Brody closed his eyes. He seemed conflicted. “I don’t have the right to touch you. I don’t have the right to want you like I do.”

  She waited for him to open his eyes and look at her. “We’re not the same people to each other that we were a few hours ago. I shouldn’t have wanted you then, but I did. And I want you even more now. I need you.” She finished on a breathy whisper. Her body shook from desire. Desire to forgive, to forget, to erase his mistake for him, but most of all to feel him all around her.

  “If we met under different circumstances,” she started to say, but Brody had pulled her close and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

  He moaned into her mouth when she opened for him and allowed his tongue to twine with hers. She pulled herself even closer to him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She remembered how badly she wanted to feel his wild hair, so with her uninjured hand, she fisted his curls, eliciting another moan from him.

  With one arm around her center, he lifted her off the counter, placing his other hand on her ass, and walked over to the shower with her. She kicked off her shoes, while Brody toed his off, and he stepped into the shower with both of them still dressed. The warm water soothed her overheated skin, despite the amount of clothes she still wore. When he placed her on her feet, the frenzy to divest each other of their clothes began. She could care less about her already torn white shirt, courtesy of the vile Cal. And the plain white cotton bra she wore seemed to offend Brody for some reason, so she definitely did not mind when he practically ripped it off of her. Her navy slacks and matching equally offensive panties came next, and finally her socks were gone, leaving her completely bare before him. She had managed to remove his sweater and undershirt thus far. While he took in the sight of her naked body, grunting appreciatively, she watched him remove his jeans and socks and smiled slyly that he had gone commando.

  They simply stared at each other at first, she to admire the Adonis with a muscular chest, bulging biceps and six pack abs all the way down to his long, think cock and powerfully built legs, while he, though admiring her as well, seemed to want to be cautious. He must have seen the longing on her face, because suddenly she found herself wrapped up in him and he was kissing her passionately.

  He hoisted her up again and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Emily cursed Louis for hurting her in the car, limiting her ability to touch Brody properly with both hands. She wanted to grab and feel every inch of him she could reach from her current position. While her bad hand rested on his shoulder, her other explored his steel frame that only yesterday had terrified her as he held her against it. Here, now in his muscular arms, with his hard cock pressed against her belly, she felt safe. She also felt bold. She licked his top lip swiftly before she bit down gently on his bottom one. He growled in response and bit her bottom lip back Her pussy spasmed from the pleasure and she began to rub herself against his cock. Her nipples ached for his touch, and hardened even more when he acquiesced to touching them.

  Suddenly, she was on her feet again, her legs shaky, but before she could protest, she saw Brody go down on his knees and understood his purpose for putting her down. His soft lips were on her, first kissing her inflamed lips, and then he was parting them with his thumbs, giving him access to lick all around her clit. He threw one of her legs around his shoulder to get closer and she let out an embarrassingly loud moan when his whole mouth was on her, licking, sucking, kissing her. The vibrations of his chuckle only intensified her gratification.

  He paused briefly to look up at her. “No teasing this time, Emily. Let me give you what I so cruelly withheld. Let go!”

  Let go. His gentle command, his sincere desire to please her, and his mouth on her, followed by two, long and thick fingers inserted in her core, definitely did the trick. She threw her head back and completely let go as her orgasm ripped through her. Brody continued to lick and stroke her until her body had stopped shaking.

  He stood, lifting her back up into her previous position. Their mouths collided fiercely. She tasted him and herself on his lips making her desire flare for him again. “I’m on the pill,” she murmured against his lips, unwilling to lose contact with them for even a moment. He murmured back that he was clean and then he immediately impaled her.

  They both froze. He touched his forehead to hers and held it there for several heart pounding beats. When he started to move with deep and steady strokes inside of her, he kissed her lips again—soft kisses that trailed down to her neck. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. They continued slow and steady to the rhythm of the water running and their heavy breathing.

  She felt another climax building as he stroked harder, faster, his hands supporting her ass, moving her in the direction he wanted her to go. She fisted her good hand in his hair again and fused her lips to his, tongues stroking then going in circles, then back to tasting each other’s lips. Their heavy breathing turned to loud moans and he pounded faster, harder, his hard cock stroking every needy inch inside of her. When he shifted her just a little, lifting her higher, he hit a spot that made her lose control. She tightened around him, tilted her head back and screamed out her release while he simultaneously groaned out his, burying his head in the crook of her neck in the process.

  He kept himself inside of her for a little while longer. Her legs were still shaky so she was beyond grateful that when he finally did pull out, he did not set her down to stand on them. Instead, he sat down with her under the now hotter spray of water, she still straddling him. He looked at her and smiled before hugging her close, skin against naked skin, one arm around her waist, the other, at the nape of her neck, holding her head against his chest. She heard his steady heart beat as the water washed away their tainted past.

  Chapter Eight

  Brody jerked awake to the annoying sound of his phone vibrating on the bedside table. Thankfully, Emily remained asleep in his arms. He knew that he should probably answer it given that it was most likely one of his brothers trying to coordinate a rendezvous point, but he ignored it.

  After their shower earlier, Brody made breakfast—bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee. Neither of them had eaten anything since the night before. They had sat in virtual silence, save for the few complimentary grunts from Emily, wearing nothing but towels. Their heated stares were enough to fill the void of not speaking. He wanted her again … badly. After they devoured everything on their plates and practically inhaled their coffees, he threw her over his shoulder and bolted up the stairs. He realized too late what he had done when he placed her on the bed, afraid it would remind her of her captivity.

  She had sat up on her knees and touched his face. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.” She then removed her towel and threw it on the floor.

  Brody felt undeserving of her, but she wanted him, and he it now seemed, would give her anything. He’d be kidding himself if he said it was solely due to guilt. He wanted her too, more than he ever wanted anything. So he took her, again and again, until they both fell into an exhausted sleep.

  Now, in the quiet darkness of the room with her lying peacefully in his arms, he didn’t think he could ever let her go. He only hoped she didn’t want to leave him when this was all over. Regardless, he’d make sure that Carter never got his hands on her again.

  His phone buzzed again. This time Emily opened her eyes. She had a breathtaking smile, an infectious one he could not help but return. “You gonna get that?” she asked. “The damn thing’s just going to keep buzzing.”

  She was right of course. They had slept for far too long. Brody kept her snuggled against him as he reached for his cell phone. “Hello,” he barked at Stephen.

  “I’ll remember that you’re grumpy if woken up,” Emily murmured into his chest.

  Either Nowicki didn’t hear her, or he was smart enough not to comment. He got right to the point instead. “We found her. The other one.”

  “Where? Is she safe?” Brody knew his concern for Enza stemmed from wanting to spare Emily any more pain. Hearing Emily speak of Enza made him understand her better. He already knew she hadn’t meant to kill his sister, but still, her cruelty, shallowness, insecurity, and selfishness made her responsible. He had no idea how someone like her could possibly be related to someone like Emily, let alone be her twin. He’d never forget what she did or forgive her for it, but he wouldn’t be the one doling out justice to her either.

  “We got her,” Nowicki reassured.

  Emily picked her head up and rested her elbows on his chest. She must have understood they were talking about her sister. Brody nodded to let her know that Enza was indeed safe.

  “Get this. She was on her way to meet Carter wearing a wire. We need to play it cool. The Feds are all over this.” Nowicki went on to explain that Enza had no problem spilling her guts to them—while also flirting with each and every one of his Seal brothers once they disabled her wire. The cops had busted her for possession with intent to sell, and in exchange for immunity, she agreed to give up Carter and Fallow, having witnessed the latter commit murder, and obviously not knowing yet that Fallow was dead. Somehow Carter must have found out about her extracurricular activities. That’s what he had apparently meant earlier when he had made the “whores who snitch” comment.

  By the time Brody ended the call, a plan was set in motion. His brothers, Cal, and Enza were on their way to their safe house and would arrive in just under two hours. First thing in the morning, he and Nowicki would escort both girls and Cal to safe house number two, further up north, while the rest of his brothers figured out a way to neutralize Carter. They had contacts in the FBI. Perhaps they could take care of things without further bloodshed.

  “Cal will be there?” Emily asked with trepidation.

  “That fucker will never lay another hand on you. He’s also going to answer for his deceit, I assure you.” Brody cupped her face. “Hey, I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

  “I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”

  “Believe me, Emily, I am not doing anything because I have to. You got me?”

  She nodded and gave him another one of her breathtaking smiles. It was enough to end any further conversation for a while.

  “We should probably get dressed before your motley crew arrives,” Emily said some time later as she lay sprawled out on top of him, her back to his chest. Her injured right hand rested on the pillow by his head, while her left hand played with his hair. Brody’s hands were busy massaging her breasts. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this content.

  He contemplated on going one more round before scrounging up some clean dry clothes for them when something suddenly seemed off to him. “Get up.”

  “What’s the matter?” she asked sliding off of him and positioning herself seated on the bed.

  “Shhh.” He sat up too and listened intently. He heard the sound of a twig snapping outside. Wordlessly he got up and walked over to the side of the window, making sure to stay out of sight. He saw several figures creeping closer to the house. He turned to Emily and held one finger to his lips, indicating she should remain quiet. She nodded quickly.

  He walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room and pulled out clothes for the both of them. Thankfully he had several sizes in sweatpants, sweaters, and pullovers, though all of them would still be big on Emily.

  They dressed quickly. When they were done, Brody led Emily out of the room and down the stairs of the darkened house. They ended up in a den, where Brody began loading up on weapons stored in various cabinets. Moonlight filtered in from the double window, allowing them to see the room and each other.

  “Do you know how to shoot?” he whispered to her

  “No, I’ve never even held a gun.”

  Brody quickly showed her how to toggle the safety then stated, “Someone comes at you, point and shoot! And if I tell you to run, you run.”

  Emily looked hesitant. “What about you?”

  He cupped her face. “I will take care of the both of us.” He had already informed her earlier a little about his past as a Navy Seal.

  Meanwhile, he had never once lost sight of the shadows moving toward the house. He counted four. He’d bet his life that these were Carter’s men and that Carter himself was not among them at the moment. Waiting in the car until the dirty work was completed sounded more like his style. Brody also assessed that Carter would have a bodyguard with him, maybe two, therefore he’d be dealing with six or seven men in total. He texted Nowicki with the new development. If he could find a way to somehow stall them for twenty minutes, the cavalry would arrive.

  “How did he find us?”

  “Good question. One we will have to deal with later.”

  The silent alarm had been triggered and Brody realized that stalling would not be an option. He had to try and incapacitate as many of them as possible without them knowing he’d caught on to them.

  “Listen carefully, Emily,” Brody pointed to the clock on the wall, “in exactly five minutes, I want you to crawl out that window and run to the wooded area. Once you’re out of sight, run that way,” he pointed to the left. “It’s the second house. Climb over the small fence and knock on the back door. A guy named Shawn lives there. Ex army. Tell him I sent you.”

  “But you can’t—”

  “Please, Emily. Do as I say.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  He cupped her face and kissed her hard on the mouth. All too quickly, he ended the kiss, and walked out of the room. Carter and his men were about to get a lesson on what it meant to fuck with him and those he cared about.

  Chapter Nine

  Emily raced through the woods. She didn’t want to leave Brody, but she trusted him. His sincerity about keeping her safe had her convinced that his survival was crucial to that goal. The gun in her left hand felt heavy and foreign to her, but she vowed to herself to use it if she had to. She would never be someone’s victim again.

  She spotted the house, the moon and neighboring houses lighting her way. Just as she was about to exit the woods, she heard a noise behind her.

  She spun around. “Brody?”

  It wasn’t Brody. A sneering Louis and one of his bodyguards stepped out from behind the trees instead. “Well, aren’t you the little whore. Just like your sister. I’m not sure if I could forgive you for this one.”

  “I don’t want your forgiveness, Louis,” she spat. “All I want is to finally be free of you.”

  “That could be arranged, my love, but first I am taking you back to the house so that you can watch as I gut your boyfriend. Tell me, did you plan the whole thing with hi—”

  Emily raised her gun before Louis had a chance to finish his sentence. His eyes widened in shock. He must not have seen her holding the gun at her side when he had been speaking to her. Despite how shaky her hand felt, and the fact that it wasn’t her dominant one, she managed to toggle the safety off as Brody had shown her and pointed it straight at Louis.

  Louis stopped his goon from charging her. “Put that thing down, Emily. You’re not a killer.”

  “No, but you are. I won’t let you hurt him.” She steadied her hand. “If he makes one more move,” she said, referring to the goon who tried reaching into his jacket, “I shoot you, Louis.” Louis held up his hand, making the said goon lower his.

  Emily could barely remember what happened next, as if time had sped up and slowed all at once. Shots were fired from every direction. She fell to the ground landing on her outstretched left arm. Her right shoulder stung at first before the pain became almost blinding. She’d been shot. More bullets whizzed by her head and shouts echoed in the forest. She thought she heard a male’s anguished cry followed by a female’s scream.

  She tried to stand, but the pain made it hard to even breathe. She looked over at where Louis and his goon had stood to find their two dead bodies lying on the ground. Louis’s cold dead eyes seemed to be staring back at her. Through her peripheral vision, she spotted a shadowy figure running toward her. When the figure came closer, she realized it was Brody.

  “Oh God, you’re hit.” Brody fell to his knees beside her. “Emily, please talk to me.” She closed her eyes briefly, though he continued to speak to her. Everything seemed muffled now. “…your shoulder?”

  Brody gently prodded her, examining her injuries. Thankfully, the pain seemed to have been subsiding and turning into numbness. “Cold.” Her teeth chattered as she spoke. Her eyes closed again briefly, and she when she opened them, she felt pressure being applied to her shoulder.

  She had no idea how long the process of opening and then closing her eyes again carried on, but the next time she opened them, she thought she saw another figure approaching them. “Cal.”

  “Shh, princess, don’t try to talk. That fucker ran off like the weasel that he is.”

  “No, he—”

  Brody shushed her again. “I’ll deal with him. He’ll regret giving us up to Carter.”

  She hadn’t imagined it and couldn’t get the words out to warn Brody that Cal stood behind him, a gun aimed at his head.

  “You’re a disgrace, Brody,” Cal sputtered with disgust. “That bitch cut up your sister, left her to bleed to death.”

  “Emily is innocent.” Brody remained calm, though Emily could see his anger boiling underneath the surface.

  “Fuck that! She shacked up with Carter, too. How innocent could she be? Carter promised me the other one after he was done with her. Where is she?”

  “Why did you shoot him then before he could deliver her?” Emily knew that Brody kept him talking so he could formulate a plan.

  “I shot Emily. Carter was about to shoot me. Now where is she?”

  Brody growled low, his face looked murderous over Cal’s confession that Emily had been his intentional target, but he remained in control. “You got Fallow. Let me deal with her sister.”

  Cal laughed maniacally. “You’ll probably end up fucking her, too.”