Page 52 of Relentless

“Your pint-sized pit bull is what happened.”

“Quin?” he choked out.

“Interesting,” I remarked.

“What?”

“You didn’t deny it when I called her yours, Alec.”

“It’s complicated,” he grumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

Alec was the master of control, stoic to the bitter end. He was a formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat, both revered and feared by those who came across him. Yet the mere mention of Quinlan James turned him into someone I didn’t recognize.

“Uncomplicate it.”

“This is about you, not me.”

He had a point. There’d be plenty of time in the future to torment the hell outta him. That’s what brothers were for, right? Rico had already brought both Alec and Luc up to speed on what transpired in New York, so instead, I talked to him about the good parts of the trip. The carriage ride. Her grandmother.

“You’ve turned into a complete sap, and I’m happy for you.” He placed his empty bottle on the coffee table and got to his feet. “Now, go get your girl.”

My eyes flashed to the clock on the wall. Courtesy of Alec’s impeccable distraction, which I was highly grateful for, an hour and a half had passed. Grabbing my jacket and keys, I didn’t even say goodbye before racing out the door and jumping behind the wheel.

Two four-way stop signs were between my apartment and Emory’s. In all my months in Mountain Grove, I’d never met more than one car at either. However, it seemed there was either an incredible sale happening downtown, or the universe was fucking with me because the normal five-minute drive took nearly fifteen.

The instant I parked; a steely calm settled over my body. It was the same sensation I got before each and every mission as a SEAL.I. Could. Not. Fail.I had no future without her next to me. She was the light to my dark, and I’d fight like hell for both of us.

Gathering every last ounce of courage inside me, I climbed the stairs two at a time and rapped gently on her door. It seemed to take forever before I heard the click of the lock disengaging. Then she was there. Tired brown eyes, hidden beneath a sheen of red, greeted me. Still, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“Hi,” she spoke softly.

“Hey.”

Opening the door wide, she gestured for me to enter. Our arms brushed against each other as I walked by and a flare of electricity lit my skin with the contact. I wanted so badly to pull her into my arms, to finally make love to her, but before that could happen she deserved the truth.

“Do you want something to drink?”

Shaking my head, I strode to the sofa and sat down, patting the spot next to me. Parts of the story I had to share would be difficult for her to hear and even though she may have started to build up her emotional walls, the physical distance between us might kill me.

“Come sit with me?”

Only hesitating for a brief second, she did as I asked. During the entire plane ride, I’d plotted and planned for the exact moment when we’d be face-to-face. Those ideas floated right out of my mind though, so instead I went with my gut. Slowly, I reached over, weaving my fingers through hers, grateful when she didn’t pull away, and shifted so I could look at her. Blowing out a breath, I laid it all on the line.

“I’m battling for a redemption I’m not sure I deserve, but I’ll be damned if I can walk away from you, Emory. There’s too much at stake. You’ve owned me, heart and soul, almost from the beginning. I started to fall in love with you before I even knew your name.”

She jolted, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“It was a Saturday and I was walking through the grocery store when I heard you.”

I went on to explain the immense attraction I’d felt when I rounded the corner of the aisle and saw her for the first time. For obvious reasons, I left out the confrontation with the store clerk. It wasn’t one of my finer moments.

“A short while later, Rico did background checks on everyone who came in contact with River and Sophia.”

“He did what?” Her voice was laced with righteous indignation.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, babe,” I implored.

“Does River know about this?”

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