Closer (10 page)

“I’d be happy to, as long as Rob here has something in this place for me to work with,” Tony said looking at Rob for a response.

“Sure do. What are you guys in the mood for? I have hamburger patties or Tilapia,” Rob answered looking at Emma.

“I am so hungry, I could eat anything. I am not picky. Whatever is easier for you, Tony,” her broken smile caught Tony’s eye.

Tony could see that sparkle in Emma’s eye returning. She wasn’t gravely injured. He had seen gravely injured. A hot shower and a good meal and she would be fine. It was no wonder Michael was so protective of Emma. She was a beautiful woman. If Michael hadn’t claimed her, Tony would have taken his shot. He loved the way her blue eyes conveyed her feelings. He could tell Emma was smitten with Michael when she turned her head to look at him for his opinion on dinner.

“Why don’t you cook the fish? It’s too cold outside to cook on the grill. Rob, if you don’t mind, Emma would like to take a shower,” Michael baited waiting for Rob’s approval.

“Sure man. You know where it is. Clean towels and washrags are in the cupboard. Let me grab you Lizzie’s shampoo and conditioner for Emma,” he said as he walked upstairs to the master bathroom.

Exiting the master bedroom, he met Emma and Michael in the hallway outside of the bathroom. He handed the shampoo and conditioner to Emma and said, “Dinner will be ready in forty-five minutes. Take your time.” He turned and went back downstairs leaving Michael and Emma alone together for the first time since early that morning.

“I want to help you, if you’ll let me,” Michael said, his breath close to Emma’s ear.

Emma felt shivers run down her spine. Something about the proximity to Michael touched her. It was as if he reached through her body and took hold of her heart.

“I really am okay, Michael. You can stop worrying,” she said stepping into the bathroom with her hand on the door. She went to close the door, but Michael stopped her by putting his hand against it.

“I don’t think you understand, Emma. I need to touch you, to know you are really here. You scared the shit out of me when you got into the car with Ingrams. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I was going crazy. Please, Emma, let me take care of you,” he confessed through the two inch crack in the door.

She exhaled as if she had been holding her breath and opened the door silently inviting him in. He couldn’t help but wonder if she wanted him in there with her or if she was just appeasing him because he had saved her life. He didn’t care, either way he was going to get to touch her again and touching her again was what he wanted to do since this morning when he relinquished her head from his lap.

Emma stood nervously next to the sink. Michael stalked closer to her. When he was in her personal space, he reached down and grabbed the hem of her shirt.

“Can you lift your arms for me, Emma?” he asked on a whisper.

Emma raised her arms above her head, and Michael slowly peeled her sweater from her body. She lowered her arms and stood trembling in front of him. He gently reached around her back, taking care to brush his fingers against her skin as he went, and unclasped her blue lace bra pulling it down her arms and placing it on the sink. She shivered like a small and frightened animal.

Michael ran his fingers down between her breasts to the top of her jeans. He used both hands to unbutton her pants. Her breath caught in her throat. She met his hooded, wanton gaze as he unzipped her pants. He ran his hands under the material of her jeans and pushed them to the floor. His rough hands felt so good going down her soft legs. When he reached the bottom, he kneeled in front of her, his head at her stomach. He leaned in and gently kissed the bruises as if he could lift the pain away.

He bent slightly forward and picked up her right foot. He pulled her jeans over her foot and set it back on the floor. He repeated the process with her left foot. She stood in nothing but her blue lacey panties. He deliberately caressed her sides with his hands.

“Did I hurt you Emma?” he breathed against her skin running his lips over her stomach as it quivered from his touch.

“No,” she moaned.

She felt the fire heat her stomach and a throbbing pulse between her legs. He hooked his thumbs in the sides of her panties and slowly pulled them down to her feet. He pressed another kiss to her stomach before standing. Once he stood, he backed away from her to admire the view. He loved her body exactly the way she was. Her breasts, large and shapely. Her soft stomach would be the perfect place to rest his head after a long day. And her hips. He couldn’t wait to get a hold of her hips and drive her into oblivion. Her body was his temple.

She stood, her head tilted slightly down, looking up at him through her lashes. He removed his shirt over his head and revealed his washboard stomach and broad chest. He had the perfect amount of hair on his chest and the happy trail of hair he had led down into his pants. He bent forward to remove his boots and then his socks. He was really going to get in the shower with her. She didn’t know what to do or what to say, so she kept her mouth closed and watched as he unbuttoned his pants and pushed them to a pile around his feet. He stepped out and she could see his erection through his boxer briefs. He slid his hands under his underwear and bent to remove them over his feet. When he stood, she lost her breath. His erection so hard, his cock was reaching up towards his navel. She could see a wet bead of liquid on the head of his cock. How she longed to taste him, lick that bead right from his velvety head. His veins were bulging and she wondered how sore he must be from being so hard.

He pushed back the shower curtain and turned the faucet on hot. When the water was to temperature, he motioned for her to enter. Her hands reached up to cover herself from his penetrating eyes. He pulled her arms away and placed them against her side. “You are so beautiful. Please don’t ever hide from me,” he begged her as he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her into the shower.

She twisted her fingers together in front of her and bit down on her lower lip. He wanted nothing more than to bite that bottom lip for her. He gently brushed his thumb over her injured bottom lip and pulled it from her teeth. A growl escaped from deep within his throat. She hadn’t been with a man in a really long time. Was she ready to be with him?

She stepped into the shower and he followed. He let her stand under the water while he watched the steam rise from her body and water flow down over her taut nipples. He picked up the washcloth and lathered it with soap bringing it to her stomach. He made quick, gentle work of washing her stomach but spent a great deal more time soaping up her breasts. He palmed one breast in his hand as it glided over her soapy soft skin. He rolled the taut nipple between his thumb and finger, and she moaned his name. He went harder still.

“Turn around,” he spoke and she did as he bid.

He lowered himself to his knees and washed her back spending a glorious amount of time washing her ass, thighs, and hips. He stood as she rinsed the soap from her body. He grabbed the shampoo bottle and poured some into his hands. He lathered his hands and then began washing her hair. No one had ever touched her like this before. She was falling apart in his hands, melting at his touch. He rinsed her hair and then conditioned it. Once he was done, he pulled her wet body to his. She pressed her chest to touch his, flesh against flesh; God, did she want him. She didn’t want to wait any longer. His mouth met hers and he adored her. He poured every feeling he had for her into that slow, soft kiss. She was melting into a pool at his feet. Her legs grew weak, but this time, instead of grabbing her waist to hold her up, Michael grabbed her thighs and squeezed. He continued to palm her thighs as he probed her mouth with his tongue. His hard cock was pressed against her stomach almost reaching her breasts. She moved down just a little bit and allowed his hard cock to run between her large breasts, the conditioner creating a perfect lubricant. She moved up and down creating a sheath for his cock between her breasts which were pressed together with her arms. He froze.

“Fuck, Emma,” he growled from deep within his throat. “Not yet, Baby,” he admonished.

He pulled away from her and murmured something under his breath as he got out of the shower. What had she done wrong? He grabbed a towel and motioned for her to get out of the shower too. She did and he took care to dry off every droplet of water. She couldn’t understand what he was waiting for? Why didn’t he take her in the shower? She had made it painfully clear she wanted him. Why was he waiting?

“What’s wrong,” she coaxed, uncertain, as he continued to dry her off with the towel.

“Everything’s right. For once, everything’s fucking right, and I don’t want to fuck it up,” he determined as he dried himself off. “Don’t get me wrong, I want you. In the worst. Fucking. Way,” he accented as he leaned in and kissed her lightly taking care not to hurt her busted lip. “But I am not going to take you after what you have been through today. You need to rest, and I won’t hurt you,” he said as he slid his pants back onto his body.

She stood dumbfounded as she realized not only were they chemically attracted to each other, but he also stimulated her mind, and he respected her knowledge; he knew the depth of who she was. She was in deep.

They made their way back downstairs to the dinner table with wet heads. All of the guys smiled at Michael with knowing eyes. Michael gave them the look that said, “Don’t say a word.” Rob had set the table, and Tony was just finishing with the Tilapia. Everything smelled so good. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate. Michael pulled a chair out for her and he sat in the chair next to her touching her leg with his…
he had to be touching her
.

“Someone has to say it,” Rob said as he passed the fish to the left. “We need a plan to get Lizzie back,” he continued as he accepted the salad.

“Who’s Lizzie?” Emma questioned accepting the salad from Rob.

“Lizzie is my finance, and the GIA have her,” Rob confided.

“Oh my God, Rob. That’s awful. What can I do?” Emma asked.

“We need a plan,” Rob said, his voice choking over the thought of his wife held prisoner by the terrorists.

“We can still make the drop as planned,” Emma said as everyone paused mid-bite to stare in disbelief at the strength that seemed to emanate from this woman. “Think about it. It’s me they want, and I feel safe that you won’t let anything happen to me,” she said to all of the men at the table.

It was Michael that responded, “Damn right we won’t. No one will ever take you from me again,” he said in front of his brothers clearing up any remaining doubt at the table as to whom Emma belonged.

They talked over dinner devising their plan to capture Ahmed El-Amin, keep Emma safe, and rescue Lizzie.

They still had a two-day drive in front of them. They would drive eight hours tomorrow, stop at a hotel for the night, and drive the remaining three hours in the morning. That way, they would be well-rested for this most important mission. Everything had to go according to plan or they risked losing Lizzie. All it would take is Ahmed making one phone call, and Rob would never see Lizzie again. Michael had never gotten what Rob and Lizzie had, not until he met his Emma. Now he understood: Lizzie was Rob’s air, his life force, the same way Emma was his.

Early the next morning, the caravan of former Green Berets, plus Emma, drove until they reached Harrisburg. There, they pulled into the parking lot of the Hamtpon Inn. It had been a long nine-hour drive from Lewiston having only stopped for gas, for something to eat, and for the occasional bathroom break. They went inside for reservations. Michael made sure he and Emma got their own room. He carried their bags upstairs and placed them on the bench inside the door. Emma followed him into the room. The first thing to catch her attention was one king size bed.

“A little presumptuous, don’t cha think?” she playfully asked Michael as she reached her arms around the back of his body and pulled him in for a hug. This was the first time she had asserted herself with Michael and it felt good…to touch him anytime she wanted. Now, maybe she was being too presumptuous. She pulled quickly back from him like his body burned her and made her way to the window wrapping her arms around herself. She looked out on the darkening parking lot lost in her head again. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so forward as to hug him. Maybe he didn’t like being touched like that? He walked up behind her and nuzzled her neck as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist.

“What’s wrong? Why did you stop?” he asked as he inhaled her unique scent.

“I was just thinking,” she responded despondently.

“Don’t worry about tomorrow. I promise nothing will happen to you. My brothers and I will keep you safe,” he said reassuringly, hoping to calm her fears.

“It’s not that,” she whispered facing the window. “I trust you and the guys to keep me safe.”

“Then what is it?” he asked confused.

“I was just thinking maybe I shouldn’t be so forward with you. That isn’t like me, you know, to come on to a guy. I don’t know what came over me to hug you that way,” she confessed.

“What? Emma, you can hug me anytime you want. In fact, I would prefer you touch me anytime you want and as often as you can,” he whispered into her ear causing goose bumps to rise on her flesh and a tingle to spread down her spine.

He nipped at her earlobe playfully trying to pull her out of her head and back into her body. She turned in his arms and pressed herself against his hard, broad chest.

“I am just afraid I am going to get lost in you,” she said, hope filling her eyes.

“I’m already lost in you,” he confided lowering his mouth to her neck.

He bit at her neck and then kissed the spot to sooth his bite.

“Maybe this is moving too fast, Michael,” she said with her head thrown back allowing him better access to her throat.

If she didn’t get out of her head, she was going to ruin the mood. Michael didn’t allow that to happen; he was sucking on her neck, and she was moaning his name as her flesh caught fire from his touch. His palm made its way under her shirt to her breast. He squeezed her breast and her nipples tightened. He rolled her nipple through the silk of her bra between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand moved over her back, down to her derriere. He cupped and squeezed her luscious ass pulling her closer to him so she could feel his erection pressing against her belly.