Eric squeezed shampoo onto his hands and began rubbing it into my scalp. I closed my eyes and asked, “You drove all the way here to see me?”

“No, Julian sent his jet for me.”

My eyes flew open. “He did?”

My brother going out of his way to send a jet for Eric was the last gesture I’d expected.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was ready to drive, but I couldn’t wait to rip that guy apart.”

“He told you about the guy?”

“Yes. Your brothers love you, Emma. They know what’s good for you, and that tattooed pussy was not it.”

I’d been so lost in my dance, I hadn’t even noticed that he had tattoos. The only feature I remembered were those golden eyes that had kept me hypnotized, and had stopped my heart from aching.

“Who was he, Emma?”

Eric’s question brought me out of my trance.

“Just a guy.” I sighed. I hadn’t meant to give Eric the impression that Cash Wagner was important, because he wasn’t. Having Eric feel insecure because of another man was the last thing I wanted. And although Cash was one of the best-looking men in the club, he didn’t compare to Eric – my Eric.

“Good. Let’s keep it that way, because he sure looked like he knew you well, with his hands all over you.” Eric collected my hair into a bun, lathering it there.

Darkness consumed his eyes. I stepped closer, pressing my entire body against his, desperately trying to give him reassurance that I belonged with him.

“Eric, you’re the only man I want.”

He held me against his chest for a moment before lifting my chin. I wasn’t sure why, but his eyes were wild with lust and need, as if he was ready to dive into me again, like a Neanderthal.

“Turn around. Rinse your hair.” His voice was ragged.

“When did you become so bossy?”

“The moment I realized you needed a little more control in your life than I gave you. Your brothers may have been right to keep their eye on you. The moment you let loose, you’re in trouble.”

“Control, you say?” I moved my hips back against him so that his cock could slide along my crack, instantly responding. I tilted my hips up and down, teasing him and loving the feeling of his hardened length against my skin.

“Oh, Emma. What am I going to do with you?”

He grasped a clump of my hair with his fist, gently pulling my head back so he could kiss me. The hum of the falling water and the sound of his heart pounding in his chest overwhelmed me. Eric’s eyes were shut tight as if he needed to show me all the passion he had through that one kiss. And with his tongue darting in my mouth, his lips hard and demanding, sucking in the last of my breath before I pulled away, I knew exactly what he meant.

I shifted my hips from side to side, his full arousal rested against my ass. “You said you had control.”

“With you on display like that, I’m willing to throw that out to the curb.”

And before I knew it, Eric lunged inside me, pulling my hips onto him. I braced my arms against the wall and lowered my body, giving him the full width and depth of my ass on display.

“Ah, fuck, Emma. You’re unbelievable.”

I smiled, feeling my pleasure spike. And just when I thought I’d make him lose control quicker than he expected, he wrapped his hand around my waist to my front, and slid it down to my bare flesh, expertly working my pussy. I felt my muscles tighten around his cock, my knees weaken, and my toes curl. I fisted my hands, hitting one against the wall. His unforgiving rhythm, pounding from the back to the end of my depth, and those fingers flicking and rubbing relentlessly were setting all my nerve endings ablaze. I’d missed him so much. I’d missed everything about him. From his naturally calm demeanor on a normal day to his dirty mouth in bed and the perfect method he always used to draw my orgasms out.

And that’s when I felt the pull of his other hand, dragging a finger through my crack from the top of my ass to my unoccupied hole. He circled it around the tight rim before gently inserting the tip of his finger. The fullness of it there, and him slamming into my pussy sent a new wave of inflaming tingles zapping through my body. No man had ever touched me that way.

“Deeper,” I pleaded.

“Slowly, Emma.”

“I need to...”

“I know, baby.”

The slap of his sack against my thighs while the man I loved filled me and rubbed me with torturous circles and kissed my shoulder, gently scraping his teeth over my skin, overpowered me.

“Come for me, Emma. I want you to come, now.”

And to my surprise, those words brought me undone.

“Eric! God, please!” My body burned with ecstasy as the orgasm lit me on fire, wholly shaking my limbs and making me feel like this room was too small to contain all the energy leaving my lungs. I found it difficult to breathe – as if all the oxygen had been taken away because all I wanted was for the delirium I was in to last forever. He slammed into me again, reviving another wave of bliss and tantalizing my body. Eric pushed in twice more and pulled out, his warm seed erupting onto my back.

The smell of our release drifted up on the steam, and I turned back around and kissed him, saying, “I’m so happy you’re back.”

“Me too, baby. Me too.”

He held me against his strong body until my pulse slowed, gently stroking my back and kissing the top of my head.

“I want a family dinner. My family and your family, together.”

“Anything you want.”

“And you will tell both my brothers to back off.”

“I already have, baby.”

Really?

But Eric answered my unspoken question before I had a chance to ask. “I told Julian I’m madly in love with you and that I’d die before I let anything happen to you. That’s when he told me to get my ass on that jet.” He laughed.

That I hadn’t expected, and I made a mental note the next time I saw Julian to hug him extra hard.

“I still want to find Huntz for you.”

Eric stilled.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know, Emma. It’s just that whenever his name is brought up, I get a bad feeling.”

“That’s because you’ve been through a lot.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason. You need to stay clear of Huntz.”

“All right, what if I promise to take Hunter with me if I get a lead?”

“And me. I’ll go with you.”

“No way. You’re not trained.”

“I won’t have it any other way.”

I sighed. “Fine, but if the trail is hot, I may need to rush.”

“Fine. Let’s get some breakfast before we empty the boiler for the entire building. I’m starving, and I’m sure your appetite would appreciate something solid.”

I lowered my gaze to look at his half-hard cock and licked my lips.

“Later, Emma. We’ll get to that later.”

And I couldn’t wait. I’d been dreaming of having Eric in my mouth for so long, just the thought of him between my lips skyrocketed my arousal.

We stepped out of the shower. Eric dried my hair and went on to meticulously wipe my entire body. It took all my strength not to throw myself at him when he ventured to my nether regions. I threw his wet clothes in the dryer, and he pulled on a pair of fresh boxers he’d brought with him in a duffel bag.

“I’m staying over, by the way.”

“You are? How long?” I asked, before turning on my blow dryer.

“As long as it takes to convince you to come and live on my ranch.”

“Eric…”

“Don’t say a word, Emma.” He raised his hand. “I can guarantee you will be living there within a month.”

I wanted to roll my eyes at his certainty, but the conviction in his voice made me pause. I had been ready before, but with all that had happened and the new doubts cast my way, I had to think this through to make a rational decision.

Eric went to the kitchen while I brushed my hair. The sound of clinking pots and dishes and the smell of bacon and coffee made my stomach rumble. I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of panties and joined him in the kitchen.

“I hope you didn’t bother making the bed, Emma. We’ll mess it up soon enough. Now eat, so you can get your strength back.”

“I didn’t.” I grabbed a piece of buttered toast and took a bite. The crumbs dropped into my empty stomach. I’d never had such delicious toast in my life. “You know, I could get used to your cooking.”

“All you have to do is move to the ranch with me, and I’ll cook for you every day.”

“I’d get bored quickly.”

“I’m sure I could occupy your time somehow.” Eric came from behind me and slid his hand up my shirt, grasping my breast and pinching my nipple. The insistent touch of his hand made me want to go back to bed. In fact, it made me want to have him right here, again.

“So, you’re going to use sex as bait?” I let out a whimper, pushing my chest further into his grip as the insatiable roll of his fingers revived my need.

“I will do anything and everything, and it will be shameless.” He lowered his hand and sat beside me.

“Just remember, two can play this game.”

“Except that I don’t lose, Emma. Ever.”

“Neither do I, Eric.”

“We’ll see. Now, when do you want that family dinner?” he asked.

“Really? You think your parents would come?”

“I think they would love to meet yours. It would do them some good. But we can’t leave Missy behind. She’s still staying with them. She hasn’t left the house since the fest. I can arrange for Derek and George to take care of the farm for the few days they’re gone.”

My phone buzzed as Grace’s text came in.

Grace: You ok?

I quickly typed back.

Emma Cross: Yes, Eric’s here curing my hangover

Grace: I bet he is ;) TTYL and I want details!

“Anything important?” Eric asked.

“Nope. I’m putting this phone on silent for the rest of the day, right after I set up our dinner. It’s a good thing this is a long weekend. Do you really think your parents would fly in?”

“When?”

“Tomorrow. Everyone will be home. It’s the perfect time.”

“Why don’t you let me take care of something for once and finish your breakfast?” He pushed my plate toward me.

I enjoyed being taken care of more than I thought I would. And just as I was ready to straddle Eric right in that seat, a loud knock came at my door. No one knocked here unless they could get past the security downstairs, and since I’d just heard from Grace, who lived only three floors below me, it couldn’t be her.

“Eric, it’s my brothers.”

“So, let them in.”

“Shit, they’re gonna tear you apart.” I quickly rushed to my bedroom and pulled on a pair of sweats, throwing Eric’s dry jeans toward him.

“Emma, I can handle this. You’re a grown woman, baby, and you need to stop feeling like you’re their underage sister.” He slowly slid his pants up, closing up only the first three buttons and leaving the last one open. My eyes feasted on the inverted triangle, lightly sprinkled with dark hair, provocatively sinking into the waistband, and those hips that barely held the pants on him, and I wondered how in the world my brothers would not punch him out at the mere sight of his nakedness.

Yet Eric casually strolled toward the front door, and I just stood there with my mouth wide open. The motion of him pulling on the handle appeared so slow – I just couldn’t move.

“Good morning,” he said.

As expected, both Julian and Tristan stood in the doorway, my younger brother casually leaning against the frame. I crossed my arms over my chest, only then realizing that I didn’t have a bra on and made a mental note to keep myself covered until I got a chance to get away to my bedroom.

“Eric, may we come in?”

“Of course.” He opened the door wider and they both strolled in as if this was the norm.

“Hi,” I said. “Did your phone batteries die?”

“We were in the neighborhood.”

On Sunday at eleven in the morning? Neighborhood my ass, I thought.

“Emma, I won’t talk to you unless you go put something on,” Julian said.

I swiveled on my foot, knowing my choices at this point were limited: argue with my poking nipples, because the sight of my brothers did nothing to prevent me from drooling over Eric, or get dressed and come back to see what they wanted.

While I was in my bedroom, I heard unexpected hellos and a quieted conversation among them. Were they really getting along? Was it possible that my brothers would finally give me the respect I’d sought?

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I came back into the living room.

“We had some business to take care of.”

“Oh, you mean, pay your employee.” I rolled my eyes out of habit, making a note that I hadn’t done that in a long time.

“No, Emma. Can you please stop rolling your eyes? It makes you look too young to have a man in your apartment.”

I sighed, deciding not to argue and take the higher road. I came over to Julian, hugging him tightly, “Thank you for getting him here.”

“We’re discussing your case,” Tristan said. “Am I chopped liver?”

“No.” I strolled over to my other brother to embrace him as well. I’d forgotten how good it felt to have their loving arms around me. It’s been too long since I’d let them hold me like this. “It’s still my case, isn’t it?”

“It’s more dangerous than we thought it was.”

“Like hell. There’s no way you’re butting in.”

Eric’s pulse, pumping through the vein of his strained neck, was beating off the charts, and I knew that whatever my brothers were proposing, he didn’t like it.

“Emma, it’s better that…”

Eric cleared his throat loud enough for both my brothers to freeze, Julian midway to scratching his head and Tristan to getting off his seat.

“Emma’s the only one I want on this case. I trust her. She’s very intelligent and knows the details already. Besides, I know that she would ask for help and not get herself into a dangerous situation if there was a need.”

My brothers looked from one to the other, obviously not happy with Eric’s choice. For a moment I thought we’d have a little wrestling match in the middle of the room between the three of them. Instead, Tristan poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped it, saying, “Fine. So what’s this I’m hearing about a family dinner tomorrow?”

Eric shrugged toward me. “I sort of mentioned it already.”

While Tristan and Eric discussed tomorrow afternoon, already making the flight arrangements and ordering a caterer, Julian pulled me aside.

“You love him, Emma? Isn’t it too fast?” he asked.

“Yes, I love him very much. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

“I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time, either. He’s a good guy.”

“You did a background check, didn’t you?”

“Do you blame me?”

“No. I love you, Julian. Thank you for putting up with me for the past few years.”

“You’re welcome. Believe me, I know when a woman is broken and when she needs help.” He sighed. Of course he knew. He’d helped his wife, Kendra, rehabilitate after she’d been held captive by sex traffickers for a month. If there was anyone who knew how to fight dark demons, it was Julian. “I’m sorry it took me so long to help you, but I’ve never had a troubled sister. You’ve always been so strong, Em. I just wanted you healthy.”

“I know.”

“As much as I don’t like you working this case, I will be forever grateful to Hunter for bringing Eric to New York. You’re practically glowing when you look at him.”

“All I want to do is make him happy. How are we going to make this work? He lives so far away.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out, Emma. Listen, this case and Huntz. You may have been too young to remember what Allie went through with Wright, but John Huntz has all the traits of a maniac, Emma. Be careful.”

Yes, I remembered how Allie had run her entire life from the man who raped her mother, causing her to lose her baby. She’d run from him, met Tristan, and when the two of them finally thought they could form a family, the bastard had returned. He’d been stalking her for years, calculating the perfect time to make a comeback. Chills ran up my spine, raising goose bumps on my arms.

“I remember enough. I’ll be careful.”

“You still have the gun?”

“Yes.”

“Well, maybe it’s time to carry it with you on the job. I don’t want to lose you, Em.”

“You have nothing to worry about. I was taught by the best.” I hugged him.

We chatted a bit longer in the kitchen, and for the first time since I’d met Eric, I got the feeling that our families could blend together after all. The guys seemed to get along quite well, and I couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s family dinner.

“Do you know how much I love you?” I said after my brothers left.

“Why don’t you show me?” He picked me up and carried me to my bedroom where we spent the next twenty-four hours, until my phone sounded with a long-awaited ping.