Page 47 of No Sweet Goodbyes

“Okay, mi amor.” I crawl under the blankets and am immediately hit with Emma’s warmth.

She kisses me, and I have to fight the urge to take it any further than a kiss. We both have a long day coming up, and I don’t want her to have a bad day because I can’t control my need to have her.

Just like before, we get comfortable enough to sleep, but Emma puts most of her body on top of mine and shoves her head under my chin, curling into my embrace even more than she had before. If I could have taken a picture of her position without disturbing her, I would. Instead, I take a deep breath and enjoy the way she feels. Her heart beats in sync with mine, and I drift off to the thought that we only have a few more days of peace before both of our lives change.

Hers taking her to the police academy, and mine dropping me into the middle of the desert. My last coherent thought is that I hope she’ll wait for me while I’m gone, because I don’t know what I’ll do with myself if Emma isn’t there when I come home.

16

EMMA

“I really don’t want to hurt anyone.” I try to get out of sparring, but no one takes me seriously. Even Linc, who knows exactly what I’m capable of because he’d been the one to teach me, doesn’t try to put a stop to it.

Standing in the middle of the Birch PD gym, I feel like the shiny new toy that my brother wants to show off instead of a grown-ass woman.

“Come on, Emma,” Linc prods. “You know you want to get payback for Stryker calling you a badge bunny.”

Out of all the things that Linc or anyone else can say that may make me sit up and pay attention, that is the strongest. And it still isn’t enough to make me want to actually get in the sparring ring with anyone, not even Eddie.

“Why do you hate me?” I complain while at the same time reaching behind my head to put my hair in a braid. “They’re all going to think I’m a freak.”

We talk about the other officers like they don’t exist, and that earns us more than a few raised eyebrows.

“Ignore them.” Linc claps his hands together devilishly. “I haven’t seen a good fight in ages.” He looks around. “Do you think we have time to get popcorn?” When I shake my head and snarl at him like I did when I was little, he sighs. “I guess we don’t have enough time for popcorn. But I think I’ve got some chips in my locker.” He takes off at a sprint and calls out over his shoulder as he goes. “Don’t start until I get back. I mean it, Emma. You better wait.”

Focused on what I’m about to do, I sit down on the ground and start to stretch out my hamstrings, then my ankles and my calves. Once I feel like they are limber enough, I stretch out my arms and focus on my breathing. Until Dom walks in with Linc at his side. Linc who has a family-sized bag of Doritos in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

“What’s going on?” Dom looks around the crowded room. “Why’s everyone staring at your sister?”

“Because,” I interrupt with a grimace. “Linc told everyone that I was going to get sparring practice today. Before he even cleared it with me. And now, here we are.” With a sigh, I wave at the assembled people.

“So that means half the department has to be here?” He stares at the others in disbelief.

“Hey,” Carter says from behind his phone. “Don’t blame me. I told Avery about how Emma kicked your ass on the range and my wife wanted video proof of the badass herself.” He shakes the phone slightly, and a voice bursts out of the speakers.

“Hey, guys! Carter said I could watch. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You and Avery have the weirdest relationship.” Dom shakes his head but waves at the phone anyway. “So, who’s going to spar with you? It’s not me. That’s for sure.”

“Stryker,” Linc says gleefully.

Dom’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and I snicker at his reaction. Surprised doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Linc munches loudly on a chip and sings out, “He’s gonna die.”

“I don’t understand why I have to do this while everyone is watching,” I grumble. “I don’t want to embarrass him.”

“Why not?” Dom crosses his arms and stands against the wall, looking about as relaxed as I think he can possibly be at this moment. “He embarrassed you in front of half the department by calling you a badge bunny. Or, I guess he tried to embarrass you but failed miserably. I feel like it’s going to be just what he needs.”

“Yeah,” pipes up Avery from the phone. “Besides, I’m the only badge bunny around besides Chloe, and she doesn’t count.”

“Babe.” Carter shakes his head. “A badge bunny is a bad thing.”

“Oh.” Avery sounds put down. “Is that kind of like one of the girls that hangs around my brother’s club?”

“Exactly.”

The sigh from the only other woman present, even if she isn’t actually there, makes me smile. “I take it back, guys. I’m not a badge bunny. Carter’s the only cop I’ve had sex with, and we’re married. Why can’t I ever be part of a cool club?”

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