“Tell me.”
“He set me up. Knew I wanted to find him, so he made it so it was all on his terms. Fucking prick didn’t even care when I told him I knew the truth. He knew it was coming. All of this…” His hands flew up and dragged roughly through his hair, agitation and renewed rage radiating off of his body in waves.
“It was a game to him. He set up a bomb to start counting down when I arrived. There wasn’t another door in the room so if I wanted to live…”
My audible gasp filled the meager space between us and I felt the blood drain from my face, leaving dread and horrid shock in its wake.
“Y-you had to kill him.”
“Yeah, baby. Shit, you’re pale. Get a chair over here! And an EMT!”
His voice boomed across the warehouse, urgent and determined and I loved him for the sudden concern crinkling around his eyes.
“I’m okay, Hudson. I promise, I’m okay. Tell me the rest.”
Sighing roughly, grasped my hands and lifted them to his lips, causing my heart to swell when he begun to tenderly kiss my fingertips.
“I don’t have to tell you, now. We can…”
Quickly pressing my fingers to his mouth, I shook my head.
“I want to know, need to know. Please.”
After a long stare, he nodded. I sat down in the chair one of the cops pulled over for me and he leaned against the wall beside me, linking our fingers in a tight, reassuring grasp.
“I tried to level with him, but there was something in his eyes, he wasn’t right in the head. Didn’t have another choice.”
Reaching up to cradle his face, I nodded, understanding.
He was a monster, a demon from my past.
And just like all my other demons, he’d fought to protect me and destroyed it.
“Are you in trouble?”
He’d killed a man.
Even with all of the things Brad had done in his life, did he deserve that?
I didn’t know.
But it was either him or Hudson.
I shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if the events had gone a different way.
This man had tunneled a way into my heart and there was no pushing him out.
And I could have lost him.
“No, Darlin’. Shit, come here.”
I was pulled into his lap roughly, his hands that rubbed up my back anything but.
“It’s over.”
Chapter Twenty Eight
Hudson
I KEPT HER glued to my side as the EMT checked my wounds and bandaged one of my badly bruised hands. I thought I considered myself to be a strong person, but if the bomb Brad had set for us had gone off, there would have been no escape. I would have died, in here and this beautiful girl in my arms would have been left alone, again.
I’d risked that. Because of my fucked up pride and the emotion clouding my judgment, today, I had risked taking myself from her and what for? For vengeance? For some sort of vigilante justice?
It wasn’t a choice I would have normally taken. In other circumstances, with a clear head I would have done the right thing.
Call my superiors. Build a case. Make an arrest.
But with Emberly, I couldn’t make that choice to stand down and do what was right in the eyes of the law. I just acted on my instincts, the same instincts that told me to claim this woman, for-fucking-ever. They’d never steered me wrong before. As I drew her deeper into my chest and dropped my mouth to her cheek, I was thanking whoever had been looking over us, today. It could have gone so, very wrong in a blink of an eye and it would have been her who’d be left hurting. I couldn’t risk that, again.
I had to be better, for her. The fucked up thing was, I didn’t regret it.
She was safe, now and the fucker that hurt her was gone from this world.
If that wasn’t justice, I wasn’t sure what was.
The barely-there sensation of fingers trailing up my bandages pulled me from my inner thoughts and my eyes went to her, as they always seemed to.
“I shouldn’t have let you come here. I could have…”
“Shhh, Darlin’. I’m fine.”
Lifting her chin with my thumb, I made sure her big, bright eyes stayed on me as I spoke.
“Let’s go home.”
Something in her shifted as she heard the underlying meaning behind the seemingly mundane words.
She was coming home with me.
It wasn’t as if she’d spent much time away from me in the past month, anyways. Ever since our first date, she’d spent almost every night in my bed or me in hers. She’d begun to leave little reminders of herself in my house and though I didn’t tell her, I loved all of those things. Her makeup bag in my medicine cabinet, her slippers next to mine in the hallway closet, even her favorite ice cream in my freezer. To the naked eye, these were silly, small things. But to us, it was more. Hell, it had always been more, with us.
“Please.” Was all she said, but I heard it, the way her voice softened with longing and love. Jesus, I loved this girl.
I pulled her to her feet and placed my arm around her shoulder, keeping her close as we left the crowded warehouse and walked across the now, dimly lit parking lot toward where I’d left my truck.
“Lennox!”
I turned my head, hearing my name called out of the slew of P.D. cars lining the lot. My sergeant walked toward us, an expression on his face I’d rarely seen in the past five years I’d worked under him. He was smiling. That shit was weird.
“I heard congratulations are in order, son.” Begrudgingly releasing Emberly’s hand, I nodded, reaching a hand out to shake his.
I hadn’t exactly followed procedure today, but I had eliminated the threat to his daughter and I knew he was grateful only for that fact. I was sure I’d have a long, heated chat with him after my furlough was up, but I wasn’t too worried about it, right then.
I had more pressing things to worry about, like how many times I’d make my woman come on my face when we got home. It couldn’t have been more than four or five hours since I’d left her at home in order to track down her attacker, but I still missed the hell out of her.
I was pretty sure that affliction would never wane.
“Why’s that, Sir?”
His narrow, knowing eyes moved from me to Emberly and back again, before he grinned, widely.
“You finally popped the question, didn’t you?”
I damn sure was going to. When his statement set in, I turned to meet the guarded stare of the woman I loved, confusion filling my head.
Why would my Sergeant believe I’d asked her to marry me, when I hadn’t?
Instead of setting him straight though, I let him keep on believing it.
How many times had I thought about the life I’d give this girl, if given the chance?
This was a chance. I told myself and fuck, if I wasn’t going to take it.
I knew she had most likely just told him that we were engaged because she wouldn’t be allowed to see me if she wasn’t immediate family. I would have probably said the same thing. But, now the seed was planted. How could I let her off the hook for this?
It was time.
“Yes we are, Sir. We didn’t want to wait any longer, right baby?”
I could feel her annoyed stare as I spoke with him and after a beat, she chimed in.
“Um, yes.”
“Well, I’m very happy for you both.”
I cleared my suddenly dry throat as he walked away, my arm quickly winding an arm around Emberly’s delicious curved waist before she even thought about getting away from me.
“Wanna tell me what that was about, Darlin’?”
The bright blush that filled her cheeks was cute as fuck and I bit my lips in order to hold back the smirk that wanted to paint my face at the sight of it.
Damn, she was lovely.
But before I gave in to my need to ravage her, I had to get the truth out of her.
“About that…”
She looked up at me, those beautiful, doe eyes filled with concern as she bit down on her plump, lower lip, fucking enticing me with those lips that I craved to devour; right then, right there.
God damn- it, she knew I couldn’t resist her when she did that.
“Minx,” I growled, lowering my mouth to hers at a bruising force, hungrily swallowing her outcry of surprised lust as my tongue slipped along hers and my teeth tortured that lip she’d so easily teased me with. Pure heat filled my veins and drove me to dizzying heights as I slowed the kiss to a mere coaxing of our mouths and letting my hands roam her lush ass through her pretty little skirt. It was perfection, as it always was with her.
My Emberly.
The thought that filled my fogged up mind stopped my mouths movements over hers and I just breathed her in as I let it take hold.
My wife…
She’d say it was too soon, I knew that without a doubt.
But, now that the possibility of it had been planted, how could I stop myself from asking her the question that teased the tip of my tongue? I couldn’t.
“Tell me why, Emberly.”
Her breath panted from her lips as I released them and she blinked her eyes open, most likely trying to find words after I’d stole her ability to think by kissing her. I’d be doing that for the rest of her life, so she’d better get used to it.
I didn’t say that out loud, though.
Baby steps.
I actually scoffed at the thought of going slow with this woman.
We’d almost lost each other today.
There was no more baby steps for us.
“Tristan told me I had to say that we were engaged. It was the only way they’d let me see you. I mean, its not that big of a deal. We can tell him we’re not really…” Her voice dropped off as I raised one thick eyebrow, daring her to say the rest of her sentence. But my smart girl knew better, closing her perfect mouth before she could say the rest. Moving my hands to cup her cheeks, I lowered my forehead to hers, just breathing her in for a while; needing to remind myself that she was really here with me before I said what I had to say.
I wasn’t entirely sure if she was ready for this, but I couldn’t keep it inside anymore. I needed to make her mine, in every possible way before it was too late. Facing Brad and seeing the pain in her eyes earlier today had taught me that I couldn’t take these sort of risks with my life, anymore.
I had her to think about now and if I had my way? Forever. Her eyes damn near bulged out of her head when right there, in the middle of the parking lot, I dropped to my knees and grabbed her hands in both of mine, making sure she couldn’t get away.
“You wanna marry me, Darlin’?”
Chapter Twenty Nine
Hudson
HER WIDE EYES tracked me intently as I lowered to my knees in front of her and let a smirk play over my mouth, knowing it would soften her up for the question coming her way.
“Look at me, Darlin’.” I demanded, my voice harder than intended as I waited for her to look down at me with those big, beautiful lavender eyes. As she did, I grabbed hold of both of her hands, needing to hold on to her as I said this.
”Marry me.”
Two fucking words. Just two words shouldn’t have meant this much, but they did. I could feel the ground shaking from beneath me as they penetrated the thickened air between us. I felt as if I was hanging from the highest cliff, needing my woman’s hold on me to keep me from falling, from breaking right here; in front of her.
Her voice was all breathy and sexy as fuck when she opened those pretty lips for me and I was a starving man, hanging on to the annoyed words I knew she’d utter.
“No! I mean… God, I don’t know.”
My grin widened as she squirmed in front of me, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and hope; the look was shattering my resolve. And so I tightened my hold on her slender, smooth skinned fingers, struggling to find the words I’d held in the back of my mind from the second I laid my eyes on her. I knew I wanted her to be mine that day and had just bid my time, not wanting to scare her away with the strength of my crazy feelings for her.
“Which is it? One I can work with, the other… not so much.”
Her eyes darted away from me as she frowned, pouting her lips in the cutest way, weakening my resolution to get an answer out of her. But, this shit was important. I didn’t care if it was too fast or if she was scared of getting hurt. She knew by now that I would never hurt her and I would always protect her.
Always.
“What are you doing Hudson? Get up! This is, this is crazy…”
Trailing my mouth over the knuckles of one of her hands, smiling at her in the way I knew she loved.
“I’m just asking a question, Darlin’. You had to know this was coming sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.”
Huffing heavily, she threw her hands in the air, causing a deep growl to fill my throat when she inched away from my hold.
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
Shaking my head at her, I settled back on my haunches, getting comfortable because I damn sure wasn’t moving anytime soon.
“Noted. Marry me, baby. I’m right here and I’m yours. Just say yes.”
I watched the mask shielding her expression slip away as I gentled my voice, pleading with her to just say yes because the longer I was made to wait for her answer; the more I worried I wouldn’t be able to convince her.
I wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Been wanting to do this for a long time now, just wasn’t sure when the right time would be. I knew you would think we were too new, too fresh and I didn’t want to push you into something your not ready for but baby, this is us. We’re ready for this. We’re ready for forever. Just say yes.”
“No,” The word was a breath, a lie, a feeble attempt to avoid the inevitable and I let her have it, because I knew she needed it. She needed to claim her happiness on her own terms and as much as I hated to admit it, if that meant being without me; I’d accept that.
I damn sure hoped it was with me, though.
“Y…you don’t have to do this, Hud. I’m not expecting you to ask me this just because I told your sergeant that we were engaged. We just met! This is too soon.”
Jesus, she was stubborn.
“But it isn’t. I can’t imagine living my life without you in it. I can’t even think about what it would feel like, living in a world where I couldn’t see your pretty smile and hear your addicting laugh. You’ve been mine to protect since the start. Mine to love since we kissed. Mine to fucking cherish ever since. Don’t you feel this? Feel my love for you? Because I swear by every star in the sky that it won’t end, won’t go away. Not until the last breath leaves my lungs.”
Her hands shook as I grabbed them roughly, needing to have a part of her in my grasp as I pled with her in the only way I knew how. I wasn’t too proud to beg her and that was just what I did. The first time I saw her, I’d staked my claim. Now I was begging her to claim me, too.
“We have time, Hud. We don’t need to rush this.”
I had the sudden desire to shake her when she said that, because this was me going slow. I wanted to ask her a long time ago, but I’d controlled the urge.
“This is gonna happen, no matter if its today, or a year from now. Longer, I don’t care.” Stopping to take a deep, much needed, breath I tightened my fingers around hers and made sure her eyes were on me while I continued my plea.
“Do me a favor. Think about your life before us, Emberly. Think about our life, now. Can you imagine ever going back? Tell me that you can and I’ll get up off this hard ass ground and forget about it all together.”
“Hudson-”
“Marry me.”
“No!”
I’m up off my feet and on her before I could have thought better of it.
Selfishly pulling her mouth to mine, I bruised her lips, biting into her flawless skin and greedily swallowing down her moans of surprised del
ight.
“Fucking. Marry. Me.”
“No…”
“For fucks sake, why are you so stubborn?”
Smiling cheekily, she reaches up and lightly bit my nose.
“I learned from the best.”
“Emberly, I’m going to ask you one more time, got that?”
She nods slowly, eyes softening as I reach in my pocket and pull out the box I should have shown her the first time I’d asked the question.
“I love you more than anyone has ever loved anything. Crave you like the most addictive drug. Need you like the air I breathe. Please, Darlin’. Marry me.”
Smiling, she reaches between us and takes hold of the ring box I waited to place on her finger; where it would stay.
“Put it on me, Hud.” I did, my damn hands shaking the entire time. When her arms were wrapped around my neck and her lush curves hugged my waist, I soaked in the feeling, afraid this was the end of us.
I lied. I won’t stop asking her. I’d ask her for the rest of our lives, even if she refuses to hear it.
“Yes.”
Yes!
“Fuck, you just made me the happiest man alive. Kiss me.”
And she does.
Chapter Thirty
Emberly
MY GAZE FELL to my left hand, taking in the beauty of the ring placed on my third finger, not a few hours before. My heart was still racing from the thrill of it and putting my hands against my chest, I could feel the quickly, thrumming beat of my heart within its chambers.God, was I dreaming?
I was engaged.
Engaged!
In a sense, it felt so final; so real.
But it was only a formality, really. I’d known for a while now that the intensity I felt for the man, never far from my mind, would most likely never go away. In the beginning, my need for the protective, stubborn man I now loved was terrifying. He made me want, made me feel after living most of my life merely getting by. I’d let so much time go by avoiding getting hurt or making attachments other than my close friendship with Ashlee and the girls I worked with at the hospital. It just seemed easier. As I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, I smiled, knowing that I’d never have to worry about heartbreak again.
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