Nodding, I can’t speak for a second with the swell of emotion building inside me. They’ve got my back. I want to believe him. I need to believe him. I trust them to do everything they can.
“The other women too,” I remind him, even though it’s tempting to be selfish and focus solely on Emma. “There will be others at that auction. We can’t leave them behind.”
I’d never forgive myself if any of them ended up in the clutches of a man like Ashworth.
“We won’t.” Beau moves to stand beside Chase, looking more serious than I’ve ever seen him. “Be careful.”
I nod, feeling some of the tension in my chest ease. This is why I came to Chase. This is why I trust him with my life, and now, with Emma’s.
“Congratulations, by the way,” Chase adds, his mouth quirking into a half-smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Finding your mate. It’s... it’s a big deal.” He laughs. “Natalie is going to lose her shit when she finds out. Be prepared for one hell of a welcome home party.”
Chase is going to have a hard time keeping Natalie away from this operation once she finds out who Emma is to me. But that’s his problem to solve.
“Yeah.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I need to get back.”
Something twists in my chest. Not pain, exactly. A pull. Like a string is being tugged, drawing me back toward the city, toward the mansion. Toward Emma.
“Now. I have to go now.” I’m already moving toward the car, my heart hammering.
“What’s wrong?” Beau calls after me.
“I don’t know. Something.” I wrench open the car door, then pause, forcing myself to think. She’s fine. She has to be fine. But the bond is pulling at me, insistent. I need to see her.
“Go,” Chase says. “We’ve got this handled. Keep us updated.”
I nod, sliding into the driver’s seat. Before I start the engine, I pull out my phone. Just a quick check.
The feed loads.
Emma is on the bed. The silk robe I watched her put on yesterday is slipping off one shoulder, and she’s looking directly at the camera with a slow, knowing smile playing on her full lips.
“I hope you’re watching,” she murmurs.
My bear goes absolutely still.
Then she starts talking. Telling me, telling the camera, what she’s been thinking about all morning. What she felt last night. What she wishes I’d done. Her voice is low and honeyed, and her fingers are tracing patterns on her collarbone, drifting lower with every word.
I can’t breathe.
She’s not in danger. She’s putting on a show.
“Bodhi?” Beau’s voice comes from somewhere outside the car. “You good?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. Because Emma’s hand has just disappeared beneath the covers, and she’s telling me exactly what she’s imagining.
Beau peers through the window, frowning. “What? Is she okay?”
I angle the phone away from him. “She’s fine.”
The engine roars to life.
I’m going to show her why teasing me is a bad idea. Right after I finish what she started.
20
EMMA
“The way you growled when I bit you.” I smile at the ceiling, my hand moving slowly beneath the covers. “I’ve never heard a sound like that. Like I broke something loose inside you.”
