Page 87 of When He Defends
Like the path she’d taken to find justice for her father. Because the cops had never suspected anything but suicide. Her mother had told the world her father was schizophrenic. That he’d just walked right off the edge of that cliff.
No one had investigated. No one had helped.
But Emerson…
Gray knows killers.
“Any other secrets you want to tell me?” Gray asked her, voice very careful. “Anything else you want to say?”
Gray was going to help her. He’d understood what she’d wanted. Maybe he’d known the truth from the beginning. “No.”A lie that came with a hard effort. Because what she wanted to say, another secret that she held so very, very tightly…
I love you, Gray.
She rolled away from him. Curled on the other side of the bed. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She could see the two windows. The faint starlight and moonlight that spilled inside. It let her see the outlines of the framed pictures on the walls. The pictures were of different shots on the island. She’d noted them earlier. Now, though, as she lay with her shoulders hunched, Emerson automatically began to count those outlined frames.One, two, three, four?—
The mattress dipped. The covers rustled. Gray’s warm body pressed to her own. His arm came around her, curled over her side, and his fingers brushed against her stomach. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head.
“One day you’ll realize,” a low rumble, “that you can tell me anything. I’m the one person you’ll never have to lie to in this world. Because I can handle any truth you give to me.”
The tension slid from her body. Eventually, she slept, safe in Gray’s arms.
Gray Stone had to die.The FBI agent was an interfering pain in the ass. The jerk thought he was untouchable. That he could do anything he wanted. Take what he wanted.
He was pretending that Emerson was his. Touching her. Sharing a room with her. Probably fucking her.
The big, bad Man of Stone. But Gray wasn’t invulnerable. He could be hurt. He had weaknesses.
The bastard was clueless. Gray had no idea thatthiswould be his last case. Thatthiswould be the end of the line for him.
Gray had made a serious mistake by going to the isolated island off the Georgia coast. He didn’t have his precious Marine friends as backup. They weren’t guarding his six. No Semper Fi heroes to rush to the rescue.
For the FBI agent, there would be no rescue this time because…
Gray Stone had to die.
Chapter Nineteen
“I knew Gray could help me figure out the truth about my father’s death. I’ve wanted the truth since I was seven years old. I was never particularly good at believing what I was told. Unlike the PIs and the cops, Gray won’t be scared to investigate. I’m pretty sure nothing in this world scares him, and that is really, really hot.”
– Emerson Marlowe
“Over here, darling!”Gray called. He made sure to lift up his phone and film Emerson. Color him impressed because she was doing a pretty damn good job of balancing on the paddle-board. She also wore the sexiest bikini he’d ever seen in his life. One that drove him crazy with lust and had him glaring at any asshole who glanced her way a bit too long.My wife, bastards. Move the hell along before I rip out your eyes.
He held the phone with steady fingers, but the camera wasn’t actually directed at Emerson. Instead, he’d hit the button on the screen so that the camera showed his own image—or rather, the images of everyone behind him. He surveyed the crowd near thepaddleboard rental booth. Tried to see exactly who was lurking around. He’d already collected images of all the staff members who worked at the rental booth. Pretty soon, Emerson would be making her “dramatic” discovery of the hidden camera perched at the booth.
He’d be sure to get that discovery on video, too. He wanted to see the reactions of the employees.
He and Emerson had started the day with sunrise yoga. Fun fact, Emerson was exceedingly flexible.
Now they were on to the second agenda item of the day—paddleboarding. They were following the same agenda that River had shared online during her honeymoon trip.
He cut his stare away from the phone and back to Emerson just as she took a spectacular fall into the water. She slid right off the side of her board, splashed, and her laughter rang into the air.
He loved her laughter. Gray ran toward the shore, like any good, worried husband would do. He also still clutched his phone. The better to film all his suspects.
Emerson didn’t remount the paddleboard. Instead, she grabbed it and began heading to shore. He waded out. Took the board from her. Kissed her.
It almost feels real.Almost felt like he was truly kissing hiswife.
