Page 31 of Taming His Honeydoll
He’d never been short on muscles, but now his body was honed and sculpted, probably from hours of training and exercise. Subtle changes assailed her—his air of confidence, the guarded look in his eyes when he studied her, and the possessive air that rode his shoulders like a cloak.
The flicker of desire that flashed from him to her set her tummy tensing and her nipples hardening. He wanted her. Even if he didn’t love her, he wanted to possess her, that much was as clear as day.
Emma didn’t know how to handle that at the moment because she’d never stopped loving him. Pain tore through her every time she remembered how he’d left her behind. Could she really stay under the same roof with him for an infinite period of time and not give in to temptation?
The reality was, she didn’t have a choice. She had to work and take care of Levi—taking charity from her family could only be temporary. Somehow, she would find the strength to make it work.
Stiff and tense, Emma stopped on the last step. “Dinner smells really good.”
He grinned wider. “It sure does. You ready to eat, honeydoll? Your aunt even baked you a chocolate cake.”
She stared—her breath stolen for a few seconds before she finally croaked. “Honeydoll—now there’s a blast from the past. I’m surprised you even remember.”
The little 12-inch curio doll flashed into her mind’s eye. Last night it had still been sitting on her dresser. She wondered if the fire had destroyed it?
“I’ve never forgotten a single thing about you,” he replied thickly, his eyes roving unashamedly up and down her body.
“Except that you lied when you said you loved me,” she flashed bitterly. She jerked around him and headed down the hall towards the voices she could hear and the smells that were making her stomach growl.
“Emma—wait.”
But Emma didn’t wait. She turned into the dining room where everyone was just sitting down. Quickly she took a seat between April and Oliver, forcing Nat to move down one more to make room. No way was she sitting next to Sawyer; she wouldn’t be able to eat anything if she did.
Marsha had already put Levi down since dinner had been put off until she was awake, so she didn’t have him to occupy her hands at the table or take her mind off Sawyer.
Oliver leaned over and whispered into her ear. “Everything okay?”
“Just fine,” she replied through clenched teeth. She darted a glance to her left to see Sawyer and Nat talking. When his eyes caught hers in a quick glance, she looked away. She’d seen regret there and that didn’t make her feel any better. Now he was regretting he’d ever made love to her or called her that stupid nickname, she was sure.
For being so hungry before, Emma’s appetite quickly diminished. She barely picked at her food. Finally, feeling guilty because Aunt Tootie had baked the cake just for her, she tried to throw off her melancholy and join in the conversation. She even managed to eat a small slice of the cake.
Inside her head her mind was racing. What in the world was she going to do? How could she live with Sawyer and survive this emotional minefield? She had to get a grip on herself—she had to do it for Levi’s sake. She could manage that.
Make that she could manage that for a few days.
In a flash she made a decision. As soon as the danger to Levi was passed, she would ask her brother for help. She would ask Oliver for a loan to get an apartment.
Hopefully, things would be resolved sooner than later.
***
SAWYER LED THE ENTOURAGEout of Nat’s property Saturday afternoon. He had Emma and Levi in his truck with him. Oliver was following with Emma’s little red Impala, and Marsha was bringing up the rear with her and Oliver’s black Escalade. Nat and April had already gone to scout ahead for anything suspicious looking.
“Isn’t this a little overkill?” Emma asked dryly, turning to look behind her. “It feels like we are just giving away our position if anyone is actually watching Nat’s place.”
Sawyer grinned and shot her a teasing glance. “It won’t be noticeable once we’re on the freeway. And if anyone tries to get behind your car, Oliver will know at once. I don’t expect anyone found Nat’s place, but we don’t want to take any chances.”
Emma frowned. “I just can’t believe Marlene would go to such extremes. She has to know she couldn’t get away with it. Suddenly having her grandson living with her would certainly raise suspicions, especially if he were reported kidnapped here in the US. Right?”
“It does seem strange,” Sawyer agreed. “I can see the purpose of the fire. She knows the situation with your family I’m assuming, because of Henry. She might think this would cause you to turn to her for support. But I don’t really get the kidnapping either. Unless she’s just batshit crazy.”
“Batsith?” Piped a small voice from the back seat.
Emma turned around at Sawyer’s horrified glance. “No, baby, it’s bats and pence.”
“Bats and pence—bats and pence,” he parroted with a big grin at his mother. “Daddy bats and pence.”
“Good job, baby,” she crooned.
