Page 67 of The Gilded Cuff
“They’re pretty banged up.” Royce helped Emery and Sophie stand. “They weren’t as close to the blast, but they didn’t have the water to shelter them. Cody’s in bad shape; looks like someone gave him a serious beat down.”
Hayden held up her cell. “I called an ambulance. It should be here any minute.” No sooner had she spoken then an ambulance came roaring up the road, sirens blaring and lights flashing.
“Damn, Emery, you are one lucky son of a bitch. I’m glad you’re okay.” Royce slapped Emery’s shoulder, making him wince. “Sorry.” Royce laughed.
Emery smiled as he nuzzled Sophie’s cheek and hugged her tight. She burrowed into him again, unable to resist the need to touch him. So long as she held him, he couldn’t die, couldn’t vanish, couldn’t leave her alone. Last night had forged a connection between them that would take years to undo. The fear and panic she’d felt at losing him had nearly destroyed her, would have if he hadn’t walked out of the smoke and taken her into his arms. Like a phoenix from the ashes, he had returned to her.
***
Afternoon sun cut through the windows of Emery’s bedroom. The pale gold curtains pulled back on either side glowed and cast warm colored shapes over the bed. Emery had slept only a few hours before waking again. Plagued by worries and memories, he couldn’t stay asleep or even rest. It felt all too familiar—the trauma, the tragedy, wounds. They’d spent half the night at the hospital with the police, giving statements about what had happened. Only then had he been able to bring Sophie home and take her to bed.
She’d trembled and clung to him as he’d simply held her for several long moments, breathing in her welcome scent and feeling her heart beat against his chest.
“I thought I’d lost you,” she whispered. “I was dying inside. Then you came out of the smoke and I could breathe again.” He saw the fear in her eyes, the stark pain and the slow realization that she wasn’t emotionally distant from him, and that seemed to scare her just as much as the thought of losing him.
Cupping her face in his hands, he rubbed his nose against hers in a sweet little Eskimo kiss, trying to get her to smile. But when she did, it was tremulous.
“I’m okay, sweetheart. I’m right here, just a little battered, but fine. And you’re safe here with me. We’ll get through this.” He dropped his hands to her waist, holding her close, wanting every bit of his body to touch hers. The connection between them was so strong, he felt invisible threads twining around his heart and securing him to this brave woman he’d come to think of as his,onlyhis.
Sophie feathered her lips over his and his blood rushed to all the right places. God, he needed her, needed to hold her, to possess her, to share himself with her. After thinking he’d die in that dark vat of water, pinned helpless, drowning, he vowed the first thing he’d do was get her alone and brand her as his and seek comfort in her kiss and her touch.
“Sophie, I want you.” He murmured in her ear as he traced her spine with gentle fingertips. Her response was to tug at his t-shirt, lifting it up from his waist and over his shoulders. He let her remove it and then he pulled her shirt off as well. They were stripping each other piece by piece, not rushing, but not delaying either. His jeans, then hers…When they were completely naked, he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her calves resting high on his buttocks as he walked the few feet to the wall by the bed. Using the wall and his body, he trapped her against it, holding her up with one hand on her ass. The other he used to position his cock. When he was ready, he thrust in hard. Her head fell back and he leaned in, kissing and nipping the exposed skin of her neck and shoulder as he hammered his hips against hers.
The feel of her around him—silken heat, breathless sighs, and husky moans—was a fantasy he’d never imagined with any woman before. He claimed her, marking her with his love bites, and proving to himself and to her that he was very much alive. She came first, crying out his name, and it was nirvana to his ears. He shouted when his body seemed to melt from the inside out; his balls drew up tight and he spent himself inside her. With any other woman, that would have been enough; he’d have let her go and walked away.
Not with Sophie. A deep contentment filled him as he remained connected to her, feeling her wild heart beat in rhythm with his, their shared breaths and souls seeming to whisper to each other through the portals of their eyes.
“Take me to bed,” she pleaded and sealed her request with a tender kiss that was more heart than heat. His legs shook as emotions rolled through him, but he carried her to his bed and set her down. With quick but unsteady movements, he shut off the lights and joined her in bed.
The second he had her in his arms again, he made love to her a second time. Slow and deep. He buried himself inside her again and again, his eyes locked on hers as he lost himself. She’d taken him over, ripped his soul out and replaced it with something strange: heat, compassion, hunger, a need to never be without her. She was his and he’d never let her go. Like a wolf with his mate, he would protect her with his last breath.
He loved the way she fell asleep while he was still inside her. She purred softly, like a pleased kitten, and drifted off. He kissed her cheek hugged her close. He managed a couple hours of rest, but he couldn’t really sleep.
Every part of his body hurt like hell. Glass shards had cut into him, and between the explosion and hitting the water hard, he was bruised all over. The hospital had attempted to keep him overnight, but since the only outward signs of trauma were some minor cuts and bruises, he battled the doctors and nurses, fighting for the right to go home. All he needed was some time to rest and recover and he wouldn’t do that in a damn hospital bed. He wasn’t sure whether jumping through the window, falling into the water, or the explosion had done the most harm. Still, it was nothing compared to what Cody had suffered. Cody was lucky to be alive after the torture he’d endured and it was all Emery’s fault.
Thank God for Sophie. Wherever she touched him, the pain seemed to fade. She was warm and soft, a healing presence. He couldn’t forget the look on her face when she’d seen him come out of the smoke at the brewery. When she’d torn free of Wes’s arms and flung herself at him, he’d wrapped himself around her, clutching her to his chest like the precious thing she was.
Sophie Ryder. Journalist and sweet seductress.
She’d crept into his heart and carved her name there.
His lover stirred, nuzzling into his neck, her breath fanning his skin as she sighed and drifted back to sleep.
If only they never had to leave his bed again. He shifted his body so that he faced her. Her beauty was intoxicating. She had creamy skin, pale rather than tan, and her long lashes looked as if they were tipped with dark gold. Her light, wheat-colored hair tumbled in a gleaming mass around her face. Her slightly upturned nose animated her face when she wrinkled it in displeasure. Her lips were a light pink shade with a hint of dusk that matched the tips of her breasts. He could spend years stroking her mouth with his fingertips, just to feel their silky texture.
Sophie licked her lips, her pink tongue swiping delicately over his finger. He swallowed a laugh at the puzzled look she gave him when her lashes drifted up.
Last night could have gone so differently. He could have died. Funny; it was his second brush with death and he hadn’t realized how long he’d been expecting it to happen again. As though he’d lived years in an awful stasis, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even though they’d all survived last night, it wasn’t over. The man who’d taken Cody was on the loose. Sophie had come to him at the Gilded Cuff, warning him he might be in danger and he hadn’t taken her seriously. She’d been right. Antonio was back and wanted to finish the job. Everyone he loved, especially Sophie, was now in danger because of him.
Panic hit him like a punch to the gut. They were all still exposed, too vulnerable. He had to get Sophie out of here. She’d never leave willingly. She was too stubborn. If he told her to go, she wouldn’t leave unless it was for a good reason. The woman thought she could protect him. Maybe she’d stood up to those other criminals she’d battled, but he wouldn’t let her stick around and die for him.
Emery kissed her temple and she cuddled deeper into the curve of his body. He liked her tucked into his side, the way they molded together.
How was he going to protect her?
She shifted restlessly against him, her eyes closing again, and she gave a little sigh. Her arms tightened about his chest, causing his body to stir. Never before had a woman tempted him to the point of mindless madness. She’d reduced his world to one tiny yet infinite universe. Half of him wanted to send her away, remove the source of confusion which had upset his carefully controlled environment. The other half of him refused to let her leave his sight for even a moment. She belonged to him, and he never relinquished what was his.
As much as he craved staying in bed with her forever, he needed to get back to the hospital and check on Cody. Hans, fortunately, had only suffered a concussion from the blast and they’d kept him overnight for observation. Even though the police had posted a guard, Wes and Royce had volunteered to take turns watching over the rooms until Emery could get Cody and Hans home. If there was one thing Emery had learned from his bodyguard, you never left yourself exposed. Policemen could be bought off; so could nurses and doctors. Only Royce and Wes could be trusted to keep watch over his other friends.
