Roarke’s brow furrowed. “What do you have to say, Lainie?”
She swept her tongue over her lips. God, he hadn’t even hesitated. He knew how she felt, and he wasn’t turning away from her. That realization made her heart soar.
Tears filled her eyes. “I love you, Roarke Logan. I’ve loved you the past six years. I loved you that Christmas Eve. I loved you before, when?—”
His lips came down on hers, so soft and smooth. She melted into him, gripping his neck for support. The hard lines of his sleek muscles made her insides turn to mush.
He brought his other hand to her back, wrapping her closer. Heat emanated from his bare chest, making her cheeks tingle.
Emmy’s silly chatter with Viper shook her back to reality. She peeled her lips off Roarke’s and let her cheek fall to his sternum. “I don’t know how this will work,” she said with a groan.
“That’s for me to worry about, honey. Just know that itwillwork—we’ll make it.”
Fierce devotion took hold in her gut. He was right. The details didn’t matter. Not right now. “I do know,” she whispered.
“Good. Let’s get you two warm and the fuck out of here.” He squeezed into the back of the SUV, then tossed Viper the keys. The guys quickly decided that Wraith would wait for the police while the rest of them went to a hotel.
In minutes, they were on the road. Emmy was curled up on one side of her, and Roarke sat on the other.
She’d never been more certain about her life than she was right now.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Emmy sat on Roarke’s lap stringing bright pink putty between her fingers. Wraith had found it in some vending machine at the hospital. It was a miracle the sticky goo hadn’t yet ended up on his clothes, but she was content.
Laine leaned against him, her head on his shoulder and her hand looped around his elbow. The last several hours had been a whirlwind. He’d taken Laine and Emmy to a hotel, the police had stopped by for a statement, then the two of them had crashed while he paced, waiting for news about Striker.
Although he’d wanted to be at the hospital with his friend, he hadn’t been able to leave Emmy and Laine again. Not even with his team. The idea of leaving them for even five minutes was too much for him to handle.
Laine and Emmy had slept for a few hours, then they’d headed to the hospital, grabbing lunch on the way.
Now, they were tucked in a corner of the waiting room. Viper and Wraith sat nearby. Everyone was too quiet.
“Wanna try?” Emmy asked, stretching out the sickening putty. A blob finally landed on his knee.
Roarke flicked his gaze to Wraith, who wore a devilish grin. What kind of asshole got a kid slime in a public place? That shit should be banned, along with glitter.
“No thanks, kiddo.”
She shifted so her head rested against his chest and continued to toy with the mess. Choosing not to leave them had been the right decision. Since the moment Emmy woke from her nap, she’d been glued to his side.
He couldn’t fathom why. He’d just killed her father. Maybe Emmy understood he’d had no choice, or at least felt safe. He was grateful as hell she hadn’t seen the bullet enter Cameron’s head. He’d have fired sooner if he hadn’t been so worried about Emmy witnessing everything and being traumatized for life.
But the second he’d pulled the trigger and Cameron had gone down, Emmy had run for her mother. She hadn’t even looked over her shoulder. He and the guys had positioned themselves strategically, to protect Emmy from seeing the gruesome image.
He just hoped they’d succeeded.
Laine had been quiet. Part of him worried she was in shock and maybe needed to be medically examined, but she’d refused. The other part was caught up in a mind-fuck about whether he’d scared her by telling her he loved her.
Shouldn’t have come as a surprise, though. He’d move heaven and earth for these tired beauties draped over him.
A woman with long blond hair approached their group—Paige. Wraith and Viper stood.
Paige’s usually vibrant eyes were red rimmed and watery. Roarke’s stomach lurched. He got to his feet, swooping Emmy against his side despite the damn slime.
“Is he all right?” he asked. Anxiety pinched his chest. It felt almost selfish to be unscathed while Striker was fighting for his life.
