Chapter Ten
Emelise
Eme packed an overnight bag and headed out to the compound. She’d told Caine she would have dinner with him and she knew if he asked her to stay, she would. Was she a glutton for punishment? She was in love with him but it seemed to her that all she was to him was a good lay. A soft sigh escaped her as she climbed into the small boat she’d purchased. She paid a docking fee to the marina in order to have easy access to the water so she could get to the compound whenever she wanted to. She’d found out that the docks where she used to meet Remy whenever he picked her up was owned by the Pard, and really, she could have kept her boat there but...maybe it was stubbornness on her part that caused her to use the public marina instead.
At least one part of her life was going smoothly. As long as the references checked out for everyone she interviewed the club would be fully staffed. The last of the stock was arriving the following day and everything was in order for their grand opening in two days. She was cutting it close, staff wise, she knew, but she wanted to be sure everyone she hired was a good fit.
If only her personal life would fall in line as well. She was still trying to figure out exactly how she’d managed to get herself mixed up in a purely physical situation when her heart wanted more. Better yet, why the fuck was her heart making this difficult for her? Purely physical was better; it meant she wouldn’t have to face a broken heart when he moved on. With a soft hiss of frustration she put the thought out of her mind and headed into the bayou.
Caine
Caine was waiting when Emelise arrived. As always she took his breath away with her fresh faced beauty and her carefree attitude towards life. “Hello, Angel.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Did you have a good day?”
“Hey. Yeah, I did. I’m waiting on the references from two of my interviews to come back and if they come back clean I’ll be fully staffed. I know, I know, I’m cutting it awfully close to the grand opening,” she said before he could comment.
Caine chuckled. “I had no doubt you would succeed, cher,” he told her as he escorted her to his home.
“You always have such confidence in me. I don’t get it.”
“I already told you, Angel, your determination can’t be stopped.” He’d taken what Lily said to heart and he knew Emelise expected a quick meal and then him trying to get her naked but tonight was going to be very different. He opened the door and ushered her inside with a faint smirk on his face.
Emelise
Eme saw the smirk and arched a brow at him. What was he up to? That smirk said he was plotting something, she just wasn’t sure what. Knowing him it was something devious that would leave her weak and sweaty. She stepped into his house and blinked. Or maybe not. There were several vases of roses scattered about but the real surprise was the fact they weren’t alone. “Mamere Eulalie? Eliza? What are y’all doing here?” she asked because there, seated around the living room, was her grandmother and cousins, including Mia, Gage, and their infant son, Elijah.
“I invited dem to dinner,” Caine told her once he got the door closed behind them.
“You did?” She gave him a puzzled look.
“A’course I did. Dey’re your family, we should have family dinners from time to time, don’t you tink?”
“Excuse us a minute,” she said to them and opened the door to drag him back outside. “What are you up to Caine Bordeaux?”
Caine shook his head. “I’m not ‘up to’ anyting, cher. You’re my mate, dat makes dem family, not just part of the Pard.” He reached out and caressed her cheek. “I tink it’s high time I show you dat dis between us is someting real, someting more den a physical attraction.”
Emelise stared at him a moment. “Oh,” she said softly. She swallowed a sudden bout of nerves. “Okay, then. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Angel,” he murmured and gave her a quick kiss before he escorted her back inside.
“Sorry about that,” Emelise said. “It’s really great to see all of you.”
“Ever’ting okay?” Eulalie asked her granddaughter.
“Yep. I was just a little puzzled by the sudden invite since this was a first for him.” She was still a little thrown by his admission.
“Not to change da subject... okay, I lied, it is to change da subject,” Mia said, an amused look on her face, “But are you lookin’ forward to da grand openin’ of your club? It’s da day after tomorrow, right?”
“Yes it is. I’m excited and a little scared because I have no idea how it’s going to go.”
“You know we’ll all stop in to support you, or almost all of us,” Eliza said. Her younger children wouldn’t be able to go because it was a club that sold alcohol.
“I know, and you have now idea how much your support means to me. It’s so crazy too because it was just me and Mama for so long, the realization that I have family who support my dream is a bit...staggering. After Mama died I didn’t think I’d ever have that kind of support system again.”
“Well, you’re stuck wit’ us, cher,” Beau told his cousin.
Eme grinned. “I’m good with that.”
“Stuck wit’ me, too,” Caine growled in her ear. “Who’s hungry? Dinner’s done.”
They all sat at the large table and once again Emelise found herself caught up in their conversations. She loved listening to them talk bout things going on in their lives. Having Caine there to be part of it made it that much more right, that much more perfect. Not that she was willing to let that secret out. Nope, she was keeping that to herself, for now at least.
Caine
Caine listened to their banter and realized he enjoyed having her family there. It had taken a few minutes for them to relax since he was their Alpha, but as soon as one of them started really talking it was like the floodgates suddenly opened and soon the table was buzzing with all their chatter. When he glanced over at his mate he couldn’t hide the pleased smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. She looked so happy with her family there enjoying dinner with them. This was what Lily was talking about. The happiness he saw in his mate’s eyes while they had dinner with her family made him realize that he had been focusing more on the physical aspects of their relationship than the emotional one. It was time that changed.
It was fairly late when the Rousseau clan finally left, leaving Caine and Emelise alone. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Dis was a good night,” he said and kissed her temple. “I liked seein’ you so happy wit’ your family around.”
Emelise smiled up at him. “I really enjoyed them being here. Thank you for this, Caine.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Angel. I was happy to do it. Let’s go to bed, I want to hold you.”
Emelise
Emelise’d had so much fun talking with her family that she’d not even notice how much time had passed. At some point they’d all moved back to the living room and begun a game of charades, which she really sucked at, but she still had fun with it. It wasn’t until little Sophie was falling asleep where she was curled up on the sofa that everyone finally headed back to their own homes.
She’d cleaned up while Caine showed them out then turned to watch him. He’d shown her a different side of him, one she hadn’t realized existed. He knew how to have fun and he was wicked good at charades. “If we ever play that again, we’re doing it as partners,” she said with a laugh. They’d ended up on opposite teams, men versus women, and the guys had smoked them at it.
Caine chuckled. “Deal,” he’d said and pulled her into his arms.
She’d leaned into him with the expectation of some steamy kisses so when he’d said he wanted to hold her she was startled. “Just hold me? Really?”
“Yes, just hold you,” he replied and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You drive me crazy, cher, but tonight I just want to curl up wit’ you in my arms and fall asleep knowin’ you’ll be dere when I wake up.”
Her heart skipped a little at the thought. “Okay then,” she said and smiled at him. “Let’s go to bed.” She didn’t doubt his attraction for her, she could smell it, but it meant so much to her that he was willing to put the physical aside sometimes just to be with her.
Once in the bedroom Emelise changed into the lounge pants and tank top she’d brought to sleep in, not that she usually got to do so, but she liked to have it close when she woke up in the morning. She crawled into bed. The pajama bottoms Caine tugged on hung low on his hips and made her mouth water. Morning. She could wait until morning. Then they could get all sweaty and shower together to clean up before she had to leave.
Caine
Caine had watched her change and had silently groaned. It was going to be hard falling asleep with her without letting his hands wander but she deserved more from him than just lust. She deserved love and love wasn’t always about fucking. It was about just being together, holding one another, being close as they drifted off to sleep. He wasn’t going to screw this up.
He slid into bed with her and opened his arms. When Emelise curled against him he pulled her closer and tugged the sheet up over them. “G’night, Angel,” he growled in her ear.
“Goodnight, Caine,” she replied. She gave him a sleepy smile before she sighed and relaxed in his arms.
Caine caressed her side as she slowly drifted off. Watching her sleep he couldn’t help but wonder, and not for the first time, what he’d done to be so lucky as to have this amazing, stubborn, strong woman in his arms, in his life. Whatever gods were watching over him, he was thankful to them for bringing her into his life. “I’ll do whatever it takes to show you dat what we have is real, dat I’m not goin’ anywhere.” He whispered the words before he finally let his own eyes close as sleep dragged him into oblivion.