Page 46 of Wrecked With You

Chapter Sixteen

As far as Tony was concerned, this was one of the craziest missions he’d ever been on. But it was all worth it to have Emma in his arms, that sassy mouth on his, and her body pressed close.

With a low moan, he deepened the kiss, pulling her down until they were prone on the lounge chair. She made a soft noise of protest, then broke the kiss, propping herself up on an elbow to look at him.

One lock of hair escaped from where she’d tucked it behind her ear, and the strands brushed his cheek as she said, “We can’t now. We need to get going.”

“Oh, I think we can.” He grinned, then flipped them over, making her squeal as she landed flat on the cushion with him straddling her. Now her hair was splayed out, and in the twinkling lights that decorated the patio, she looked like an angel. His angel, he thought, and instead of corny, that silly and sentimental thought seemed sweet. And true.

“Tony…”

Her voice held an admonishment, but her hands—which were skimming lightly down his back to cup his ass—told a different story.

“She’s asleep. No harm in letting her get in a few more minutes.”

“Sounds like a justification to me.”

“I’ll justify most anything to be with you.”

She laughed. “Nice line, but not true. You wouldn’t sacrifice our chance to get in that vault, and you wouldn’t sacrifice her safety.”

All true. God, she already knew him so well. “I wouldn’t sacrifice you, either,” he added.

“Not an issue. I can take care of myself.”

“You definitely can.” He shifted his weight so that he could use one hand to trail lightly over her body, then focused on teasing her breast through the thin material of her shirt. “Right now, though, I want to take care of you.”

“I like that plan,” she whispered, and he could tell she meant it from the way her pulse had kicked up and the small sounds of pleasure she made as he lightly stroked her.

He moved forward, gently brushing his lips over hers, then easing down to taste the curve of her jaw before moving lower still.

“Wait.” The word was soft, barely a whisper, but it sent a cold rush of fear running through him. Not because she wanted to stop, but because he wanted to continue so badly. Wanted her so badly. And though she’d just told him that she wanted him, too, he still couldn’t quite believe it.

He said nothing, but he felt more vulnerable than he could ever remember. Even back when he was a kid at his father’s mercy. Or later on a mission, trapped in a corner with some asshole’s gun aimed at his head.

He’d survived then. He wasn’t sure if he’d survive now if she backed off of her earlier words and told him this was just an island fling. That there wasn’t anything real between them. Nothing worth exploring, even if just to see if they’d stick.

“I’m not…” she began, and he felt a cold, hard hand tighten around his heart.

She cleared her throat and started over. “I’m not sure how to do this. How to make this work. You and me, I mean.”

Her eyes were wide and earnest, and she looked soft and innocent and completely trusting. And that’s when he knew that they had a shot. Because there was no trace of the badass woman who could break his neck if she wanted to. She was showing him her weak side, and for a woman like Emma, that said a hell of a lot more than words.

He held her gaze and heard the hint of suppressed joy in his voice as he said simply, “Nothing to it. It’s just me being me, and you being you. And us taking it one day at a time together.”

“I like that.” She drew in a breath, her brow furrowing. “Listen, I was seeing someone before.”

He shoved down the flash of jealousy. “Do I need to worry about getting my ass kicked when we get back?”

Her hands on his ass gave him a little squeeze. “No. No, we broke up about three months ago. It was only casual, anyway. More like friends with benefits.” She frowned again. “Well, I thought it was. She wanted more.”

He nodded, but said nothing. He could see that she had more to say, and he hoped she wasn’t afraid that he’d be freaked by the fact that she’d dated a woman. He didn’t care who she was with before, so long as when they were together she was with him alone.

“I just…” She trailed off, then drew in breath. “I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud. Shit.” Another deep breath then she blurted, “It’s only that this time—with you—I’m a little bit afraid that I’ll be the one who wants more.”

Glorious relief swelled in his chest. “Sweetheart, you don’t have anything to worry about there.”

“You’ve gotten under my skin,” she said. “You’re in my head.”