“Hands off, Royce. She’s mine.” The rumbling noise coming from Emery made Sophie’s pulse skitter wildly and her body hum.
“We could share…she could handle two at once. She’s a strong little thing, just made for a double fu—”
In an instant her lungs were searing and she had to remind herself to breathe. “Share?” Sophie cringed at the squeak in her voice.
“Hmm, yes. I’d take you from behind, Emery from the front, in and out, again and again, harder and harder…Twois so much better than one.” Royce still held her hand, and he punctuated his words with slow, pressured rubs against her palm.
Sophie’s ears started ringing; her chest tightened. She couldn’t think…two men…two…Was that even possible? She knew logically a big bed could hold three people, but was a woman capable of withstanding that much…passion? A secret dark part of her entertained the idea, briefly, hungrily, but she shut it back down.
Emery’s voice cut through the tide of arousal before it could overwhelm her. “Normally I’d be tempted, Royce. But I find myself more possessive over my little journalist than other women.”
Royce jerked back from her as though she were a poisonous viper. “Journalist? Emery, you knowingly brought a reporter to your home?”
His words sounded like an accusation, as though she’d committed a crime just by being here. Irritation at his assumption that she’d hurt Emery prickled uncomfortably beneath her skin like tiny little sparks of electricity.
“She’s fine. For now. I’m having Cody run an extensive background check on her. Hans is getting her luggage and searching it for bugs. She’ll be moving in here until I’m through with her.”
Through with her?Sophie didn’t like the sound of that. Like he could just toss her aside when he was tired of her. She had to leave, but her mouth started to water as the aroma of bacon drifted beneath her nose. She’d leave just as soon as she had some of that bacon.
Royce turned his attention back to her and Emery resumed cooking. Royce wrapped his fingers around her arm, squeezing.
“Hurt him, betray him, do anything that upsets him…”
“You’ll kill me?” she prompted sarcastically.
“I don’t hurt women unless they ask for it, and even then it’s about pleasure. But if you hurt Emery,I’ll destroy you.You’ll never write another article again; you’ll be a pariah even in your hometown.”
She wasn’t the sort of person to betray anyone and she didn’t like being accused of something she hadn’t done yet, or ever planned to do. When she wrote her articles she told the truth; she even warned her interviewees of that before proceeding. But she never ever betrayed anyone.
Emery finished preparing breakfast, or dinner, and Royce kept up a conversation, but Sophie didn’t feel like talking. Her stomach knotted and twisted. She had to force herself to eat the eggs, bacon, and toast. The man could cook. No question, the taste of it was beyond words. But even the fantastic, melt-in-your-mouth food couldn’t erase the unease creeping along her skin.
She’d always been logical in her decisions, but this plan to get Emery’s story was rash. Too rash. Now she’d gotten all tangled up in a mess. He’d hired someone to research her? The thought made her shiver and not in a good way. She should have expected him to dig into her background but she’d been so focused on him and finding out who’d kidnapped him, that she’d lost perspective. Now she might lose her chance to warn him, to protect him from what she was convinced would happen again, all because he’d dig into her past and find out about Rachel. He wouldn’t understand. Hell, he might even blame her for what had happened to her friend. With a deep breath, she tried to feign a sense of calm.
“Who’s Cody?” she finally asked.
“She speaks at last,” Royce taunted, but his tone was playful, no hint of malice.
Ignoring Royce, she continued to look at Emery. “So who is this guy digging into my life?” She pushed her plate away and settled her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on the counter.
Emery eased back on his stool across from her, his eyes flitting to the kitchen door and back again. The movement of his gaze was constant; nearly every thirty seconds he scanned the room as if he might come under attack at any moment, but he seemed unaware of the habit, as though he did it so often it had become second nature.
What have you been through, Emery?
“Cody is my technological assistant at the house. He has rooms here and helps me run Lockwood Industries. He also supervises my personal security system, among other things. He’s a kid, only twenty-four, but he’s brilliant.” Genuine warmth filled his tone, and Sophie’s tension eased slightly.
“Twenty-four? He’s my age. I’m not a kid.”
Emery raked her body with his gaze and so did Royce.
“No, you certainly aren’t. I will promise to prove that to you over and over again.” The confidence in his voice made Sophie shiver. She knew if she stayed, he would do exactly as he promised.
Royce cleared his throat. “Again, I’d like to throw my hat into the ring for a ménage.”
Emery picked up a dishtowel and without taking his eyes off Sophie, chucked it at Royce’s face.
“So possessive,” Roycetsked and lobbed the towel back at Emery.
“Yep.” He didn’t even bother to argue. “This is one woman I refuse to share, even with you.”
