *
Tessa Brass considered herself a pretty tough person, but there was one thing in the world that could take her to her knees. It was the man beside her in bed. Here he was, lying beside her like always. At some point in the night, he’d thrown his arm over her body, almost protectively.
It brought tears to her eyes.
At one time, they’d both wake and roll around. That was, until she nearly got him killed. Now, he’d hide in sleep until she was gone, so he didn't have to touch her.
Heaven is Weeping (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 5) Page 8