Page 66 of Black Wave

She quirks her head to the side, assessing me. I am sure she can sense the stalling.

“They are blue light glasses to prevent a headache.” She doesn’t say anything else. Just stares at me.

“What are you reading?” I ask her, further stalling the conversation about Cherry.

“Mafia romance, of course. What else?” She shrugs. She is still watching me.

I would laugh if I didn’t know she grew up in the mafia life, but I know she did, making this much more amusing. She is using the same techniques against me, and I wonder if she even knows what that is—using silence, not answering, allowing the other person to feel uncomfortable so that they need to fill the silence and end up giving themselves away. This girl? She could wait forever, just watching me. Since this is my Emma, I stare right back at her.

She lifts an eyebrow at me. “Cut the crap, Eduardo. Who were the women?”

I start to hesitate and then sigh. She waits patiently for my response. Knowing she won’t like what I have to say, I sigh again, rubbing my hand over the stubble on my face. Still, she waits, just looking at me, devoid of emotion. She has learned to school her features, and I hate that she has to do this with me. I want to be the only one who always sees her genuine, unabashed emotions. I look up at her and can’t help but wince. I know that she has shut down, and it guts me. How many times has my girl had to do this before?

I inch closer to Emma and gently hold onto her face, stroking her cheek. Still, she doesn’t change her expression.

“The woman from the restaurant is a customer at the gym. She hit on me before when applying for a gym membership. I can’t remember the exact details, but she was agitated when I pawned her off to someone else to show her the ‘locker room.’ I knew her intentions and I wasn’t interested. It might have evenbeen Helena who had shown her around, but I’m not sure at this point.

“I remember she listed that place of employment as a hostess on her application when I was punching the demographic information into the computer. I remember that scenario because I was afraid she would come back and tell me something at a later time. I looked over her account just in case, and it stuck out. When I made the reservation, I don’t think she realized I was the one who called to place it for you, but I thought it would send a big FU to her. She came in again recently, and I told her I was engaged. I thought that was the end of it. That is nothing compared to what I have to tell you.” I get up off the chair and pace around. Emma continues to sit and just looks at me.

“The other girl was a waitress at my club. Her name is Cherry.” At this, Emma snorts, and I see the anger begin in her eyes as she slows her breathing. “I hooked up with her a few times.” I wait and look for Emma’s reaction, and she sits there, fists clenched at her sides. I will myself to continue. “One time, her boyfriend came to start shit at my club and found out she had been cheating on him. I, of course, had no idea, nor did I care because I was not interested in a relationship with her. It was something we did at work only.”

Emma stood up at this. “So you fucked her in your office or some shady part of the club.” She starts to walk off, and I run to her. I grab her hand and spin her around.

“Emma. This all happened before you, and I swear it would not have happened if we were together. I stopped hooking up with her when I learned your parents had passed away.”

She looks up at me, trying to control tears that threaten to fall.

“When was the last time you were with her, Eduardo?”

I cringe at the memory and don’t want to tell Emma, but I won’t lie. “Cherry and I were together that night when Ramcalled to tell me.” I look at her and grab her tight, burying my head in her neck and breathing in her scent. She smells like my bath soap. The one she uses because she loves it so much—to remind her of me. “Look, Emma, I love you, and once I learned what happened to your parents, I haven’t been with anyone else since, even after all those months from when Cherry and I were last together until I saw you in the ER that night.”

I feel her tremble against me. “Does she still work there?” I shake my head and push her back to look at me.

“I fired her even before I reconnected with you again. Like I said, her boyfriend caused a scene, and she came in proclaiming how she told him she was in love with me, and he couldn't handle that. I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend, Emma.” I look up at her and place kisses along her face. “I told her I didn’t feel the same, and she could no longer work there, especially with the scene her boyfriend–or ex-boyfriend–caused.”

I kiss her on her lips, pressing hard, trying to convey how much I love her. How much I want only her. “Emma, if you see this woman again, I want you to tell me, okay? I want to make sure she isn’t a threat to you.”

Emma doesn’t seem to get it because she says, “I’m not scared of her, Eduardo. She can’t hurt me.”

I almost tell her about what I think is her involvement with Julian, but I don’t want to alarm her, so I keep these thoughts to myself. At least until I know for sure that Philip has confirmed such things to be truly accurate. Until then, it’s all just speculation, and it would cause her to worry unnecessarily.

“I know, baby. You're a badass. My badass.” I pick her up, and she wraps her legs around my waist. Her mask is slipping. Her eyes warm to me, and I am so fucking sorry that I wasn’t with her then, but this is our time, and I don’t want to concentrate on what could have been—just us moving forward.

I walk her over to the couch and drop her down. I look down at her, pull her glasses off her face, and the hair ties out of her hair. Her long blond hair falls along her shoulders. I pull back, breathless from her beauty. I tug off her pants, panties, and socks in one go. Her band hoodie still covers too much of her body, so I lift it over her head and leave it on with her arms still in the sleeves. She isn’t wearing a bra underneath it; her full breasts hang deliciously on her bare body. I pull my joggers down and let them drop, showing my commando status.

Emma’s eyes flare. “You went commando at work?” She seems to get upset at this.

“They have a built-in liner,” I tell her, and she laughs. She laughs so hard that she twists sideways and is now snorting. Her breasts are heaving up and down as her body convulses with laughter. I move down and start to tickle her.

“What’s so goddamn funny, Emma?” I am still tickling her and trying not to laugh at myself. She’s wheezing, trying to stop laughing at my expense.

“Are those Lululemon lined joggers?” She is now in a fit of tears.

“I’ll give you my Lululemon right here,” I say, grabbing her sex. I drop to my knees and throw her legs over my shoulders, twisting her onto her back again. I drive in to nip and lick at her pussy, which effectively shuts her up. Her restricted arm goes over her face, and she moans. I twist my tongue into her pussy and begin to fuck her with it. She squeezes her legs around my neck, trying to bring me closer. I hold onto her thighs.

I drop her legs, standing up, and drag her to the side of the couch with her legs hanging off the arm’s end. I wipe my mouth and bend over, licking circles around each nipple as she arches her chest to allow me better access. I suck on one nipple and hear the pop as I release it from my mouth. I drag her legs over my shoulders, lining up my cock with her dripping pussy andsinking in. I hold her one leg over my shoulder and the other I have wrapped around my waist. I drive into her, and the sound of our coupling fills the room along with the sounds of sex.

I grab her hip and plunge in over and over. My ball sack slapping her ass, and I lean over. My teeth are biting and marking her beautiful, unblemished flesh. With each mark, she moans, and I feel she is close to orgasm. She arches into me, and I smile, loving how this woman loses all control. Her lips fall open, and I lower myself, licking up her neck and fucking her mouth with my tongue like my cock is fucking her pussy. I am so horny now that I know I will not last long. I feel her walls clench around me, locking my dick in a vice grip as Emma screams out my name.

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