“I’m not done with you yet, Em…” Fucking hell… I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of her tight, sweet body, especially when I was taking her bare—something I’d never done before. And the way she said my name as she came…there wasn’t a sweeter sound.
With my cock still buried deep inside her and my lips on hers in a hungry kiss, I carried her to the bed and laid us down with her beneath me, fighting back my need to come so I could make this moment last. Not that I was going to last a whole lot longer at the rate I was going.
Hooking her leg up onto my shoulder to open her up to me, I thrust into her, taking her deep, loving the needy gasps that escaped her lips, each moment we spent linked bringing us closer together. I kissed her, swallowing down her little moans, as she raked her nails down my back, spurring me on, our pace quickening.
“I’m coming, Locke…” The need in her voice and her cries as she came was all it took to push me over the edge, my cock buried deep inside her as I filled her with my cum, slowing my thrusts as I rode out the last waves of my orgasm.
“Em…” I kissed her sweetly, my forehead pressed to hers as I was left wondering how good an idea this had been. Not that I had any regrets. But it was hard not to worry about her. “You okay, love?”
“Yeah…I will be.” Her voice was suddenly thick with emotion, making me feel like a total fucking ass.
I pulled out of her and laid back against the pillows, gathering her up into my arms and snuggling us under the covers, doing what I could to make her feel safe and offer her some comfort. “You know I’m here for you, Em. Whatever you need. And if you want to talk, I’m happy to listen.”
“I know. And I appreciate it. It was just that stupid nightmare…” She clung to me as if she might get swept back up into its darkness.
“It’s okay, Em…I’ve got you.” I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her already familiar scent. “I don’t suppose it jogged any of your memories free?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Not that I’d really know if any of it is real or just my imagination—and one hell of a bad dream.” With a ragged sigh, she settled against my shoulder as I held her tight, wishing there was more I could do to help her figure this out.
I couldn’t wrap my head around what it would be like not to remember my past or my family, to not know what was real or just in my head. I’d have to contact Dane in the morning, and see if there was anything he might be able to find out. “Just try and get some rest. I’m sure it’ll make more sense come morning.”
“Maybe I’m better off not knowing. Maybe my life is so shitty that this is my brain’s way of protecting me from my past.” Her fingers trailed absent-minded circles over my chest, as if tracing the lines of my tattoos, though I doubted she could see much in the dark of night.
“If your life is that bad, then you can always start over. I swear, Emie, I’ll do all I can to help. I could find you a new job, a place to live…” Though I’d have to insist that she stay with me for the foreseeable future. “We’ll deal with whatever is in your past, and you don’t have to do any of this on your own.”
“I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me.” Her voice was laced with emotion, leaving me to wonder what sort of life she’d had before now.
“Someone would have to be a real ass not to help you, Em, especially in the condition you were in when you showed up at my front door. But…I don’t know. I feel like there’s more between us. Some sort of connection, even if we’ve only just met.” At least that was how I felt at the moment. And how could I not, when I had her naked in my arms and I had just come inside her moments earlier? Because being careless like that and not using a condom? That wasn’t something I ever did, under any circumstance.
Except that Emie really was different—and I meant it when I said that things felt different between us.
Her voice broke as she spoke, her hold on me tightening. “But you don’t even know me, Locke. You may not like me when you find out who I really am.”
Did that mean some of her memory was coming back to her, or was she assuming that, given her circumstances, she might have a few skeletons tucked away? Not that any of that mattered. All I could do was judge her based on the person who was before me, and what I knew of her. “Maybe I know enough—and I like you plenty. I don’t care about your past, love.”
“How can you say that? What if I turn out to be a horrible person?” She lifted her head up off my chest to look at me, though it was the tension in her voice that let me know just how upset and worried she was.
“Emie…I can’t imagine you’re a completely different person to who you are now. And frankly, I like you enough to give you the benefit of the doubt.” I didn’t know what the poor girl had been through to make her doubt even herself, but no matter what, I’d find a way to help her through this. “Get to sleep, love. I swear, things won’t look so dire in the morning.”
“I hope you’re right.”
I woke up to an empty bed and a jolt of panic, even as I told myself that Emie was likely just wandering about the house, letting me sleep in. Yet it was hard to push away her words last night, when she’d wanted to leave.
Getting up out of bed, I quickly threw on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, and headed toward the living room and kitchen, panicking just a little more when I found those rooms empty. But before my panic really took hold, I spotted her sitting in one of the Adirondacks, out on the deck in the freezing cold, with Bear by her side as he did his best to protect her from the elements.
What the fuck was she doing? She was going to catch her death. As early in the morning as it was, the temperature had to be in the thirties.
Without bothering to grab shoes or a jacket, I rushed out there, ignoring the brutal cold, as Bear barked, clearly relieved to see me. Luckily, she had on boots and a thick sweatshirt, but her lips were blue, and she’d clearly been out here for a while. I didn’t even want to think of the condition she’d be in if Bear hadn’t been there to help keep her warm. “Emie…you need to come inside.”
She wouldn’t even look at me. What the fuck had happened?
When I scooped her into my arms and brought her inside, she didn’t fight me, though her body felt stiff and frozen from the cold. I sat her down in front of the wood stove and got it cranking, before returning to take care of her. I grabbed a throw off the nearby sofa and draped it over her shoulders as I knelt in front of her, trying to warm her hands in mine. “What happened, Em? Talk to me, love.”
She spoke through chattering teeth, looking like death warmed over. “I have no one, Locke.”
“That’s not true, love. You have me.”