Dirty Little Promise (Forbidden Desires #2)

After a few days, I was sure my hovering was starting to annoy her, but most of the time, I thought she found it endearing. Which was good. All I needed her to know was that I was going to take care of her.

Always, if she’d let me.

“I’m going to get bed sores if you don’t let me start doing things myself,” she said on the fourth day of my doting on her.

She probably had a point. I hadn’t let her out of my sight.

“Baby, you’d still look cute with bed sores.”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to let me take a bath on my own, or—”

“I’m going to carry you up the stairs and put you in the bath,” I said.

“Of course you are,” she mumbled, her tone sarcastic.

Not wanting to listen to the rest of her protests, I went upstairs and drew her bath, making sure there were plenty of bath salts and bubbles, before heading downstairs and scooping her into my arms. By this point, she knew better than to argue, and when we reached the bathroom and she stripped down to nothing, I helped her into the tub and lathered a loofah while she breathed in the lavender bath oil.

“Let me do that. You go downstairs and take a break. I’ll call for you when I need help getting out.”

“Emma—”

“Gavin,” she said. “Really. Trust me to do this one thing myself. I’m giving myself two days to sulk and be afraid, and then I’m going back to work and getting on with my life. So, I’ve got to start somewhere.”

Only the certainty of her tone made me hand over the loofah to her outstretched hand.

“You promise you’ll call when you need help getting out?”

“Fine,” she said. “Now, go relax for a while.”

I straightened the sheets on Emma’s bed, but no sooner had I finished fluffing her pillows than the doorbell rang.

I frowned and headed down the stairs. In all the days I’d been here, only Bethany had come to visit. For all I knew, this could have been Emma’s attempted murderer, coming to make sure the job got done right this time.

As I strode toward the door with my fists clenched, I almost hoped for it. I was fairly certain I could kill the motherfucker with my bare hands.

I peeked through the peephole and then twisted the knob to find both my brothers waiting for me on the stoop.

“What’s wrong? I’m off work for the week, I told you,” I said as they stepped past me into the foyer.

“We know,” Quinn said. “But you also haven’t been answering your phone, and we need to talk to you.”

This, strictly speaking, wasn’t true. I’d been answering my phone . . . for everyone but my brothers. I just didn’t want to deal with work yet, not until I was sure Emma was safe and better.

“Okay,” I said. “What’s going on?”

“I’m leaving,” Cooper said bluntly.

I blinked, my mind reeling. “The company?”

“The state. I need some space, and I think this is the best move for all of us. I’m going to open a new branch of the business in a new city and get myself a fresh start.” His gaze was shuttered, and my gut churned at his icy expression.

I turned my attention to Quinn. “And what do you have to say about this?”

“I’m torn. This family feels broken now, and things don’t seem to be getting better. But from a business perspective, it would be the right time to purchase new real estate.”

I nodded and glanced at Cooper. “When will you go?”

“When we know for sure that Emma is all right and out of danger, I guess. For now, I’m trying to figure that out.”

I knew I should argue, maybe even apologize for blaming him. But it was all too raw, and I couldn’t seem to push the words past my throat. “Right.”

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Emma’s voice echoed down the stairs, and my brothers looked at me with understanding, sad eyes.

“Well, you’re needed here. We’ll discuss more details when you’re back,” Quinn said.

“Okay.”

Cooper said nothing. Instead, he turned and headed back down the steps with Quinn trailing behind him.

When they were gone, I locked the door and called back to Emma, “Coming,” as I trekked up the stairs. I reached the bathroom and she glanced at me, but as soon as her gaze met mine, the soft smile on her lips died away.

“What’s wrong? Who was at the door?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I assured her with a fixed smile. “It was the guys. Just some business stuff, but it’s nothing that we need to worry about. I’m only thinking about you right now. Tell me what you need, pet.”

Her blue eyes darkened as she looked me up and down. “I need you to join me.”

“In the tub?” I laughed. “No way.”

“Then out of the tub. On the floor. On the counter.” She looked me over again, a slightly desperate edge to her chuckle. “Anywhere. I don’t want to feel like an invalid anymore. I want to touch you and—”

I bit back a groan as my cock instantly swelled at the thought. It had been almost a week since we’d touched like that, and I could still feel the heat of her around me.

I shoved back the thought and shook my head. “You’re in no state for something like that.”

She pouted, lifting a hand toward me. “Gavin, please? I need you.”

Her voice was so raw with need that my cock grew thick and achy, but I forced myself to remain strong.

“Not until you’re better.”

“Fine, then. Can you help me dry off, at least?”

She rose a brow in challenge, but I ignored it as I rolled up my sleeves and lifted her from the tub. Once she was standing on her feet again, I handed her a towel, but she shook her head.

“I want you to do it.”

“Emma . . .”

“What? I thought you wanted to do everything for me. Please?”

When she raised her eyebrows, I let out an exasperated sigh. She was determined to get her way, and it was beyond me to not let her have it. I would have given her anything just then—she was dewy and pink from the heat of her bath.

Bending low, I brushed the towel along her ankles and feet, then higher, up her creamy thighs. As I wiped the droplets from her skin, she spread her legs a fraction for me, offering me a better view of her, and I clenched my jaw as I moved to the next leg.

“I know what you’re doing,” I said, my chest tight.

“Getting dry?” she said in her most innocent voice.

I sucked in a steadying breath and grunted. “Don’t toy with me.”

“I would never.” Her lips twitched with a smirk.

“Emma, I don’t want to hurt you. Your ribs . . .” But then I was moving up to her stomach, sliding the towel over the white plane of her skin and watching as her nipples stiffened at my touch.

I swallowed hard, then moved to dry her perfect, round breasts. It took all my internal fortitude not to stop right then and drop my mouth to those silky pink tips and suck them hard so I could feel them grow stiff in my mouth.

“I want you,” she whispered. “And I can see you want me too.”

“You’re not in shape to be jostled around like that, Emma.”

“Then let’s not do that. We can do other things.” She moved to get on her knees, but I held out a hand to stop her.

“No. No fucking way. If we’re doing this, then tonight is about you.”

Slowly, I interlaced her fingers with mine and led her into the bedroom.