Page 48 of Trouble Me
When he finally pulled away, they were both heaving as though they’d just wrapped up a fifty-yard dash. “Well, hello to you, too,” she drawled with a smile, that lovely accent laced through her words.
He leaned his forehead against hers, still cradling her face in his palms. “I missed you.”
Her breath hitched for just a second before she responded. “I missed you, too. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
Shane stepped back and leaned down to pick up his bag. He tossed it in the back seat and settled into the passenger seat, grateful she took charge and drove them home.
He’d think about the fact that he’d just called Madison Ridge home another time.
Situating back in the seat, he angled himself toward her, one arm stretched out and toying with the ends of her hair as she smoothly maneuvered the SUV along the curves of the road leading away from the airport. “Thanks for picking me up. You’re much prettier than the guy I usually get when I send for a car.”
She smiled, glancing at him quickly before sliding her eyes back to the road. “You’re welcome. When Lindsey told me what time you’d be getting back here, I figured you might want to see a friendly face.”
She had no idea just how much he’d needed that. Shane rubbed a few strands of her hair through his fingertips. “Always thinking, my Emma,” he murmured before leaning his head back and letting his eyes close. He must have dozed off because within seconds, Emma was nudging him.
“Wake up. We’re here.”
He looked around, bleary-eyed, to find his cabin—he still had a hard time calling the large house a cabin—spread out in front of him. “Already?”
When they got inside, Shane collapsed in a free fall onto the plush sofa in the two-story living room. “God, I’m so tired. Tomorrow is Saturday, right?”
Emma looked down at him from the end of the couch, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed over her chest. “Yes, it is. When was the last time you ate, Shane?”
Shane rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands, trying to remember when he’d last eaten. These coast-to-coast trips really screwed with his routine all the way around. “What time is it?”
“Eleven-thirty.”
He half moaned, half groaned. “Hell, I don’t remember. But I’m starving, now that I think about it.”
She patted his feet. “Why don’t you go up and take a shower and I’ll make you some food?”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll just eat in the morning.”
Emma came around and sat on the edge of the couch next to him, laying a hand on his knee. “I don’t mind.”
He looked over at her and found her gaze expectant on his, as though waiting for him to respond. It appeared she really didn’t mind, even though she must have had a long day herself. Reaching out, he lifted one of her hands and brought her palm to his lips, where he placed an open-mouthed kiss in the center. Her pulse quickened against his cheek and her eyes darkened. “Thank you, Emma. I appreciate that.”
She swallowed, the muscles of her throat working under her creamy skin. “You’re welcome.” She leaned forward until he could see the ring of dark brown around the iris of her eyes. “I need my hand back,” she whispered, her voice like silk.
“Right.” He kissed it again, a quick peck this time, before letting it go. She rose and skirted around the sofa. His eyes slid closed as her boot heels clicked across the wooden floors. A few minutes later, the feeling of being lulled into sleep spread through his limbs, while the sounds of Emma working in the kitchen faded away.
He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but when he woke, he was still fully clothed, with a blanket tossed over his body. The living room was dark, with shafts of light from the kitchen giving it a shadowy appearance. Sitting up, he looked around, drawing up short when he found Emma sleeping in the recliner across the room, a magazine touting the latest gossip spread across her chest.
He stretched before looking at his watch. It was the middle of the night and he didn’t want to wake her to send her home now. In sleep, she looked soft and he wanted to curl her up against him so he could feel that expanse of silky skin. Instead, Shane lifted the blanket and laid it over her. She stirred and opened her eyes. A sleepy smile spread her lips. “What time is it?”
“Just after two thirty.”
Her eyes slid closed again and a millisecond later, they went wide and she sat straight up. “Oh God, I fell asleep. I need to get home. Wait, I never made your breakfast. You were out like a light, and I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I’ll do it now.”
She rose and he put his hands on her shoulders. “Emma, it’s the middle of the night. What you need to do is just go back to sleep.”
The shadows of sleep were clearing from her eyes, and she shook her head, licked her lips. He couldn’t help it. His gaze drew down to her beautiful, bow-shaped mouth. “It’s okay, I can call Aidan. He’s on call tonight.”
Fuck it. At that moment, his mind was clear, and he realized he wanted her. All of her. And not just for a night. He wanted to be the one to take care of her, not her police officer cousin. After Marlene, Shane didn’t think he’d find a woman he wanted to commit to again. He didn’t want the aggravation or the heartbreak.
But Emma was different than Marlene. She didn’t come with all the baggage his late wife had. She was perfect for him. All the logistical stuff—working together, the house, the fact that they lived three thousand miles apart—they would figure it out. Without a doubt in Shane’s mind, the woman standing before him, the one who wanted to make him breakfast in the middle of the night, was worth any trouble.
“Emma. Stay with me.” He held out a hand to her.
