Emme drums her fingers against my thigh. “Do you think the other head witches will kill Merche and Farrah?”
“I don’t think they can,” Taran says. “It will only make them look worse and Vieve better. My guess is they’ll have to work off their penance as servants for the next decade or so. It’ll suck, but it beats dying.”
Emme adjusts her position beside me. “I suppose. As much as they helped me, they do have a lot to account for.”
“Well, you hang with bitches, you’re going to get fleas. Hey, put Bren back on, will you?”
“He’s still here,” Emme says, her tender smile lifting.
“Bren, thanks for taking care of Emme,” Taran says. “We knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to our girl.”
I rub my face. I took care of her, all right.
“Yeah, dude,” Shayna chimes into the phone. “You’re the best.”
From the way Emme was screaming, I sure was.
“No problem,” I mutter.
Emme returns the phone to the base and looks up at me. Her hair is wild and her smile seductive. As the sheet tents on my lap, I grab her and pull her on top of me.
The moment my mouth touches hers and my hands get to wandering, she moans.
Screw it. I’m already in trouble. Might as well make the best of it.
Chapter Nineteen
Bren
The door to the apartment opens sometime later. Dan struts in, whistling, as usual.
His whistles cut off abruptly the moment he reaches the living room.
He’s caught a whiff of Emme’s scent.
And probably more.
I can picture him, looking at the couch and seeing that no one slept there. His frantic steps race toward his bedroom. He swears when he finds no one there. Let me tell you, Dan never swears.
He barrels down the hall toward my room. Instinct takes over. I bury Emme in the comforter and gather her possessively.
Dan throws open the door.
I growl, a long, deep, ferocious growl.
He blinks back at me, shocked. I’m shocked, too. The guy is my best friend for hell’s sake.
Neither of us say anything. We just stare at one another.
He knows it’s Emme squirming and squealing beneath me.
He knows what we did, what we kept doing, and how hard we went at it.
There’s no hiding it. The smells of sex, arousal, and sweat are all over the room.
Emme gasps for air and makes her escape. She shoves the comforter low enough to expose her face and one arm.
“Bren, what?” Her cheek burns against my neck. I clutch her like she belongs to me. “Oh. Hi, Danny,” she stammers.
Dan doesn’t say jack, his eyes widening and his jaw slacking further open.
I get annoyed. “What are you looking at?”
“A dead wolf,” he replies. He shakes his head. “Celia’s going to beat the crap out of you…”
I bow my head and drag my hand through my hair. “I know, man.”
“Taran is going to set you on fire…”
I drop my hand. “I get it, Dan.”
“Shayna, oh…she’s going to dice you into confetti…”
“Tell me something I don’t know, Dan,” I snap.
He frowns. “How about what the wolves are going to do to you, Bren? Have you thought about that? You know how they feel about Emme.”
I straighten ever so slowly. I was too busy fearing the wrath of the Wird girls that completely forgot about their mates.
As the youngest, the wolves constantly refer to Emme as their little sister.
The bastards will be pissed that I corrupted her. The best I can hope for is a slap on the back and a “well done” from Misha.
Emme slings her free arm around me and rests her head beneath my chin. “It’s okay, Bren,” she whispers. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
* * *
Dan heads into the next room, muttering something about funeral arrangements. I think he’s taking off but then I hear him banging around in the kitchen and preparing food. I suppose every guy on death row deserves one last good meal.
Emme hops into the shower in my room. I’m just finishing brushing my teeth when she pokes her head out from behind the curtain. “I borrowed the extra toothbrush I found. I hope you don’t mind.”
I shrug. “Nope. Take it with you if you want. Dan bought a few packs right before he moved out. I have enough to last me a couple of years.”
The curtain crinkles as she tightens her grip. “Don’t you think it’s better if I leave it here?”
I rinse my mouth. “For what?”
“For next time.”
My head snaps up. “Next time?”
Emme fiddles with the curtain, appearing shy. “Bren, last night, we shared something beautiful. Don’t you think, love?”
Love? No. No way did she just call me that.
I pause in the middle of drying my hands, trying to find my words. Except, no words come.
They can’t come.
Not after Emme just said what she did, and not with my heart thumping like it is.
I release the towel, not bothering to pick it up when it falls on the floor.
I lean against the wall just beside the shower. The tile is cold, but I barely feel it. All I sense is misery. “Emme, look, last night was really, really great. I mean, after we killed everything we had to kill and survived. It’s just…”
“It’s just what?” she asks, her voice sad.
I meet her face. It’s the least I can do. “I’m not good at these things. Having a girlfriend, I mean. It’s not something I’ve ever had before.”
Emme turns off the shower and steps out. Water drips down her body, gathering in droplets around her nipples. I want to lick them dry and she knows it. Instead, I reach into the linen closet and cover her with a clean towel.
She clasps my wrists, her hope fizzling out right in front of me. “I know relationships aren’t one of your strengths, and I know your life hasn’t been easy,” she begins.
My jaw clenches. “Emme, please don’t go there. Not about my folks, okay?”
I didn’t think it was possible, but her voice grows even more hurt. “I’m not
