Page 144 of Sin With Me

Chapter9

Emma

I hadn’t beenable to recover from the way Eric kissed me on the plane. The passion that curled through me from his mouth and the way he’d held me against him left me breathless.

No man had ever kissed me that way, and I was afraid I was getting more involved with him than I should. After all, he was a client, and I didn’t fool around with clients. Yet what was happening between us was more than just playing around. The attraction was like a sparkling current of electricity igniting midway between our bodies. It didn’t surprise me that both my brothers and their wives had been suspicious.

And then there was the guilt. Knowing how much Eric had affected me brought back memories of someone else who had once drawn similar emotions from my body. The one person who made me feel like the world belonged to us. I was his and only his: laughing, crying, sharing secrets and making plans for the future. He’d moved from Vienna to be with me. Dropped everything that he loved and planned to open a bakery in New York just so that he could wake up next to me in the morning. And he was taken away so quickly. It had been two years since David died, and it was my fault. For months I couldn’t even say his name. I’d moved out of our apartment at my parent’s guest house, leaving everything behind. And when I finally began dating again, I knew the moment I agreed to a date that it wouldn’t last longer than a week. I hadn’t been able to let go of the past with anyone.

Eric was so much more than I’d expected him to be. That first kiss spun my head, and the second one had me nearly climaxing as I rubbed myself against his erection. And whatever piece of jewelry he sported on his nipples – I wanted to see it, to lick it and play with it with my tongue. First it was the tattoo, and now his piercings? Pressed against him, the abrasive metal rubbed on my cleavage with excruciatingly delightful force. If he didn’t pull away, if he didn’t stop, I was sure I’d melt underneath him and start removing his clothes. I was all ready to rip that shirt off him when he pulled away. With my mind finally free, desperately trying to return to earth, or at least back to our flight, I’d lost myself in mywork.

If Eric was able to fry my mind with a kiss, what would happen if… No, I couldn’t think about being in his bed, his naked body above me, him slamming into my wet core, burying himself deeper and deeper with each thrust, driving me mad with the way his hands would roam my body, as he caressed my curves with his divine mouth. Oh, God, what was his mouth capable of, exactly? I shook my head. My lecherous thoughts had me soaking between mylegs.

How would I be able to resist him? Thank God I was staying at a nearby motel. That way I could keep my distance and focus on thejob.

Once we landed, I gave Eric the directions to the motel I’d booked, and watched the farm fields roll by the side. The little time I’d had to research Eric’s town, which was only a few miles away, hadn’t turned up anything out of the ordinary. The information about John Huntz was another story. This man wanted to stay hidden. Not only that, but it appeared he had made his way back to Ogden every six months or so without anyone knowing. How he’d stayed concealed in a town that small, without anyone seeing him or hearing from him, surprised me. I had a feeling his daughter, the only relative he apparently had, would know more – who else would he have been contacting? I didn’t want to share that information with Eric yet. He’d freak out that the man who had kidnapped him and his sister had made his way back to the little town. My gut told me there was something in Ogden he wanted, and what that was would remain a mystery for a while longer.

As we pulled up to a house, my attention came back to where wewere.

“This isn’t the motel,” Isaid.

“Welcome to my ranch, Emma,” he replied, opening the car door forme.

I stepped out, and with my hands dropped to my sides, I took in the picturesque log home and its surroundings. To the right, an enclosed area stretched as far as I could see. Far in the distance a group of horses grazed the fields. I felt as if I’d just stepped onto a movie set for Legends of theFall.

Turning around, I noticed the pathway we’d taken to drive up to this beautiful ranch. Tall willow trees lined its sides, with white fencing running all the way through, beyond which I assumed Eric’s horses frolicked. How did I miss this? I’d been so busy thinking about the case that I hadn’t seen any of Eric’shome.

“This is yours?” I asked in awe, suddenly aware that this stopover wasn’t where we were originally heading.

“Yes.”

“It’s beautiful. And so peaceful.”

“Thank you. It definitely is different than NewYork.”

Wow! I wasn’t sure I could find words eloquent enough to describe this property and do it justice. And in my mind, more questions began to spill over. How could someone as young as Eric afford this? From the background check I’d done on him, I knew he was only two years older than me. Looking at the land stretching out in front of me, I couldn’t believe how quiet and peaceful it was, and I immediately felt my shoulders sink lower as I wondered what it would be like to live like this, so far away from people. I couldn’t imagine not having a friend like Grace living just a few floors below me, or a family within an hour’s drive. Although Eric’s parents didn’t live that far away, it still seemed like they could have been on the other side of the country. Standing here, for that brief moment, I wished I could stay at this ranch instead of the motel.

“Wait, you are going to take me to the motel, aren’t you? You know I can call a cab if it’s an issue.”

Eric simply laughed, shaking his head and murmuring under his breath, “Acab.”

“What?” I asked.

“You’d have to wait quite a while for a cab around here. Mr. Carlton’s old Buick doesn’t go faster than thirty miles per hour, and that’s when he’s sober enough to drive.”

“There’s only onecab?”

“If you call it a cab. He just drives people to places when they can’t get there. But don’t worry, I can take you to the motel if you’d like, Emma. That is, if you want to sleep with bed bugs and God knows what else, then you’re more than welcome to. But I promise my bed is much more comfortable.”

“You want me to stayhere?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Seeing how your brothers were ready to hang me if I let anything happen to you, I’d prefer to have you within sight at all times.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt that. All right. Let me give you another motive then.” Eric stepped closer to me. His voice lowered, charged with the yearning of a man who was on a mission. I watched his chest rise and fall in slow motion. He was so close, the heat beaming off his body wrapped around me and the smell of his morning aftershave and a little bit of sweat filledme.

“I want you like I haven’t wanted a woman in my life, and at this point I couldn’t stand being away from you for a moment. I understand you’re working and need space. I’ll keep my distance for now. But once you’re done, all bets are off, Emma. You will be mine. Please, stay withme.”

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