Emerson
“Both of you are detectives?”
I sit back quietly sipping my wine, allowing Gianna to interrogate both men. It is the perfect way for me to get to know Nic without actually having to be the one to ask the questions. We’ve been at Club Maroon for just shy of an hour, and from the moment we sat down at our table she kicked in with one after another.
“Nic is a detective with homicide, I work the Organized Crime Unit.” The other man who I now know as Spencer explains. “We were partners when we first joined the force, but after a while, we decided to go in different directions. We’ve been friends since high school, though."
“What is it you do?” I tense when I feel the brush of Nic’s fingertips over my shoulder. It wasn’t out of fear, not even close. It was more related to the attraction I felt for him. No matter how hard I attempted to contain it, it was boiling over, making me edgy and out of control.
“I work for my father,” I say and instantly hear the breathy tone in my voice. I lift my gaze to meet his, and he gives me that knowing grin I’ve seen him wear multiple times since I held up my paddle at the auction. This type of behavior isn’t me. I'm put together, I’m confident, and the daughter of a man who has hundreds of people working beneath him. I was the VP of Emerald, and the moment this man Nic offers me a smile, I fall apart at the seams. I’m like a sinking ship.
What the hell was wrong with me?
“She makes it sound like she’s a pencil pusher in a small office and answers phones.” I instantly shift my body to face Gianna and give her a pointed stare, only she chooses to ignore the warning in my eyes. “Her father is Hector Mansfield, CEO and founder of Emerald Hotels and Suites. She practically runs the corporation herself. Don’t let her fool you into believing she is anything less.”
I don’t look back to Nicholas, but I can feel his intense stare practically burning a hole in the side of my face.
“She’s a badass, but,” Gianna adds with a smirk, and I’m two-seconds from throwing my drink at her, “she hides behind her work and allows her father to direct her life. She needs tonight and many, many nights like this to follow.”
“Gia.” I grip my wine glass a little tighter.
She shrugs. “You’re the one that insisted we make this a group date. Are you now regretting my presence?”
I know what she’s doing. It’s her way of forcing me to put on my big girl panties and live a little.
“Come on Spence, let’s dance.” She winks at me before grabbing the guy’s hand and dragging him toward the dance floor. They quickly disappear into the crowd when I realize Nic still sits quietly at my side.
“I knew Mansfield sounded familiar.” I half expect to face Nic and find him wearing a somewhat dismissive look. It seems to be the most common reaction I get when men realize who my father is. Only Nic is leaning in a little closer, still wearing that grin of his. It’s almost mischievous, as if he had all kinds of guilty pleasures running through his mind.
My father is a complicated man, one who can get all the things he wants without hesitance. One thing he is sure of is that I will be married to a high-end executive one day, a man he single-handedly picks out and approves of. A man he can mold into his prodigy and in a sense, control. Nic didn’t fit the bill, not even a little bit. I can almost visualize the two of them going head to head in a battle of wills.
“Do I make you nervous, Emerson?”
I’m surprised by Nic’s question. Part of me wants to tell him yes, but I’ve been face to face with men like him before, the kind that thrives on holding power. So I go against every urge inside of me and square my shoulders instead. “No.”
He leans in closer and I can feel his breath fan out over my shoulder and neck. Chills cover my arms and legs yet I remain in the very same position. “I don’t believe you.”
I turn my head on instinct and have to pull back slightly to keep our lips from touching. “Believe what you want.” I inwardly cringe at the unsettled shakiness of my voice.
My eyes shift downward as his tongue rolls along his lower lip, and a massive part of me wants to taste his lips. “Maybe it’s more interest than nerves.” I look back up to find him watching me closely. “I think inside this quiet woman I see before me is a woman who knows what she wants. She’s just too scared to go after it.”
“I’m not scared,” I argue and narrow my eyes at him.
“Prove it,” he challenges me.
“I know what you’re doing.” I lean away from him, needing some space to clear the haze his closeness is causing. “This demanding forwardness you have going on. It may work for you often, but it’s not working now. I’m not that girl.”
“What girl?” Nic shows no signs of backing down and this only makes the nervous energy inside me multiply. I’m not used to this; who am I kidding? Most men I encounter bend over backward to do as I ask. They won’t dare challenge me without fear of consequences from my father. I hate it. I can’t stand the weakness of those men who are more fearful of my father than mindful of my own needs and desires.
“I’m not that girl that’s gonna fall at your feet and beg for your attention. I’m also not that girl that’s gonna fall for your cheap lines and demands.”
Nic holds my stare, a look of interest filling his eyes. “Is this your way of challenging me to prove you wrong?” Before I can stop myself, I smile and he once again closes the distance between us. “I’m not a bad guy, Emerson. I’m just a man that doesn’t scare easily.”
“Is that right?”
He nods his head and lifts his hand to cup my jaw. “Something tells me that you’re used to men backing away. Though you may attempt to deny it, I also sense that you’d prefer a man that is more persistent and eager. One that enjoys a good challenge.”
“Let me guess,” I whisper as I do something that surprises me. I lean in and brush my lips over his ever so softly before pulling back. “You’re the man that’s gonna give me all the things you feel I’ve denied myself.”
I arch my brow and wait for him to respond, only he doesn’t do so with words. Instead he slides the hand holding my cheek to the back of my neck and pulls me in close. Our lips are touching and he doesn’t kiss me as hungrily as I imagined he would. The kiss is soft and teasing with the gentle brush of his tongue over mine, the simple tug as he sucks softly. I swear I feel that kiss through every single fiber of my body.
“I’m gonna give it all I got,” he whispers, and I lift my hand to place against his chest, feeling it flex beneath my palm. He tastes so much better than I’d imagined. A hint of the beer he’s been drinking mixes with the sweetness of my wine. The tickle of his facial hair was something I’ve never before found so appealing.
The men I’ve dated were so prim and proper, so dull. They were nothing like Nic. He is dangerous in the best possible way and never before have I thought something like that would excite me the way it does. I’ve been programmed, it seems, to feel as if the only man who suits me is one my father approves of. I know without a doubt that Nic wouldn’t pass Hector Mansfield’s test. That should have me pushing him away and denying him the chance to go any further. It should have me ending this right here and right now, only I can’t. The idea of doing something my father would disapprove of suddenly becomes very addictive. The letting go and giving in to a desire so sincere and so powerful rushes through me in one big powerful wave.
“Dance with me,” Nic whispers as he pulls back to rest his forehead to mine, the two of us taking in one slow deep breath after another. I nod, suddenly wondering if I’ll even be able to stand on my now wobbling legs.
He takes my hand in his and stands, waiting for me to join him. As he leads me toward the dance floor with his hand resting on my lower back, I concentrate on reining in my desire, those feelings that have somehow in the last ten minutes overtaken every rational thought in my mind.
Suddenly I'm spun around, my body now securely pressed to his as he holds me close. I can feel every flex of his arms, the ripple of his chest, the firm grip he holds on my hip and waist. His lips skim over my temple and I take a few minutes to attempt to calm myself before I look up at him.
He has to be close to a foot taller than me and his size is massive. He is so built, so damn dominant. Nic is all man. He makes me feel so protected in his embrace. I didn’t even flinch when the hand that was on my waist slid lower and rested at the flare of my hips. Instead, I find my insides battling with my inner vixen, which is begging for him to go even lower.
“You feel good in my arms.” I look up into his eyes and know at that point, I’ve given him just what he was hoping for. His mouth finds mine once more only this time his kiss is hungrier. A deep groan escapes him when I slip my hand around the back of his neck to tug him closer.
Here we are on the dance floor, surrounded by so many people, yet I don’t care. For the first time in my life, I don’t think of who may be watching or what my father may think. Instead, I choose to feel. I decide to give in to what my body is demanding. Nothing has ever felt this exhilarating before in my life.