Page 81 of The Love Destroyers

I grin at her, suddenly feeling a whole lot better. “Be careful. I might start thinking you care about me.”

“I care about all of my clients’ physical health,” she says in a lawyer voice if I’ve ever heard one. Then she lowers her hand to her hip, and I let myself imagine what I’ve been promised—Emma, sliding that hand between her legs. Emma, throwing her head back. Emma, whispering my name. Emma…

Yeah, I don’t want to get a hard-on in a hospital waiting room with a possible broken rib and a definite minor concussion.

Shaking it off, I look at her and say, “I don’t recall hiring you.”

“You hired me for a cat custody case,” she says with a half-smile. “So now I’m on retainer.”

I let myself take in her mossy green eyes and the hints of amusement playing around her lush mouth. “And how is our darling Shadow?”

A crease forms between her dark eyebrows. “With Mother.”

“So we can expect a mild concussion at the very least.”

Her lips twitch slightly, as if she can’t help herself, and I’m glad for it. I don’t want her to be able to help herself with me. Cool, collected Emma is for other people—I want everything.

“Perhaps.”

“What happened at the hotel?” I ask. “I’m assuming the pervert Ellie got called about was Jeffrey.”

She quickly fills me in on everything—her search, her quick thinking, and Nicole’s trap. The thought of her being tucked under that bed, nearly helpless, with that man wandering the room makes me want to break something. Like his femur. But she got through it, and she’s here. I remind myself of that a couple of times before speaking. Loosening my hand, which has made a fist, I say, “I hope that fuckwad is having a real horror of a night in hotel security.”

She smiles at me. “Me too.”

I take her hand, and for a second she lets me hold it. “Nicole said she got access to Ellie’s phone. This might almost be over, Emma. It should almost be over.”

She brightens and then squeezes my hand. Her lips open, and my eyes glued to them, everything inside of me primed for what she’s about to say, but then a man calls my name from the entryway to the not-so-promised land.

I look up and see my old buddy and pal, Paul, who does not seem excited by my return—and looks even less happy to see Emma, whom he knows is Mrs. Rosing’s daughter. He looks toward the popcorn ceiling and murmurs something to himself. The only words I catch are “full moon.” I wave to him anyway, because I’m feeling almost fond of the guy.

“They’re playing my song,” I tell Emma.

“Call me if your rib’s broken,” she says, surprising me by reaching up and tucking some hair into my hat. I capture her hand and hold it there, against my cheek. The look in her eyes changes slightly, and I know she’s thinking about what happened earlier. Good. That’s a place I’d gladly live in my brain, and I’d prefer to have company. She clears her throat and tugs her hand away. “I’ll bring you home as soon as they discharge you.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” I say, before I can stuff the words in. “Thank you for coming.”

She looks surprised, but she only nods. I’m surprised too. I’ve been told I talk a lot for someone who says nothing. I’ve certainly tried not to say anything real to her, to make up for all the shit she already knows and shouldn’t.

It’s not until after I’ve turned around and taken a few steps that Emma says, “I’m glad I did.”

I’m smiling as I approach Paul and salute him. “You got another charcuterie board for me, my friend?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

EMMA

Conversation with Nicole

New plan. Let’s meet up tomorrow.

Damien just got in, and he’s exhausted. We have dirt on one of the staffers, so he’s giving us all the spa treatments so we can choose the worst one for Jeffrey and Ellie in the morning.

IF she buys whatever dumbass story he concocts.

Personally, I hope she lets the cops book him for being a pervo. It’s what I’d do if someone ran out on me and called me names.

I mean, it would solve only about half of our problems, since you’d still be facing the inquiry, but come on, how fun would that be?

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