Page 34 of Emmy's Ride

I made her feel.

And when I finally sank inside her, when her arms wrapped around me and her legs pulled me in deeper, I knew she could say whatever the hell she wanted, but she wasn’t leaving. Not this time. Somehow, I’d figure out how to give her what she needed while keeping true to my commitment to the KOC.

Emmy

I sat at my desk, fingers poised over my keyboard, but I hadn’t typed a damn thing in the last five minutes. My concentration was shot, my mind refusing to cooperate. My entire body still hummed from his touch. I sniffed my blouse—I could still smell him on me.

And why wouldn’t I?

Austin was there. He’d made it clear that morning that I wasn’t going anywhere without him, not after everything that was happening.

I could feel his presence even though he wasn’t in the room with me. He was just outside my office. He’d driven me to work and parked his fine ass in one of the waiting area chairs like a sentry, his broad frame impossible to miss and totally out of place.

I’d argued. Oh, how I had argued, but Austin was immovable.

“It’s not up for debate, Em,” he said, arms crossed over his chest, jaw set. “You’ve had too many close calls. Until we know who the hell is after you, you’re not going anywhere alone.”

And now, here he was.

A part of me wanted to be irritated, but the bigger, more honest part? It was grateful.

As much as I hated to admit it, the break-in at my apartment, the attack at Rusty’s, and the chaos at the underground fights had shaken me. I was trained to handle stress, had spent years learning how to compartmentalize, but the past few days had tested every ounce of my self-control.

Austin made me feel safe.

I sighed and forced myself to refocus, glancing at the clock. My first appointment wouldn’t be here for another half hour, but I needed to prepare. I reached for the case file on my desk just as the door to my office swung open.

“Holy hell, Emmy.”

I looked up just in time to see Maya shut the door behind her, eyes wide with excitement.

“What?” I asked, arching a brow.

She practically vibrated with energy as she crossed the room and dropped into the chair opposite my desk. “Tell me who the absolutely fuckable snack is sitting in your waiting room.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “Maya?—”

“No, don’t even try to play it off,” she interrupted, leaning forward. “That man is fine—capital F fine. I swear, when helooked up at me, I almost forgot my own name. Please tell me he’s not a patient.”

I shook my head, but I couldn’t fight the tiny smile tugging at my lips. “That’s Austin.”

Maya blinked. Then her mouth fell open. “Austin?TheAustin?”

“The one and only.”

She smacked her hands on the desk. “You have got to be kidding me.”

I just sighed.

Maya was there all those years ago when I had walked away. Picked up the pieces with me. Watched me struggle to move on, even when I only pretended I had. Now she would watch me fall all over again.

“You left that?” Maya demanded, pointing toward the door like Austin was sitting there waiting to be reeled back in.

I scoffed. “It wasn’t that simple, Maya.”

“Oh, honey, I know. But damn. If I had known he looked like that, I would’ve told you to just suffer through whatever issues you had.”

Despite myself, I laughed. “I’m sure that would’ve gone over great with my therapist.”

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