Page 73 of Emerald

“Yeah.”

She nods. “I’ve got to work out how I can get Pearl out and to the jet without anyone noticing.”

“I could take her.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t want to involve you. You’ve created a life here, I can’t destroy that.”

“You don’t think when you disappear with one of their girls they aren’t going to come find me?” I question her. She lifts her head and looks at me with a frown. “This is why I’ve been so upset with Brooks about the entire situation. He never gave me achoice to blow up my life, he made it for me. I would have done it anyway for him, I just would have liked the chance to choose.”

“But … you love it here. You’ve worked so hard. The bar is thriving, your home is a masterpiece.”

I shrug. “You think they are going to let me live once you’ve gone with one of their women?”

“Fuck,” she curses under her breath, pushes off from the side, and floats over to me. “I’m so sorry, Nash. I had no idea that I would mess your entire world up.” She stops and straddles me. “You don’t deserve this.”

“Brooks told me if things go south, I need to be on that jet.” Elena’s eyes widen and those pouty lips fall open. “Hey, it’s okay,” I tell her, rubbing her arms as she continues to straddle me. My dick is twitching to get inside her but now is not the time. “I can start over again somewhere else.”

“You shouldn’t have to. I shouldn’t have listened to Brooks when he told me to come here. I should have just done what my original plan was and not involved you.”

I cup her face. “I don’t regret you coming, Elena.”

“You should. I’m no good for you. I destroy every man I’m with,” she says as those sea foam eyes look up at me.

“If you think you’re a monster, then so am I. I’ve unfortunately killed a lot of people during the war because it was my job, because they were my orders. Just like you. You’re not a fucking monster, Elena.”

She stares at me, stunned for a moment, before launching herself at me. Her lips are on mine, her breasts are pushed against my chest, and my dick can’t help but stand to attention against her ass. I’m hesitant to touch her because I’m worried about what she’s been through tonight, I don’t want her to see me like those men who just take and take for their own selfish reasons.

“Nash?” She looks at me with concern. “Do you not want me anymore?”

“Of course I do, more than I should,” I tell her as I cup her face. “You’ve had a rough night, and I don’t want to add to it.”

Those green eyes widen as she tells me, “I need you to wipe away their touch.”

“You do?” I answer, surprised.

“Yes. I need you to make me feel normal again.” She moves over my hardening dick. “Make me feel like I’m more than someone’s toy.”

“Are you sure?” I ask her again.

“I trust you, Nash, like I’ve never trusted anyone before,” she confesses. With those words, I slowly slide myself into her, she hisses at my intrusion, but I see the fire, the determination in her eyes to use me to wipe out what happened tonight. If this is what she needs to wipe the memories away, then I’m glad to be of service.

28

ELENA

Male voices wake me up from Nash’s bed. It takes me a couple of moments to orientate myself. Last night, Nash wrapped his large arms around me and snuggled me all night, I fell asleep so quickly and deeply that I feel revitalized this morning, better than I usually do after a mission. When I hear my name, I still. Shit. It’s Manuel, what the hell is he doing here? And I’m in Nash’s bed wearing his shirt. I quickly make my way to Nash’s glass doors that lead out to his balcony. I jump down into the sand and run past the pool, which is lifted off the ground, and toward my room. Thankfully, my balcony door is unlocked, and I slip in. Quickly, I throw Nash’s tee off to the side, head into the bathroom, and grab a new set of contacts then get dressed into my pajamas and head out.

Nash turns when he sees me exit my room, and relief washes over his face.

“There’s my woman,” Manuel says with a smile as if the depravity from last night never happened. He comes over and sweeps me up into his arms and nuzzles his face into my neck. My eyes look over his shoulder, and I see the pained look on Nash’s face at seeing me in Manuel’s arms, and for the first timein my life, I feel dirty for the game that I’m playing. Nash doesn’t deserve to watch me with another man. He’s a good guy.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

Manuel stiffens, my tone not as pleasant as I had hoped. “Can we talk somewhere private?”

“Sure.” I nod, leading Manuel by the hand toward my room. As I shut the door behind me, I give Nash a small smile. Manuel makes himself at home on my bed, and I suck in a deep breath and take a seat.

“I came to check on you after last night,”he says. I see him looking at me with concern.

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