Chapter Nineteen
Tori stretched out in the front seat of her 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. In a perfect world she'd be looking out at the stars above Miami, but her life was a shit storm. Instead, she ignored the roof of the warehouse above her and brainstormed how she'd restore the Bel Air. The car needed a lot of work and she wasn't flush with cash to get the job done yet, so here it sat. At the Shop, in a far corner behind a couple unmarked vehicles they used from time to time. The engine couldn't even turn over, but that didn't stop her from visiting it and sitting behind the wheel from time to time.
She needed space from the others, and this was the best she could do. Except she didn't really want to be alone. There was only one person who could soothe the rawness, who grounded her. But he was probably passed out in the bunk room or talking security with the guys.
This was stupid. She should have waited for him. Made it obvious. A few days ago, he hadn't realized she was into him. More than into him. Her chest ached, as if there was too much emotion knotted up inside of her, stretching her ribs to accommodate this new feeling. Why should his oblivious nature change in a few days? But maybe he wasn't oblivious. She hadn't realized he liked her, too. Maybe it was willful ignorance, or they'd each been too circumspect.
She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.
Love sucked sometimes.
She loved Emery.
And tonight she could have lost him instead of Kathy.
She toyed with the necklace at her throat and opened her eyes, too restless to try to sleep yet.
Movement at the front of the Bel Air caught her eye. A dark figure stepped into view at the front of the car and stopped. The light was behind him, but she knew those shoulders, his shape. She blew out her breath and waited. The moments dragged on, and she swore she could feel his gaze all over her body. She was exhausted, and yet too amped up to sleep.
Emery stepped between the Bel Air and a white van. He opened the passenger door and leaned in. His shirt was different and she could smell soap. So that's where he'd been. Cleaning up. They didn't call him the Walking Brain for nothing.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” God, her stomach did that flip-flopping thing she hated. They'd had sex, maybe even made love, they'd agreed to see where this attraction went, and yetâwith the crew coming back together, could they do it? Would things change? She loved him, but was it the same for him? “Want to join me?”
“Sure.”
She sat up, putting her back against the driver's door and drawing her legs up to make room for him. She curled her toes against the leather, nerves rattling her. He settled into the passenger side and twisted around to get a look at the car.
“This yours?” he asked.
“Yeah. It needs a lot of work, but the frame and engine are still good.”
“Seat's comfortable.”
She chuckled. “That's because the guy who owned it before me replaced the seats. He started to restore it but couldn't afford it.”
The seats weren't vintage, but the gray-and-black-flecked leather was luxurious and comfortable. Way more cushioned than the cots in the bunk room. Emery put his hand on her knee and slid it up and down her thigh. It was a casual gesture, except things between them were far from casual. Fissures of heat went through her body and her breasts felt heavy.
Neither spoke, and for the first time in ages, she didn't sense the need to fill the silence. She covered Emery's hand with hers, lacing their fingers together, and squeezed. He turned his head and stared at her. Another man might give her comforting words, tell her everything was going to be okay, but not Emery. He'd been honest with her even when the truth made her bolt. The difference was, he'd have her back.
Bolting hadn't solved her problems. It had made them worse. Maybe in the past running was the answer, because Roni was all she'd had. Now, the crew had her back. She should have called CJ, talked to him herself when the shit hit the fan. If she had, would they still be in this position? Perhaps, but it might have had a different outcome.
Her arms broke out in goose bumps. The air was cool, almost chilly with the rain setting in.
Screw this.
She crawled across the bench seat and sat in Emery's lap. He didn't protest the action or miss a beat. His arms wrapped around hers and he shifted, settling her more comfortably until she could lay her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and soaked him in.
“Things will get worse before they get better.” He pressed a kiss to her brow and stroked her back.
“Yeah.”
“The FBI might try to put pressure on you.”
“Waitâwhat?” She lifted her head and stared at Emery. There was just enough light for her to make out the shape of his face. She lifted her hand and trailed her fingers down his cheek, feeling the thought lines around his mouth.
“The FBI doesn't have a policy about interdepartmental relationships. That's how Kathy and CJ could be married. But it doesn't mean they like it.”
“They'll try to make me go away.”
“Maybe. I don't know.”
There were a lot of ways the FBI could leverage the safety they'd provided for her and Roni. Being with her could hinder Emery's future, his career. She wasn't a bad person, but life and necessity had forced her to make some choices that crossed the line.
“Emery, I don't want you to make sacrifices for me.” He'd already had a rough go of it. She wouldn't stand between him and a better life.
“It's a job, Tori. A job I like. A job I'm good at. But this isn't my life. I'll be okay. But they might try to bully you, and if it should come down to it, and you want to go back to how things were, I'dâ”
“Please do not say
I'll understand
.”
They stared at each other. He had a lot to lose. A reputable career that meant something, showing his worthless family just how great he really was. Of course, right now with the way they'd spun things, Emery looked like a money launderer, so probably not as great in the eyes of the public.
“I would. I'd understand. If they threatened you or Roni, I'd get it.”
“Has something happened? Do they know already?”
“No.”
“Then why are we creating problems? Don't we already have enough crap to handle?”
“I want to be prepared.”
“That's great, but right now I don't want to think about it all. It's been a shitty night.” She was done crying and being angry, if only for a little bit.
He nodded and pulled her closer, until her breasts pressed against his chest. She slid her arms around his neck. Thank goodness the real Emery was nothing like what she'd made up. She'd have walked all over that man. This one? Well, he'd already proven he could put her on her ass and walk next to her into trouble. What more could she ask for?
She tilted her head to the right a bit and he mimicked the movement. At least they were on the same page. She pressed her mouth to his in a chaste kiss, simply wanting to savor this connection between them. There'd been a lot of men in her life, and very few had ever put her needs above theirs. Emery had not only endangered his career for her, he was ready to stand up to the agency for what he wanted. If that wasn't the foundation for love, for something better, she didn't know what was.
Emery's mouth softened and he licked her lower lip. His right hand slid down to her ass and squeezed, forcing her to rock into him.
There was a much better way to do this.
Tori grabbed the back of the seat, ducked her head and straddled Emery's lap.
Who needed sleep?
He cupped the back of her head and pulled her down for a toe-curling kiss. His tongue tangled with hers. She wanted to get closer, under the skin, until nothing separated them. He sucked her lower lip, gently biting down before releasing her. The rain redoubled, drowning out the sound of their breathing.
She could tell him now. He'd never hear it. But Emery would want to know what she'd said. Unless he could read lips. She wouldn't put it past him.
His hands smoothed over her hips and cupped her bottom. He pulled her closer. She gasped and flattened her palm against the roof of the car as pleasure cascaded through her. She rolled her hips, rubbing against him. It was too dark to make out his expression in detail, but she could imagine it: Emery's face tightening, his features becoming sharper. His cheeks sinking in and his lips thinning. He had this ferocious look when he was aroused. If she didn't know him, it might scare her.
He made that growling noise in the back of his throat again and yanked her forward. His mouth grazed her neck, then he started kissing down her throat. She arched her back. Her nipples tightened, sending a jolt of awareness to her pussy.
Tori smacked her head against the top of the car, not too hard, but the impact and thud surprised her. Emery cupped her skull, his passionate exploration of her chest forgotten.
“I'm okay, I'm okay.” Heat crawled up her chest.
Great. Awesome move there
.
Her voice was barely audible above the din.
Emery gently pressed at the spot, urging her to bend her head.
“I'm fine.” Just horny.
He kissed the spot and she chuckled. She stole a glance at him and an invisible hand gripped her throat. God, he was handsome when he smiled.
Tori pushed his shoulder and shifted her body. He went with it, stretching out along the seat. It wasn't long enough for him and he wound up with his knees raised, but that could work for her. It wasn't dark enough that she missed his smile. Despite all the crazy shit going on in their lives, they'd found each other. She bent and kissed him, pouring everything she couldn't say into the kiss, praying he'd figure it out for now. If things ever settled down, if they made it through this, she could find a way to tell him. But not until she knew he'd be okay. That he wouldn't lose everything he'd worked for because of her. He mattered to her that much.
His hands pushed up under her shirt. He hooked his thumbs in the bottom of her sports bra and pulled it up under her armpits and freed her breasts. She sucked in a breath. His rough fingertips rubbed her tight nipples. He grasped the tight peaks and pulled. She hissed and bent lower, until his mouth was next to her ear.
He spoke, but his words were covered up by the storm. She tilted her head closer, but his voice was pitched too low to hear. If he was trying to be bossy, well, too bad. There were things she hadn't done yet that she wanted to do. And where better to do them than the front seat of her Bel Air?
Tori wiggled out of his grasp and knelt on the floorboard. She grabbed the waistband of his jeans and slipped the button through the hole. They had a finite amount of time together before the inevitable crashed into them, and if it was she who died today, she wanted to know she had taken every possible opportunity to love Emery.
She lowered the zipper, her brows rising when she didn't encounter underwear. Well, that was one less thing to worry about. He propped himself up on his elbows and lifted his hips and she tugged his jeans down around his knees. She wanted to get all kinds of naked with him, but the facts of their life remained the same. They needed to be ready for anything at a moment's notice. So she'd leave his jeans around his knees and her shirt on. Besides, she didn't want to show her tits to anyone other than him.
His cock jutted up from the dark patch of hair. She hadn't had an opportunity to really take him in before. Their first time was too fast, the second was born of need. Now, she wanted him, but not like the other times. Not in a frenzy of desire.
She wrapped one hand around the base of his erection and stroked his length. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his head drop back against the door. Her focus remained on his cock, the way the tip glistened with a drop of moisture, the thick vein she didn't need light to trace. Being with him was different. He wasn't selfish; it wasn't about getting him off and shuffling off to the bathroom to finish herself off. Even when they'd fucked that first time, he'd shown more concern for her pleasure than his own.
Emery was not a selfish man. She was growing to learn that, from the way he talked about his history to the way he spoke about the futureâit wasn't about him. It was the crew, or her, or his familyânever himself. She wanted to be the woman who cared for him. Who saw to his pleasure, his well-being, and his happiness.
Tori leaned forward and licked the moisture seeping from the slit. The salty flavor went down smooth and his sharp intake of breath sliced through the noise from the rain.
Oh, she was going to enjoy this.
She stroked his cock from the base up as she kissed the crown, flicking her tongue over the sensitive cap. She sucked lightly, then she continued her investigation, tracing the underside of the mushroom head. His hips lifted a little, pushing his length farther into her mouth. He seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped. She cupped his balls, rolling them in her palm, and lowered her head, taking more of him in her mouth. She rubbed the flat of her tongue against him while she pumped the base with her other hand.
His fingers grazed the top of her head before sliding down over her cheek. She opened her mouth, taking as much of him in as she could. His hips bucked and he uttered a curse she couldn't make out. She chuckled around his girth while she lifted her head and eased back down, concentrating on relaxing her jaw muscles.
He planted a hand on the window above his head and a foot on the passenger door. There was a steady stream of words. Curses? Dirty talk maybe? What she wouldn't give to hear buttoned-up Emery say something so out of character. Did he like her mouth? Her tongue? His enjoyment only got her more into the act. Just watching him, feeling the way his body reacted, turned her on. With every pass up and down his cock, her breasts rubbed his thigh. It wasn't much, but in her aroused state she'd take what she could get. Now if only she had another hand to rub her throbbing clit.