Page 76 of Tasting Fire
Was he implying that… Lord, they had gone from zero to serious so quickly that it made Emmy a little off balance.
When Cash straightened, he stripped off his T-shirt, revealing the bulge in his boxers and making it obvious that he would be happy to do more than smile at her. With a quick sweep of his thumbs, he adjusted the waistband of his underwear to try to keep the head of his cock inside.
He turned toward his dresser and when Emmy caught herself eyeballing his ass, she gave herself a little reality shake.
Business now.
But how that business played out would heavily influence whether or not she and Cash had time or opportunity for play ever again.
As he stepped into green cargo pants and a T-shirt printed with a Steele Trap logo, Emmy asked, “Why are we looking for the person who swatted Jesse Giddings?”
“Because I’m wondering if someone is targeting you.”
Cash wound his truck up the private road toward his cousin’s house, and when they parked, Emmy just stared. “Wow.”
Yeah, Jonah’s house was like something out of a freaking movie. All glass and wood like a modern-day castle, overlooking the thousands of acres he and his family owned. Cash had been asked a few times if he was jealous of his bajillionaire cousin’s wealth. To which he answered, “Do you know how many coffee cans it takes to bury all that shit?”
It tended to kill the questions and insinuate to the nosy person that Cash wasn’t bright enough to feel envy.
Reality was he was damn proud of all his cousins—and there were a hell of a lot of them throughout the extended Steele clan—but he’d built the life he wanted. At least in a professional capacity. And now, he wanted to do the same in his personal life.
He took Emmy’s hand as they approached Jonah’s front door. She looked down at their intertwined fingers. “This is kind of an official investigative thing.”
Before he could respond, her eyes went cloudy as she remembered. “Then again, I’m not official anymore, am I?”
“Em—”
She waved away his words. “No. I’m not getting caught up in my decision to voluntarily step down from the TMT. The only thing that matters is that we get more information about what happened to Jesse Giddings.”
As much as he might want to reassure and comfort her, she had a point. And this wasn’t the time.
When he knocked, Tessa answered the door. Jonah’s live-in girlfriend was one hell of a knockout. She had golden-brown skin and black hair that rained down in ringlets. Add a killer figure and a genuine smile and it was easy to see why Jonah had been attracted to her. But Tessa was so much more than a gorgeous woman. As a brilliant psychologist, she now helped Jonah pursue his passion of providing shelter and other services to women and children in jeopardy.
“Cash!” Tessa pulled him in for a hug, smushing her dachshund Badger between them. The little dog gave a disgruntled sound and wiggled out of Tessa’s hold.
When he turned around to introduce Tessa to Emmy, the wily animal was already in Emmy’s arms. “Well, aren’t you handsome?” she crooned to the dog.
“He certainly thinks so.” Tessa laughed and held out her hand. “I’m Tessa Martin.”
Emmy juggled a now reclining Badger to shake. “Emmy McKay.”
“The new ER doctor.” Tessa ushered them inside. “It’s so good to meet you. Jonah and I have been talking about how we can partner with the hospital social services to provide more support to women who need…”
Tessa’s gorgeous glow dimmed slightly. “Sorry. I’m sure that’s not why you’re here. Sometimes I have a one-track mind.”
Jonah came striding through a side door leading from the wing of his house where the garage, game room, and command center were. In bare feet and a T-shirt screen-printed withThere’s no place like 270.0.0.1,he looked every bit the eccentric IT guy. “All part of the reason I love you, Tess.” He grinned at Cash. “One-track mind women can be very…sexy.”
Tessa rolled her eyes and hip-checked him, but when he put his arm around her shoulders, she snuggled against him.
Maybe Cash had spoken too soon when he assured himself he wasn’t jealous of his cousin. The money? That he could happily live without. But this kind of unbreakable love?
Yeah, Cash wanted that. Bad.
“Sorry to barge in,” he said to his cousin. “But we need your expertise.”
Jonah’s smile widened and he drew an imaginary line in the air.“Another point for me. I think Micki might be behind.”
Emmy looked up at Cash, confusion clear in her eyes.
