Layers Crossed

by Lacey Silks

  The smell of our release drifted up on the steam, and I turned back around and kissed him, saying, “I’m so happy you’re back.”

  “Me too, baby. Me too.”

  He held me against his strong body until my pulse slowed, gently stroking my back and kissing the top of my head.

  “I want a family dinner. My family and your family, together.”

  “Anything you want.”

  “And you will tell both my brothers to back off.”

  “I already have, baby.”

  Really?

  But Eric answered my unspoken question before I had a chance to ask. “I told Julian I’m madly in love with you and that I’d die before I let anything happen to you. That’s when he told me to get my ass on that jet.” He laughed.

  That I hadn’t expected, and I made a mental note the next time I saw Julian to hug him extra hard.

  “I still want to find Huntz for you.”

  Eric stilled.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t know, Emma. It’s just that whenever his name is brought up, I get a bad feeling.”

  “That’s because you’ve been through a lot.”

  “I don’t think that’s the reason. You need to stay clear of Huntz.”

  “All right, what if I promise to take Hunter with me if I get a lead?”

  “And me. I’ll go with you.”

  “No way. You’re not trained.”

  “I won’t have it any other way.”

  I sighed. “Fine, but if the trail is hot, I may need to rush.”

  “Fine. Let’s get some breakfast before we empty the boiler for the entire building. I’m starving, and I’m sure your appetite would appreciate something solid.”

  I lowered my gaze to look at his half-hard cock and licked my lips.

  “Later, Emma. We’ll get to that later.”

  And I couldn’t wait. I’d been dreaming of having Eric in my mouth for so long, just the thought of him between my lips skyrocketed my arousal.

  We stepped out of the shower. Eric dried my hair and went on to meticulously wipe my entire body. It took all my strength not to throw myself at him when he ventured to my nether regions. I threw his wet clothes in the dryer, and he pulled on a pair of fresh boxers he’d brought with him in a duffel bag.

  “I’m staying over, by the way.”

  “You are? How long?” I asked, before turning on my blow dryer.

  “As long as it takes to convince you to come and live on my ranch.”

  “Eric…”

  “Don’t say a word, Emma.” He raised his hand. “I can guarantee you will be living there within a month.”

  I wanted to roll my eyes at his certainty, but the conviction in his voice made me pause. I had been ready before, but with all that had happened and the new doubts cast my way, I had to think this through to make a rational decision.

  Eric went to the kitchen while I brushed my hair. The sound of clinking pots and dishes and the smell of bacon and coffee made my stomach rumble. I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of panties and joined him in the kitchen.

  “I hope you didn’t bother making the bed, Emma. We’ll mess it up soon enough. Now eat, so you can get your strength back.”

  “I didn’t.” I grabbed a piece of buttered toast and took a bite. The crumbs dropped into my empty stomach. I’d never had such delicious toast in my life. “You know, I could get used to your cooking.”

  “All you have to do is move to the ranch with me, and I’ll cook for you every day.”

  “I’d get bored quickly.”

  “I’m sure I could occupy your time somehow.” Eric came from behind me and slid his hand up my shirt, grasping my breast and pinching my nipple. The insistent touch of his hand made me want to go back to bed. In fact, it made me want to have him right here, again.

  “So, you’re going to use sex as bait?” I let out a whimper, pushing my chest further into his grip as the insatiable roll of his fingers revived my need.

  “I will do anything and everything, and it will be shameless.” He lowered his hand and sat beside me.

  “Just remember, two can play this game.”

  “Except that I don’t lose, Emma. Ever.”

  “Neither do I, Eric.”

  “We’ll see. Now, when do you want that family dinner?” he asked.

  “Really? You think your parents would come?”

  “I think they would love to meet yours. It would do them some good. But we can’t leave Missy behind. She’s still staying with them. She hasn’t left the house since the fest. I can arrange for Derek and George to take care of the farm for the few days they’re gone.”

  My phone buzzed as Grace’s text came in.

  Grace: You ok?

  I quickly typed back.

  Emma Cross: Yes, Eric’s here curing my hangover

  Grace: I bet he is ;) TTYL and I want details!

  “Anything important?” Eric asked.

  “Nope. I’m putting this phone on silent for the rest of the day, right after I set up our dinner. It’s a good thing this is a long weekend. Do you really think your parents would fly in?”

  “When?”

  “Tomorrow. Everyone will be home. It’s the perfect time.”

  “Why don’t you let me take care of something for once and finish your breakfast?” He pushed my plate toward me.

  I enjoyed being taken care of more than I thought I would. And just as I was ready to straddle Eric right in that seat, a loud knock came at my door. No one knocked here unless they could get past the security downstairs, and since I’d just heard from Grace, who lived only three floors below me, it couldn’t be her.

  “Eric, it’s my brothers.”

  “So, let them in.”

  “Shit, they’re gonna tear you apart.” I quickly rushed to my bedroom and pulled on a pair of sweats, throwing Eric’s dry jeans toward him.

  “Emma, I can handle this. You’re a grown woman, baby, and you need to stop feeling like you’re their underage sister.” He slowly slid his pants up, closing up only the first three buttons and leaving the last one open. My eyes feasted on the inverted triangle, lightly sprinkled with dark hair, provocatively sinking into the waistband, and those hips that barely held the pants on him, and I wondered how in the world my brothers would not punch him out at the mere sight of his nakedness.

  Yet Eric casually strolled toward the front door, and I just stood there with my mouth wide open. The motion of him pulling on the handle appeared so slow – I just couldn’t move.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  As expected, both Julian and Tristan stood in the doorway, my younger brother casually leaning against the frame. I crossed my arms over my chest, only then realizing that I didn’t have a bra on and made a mental note to keep myself covered until I got a chance to get away to my bedroom.

  “Eric, may we come in?”

  “Of course.” He opened the door wider and they both strolled in as if this was the norm.

  “Hi,” I said. “Did your phone batteries die?”

  “We were in the neighborhood.”

  On Sunday at eleven in the morning? Neighborhood my ass, I thought.

  “Emma, I won’t talk to you unless you go put something on,” Julian said.

  I swiveled on my foot, knowing my choices at this point were limited: argue with my poking nipples, because the sight of my brothers did nothing to prevent me from drooling over Eric, or get dressed and come back to see what they wanted.

  While I was in my bedroom, I heard unexpected hellos and a quieted conversation among them. Were they really getting along? Was it possible that my brothers would finally give me the respect I’d sought?

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I came back into the living room.

  “We had some business to take care of.”

  “Oh, you mean, pay your employee.” I rolled my eyes out of habit, making a note that I hadn’t done that in a long time.

  “No,
Emma. Can you please stop rolling your eyes? It makes you look too young to have a man in your apartment.”

  I sighed, deciding not to argue and take the higher road. I came over to Julian, hugging him tightly, “Thank you for getting him here.”

  “We’re discussing your case,” Tristan said. “Am I chopped liver?”

  “No.” I strolled over to my other brother to embrace him as well. I’d forgotten how good it felt to have their loving arms around me. It’s been too long since I’d let them hold me like this. “It’s still my case, isn’t it?”

  “It’s more dangerous than we thought it was.”

  “Like hell. There’s no way you’re butting in.”

  Eric’s pulse, pumping through the vein of his strained neck, was beating off the charts, and I knew that whatever my brothers were proposing, he didn’t like it.

  “Emma, it’s better that…”

  Eric cleared his throat loud enough for both my brothers to freeze, Julian midway to scratching his head and Tristan to getting off his seat.

  “Emma’s the only one I want on this case. I trust her. She’s very intelligent and knows the details already. Besides, I know that she would ask for help and not get herself into a dangerous situation if there was a need.”

  My brothers looked from one to the other, obviously not happy with Eric’s choice. For a moment I thought we’d have a little wrestling match in the middle of the room between the three of them. Instead, Tristan poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped it, saying, “Fine. So what’s this I’m hearing about a family dinner tomorrow?”

  Eric shrugged toward me. “I sort of mentioned it already.”

  While Tristan and Eric discussed tomorrow afternoon, already making the flight arrangements and ordering a caterer, Julian pulled me aside.

  “You love him, Emma? Isn’t it too fast?” he asked.

  “Yes, I love him very much. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

  “I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time, either. He’s a good guy.”

  “You did a background check, didn’t you?”

  “Do you blame me?”

  “No. I love you, Julian. Thank you for putting up with me for the past few years.”

  “You’re welcome. Believe me, I know when a woman is broken and when she needs help.” He sighed. Of course he knew. He’d helped his wife, Kendra, rehabilitate after she’d been held captive by sex traffickers for a month. If there was anyone who knew how to fight dark demons, it was Julian. “I’m sorry it took me so long to help you, but I’ve never had a troubled sister. You’ve always been so strong, Em. I just wanted you healthy.”

  “I know.”

  “As much as I don’t like you working this case, I will be forever grateful to Hunter for bringing Eric to New York. You’re practically glowing when you look at him.”

  “All I want to do is make him happy. How are we going to make this work? He lives so far away.”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure something out, Emma. Listen, this case and Huntz. You may have been too young to remember what Allie went through with Wright, but John Huntz has all the traits of a maniac, Emma. Be careful.”

  Yes, I remembered how Allie had run her entire life from the man who raped her mother, causing her to lose her baby. She’d run from him, met Tristan, and when the two of them finally thought they could form a family, the bastard had returned. He’d been stalking her for years, calculating the perfect time to make a comeback. Chills ran up my spine, raising goose bumps on my arms.

  “I remember enough. I’ll be careful.”

  “You still have the gun?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time to carry it with you on the job. I don’t want to lose you, Em.”

  “You have nothing to worry about. I was taught by the best.” I hugged him.

  We chatted a bit longer in the kitchen, and for the first time since I’d met Eric, I got the feeling that our families could blend together after all. The guys seemed to get along quite well, and I couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s family dinner.

  “Do you know how much I love you?” I said after my brothers left.

  “Why don’t you show me?” He picked me up and carried me to my bedroom where we spent the next twenty-four hours, until my phone sounded with a long-awaited ping.

  CHAPTER 28

  Eric

  Waking up next to Emma was what heaven must feel like. I swept my hand across the pillow, looking for her naked body, thinking about sliding between her wet folds to ease the ache of my morning wood, but only found a piece of paper on her pillow.

  Good morning Cowboy,

  You looked so peaceful that I couldn’t bear to wake you. Please forgive me. I got a lead on Huntz and called Hunter. He’s going with me. By the time you’ll read this message, I’ll probably be on his trail already. Please trust me and don’t worry. I may be a few minutes late for dinner, but I’ll see you at Julian’s house. Please apologize for me. I need to turn my phone to silent for the next little while. Love you so much.

  Em

  “Shit, Emma!” I jumped out of bed and hit the shower, worrying about my girl. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to live like this, with her going on dangerous missions, and now I completely sympathized with her brothers. Once I got dressed I ran downstairs to see Harold, the security guard at Emma’s condo.

  “Hi, I’m a friend of Emma’s and need to reach a friend of hers who lives in this building. Grace. Can you ring her for me?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Fortunately Grace was home, and I was at her threshold within minutes.

  “Did he say where they were going?”

  “No, nothing.”

  “Grace, I’m worried about Emma. If you hear anything at all, please let me know.”

  “Of course. But there’s something you need to know about her, Eric. She’s kick-ass. I mean, this girl can break an arm and pinch a nerve to immobilize a body in one move.”

  I didn’t doubt she could, yet that dreadful feeling in my stomach wouldn’t go away. But as much as I wanted to be her knight in shining armor, I had to let it go and trust her.

  By the time I arrived at the Cross residence and was greeted by Jack, my worries had quadrupled. I hadn’t heard from Emma or Hunter since I’d woken up six hours ago. Although she’d mentioned being late, I knew she’d still need time to get ready and would have called me if she was back. So, I came a little earlier to Julian’s, hoping that maybe he could settle my nerves. Derek was already picking my parents up to drive them to the airport, and they’d be here within a few hours as well.

  “Hi, Jack.” I ruffled the top of his blond hair when he opened the door. His lips were covered in what I assumed was chocolate, and when I crouched to the floor his sweet breath confirmed it.

  “Hi, Ewik.”

  “Piggyback ride?”

  “Yay!” he hopped on my back, holding on with his little hands.

  “Where to?”

  “Kitchen! Mama’s making chocolate cake and she let me lick the bowl.”

  “Did you swim in the bowl too?”

  “No seewee,” he laughed, as I hopped around like a horse, the giggles vibrating from his chest onto my back.

  Under Jack’s direction, I headed for the kitchen. The smell of baking and other delicious food being prepared by a chef took me aback.

  “Hi, Eric.” Kendra came to my side. “This is Olivier, our caterer. He’s a family friend. Jack, get off. You’ll hurt Eric’s back, and I’m pretty sure he’s sore today.” She gave me a knowing look.

  Did I have some sort of a sign on my face that said I’ve gotten lucky half a dozen times in the past twenty-four hours? But yeah, Kendra was right, my ass had never felt tighter than this morning and my arms were feeling the effects of holding Emma against that shower door, the wall in her bedroom, flipping her on her bed and on the kitchen counter. I had to stop thinking about all that, because my blood was already rushing south.

>   At his mom’s request, I set Jack down and gave him a high five.

  “Is he as sore as you and daddy when you exercise at night?” Jack asked.

  She laughed, “Yeah, I think so. Go wash your face. You’re a bit early, Eric. Where’s Emma?”

  “She’s on a job.” Why did I feel like such a dick at that moment? My woman was out there, doing God knew what, and I was here waiting for her, completely helpless.

  “What job?” Julian entered the kitchen, the white sleeves of his shirt rolled up.

  “She left this morning. I was still sleeping. This is the note she left.”

  I pulled the paper out of my pocket, barely able to control the shaking in my hand. Julian read the note and bit into an apple. His nerves were definitely made of steel.

  “Okay, so Hunter went with her. She’s got her gun. They’re fine. No worries.”

  “She has a gun? Listen, you may not be worried, but I can’t help it.”

  “It comes with the job, Eric. You’ll get used to it,” Kendra chimed in.

  “I just wish she’d call. She knows the dinner’s in an hour.”

  “That’s our Emma.” Julian pulled out his laptop. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, I can check where she is. But if she finds out we snooped, she won’t like it. I’m blaming this on you.”

  “Do it. I’ll take the blame.” As I wondered how he could track her, my gut jumped at the chance to get some information – any kind of news would be better than no news at all.

  Julian began clicking on his laptop, and after a few moments he froze.

  “What is it?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed his phone and dialed a number. “Meet me at the airport as soon as you can.” And without saying anything else, he hung up.

  “Julian, what is it?”

  “Emma’s in Ogden. Her phone has been in the same spot for the past three hours. I don’t have a ping on Hunter. If that fucker set a trap, she may be in trouble.”