Merrick glanced from one woman to the other and walked out to do Emma’s bidding, leaving the door open. Emma knew she’d inform Cain just who Emma was stuck in the dressing room with. When Kevin returned to see how Emma was doing, Merrick waved him off.
“We’ll talk about how she got in there and past you later,” Cain said once Merrick was through explaining. “Did she try to talk her away from the dark side?” Cain asked. She was on her way back to the house, and the fact that a Bracato had so easily turned someone in her employ for so little money was starting to make her madder than when Blue had repeatedly tried to lie to her.
From the time Cain had taken over after her father had been killed, she’d tried to stay out of the way of the other families. She didn’t agree with some of the things they were involved with, but she’d looked the other way because it wasn’t any of her business. What irritated her was the fact that Bracato had come to her doorstep offering money to her employees to help him harm her family. He had crossed the line that all the family heads had honored until now.
“I guess that’s what’s happening while I’m out here talking to you,” Merrick said. “But I have to admit Emma looks cool and collected.”
“Not that I don’t trust her, but let me talk to her and see if she needs any backup.”
Cain gazed out at the passing houses as she waited. “Hey, lass, I hear you’ve acquired a new shadow. You’re moving up in the world.”
Shelby didn’t back away from her, as if anxious to hear Emma’s side of the conversation. “How does a black dress sound to you?”
“Still not alone, are we?”
“What do you think?” Emma looked at Shelby and shook her head.
“Buy it. You want to look good, considering how many eyes will be on us.” The car came to a stop in front of her uncle’s house. “Do you need me to come over, baby?”
“I’m just interested in what two blue eyes think about what I’m wearing and how I look in it. But the most important thing now, I guess, is what time I have to be ready. I think I can handle the rest.” Emma left the statement hanging, wanting to see if Cain really did trust her.
“I’m sure you can. Give my best to the friendly agent, but make sure she leaves the room before you take off any clothes. I prefer to be the only one besides Victoria to have a look at all your secrets.”
“Will do, love. See you at home.” Emma folded the phone and handed it back to Merrick at the door. “If there isn’t anything else, Agent, I’m sure you heard we have reservations for tonight, and I don’t want to be late.”
Shelby graciously conceded and started for the door.
“Oh, and don’t ever try that game with me again. Kyle tried and even succeeded, for a while at least. Having you play the same old tired game makes me think the supposed bad guys have a new flunky.”
“There’s no way in hell I’d work for someone like Bracato.”
“Accosting someone in a dressing room doesn’t do much to make me believe you. I suggest you get going since I’m sure there’s some van you have to outfit with surveillance equipment, but trust me, that’s as close to Cain as you’re going to get.”
“Is that a threat, Mrs. Casey?”
“No, I believe that’s what’s called a promise. It can’t have slipped your mind that one of your own tried to kill Cain less than two months ago.”
“He wasn’t one of ours,” Shelby said.
“Then we really are in trouble when the FBI starts bringing criminals to a bust to do their work for them.”
Emma slammed the door in Shelby’s face before she could respond.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I’m going to take a shower, Uncle Jarvis. Just send someone up if Emma calls.”
“Cain, I’m sure she’s fine. She has Merrick and Walt both with her.”
“Did I say I was worried?” Cain asked as she left the room feeling like she was about to jump out of her skin.
The hot water felt good against her skin, and she stood there with her head down and her hands pressed on the side of the tiled wall, letting it hit her shoulders and the back of her neck. Thinking about the coming night, she didn’t hear the glass door open. As she felt two arms slide around her waist, she smiled.
“Miss me?” Emma asked. She had almost started stripping on the stairs when Jarvis had told her to hurry before Cain rattled apart.
Cain pressed Emma to the opposite wall. “Just a little. Did everything go all right?”
“I got a dress and some other things the salesman talked me into, but Merrick gave me the thumbs-up, so I’m sure you won’t mind. As for our friendly agent, I’m sure she’s off somewhere thinking of ways to take you away from me.”
Moaning when Cain’s lips started up the side of her neck, Emma let her head fall back farther.
“No one’s going to take me away from you.” Cain pulled back as she got to the curve of Emma’s shoulder. “God, you taste good.”
“I’m the best appetizer going, honey. I don’t care what everyone says about the restaurant we’re headed to tonight. Let’s go lie down for a little while.” Emma’s knees felt weak, and the lower Cain’s hands slid along her body, the harder it was to calm her breathing.
When Cain accepted the invitation and led them out of the shower and to the bed, Emma’s nipples instantly became stone hard in the cool air. But the feel of Cain’s body covering hers as soon as her wet body hit the bed added the mix of excitement she’d been craving all day. The exhilaration of all that skin coming into contact with hers made her wrap her legs around Cain’s hips and pull all of her weight on top of her.
“I want to feel you,” Emma said when Cain tried to roll off. It was hard to find words with the muscles of Cain’s abdomen pressing against her sex. Adding to that, the muscles in Cain’s shoulders were flexed and looked even sexier with the droplets of water from the shower beading on her skin.
“I want to feel you too, and I can’t if I don’t have room.” The wound in her side ached a little, but Cain ignored it and concentrated instead on the puckered nipple so close to her hand.
For Cain, touching Emma had always been about love. It had been beautiful to watch the shy farm girl evolve into a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. Both facets of Emma’s personality were equally beautiful to Cain because, as adventurous as her wife became, a bit of that young woman she’d first met was still locked inside her.
“I used to think about you like this,” Cain said. Her palm covered Emma’s breast, and she could feel the small nub pressing against her palm.
“Like what, baby?”
“When we first met, I’d take you out and talk to you and maybe dance, but on the way home I used to imagine what it would be like to have you stretched out like this with my skin touching yours. What it would be like to touch you because that’s what you asked me to do.” Cain moved her hand and wrapped it around Emma’s breast so she could lower her lips and suck gently on the neglected nipple.
Cain had been forced to exercise tremendous self-control the day Emma had called her back to that small apartment. When she walked in and saw Emma naked from the waist up, with only her arm covering her chest, Cain had wanted to devour her whole. The memory of the first time Emma pulled away from her and exposed herself to her hungry eyes would forever be one of Cain’s favorites.
Women were something Cain knew and enjoyed, but Emma had been worlds apart. From her first look Cain had just sat and stared so hard that Emma had grown nervous and asked if something was wrong. “You’re just so beautiful,” Cain had told her.