Page 4 of Security Breach

David froze. No. It couldn’t be Emma, no matter how much he longed for her. “I’m not Jordan.”

She gasped and spun to face him. “David?” The woman took one step, two. She moved into a pool of light bright enough to finally reveal her face.

Shock ricocheted through his body. “Emma.” His heart rate skyrocketed.

With tears pouring down her face, Emma Tucker raced across the room and launched herself into his open arms. “You’re here. I can’t believe you’re here.”

He tightened his grip, holding Emma close as he’d longed to do for months. She was alive. His Emma was alive and in his arms.

When David couldn’t handle her tears any longer, he did the one thing that always distracted her. He tilted her head up and captured her mouth with his. What started out as a kiss of comfort quickly turned into one of white-hot passion. Man, he’d missed this woman. Missed her touch, her taste, the feel of her in his arms.

Silently asking for and receiving permission to deepen the kiss, his tongue twined with hers. Tilting her head, he quickly found the perfect fit that made her sigh in pleasure. Oh, yeah. That sound confirmed the truth. Emma was vibrantly alive and locked in his embrace.

Long minutes later, David broke the kiss and reached into his pocket for the handkerchief he always carried. He pressed the white cloth into one of her hands and settled her against his chest again, savoring the privilege of holding her.

She gave a watery laugh. “You still carry these?”

“Mrs. Grady would have my hide if I didn’t.” The housekeeper had served as a surrogate mother to the five Montgomery brothers after the death of their mother from cancer. One of the lessons she’d taught each of them was to carry a handkerchief.

Emma blotted her face dry. “I missed you so much, David.”

He used his free hand to stroke her back. “I thought you were dead.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you I was alive, but the Marshals wouldn’t let me.”

Marshals? In a flash, he put a few pieces of the puzzle of her disappearance together. That explained her ability to stay off the radar for so long. She’d been living under a new identity since she disappeared. “You’re in WITSEC.”

“Forgive me. I didn’t want to hurt you.” More tears trickled down her cheeks.

His heart turned over in his chest. “You’re killing me, baby. Please, don’t cry. Besides, I don’t have another handkerchief handy.”

A small smile curved her mouth as the waterworks slowed to a stop.

Exactly the response he wanted. “I’ve missed your smile.” And everything else about her. David cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheek bone. “There’s nothing to forgive, Emma.” He winked at her. “I’ll just treat the absence as though you were the one on an extended mission this time instead of me.”

She bit her lower lip in a familiar gesture. “Will you be in trouble with the Navy for coming to me?”

“I’m out of the military now.”

She stared. “But you loved the Teams, David.”

“I did.” When he thought he’d lost Emma, he no longer had a heart for the job. “We’ll talk about that later.”

“I want to hear everything. I’ve missed Maple Valley and the townspeople. But first, tell me about my grandfather. I can’t wait to see him again.”

David stilled. Oh, man. The Marshals hadn’t told her about Mr. Watts.

Emma leaned back to see his face. Her smile faded. “What’s wrong? Grandpa is all right, isn’t he?”

“I’m sorry, Emma. He’s gone.”

“No.” Anguish filled her eyes. “Oh, David.” She buried her face against his chest to muffle her heart-wrenching sobs.

As he hugged her tighter, anger flooded him at the callousness of the Marshals. They could have at least told Emma that her only remaining family member was dead. Instead, they’d left the task to him. She’d be devastated when she learned the truth about her grandfather.

David murmured words of comfort in her ear, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other coasting up and down her back.

When she quieted, she whispered, “When? How?”

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