and that made Jeremy worth more to her than a simple hookup. Which was exactly why she couldn’t drag him into this business with Cesar.
“So, I’ve got some time off. Preseason doesn’t start for another three weeks and my press tour was pushed back until next Friday. You wanna bounce and hang out at my place in Malibu for a while?”
Emma loved the beach and Jeremy’s suggestion was exactly what she needed right now. Too bad she couldn’t take him up on his offer. “I can’t. With the investigation going on, it would look suspicious if I left. I need to play it cool for a while so the Marshals office will back off.”
“I guess it would look sorta bad. But damn, Em, I wish they’d lay off. It’s not like you know anything.”
“Yeah.” Emma let the conversation die, unwilling to lie to Jeremy outright. And if anyone wished the marshals would lay off, it was her, except . . . if they did, it would mean that McCabe would go back to wherever he came from. After what had happened between them tonight, Emma wasn’t sure that was what she wanted. Sure, she’d kissed him to shut him up and to keep him from asking too many questions she couldn’t answer. But she’d never expected him to respond so enthusiastically. In fact, she’d expected nothing more than a cool rebuff from the hotshot deputy. Instead, what he’d given her had left Emma breathless and craving more. Damn you, McCabe .
She was so wrapped up in reliving tonight’s escapades, she didn’t even notice when Jeremy pulled into the underground parking garage of her building. As if she were waking up from the best dream ever, her mind and body conspired together to keep her in a relaxed state. Sweet Lord, the way McCabe’s fingers had felt against the bare skin of her ass had been nothing short of bliss. And she shuddered as she recalled the hard length of his erection pressing up against her as she straddled his hip.
“Do you want me to walk you up?”
But then, McCabe had simply pulled away without any explanation. His once-fiery demeanor replaced with something cold and indecipherable. A heavy lump of disappointment settled in Emma’s stomach as she remembered his commanding words. How his handsome face had hardened and made her feel so ashamed for throwing herself at him the way she had.
“Oh, God.”
Her embarrassed groan was answered by Jeremy’s large hand covering her own. He squeezed gently and his deep brown eyes were wide with concern. “What is it, Em?”
Oh, nothing much at all. I acted like a sex-deprived slut and jumped a federal cop on the roof tonight. My mother would be so proud if she were alive to see it . “Nothing, I’m just tired. I don’t need you to walk me up, I’ll be fine.”
He smiled. “You sure?”
Emma nodded. No need to admit that she didn’t think she’d ever be fine again.
“How ’bout we grab lunch next week? McCormick & Schmick’s?”
That ought to be fun with Cesar and the Marshals tracking her every move. “Sure. Sounds like a plan.”
“I’m holding you to it,” Jeremy said with a wink. “Night, Em.”
He held out his fist and she bumped his knuckles with her own. “Night.”
Emma focused on the soft purr of the engine as Jeremy pulled out of the garage. She headed for the elevators, each step carefully placed. She counted them off in her mind— one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four —in an effort to center her thoughts and draw her focus from her current worries. And they were many. Too damned many for a woman her age, yet she was in too deep to do anything about it now.
Emma was the classic overthinker. For as long as she could remember, she obsessed, overanalyzed, turned things over again and again in her mind. And that obsessive brain of hers had caused her countless sleepless nights and not a few anxiety attacks when she was young. It took concentrated focus to redirect her thoughts. That’s why she counted her steps. If she didn’t preoccupy her brain with
“So, I’ve got some time off. Preseason doesn’t start for another three weeks and my press tour was pushed back until next Friday. You wanna bounce and hang out at my place in Malibu for a while?”
Emma loved the beach and Jeremy’s suggestion was exactly what she needed right now. Too bad she couldn’t take him up on his offer. “I can’t. With the investigation going on, it would look suspicious if I left. I need to play it cool for a while so the Marshals office will back off.”
“I guess it would look sorta bad. But damn, Em, I wish they’d lay off. It’s not like you know anything.”
“Yeah.” Emma let the conversation die, unwilling to lie to Jeremy outright. And if anyone wished the marshals would lay off, it was her, except . . . if they did, it would mean that McCabe would go back to wherever he came from. After what had happened between them tonight, Emma wasn’t sure that was what she wanted. Sure, she’d kissed him to shut him up and to keep him from asking too many questions she couldn’t answer. But she’d never expected him to respond so enthusiastically. In fact, she’d expected nothing more than a cool rebuff from the hotshot deputy. Instead, what he’d given her had left Emma breathless and craving more. Damn you, McCabe .
She was so wrapped up in reliving tonight’s escapades, she didn’t even notice when Jeremy pulled into the underground parking garage of her building. As if she were waking up from the best dream ever, her mind and body conspired together to keep her in a relaxed state. Sweet Lord, the way McCabe’s fingers had felt against the bare skin of her ass had been nothing short of bliss. And she shuddered as she recalled the hard length of his erection pressing up against her as she straddled his hip.
“Do you want me to walk you up?”
But then, McCabe had simply pulled away without any explanation. His once-fiery demeanor replaced with something cold and indecipherable. A heavy lump of disappointment settled in Emma’s stomach as she remembered his commanding words. How his handsome face had hardened and made her feel so ashamed for throwing herself at him the way she had.
“Oh, God.”
Her embarrassed groan was answered by Jeremy’s large hand covering her own. He squeezed gently and his deep brown eyes were wide with concern. “What is it, Em?”
Oh, nothing much at all. I acted like a sex-deprived slut and jumped a federal cop on the roof tonight. My mother would be so proud if she were alive to see it . “Nothing, I’m just tired. I don’t need you to walk me up, I’ll be fine.”
He smiled. “You sure?”
Emma nodded. No need to admit that she didn’t think she’d ever be fine again.
“How ’bout we grab lunch next week? McCormick & Schmick’s?”
That ought to be fun with Cesar and the Marshals tracking her every move. “Sure. Sounds like a plan.”
“I’m holding you to it,” Jeremy said with a wink. “Night, Em.”
He held out his fist and she bumped his knuckles with her own. “Night.”
Emma focused on the soft purr of the engine as Jeremy pulled out of the garage. She headed for the elevators, each step carefully placed. She counted them off in her mind— one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four —in an effort to center her thoughts and draw her focus from her current worries. And they were many. Too damned many for a woman her age, yet she was in too deep to do anything about it now.
Emma was the classic overthinker. For as long as she could remember, she obsessed, overanalyzed, turned things over again and again in her mind. And that obsessive brain of hers had caused her countless sleepless nights and not a few anxiety attacks when she was young. It took concentrated focus to redirect her thoughts. That’s why she counted her steps. If she didn’t preoccupy her brain with
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