Layers Crossed (30 page)

I jerked my
hips up into her, holding my hands underneath her ass for support,
her legs wrapped around my waist. Her body was glued to mine, and
she now took my lips and kissed me feverishly. All I could think
about was how good it felt to once again be inside her. Her walls
wrapped around me like silk, contracting on my every push, bringing
my orgasm to fruition more quickly than I wanted. Our rhythm
wouldn’t let me hold on for long, and I braced one of my hands
against the glass, listening to the slap of our skin, letting her
mouth suck on my lower lip, gently biting. She weaved that tongue
of hers so swiftly, I felt the beginning of my orgasm blossom at
the bottom of my spine. She then whispered, “I’m yours and only
yours, Cowboy.” And the surge of pressure shot from my lower back
right into my balls as I stilled. Emma continued moving her hips
around me, rolling them and squeezing tightly, milking my every
last drop with her heated pussy.

I lowered her
gently, sliding out of her, saying, “I should have never let you
leave.”

“I’m glad you
did. It gave me a chance to think things through.”

“And what did
you come up with?”

“That I don’t
think I can live without you.”

“Good. Because
neither can I, Emma. Neither can I.”

C
HAPTER
27

Emma

Eric squeezed
shampoo onto his hands and began rubbing it into my scalp. I closed
my eyes and asked, “You drove all the way here to see me?”

“No, Julian
sent his jet for me.”

My eyes flew
open. “He did?”

My brother
going out of his way to send a jet for Eric was the last gesture
I’d expected.

“Don’t get me
wrong, I was ready to drive, but I couldn’t wait to rip that guy
apart.”

“He told you
about the guy?”

“Yes. Your
brothers love you, Emma. They know what’s good for you, and that
tattooed pussy was not it.”

I’d been so
lost in my dance, I hadn’t even noticed that he had tattoos. The
only feature I remembered were those golden eyes that had kept me
hypnotized, and had stopped my heart from aching.

“Who was he,
Emma?”

Eric’s
question brought me out of my trance.

“Just a guy.”
I sighed. I hadn’t meant to give Eric the impression that Cash
Wagner was important, because he wasn’t. Having Eric feel insecure
because of another man was the last thing I wanted. And although
Cash was one of the best-looking men in the club, he didn’t compare
to Eric – my Eric.

“Good. Let’s
keep it that way, because he sure looked like he knew you well,
with his hands all over you.” Eric collected my hair into a bun,
lathering it there.

Darkness
consumed his eyes. I stepped closer, pressing my entire body
against his, desperately trying to give him reassurance that I
belonged with him.

“Eric, you’re
the only man I want.”

He held me
against his chest for a moment before lifting my chin. I wasn’t
sure why, but his eyes were wild with lust and need, as if he was
ready to dive into me again, like a Neanderthal.

“Turn around.
Rinse your hair.” His voice was ragged.

“When did you
become so bossy?”

“The moment I
realized you needed a little more control in your life than I gave
you. Your brothers may have been right to keep their eye on you.
The moment you let loose, you’re in trouble.”

“Control, you
say?” I moved my hips back against him so that his cock could slide
along my crack, instantly responding. I tilted my hips up and down,
teasing him and loving the feeling of his hardened length against
my skin.

“Oh, Emma.
What am I going to do with you?”

He grasped a
clump of my hair with his fist, gently pulling my head back so he
could kiss me. The hum of the falling water and the sound of his
heart pounding in his chest overwhelmed me. Eric’s eyes were shut
tight as if he needed to show me all the passion he had through
that one kiss. And with his tongue darting in my mouth, his lips
hard and demanding, sucking in the last of my breath before I
pulled away, I knew exactly what he meant.

I shifted my
hips from side to side, his full arousal rested against my ass.
“You said you had control.”

“With you on
display like that, I’m willing to throw that out to the curb.”

And before I
knew it, Eric lunged inside me, pulling my hips onto him. I braced
my arms against the wall and lowered my body, giving him the full
width and depth of my ass on display.

“Ah, fuck,
Emma. You’re unbelievable.”

I smiled,
feeling my pleasure spike. And just when I thought I’d make him
lose control quicker than he expected, he wrapped his hand around
my waist to my front, and slid it down to my bare flesh, expertly
working my pussy. I felt my muscles tighten around his cock, my
knees weaken, and my toes curl. I fisted my hands, hitting one
against the wall. His unforgiving rhythm, pounding from the back to
the end of my depth, and those fingers flicking and rubbing
relentlessly were setting all my nerve endings ablaze. I’d missed
him so much. I’d missed everything about him. From his naturally
calm demeanor on a normal day to his dirty mouth in bed and the
perfect method he always used to draw my orgasms out.

And that’s
when I felt the pull of his other hand, dragging a finger through
my crack from the top of my ass to my unoccupied hole. He circled
it around the tight rim before gently inserting the tip of his
finger. The fullness of it there, and him slamming into my pussy
sent a new wave of inflaming tingles zapping through my body. No
man had ever touched me that way.

“Deeper,” I
pleaded.

“Slowly,
Emma.”

“I need
to...”

“I know,
baby.”

The slap of
his sack against my thighs while the man I loved filled me and
rubbed me with torturous circles and kissed my shoulder, gently
scraping his teeth over my skin, overpowered me.

“Come for me,
Emma. I want you to come, now.”

And to my
surprise, those words brought me undone.

“Eric! God,
please!” My body burned with ecstasy as the orgasm lit me on fire,
wholly shaking my limbs and making me feel like this room was too
small to contain all the energy leaving my lungs. I found it
difficult to breathe – as if all the oxygen had been taken away
because all I wanted was for the delirium I was in to last forever.
He slammed into me again, reviving another wave of bliss and
tantalizing my body. Eric pushed in twice more and pulled out, his
warm seed erupting onto my back.

The smell of
our release drifted up on the steam, and I turned back around and
kissed him, saying, “I’m so happy you’re back.”

“Me too, baby.
Me too.”

He held me
against his strong body until my pulse slowed, gently stroking my
back and kissing the top of my head.

“I want a
family dinner. My family and your family, together.”

“Anything you
want.”

“And you will
tell both my brothers to back off.”

“I already
have, baby.”

Really?

But Eric
answered my unspoken question before I had a chance to ask. “I told
Julian I’m madly in love with you and that I’d die before I let
anything happen to you. That’s when he told me to get my ass on
that jet.” He laughed.

That
I
hadn’t expected, and I made a mental note the next time I saw
Julian to hug him extra hard.

“I still want
to find Huntz for you.”

Eric
stilled.

“What’s the
matter?”

“I don’t know,
Emma. It’s just that whenever his name is brought up, I get a bad
feeling.”

“That’s
because you’ve been through a lot.”

“I don’t think
that’s the reason. You need to stay clear of Huntz.”

“All right,
what if I promise to take Hunter with me if I get a lead?”

“And me. I’ll
go with you.”

“No way.
You’re not trained.”

“I won’t have
it any other way.”

I sighed.
“Fine, but if the trail is hot, I may need to rush.”

“Fine. Let’s
get some breakfast before we empty the boiler for the entire
building. I’m starving, and I’m sure your appetite would appreciate
something solid.”

I lowered my
gaze to look at his half-hard cock and licked my lips.

“Later, Emma.
We’ll get to that later.”

And I couldn’t
wait. I’d been dreaming of having Eric in my mouth for so long,
just the thought of him between my lips skyrocketed my arousal.

We stepped out
of the shower. Eric dried my hair and went on to meticulously wipe
my entire body. It took all my strength not to throw myself at him
when he ventured to my nether regions. I threw his wet clothes in
the dryer, and he pulled on a pair of fresh boxers he’d brought
with him in a duffel bag.

“I’m staying
over, by the way.”

“You are? How
long?” I asked, before turning on my blow dryer.

“As long as it
takes to convince you to come and live on my ranch.”

“Eric…”

“Don’t say a
word, Emma.” He raised his hand. “I can guarantee you will be
living there within a month.”

I wanted to
roll my eyes at his certainty, but the conviction in his voice made
me pause. I had been ready before, but with all that had happened
and the new doubts cast my way, I had to think this through to make
a rational decision.

Eric went to
the kitchen while I brushed my hair. The sound of clinking pots and
dishes and the smell of bacon and coffee made my stomach rumble. I
threw on a t-shirt and a pair of panties and joined him in the
kitchen.

“I hope you
didn’t bother making the bed, Emma. We’ll mess it up soon enough.
Now eat, so you can get your strength back.”

“I didn’t.” I
grabbed a piece of buttered toast and took a bite. The crumbs
dropped into my empty stomach. I’d never had such delicious toast
in my life. “You know, I could get used to your cooking.”

“All you have
to do is move to the ranch with me, and I’ll cook for you every
day.”

“I’d get bored
quickly.”

“I’m sure I
could occupy your time somehow.” Eric came from behind me and slid
his hand up my shirt, grasping my breast and pinching my nipple.
The insistent touch of his hand made me want to go back to bed. In
fact, it made me want to have him right here, again.

“So, you’re
going to use sex as bait?” I let out a whimper, pushing my chest
further into his grip as the insatiable roll of his fingers revived
my need.

“I will do
anything and everything, and it will be shameless.” He lowered his
hand and sat beside me.

“Just
remember, two can play this game.”

“Except that I
don’t lose, Emma. Ever.”

“Neither do I,
Eric.”

“We’ll see.
Now, when do you want that family dinner?” he asked.

“Really? You
think your parents would come?”

“I think they
would love to meet yours. It would do them some good. But we can’t
leave Missy behind. She’s still staying with them. She hasn’t left
the house since the fest. I can arrange for Derek and George to
take care of the farm for the few days they’re gone.”

My phone
buzzed as Grace’s text came in.

Grace:
You ok?

I quickly
typed back.

Emma
Cross:
Yes, Eric’s here curing my hangover

Grace:
I bet he is ;) TTYL and I want details!

“Anything
important?” Eric asked.

“Nope. I’m
putting this phone on silent for the rest of the day, right after I
set up our dinner. It’s a good thing this is a long weekend. Do you
really think your parents would fly in?”

“When?”

“Tomorrow.
Everyone will be home. It’s the perfect time.”

“Why don’t you
let me take care of something for once and finish your breakfast?”
He pushed my plate toward me.

I enjoyed
being taken care of more than I thought I would. And just as I was
ready to straddle Eric right in that seat, a loud knock came at my
door. No one knocked here unless they could get past the security
downstairs, and since I’d just heard from Grace, who lived only
three floors below me, it couldn’t be her.

“Eric, it’s my
brothers.”

“So, let them
in.”

“Shit, they’re
gonna tear you apart.” I quickly rushed to my bedroom and pulled on
a pair of sweats, throwing Eric’s dry jeans toward him.

“Emma, I can
handle this. You’re a grown woman, baby, and you need to stop
feeling like you’re their underage sister.” He slowly slid his
pants up, closing up only the first three buttons and leaving the
last one open. My eyes feasted on the inverted triangle, lightly
sprinkled with dark hair, provocatively sinking into the waistband,
and those hips that barely held the pants on him, and I wondered
how in the world my brothers would not punch him out at the mere
sight of his nakedness.

Yet Eric
casually strolled toward the front door, and I just stood there
with my mouth wide open. The motion of him pulling on the handle
appeared so slow – I just couldn’t move.

“Good
morning,” he said.

As expected,
both Julian and Tristan stood in the doorway, my younger brother
casually leaning against the frame. I crossed my arms over my
chest, only then realizing that I didn’t have a bra on and made a
mental note to keep myself covered until I got a chance to get away
to my bedroom.

“Eric, may we
come in?”

“Of course.”
He opened the door wider and they both strolled in as if this was
the norm.

“Hi,” I said.
“Did your phone batteries die?”

“We were in
the neighborhood.”

On Sunday
at eleven in the morning? Neighborhood my ass,
I thought.

“Emma, I won’t
talk to you unless you go put something on,” Julian said.

I swiveled on
my foot, knowing my choices at this point were limited: argue with
my poking nipples, because the sight of my brothers did nothing to
prevent me from drooling over Eric, or get dressed and come back to
see what they wanted.