Chapter Nineteen
“You slept with her.” Dom slid off the stool, faster than he probably should’ve since the idiot turned white. “I can’t believe you slept with her. After I asked you not to. Dammit, Vince. What the hell were you thinking? Wait, I know, you weren’t thinking with the head on your shoulders.”
“That’s enough,” he ground out through clenched teeth. He understood most of his brother’s aggression stemmed from worry about his men and was pissed he wasn’t with them, but Vince refused to let him insinuate he was using Emma to get his dick wet. “What the hell is so wrong with Emma and I hooking up? Unless you do have feelings for her.”
“No. I told you, it’s not like that,” Dom insisted. “She’s a friend. A damn good one, and she’s been hurt too many times. I was here for the last one. I don’t want to see her go through the pain again.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Jesus, Dom. I’m not going to hurt her. Yes…this is temporary, but she knows it and I know it. We enjoy being together and we want to have fun. I haven’t had fun in a long time. Not since Connie. I know we were young, but I loved her. I would’ve died for her. But she died first and left me with a big gaping hole in my chest, because a piece of me died with her, too.”
Dom exhaled. “I know.”
“I buried the rest away, threw myself into training and missions, and lived for keeping my Ranger brothers alive.”
Over time, physical need became too much and the groupies too amorous, so he eventually sated that need. But Vince had always been upfront with the women. He never lied. Never felt anything for them, either.
“Now, for the first time in years, I’ve found a woman I want to see more than once. Those parts aren’t so buried when Emma’s around.” She made him feel things again. And he liked it. “So, while I understand and appreciate your concern for Emma, part of me wishes you’d be a little bit happy for your damn brother.”
Silence stretched for several beats and Vince used the time to get his anger under control. A useless emotion. One he rarely entertained. It didn’t do anyone any good.
Dom folded his arms across his chest and stared at him. “What makes you think my concern is only for her?”
He blinked as surprise washed through him.
“I was there when you got the news about Connie. I saw what you went through. What it did to you.” Full-blown concern darkened Dom’s gaze. “I watched you bury that part down so deep, I didn’t think you’d ever find it again. But over the past week, I’ve seen some of it resurrected, and I have to be honest, it’s scaring the hell out of me.”
It scared him, too.
“I’m fine.” He smiled. “Quit worrying.”
Dom’s arms dropped to his sides. “Fine? Just because you don’t intentionally mean to hurt her, or think you’ll ever get hurt, doesn’t make it fine. There’s nothing fine about it. It’s far from fine.”
Vince stilled and studied his brother, noting the tight jaw and the way his brother’s gaze darted back and forth, signaling agitation more than anger. And then there was the fact his brother mentioned the word “fine” four times.
Who had his brother so worked up?
“So, care to tell me who we’re talking about, because that had nothing to do with me and Emma.”
Dom stiffened. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he grumbled.
Had to be a woman. But his brother hadn’t been anywhere other than here or at the hospital for therapy and doctor appointments…
Wait.
It suddenly made sense. The shortened appointments, long appointments, rescheduled appointments, yeah, something was definitely going on between Dom and the beautiful doctor who effectively put his brother in his place the day Vince had arrived to pick him up. He grinned, but one glance at his brother’s clamped jaw told him not to press it.
Blowing out a breath, Dom turned a shrewd gaze on him. “Let’s get back to Emma. I want to know what you think is going to happen to her when you’re no longer with her? No longer here? Come on, man. You don’t live in Georgia. Your life is in Texas, and it’s a good life. It’s the right place for you. I’ve seen it change you, in a good way. Hell, Leo told me you’re the glue that keeps that place together. They need you, and you need them. Are you going to give that up?”
Leo said that?
Something akin to pride spread through his chest.
Life outside of Joyful, Texas, had never been on Vince’s radar. He was invested and vested in the ranch and the good they were doing there.
He shook his head. “No. Like I told you, this is just temporary, Dom. She knows I’m going back to Texas. As a matter of fact, she literally told me that before we took things further. So it’s all right. We’re on the same page.”
“Then you’re setting yourself up to fail. And for you and her to get hurt, whether you want to admit it or not. This thing between you and Emma has no future, but your chemistry is strong, and that makes what you’re doing dangerous. That’s why I’m pissed. More at myself than anything. I never should’ve pushed you to date her.”
Vince ran a hand through his hair. “Look, no one knows what the future holds. Believe me, I’m living proof.” He was also proof that playing it safe wasn’t living. It was time to change that. “I’m not looking for forever, and neither is Emma.”
“Are you sure about that?” Dom asked. “Because, as I recall, she was looking for forever with Stephan when you blew into town.”
He ignored the fact those words caused his gut to clench as if punched, and answered honestly. “And she’ll probably still have that. But right now, she wants this, and I want this, so we’re going to live for the moment for a change, and not worry about the future beyond today.”
Dom blew out a breath and shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“So do I.”
His brother’s lips twitched. “Do I get a piece of that lasagna when it’s done?”
A change in the subject. Dom’s way of saying he was stepping off his soapbox and done interfering.
Vince rubbed his jaw. “Depends.”
“On what?”
A smile threatened to ruin his serious expression. “On whether you get the kitchen cleaned up before Emma gets here.”
“Me?” Dom’s brows rose with his tone.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “I’m going to jump in the shower.”
Without waiting, Vince left his brother in the kitchen with all the dirty pots and pans, and some things to digest. He had some digesting to do, too. Like the fact his brother had been more worried about him than Emma. Yeah, he was still processing that one. But, hopefully, he put his brother’s fears to rest. There was no way he would hurt Emma and she wasn’t going to hurt him.
So why waste time worrying?
…
It was Saturday morning, the day of the bake sale, and for the first time in a long time, Emma was excited about the weekend. Thanks to Vince. The more they spent time together, the more it felt as if she’d known him her whole life. It was unreal how he remembered her likes and dislikes. Between food and flowers and songs and movies and…sex?
Yeah. She smiled. The sex was amazing.
Heat rushed through Emma, tingling all her good parts. Vince knew her body better than she did. He was a master and magnificent. And so giving. Even now, just thinking about the man, she ached for him.
She’d see him soon enough. She was heading next door in a few minutes, although not for any “hot stuff.” All the baked goods were there, and they needed to get them loaded in the car. Quickly tying her wraparound dress, she smiled. Vince had helped her bake next door, then returned to her house to heat up the sheets. He’d only run back to Dom’s for a quick shower and to make sure his brother was up.
Yesterday, Dom had finished his second week of rehab. Even though he was slowly winning the battle over his muscle spasms, he wasn’t cleared to drive yet. But he could sit and stand for longer periods of time now, and had insisted Vince didn’t need to stay with him at night anymore.
A noticeable attitude adjustment.
Her neighbor executed a one-eighty where she and his brother were concerned. It was as if he took a step back and kind of gave them his blessing to hang out. In fact, he’d been the one to insist they use his kitchen to bake last night. Lucky bugger had a double oven, so she gladly took him up on the offer. Although, she knew the real reason. Dom’s sweet tooth. He sampled all their goods. Some twice.
With a lightness to her steps, she headed next door, slipping her purse across her body along the way.
“Morning, Emma,” Dom said, carrying a tray of her pineapple squares.
She rushed to take them from him. “Let me help.”
He sidestepped her. “No need. I’m more than capable of carrying these. You can, however, open your car door.”
Doing as she was told, she frowned. “But you’re not supposed to lift anything.”
“I’m not. I’m carrying them.” He nodded to the covered tray. “And before you complain about that, my restriction for carrying is five pounds or more. This tray does not weight that. I’ve got these, go ahead inside and grab more.”
So she did, and within minutes, the car was almost loaded. Just two more trips and they’d be good to go. She was approaching Vince and the open trunk with two containers of chocolate chip cookies in her arms when her phone rang.
“I got these,” he said, grabbing the cookies.
“Thanks.” She smiled and fished her phone from her purse. “Hi, Mom. How are you and Aunt Katherine?”
“We’re good, hun. How are you? Did Stephan ask you out yet?”
She stiffened. “No, not yet.”
“Well hang in there. You still have almost a week left,” her mom said.
Her deadline. She’d almost forgotten about it.
She must’ve been standing there with her mouth open because Vince took one look at her and frowned. Emma forced a smile and shook her head to let him know nothing was wrong.
Although forgetting about Stephan because she was starting to fall for Vince was sort of an issue.
“Not to worry,” her mother said. “I’m directing all my thoughts and energy toward wishing you well with Stephan.”
Great, although she didn’t need them. She had a feeling she would need them because Vince would be out of her life in a week.
Pain stabbed at her heart at the thought of his absence. She rubbed her chest to ease the ache.
“So, what are your plans for today?” her mother asked.
“The bake sale,” she replied.
“That’s today? Oh. I’d better let you go. I was just touching base again. Good luck with your sale.”
After the line went dead, Emma inhaled and shoved the phone back in her purse. She’d worry about picking her plan to date Stephan back up after Vince was gone. Her stomach rolled, so she forced the conversation out of her mind. She only had a few days left with Vince, and there wasn’t any room for guilt or negativity.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes. She was just checking in.” She nodded. “Are we good to go?”
He slammed the trunk shut. “That we are.”
“Well, you two have fun,” Dom said, sounding like he thought it would be anything but.
Vince opened the driver’s door, then grabbed her hand and kissed it as he helped her in. “We will.”
Warmth washed away the chill her mother’s call created. She loved that he had no issue with her driving, and was excited to share one of her favorite days with him. A few minutes passed while she enjoyed the aroma of their cargo, and the feel of Vince’s hand on her knee.
“Thanks for helping me last night. You know, with the baking…and stuff.” She smiled at him as she drove through town.
After baking, they’d gone to her house and showered off the flour, spending extra time on each other’s bodies and making sure they were good and satisfied with the results.
“My pleasure.” He returned her smile. “It’s my new favorite thing.”
She chuckled. “What? Baking?”
“No. You,” he said, lightly brushing his little finger over the inside of her knee.
Awareness shot straight to her core. “Ditto.”
Since she was pulling into the rec center, she let the conversation drop, hoping it would drop her heart rate back to normal, too. They were there to sell baked goods to raise money for the troops. Her out-of-control desire for the guy needed to take a back seat.
And for most of the morning, she managed to do just that, thanks to the task of setting up, then a constant flow of customers. To her amazement, she discovered Vince was just as proficient at peddling their goods as he had been at making them.
Although, she shouldn’t have been surprised. He was a capable man in every sense of the word. A doer, not a slacker.
“Emma, Vince, hi.” Chelsea bounded toward them, glancing around. “Is Dom here?”
Emma’s heart kind of constricted for the poor girl, knowing that if her neighbor had been there, he would’ve hid in the bathroom to avoid the eager woman. “No. He’s not here. Sorry.”
Disappointment washed the smile from the cute brunette’s face. “Oh. Well, how’s he doing this week?”
“Improving. He can sit and stand a little longer.” Vince grabbed a container and loaded it with a few items. “He’s at home alone right now. Why don’t you take this to him? I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”
The woman’s face brightened. “Okay. I will,” she said, grabbing the container. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing.” Vince grinned. “It’s on me.”
Chelsea’s smile broadened. “Thank you. Thanks a lot.” Eagerness, once again, ruled her features as she turned around and rushed toward the exit.
Grinning, Emma slapped his shoulder. “You’re bad. Dom’s going to kill you.”
Vince chuckled. “He can try.”
A grin twitched her lips. “Am I bad for wishing I could be there to see his face?”
“No. I’d say you’re just right.”
So was he. She held his gaze as he held her hand, and the longer they stood there smiling at each other, the more her chest swelled with warmth.
“Hi, Emma, dear.”
Blinking, she tugged her hand from Vince’s and turned to find her favorite octogenarian stepping up to the front of the table.
“Mrs. Henderson. Hi. Nice to see you.” She smiled at her second-grade teacher. “Do you want your usual?”
For ten years the woman had come to the fundraiser and bought the same baked goods.
“Yes, please,” her former teacher replied. “You look beautiful today. Even more so than normal. I’m guessing this young man is to blame?”
Heat surged into Emma’s face as she introduced the two and started to put the woman’s order together.
“Emma looks beautiful every day,” Vince said.
With her heart swelling in her chest, she glanced up at him and smiled. She was really—really—beginning to like him.
“You’re a very perceptive young man,” Mrs. Henderson said.
He grinned, exposing his full dimples. “Thank you, ma’am. I try.”
That hooked Mrs. Henderson. Emma could tell by the gleam in the older woman’s eyes.
“And you have manners, too. Your mama raised you right. It’s nice to see.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he repeated.
“Emma’s mama did, too,” her teacher said. “Emma’s an angel. Do you know she comes over to my house every spring and helps me with my garden?”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t know that. But I’m not surprised. Emma has a good heart.”
“Yes, she does. And she helps my neighbor Mr. Ross with his Christmas decorations because he can’t get up and down the ladder too good anymore.”
Emma added two brownies to the six chocolate chip cookies in the container. “Sometimes Dom helps, too.”
In fact, they helped several senior citizens in their neighborhood with outdoor decorations.
Mrs. Henderson grinned. “That Dominic is a good guy.”
“Vince is his brother,” Emma said, patting his shoulder.
The older woman narrowed her shrewd gaze on him. “Yes, I can see a slight resemblance. Are you a military man, too?”
“Former, ma’am. Now I run a ranch that helps transition veterans.”
Mrs. Henderson nodded with what looked like approval. “Admirable. It’s so nice to know Emma finally found a man who is worthy of her.”
Heat returned to Emma’s cheeks. Yes. Vince was certainly a worthy candidate. Worthy enough that she had begun to question her no-military-men policy.
“Are you two coming back for the movie in the park tonight?” Mrs. Henderson continued. “They’re showing Emma’s favorite Bogart movie out back on their building. Everyone sits on blankets under the stars. It’s very romantic.” She gave them a dreamy smile.
Vince turned to her. “Would you like to go?”
She nodded. “I’d like that.” She’d like a lot of things.
“That’s nice.” Mrs. Henderson nodded toward Vince. “You hang on to this one, Emma. He’s a keeper.”
Her heart squeezed uncomfortably. Whether that was true or not, by next week at this time, Vince would be gone.
He wasn’t hers to keep.
…
Several hours later, Emma squirmed her sweet ass against Vince’s groin, hugging the arms he’d banded around her. Damn. He held his breath and counted to ten. Ranger training should’ve included this type of torture because he was positive, with this woman, any sane man would break. He was barely hanging on by a thread.
“You make an excellent chair,” she told him, shifting again.
Sure was the best kind of torture, though.
The movie played on the back of the rec center building, while speakers dotted the grassy area full of movie-goers sprawled out on blankets. Theirs was spread out under a tree, and he was leaning back against the trunk with his soft, warm woman nestled in front of him.
His woman.
That was a dangerous thought. One he needed to push aside, especially since he liked the sound of it. But was he really worthy of her?
Mrs. Henderson seemed to think so. And she was well respected. Plus, he did admirable, fulfilling work on the ranch. Still, did that make him worthy? Was anyone?
“I could sit here all night,” she said on a soft sigh.
God knew he wanted to be. Tightening his hold, he kissed her head. “Me, too. But if you keep squirming like that, we may get arrested for indecent exposure.”
She chuckled and turned her face his way. “Then we better save the indecent stuff for my place.”
“Deal.” He dipped her back and captured her mouth for a deep, tantalizing kiss, savoring her exquisite taste, loving her soft sighs.
After several thorough seconds, he forced himself not to be too selfish, broke the kiss, and let her settle back against him again to watch the movie.
The more time he spent with the woman, the more time he wanted to spend with her. Maybe he could leave Texas and come here. The pros would be he’d have Emma and Dom. And Emma and Dom would still have each other, too. She’d also have her friends and her job.
He didn’t like the thought of her giving that up for him. Hell, he didn’t want her to give anything up. He wanted her happy.
But would he be happy here, Emma and Dom aside?
Could he walk away from At-Ease Ranch and all the veterans he’d gotten to know, cook for, listen to? The crew at Foxtrot he supervised?
His stomach knotted at the thought.
What about Stone, Leo, and the rest of his Ranger unit? Could he leave them? That knot twisted tighter.
And what would he do here for work? Construction? Probably. He could contact the base to find some kind of community service or something to help with veterans. But it wouldn’t be a twenty-four-seven thing, and he needed that in his life.
But asking her to move to Texas meant she’d lose the things she loved, too.
Was he worth that?
Tightening his hold on her again, he closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to do. Didn’t know what was right or fair.
He had no damn clue, other than he had started to suspect he wasn’t going to be able to just walk away from her.
Christ. Maybe Dom was right.
You’re setting yourself up to fail, Vince. And for you and her to get hurt.
He hoped that wasn’t true.
All week, red flags had constantly gone off in his head. Just like now, he’d pushed them into a dark corner of his mind and tried to ignore how big that pile of red flags had gotten. But sooner or later, they were going to come back and bite him in the ass.
Emma hugged his arms tighter, tipped her head back to look at him, and smiled.
He couldn’t help but smile back. “What?”
“Just enjoying the view.”
His hollowed chest swelled at the warmth and affection softening her gaze.
She deserved his undivided attention. He’d worry about red flags and pros and cons later. Holding Emma in his arms was too amazing to ruin with negative thoughts.