ame home early. If they hadn’t…” she trailed off. Not really needing to explain. Emily was grateful the guys arrived when they did. She might not have known Keeley for more than a few days, but they’d become fast friends.
“I’m glad you’re ok, Keels,” she told her softly, voice full of emotion and a lump in her throat at the thought of losing such a good friend.
“Ok, enough of this emotional crap, you two. Emily, tell me those two have made a move on you! I saw the way they watched you last night, and woo mama was it scorching H.O.T., hot!” Kenny said lightening the mood the way she seemed to have a knack for doing.
Blushing at the thought of her afternoon activities with the guys was evidently answer enough since they started ‘Oohhing and Aahhing’. She just shook her head at them. “They’re so sweet and caring and, and… take charge. But they intimidate me.” She admitted. “It’s not even their size, it’s the power they hold over my body and mind. When they’re in the same room as me, it’s like there’s nothing and nobody else around. I just want to be as close to them as possible. And I’m afraid that once they find my stalker they’re going to be done with me.” She finished softly, admitting to her biggest fear of being with them. They had the power to crush her, and she didn’t think she’d survive if they left her.
“Emily,” Kenny said firmly causing her to look up into the younger woman’s beautiful blue eyes. “I’ve known bulky and bulkier almost my entire life, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that they wouldn’t start something with you just to pass the time while on a case.” The conviction in her gave her hope. “The only way they’d be with you is if they were with you.” She emphasized.
“Thank you.” Smiling, she gave Kenny’s hand a squeeze for the hope she had just instilled in her heart.
Standing in the hallway, Coop was itching to get back into the room with Emily. She’d scared a good ten years off his life. Such a bold move was not something any of them expected. Neither was Emily getting hurt. Knowing it could have been prevented was what pissed him off the most. One of them should have stayed with her.
“We need to move her out of her house. Is one of the safe houses up and ready yet?” Dane was asking Nate.
“Fuck! No. There was an issue with the piping or some fucking bullshit. What about your house, Dane? It’s tighter than Fort Knox.”
“Shit. Yeah, ok. My place it is then,” Dane said reluctantly, making Coop frown and wonder why he hadn’t suggested it in the first place. They always knew that when they found that one special woman for them to share, they would live at his house. Realizing he’d have to wait until later to question him about his reluctance, Coop tuned back into the conversation at hand.
“Did you guys see him there? Get anything at all?” Creed asked.
Shaking his head in the negative had Coop even more pissed off. This asshole kept getting one step ahead of them, and he didn’t know how much more Emily was going to be able to take. He knew with every threat the fight was leaving her. That she was ready to give up. She may not have said it out loud to them, but he could see it in her eyes every time they talked about it, or she got some new threatening note. Her eyes would go dull and flat. He could see the light bleeding out of her.
Before he realized what he was doing, his fist was in the wall next to her door. He was out of breath and could practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves. His ears were ringing in rage, and he knew the guys were talking to him, trying to calm him down. But he heard nothing. Nothing at all. Until… “Cooper?” Emily was beside him whispering his name, one arm wrapped around Kenny’s shoulders and one hand on his wrist of the hand in the wall. “Please, Cooper,” she sobbed.
Getting his rage under control, he shook the guys off his back and scooped Emily up in his arms, mindful of her injured hip. He carried her back into her empty room, slamming the door behind them. Rubbing her hand along his neck she whispered, “What happened, Cooper?”
Laying her back on the bed and climbing in beside her, careful not to pull on her IV, he slowly rubbed his hand along any part of her body he could reach. "Rest, baby girl, we’ll talk later. I got you now,” he whispered in her ear and laid a light kiss on her pulse.
Almost as soon as her eyes closed she was out cold. Laying with her in his arms gave him a sense of relief knowing no one could get to her there. But when he wasn’t around? That’s what scared him most. She’d come to mean so much to them over the last few days that he didn’t know what he’d do without her in their lives.
She owned a piece of his soul he didn’t think he’d ever get back, nor did he want to. He just wanted Emily. Safe, happy, and loved. He knew Dane felt the same because he could see it in his eyes when he looked at her. Which is why he was so confused about his hesitance to have her staying at his house. It was eating at him not knowing why, but holding her while she slept was more important than grilling his best friend right then.
He must have fallen asleep watching Em sleep because the next thing he knew he was being jolted awake when he felt the already too small bed dip on the other side. Looking over he saw Dane crawling in with them, trying not to laugh at how his big-ass body was gonna fit. He shook his head as he watched him carefully pick Emily’s sleeping body up and scoot under her so his side was pressed to Coop’s front and she was lying flat on top of Dane with her face looking towards him.
Dane wrapped his big arms around her while he drew circles on her back. He was surprised the movement didn’t wake her up. At her sigh of contentment, he knew they were gonna be alright.
Waking up the next morning much warmer and comfier than when she fell asleep, Emily took stock of her body and realized she had three hands on her and one huge-ass body underneath. Opening her eye’s she was immediately met with Cooper’s face, soft in sleep. He looked peaceful. Less harsh. Definitely not as angry as he was the night before.
He’d scared her. She thought something bad had happened; well, worse than being shot anyway, she thought sarcastically. The fierce look on his face and the rage simmering in his eyes, making them appear almost black, had her shaking on the inside, but she knew with every fiber of her being that he wouldn’t ever hurt her, so she went to him. She had no idea what she would do if he had rejected her, but he didn’t, and she honestly hoped to never have to find out.
Feeling a bulge under her hip, Emily wiggled a little bit. “Baby girl, don’t start that shit again,” Dane said, his voice sounding sexy as hell all sleep roughened.
“Ssshh,” she said. “Don’t wake up Cooper.” She couldn’t help but to run her fingers through his silky, dark locks.
“Woman, a bomb could go off next his lazy ass and he wouldn’t wake up!”
“Fuck that. Your snoring ass woke me up at dawn, dickwad.” Coop shocked them both with his comment.
“Language, you two.” She tried to sound as stern as they did when they scolded her, but she ended up laughing before moaning in pain from the strain on her hip from not moving all night. “Damn, that hurts,” she complained.
A knock at the door had her ready to jump off the bed, but Dane’s arms tightened around her and Coop’s hand whipping out a gun from the back of his pants and pointing it at the door had her frozen in shock.
“Oh, put it away, big boy. The worst I got is painkillers for your girl.” The nurse joked. “How are you feeling, Ms. Baxter?” Could you be more formal, lady? She wondered in her head.
“Uhhh, ok, I guess,” she said following the nurse around the room with her eyes.
“What’s your pain factor right now? I don’t imagine sleeping on this beefcake was too comfy on your wound all night.” She pointed out, sounding slightly bitter and a tad bit jealous.