Page 180 of Sin With Me

Chapter20

Emma

It had been almosttwo weeks since I arrived at Eric’s ranch. My laptop had been burning up as I emailed back and forth with my assistant at my New York office. Working behind the scene, Luke created a tracking app for me to alert me each time Huntz made a credit purchase. Since he seemed to be active only every few months, I wasn’t expecting to get a notification any timesoon.

Eric had been busy in the stables helping George to clean the horses since early morning. He’d left me a note on my bed, along with a languorous kiss on my lips. Waking up next to him after a night of mind-blowing sex was better than eating a box of Swiss chocolates catered specifically to my taste buds. Our bodies remained connected the entire night, his leg resting on top of mine and his arm never letting go of my mid section. Through the night, Eric cupped my boob, gently squeezing as he slept.

The peace I saw on his face when I woke up at night to go to the washroom was nothing I could ever find during the day. It seemed there was always a worry or concern in the lines underneath his eyes and in the creases of his forehead. The only time he let go was when he lost himself inside me. And I gave him as much of my body as he needed, never denying what he wanted or the way he wantedit.

Eric was broken, hurt by his past, and blamed himself for events in life he couldn’t have controlled. I wanted nothing more than to fix him. I needed to glue together the pieces of Eric’s life that had been falling apart, making him doubt himself, making him feel like he’d failed Annabelle and his mother, and all those who died at the camp, when he himself was a victim. Putting his past behind him wouldn’t be easy, but I hoped I could help. I could only pray he could one day look toward a happy future. Men like him, who admitted failure and fought to overcome life’s adversities, were scarce and I wanted him to realize that he was one of the most selfless people I had ever met. He was a man who wanted to please everyone around him, yet failed to see that he alreadyhad.

And what would happen once my job was done? Would Eric give everything up for me? Was that what I wanted? Eric leaving his ranch to follow me to New York? One man had already done that, and I lost him. Could I help Eric without somehow hurting him and his family, the way I’d hurt David’s?

When I finally called Grace late morning she nearly squealed when she heard my voice. “I want all the details,” shesaid.

“Well, the case is slow, and I’m going to town today to talk to the Sheriff somemore.”

“I mean the Cowboy, Emma. Tell me about the Cowboy!”

“He’s… he’s everything, Grace. I don’t think I’ve met anyone after David who was so good tome.”

“Howgood?”

“Really, really good.” I bit my lip, my thoughts running away into the memories of our tangled limbs, smell of delicious sweat and long nights of endless pleasure.

“You slept withhim!”

“‘Slept with’ is the understatement of the century, Grace.”

“This sounds serious, Emma.”

“It can’t be. I mean, I’m from New York, and he lives so faraway.”

“Coming from a girl who dated a man living in Europe, Emma? I wish I was there so I could slap your face to wake you up. Do you want it to get serious?”

“I think it did the moment I saw him. I don’t know how to broach the subject, Grace, because I can’t exactly ask him to leave everything behind. One man already did, and look what happened. Besides, it’s only been a little over two weeks.”

“When you find the one, time does not matter, Em. You should know that. Look at your brother Tristan. And David’s death wasn’t your fault, Emma. Just see where it goes first, and then you two can figure the details later. So, you’re keeping safe and everything?”

“We used condoms.”

“Eewww, Emma. Safe as in with the case. Hunter is all over me asking about you. It’s weird.”

I felt my brows scrunch together. Why would Hunter care? I mean, he did work for Cross Enterprises. Had my brothers asked him to get information through Grace?

“Yes, I’m safe. The threat is nowhere nearme.”

“Then take it easy, Em. It’s about time you found some happiness.”

“Thank you, Grace. I missyou.”

“I miss you, too. Don’t worry. Everything will workout.”

I felt better after we hung up. I twisted a five-part loose braid at the side of my head and jumped into my Converse sneakers. Outside, Eric was filling buckets of water. His back turned to me and shirtless, his muscles bunched up as he carried the pails to the horses. I admired the lean posture, mesmerized.

“Hey, Cowboy!” I finally yelledout.

He turned around, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, and set the pails down to the ground. With the long steps he took toward me, it seemed like he was walking in a sexy slow-motion movie shoot, slowed down just for me so that I could watch the tanned body twist deliciously. A farmer’s tan took on a brand new meaning for me when I looked at Eric, because I’d rarely seen him wear a shirt outside, and he was all smoldering in sun’srays.

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