Death of a Chorus Girl (The Delacroix Series Book 1) (23 page)

Joe pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger when I reach the end of my story.  Squaring his jaw, he makes his decision and I anxiously await it.  “Alright, I’ll take you to Em’s.  The next time you decide to have a secret girlfriend, who’s also your CI, make sure to leave me out of it.”  He gives me a brotherly punch in the arm to let me know he only half means what he says.

“Don’t worry.  There won’t be a next time.”

“For my sake, I hope so.”  We ride the rest of the way into the city in silence, listening to the radio.  With everything that has happened, I didn’t realize exactly how tired I actually am.  He wakes me up when we pull up to the curb.  “You got a key?”  I nod while stifling a yawn.  “You need help up?”

I wave him off and gingerly make my way to the elevator.  All I think about on the ride up is Em’s smile when I fall into bed beside her.  My body relaxes for the first time in weeks as I wait for the elevator to reach her floor.

So it is disappointing when she is nowhere to be found in her apartment.  It isn’t until I stumble back out into the main rooms that I see the bag.  It is a medium sized suitcase, one that fits into an overhead compartment on an airplane.  Did I forget about someone visiting?  But who?

I sit in the dark of her living room until I hear her trilling laugh behind the elevator doors.  I use the arm of the couch as a makeshift crutch and stand to greet her.  The sight of her smiling at the man in the elevator with her knocks the wind out of me.  I had held out that the surprise guest was a woman.  He is probably close to Joe’s age, maybe a little older.  Though he isn’t a tall man, in her heels Em looks him right in the eye, he is no slouch either.  He has blonde hair and wears an expensive suit.

“That’s funny, I don’t remember leaving that light on.”  Her eyes sweep the room as they enter her home.  They look so comfortable together, yet at her bewildered statement, he quickly moves protectively in front of her.  Both of their eyes find me at the same time.  He spread his legs in a defensive posture as if ready to defend her and part of me likes him for that reason alone.

But it is her I watch like a hawk.  Will her reaction to finding me unexpectedly in her home be joy or regret?  Her startled “Richard!” could go either way.  Her kiss gives me the answer I need.

Empathy Delacroix: Yours and Mine

“W
hat are you doing here?” I ask after thoroughly kissing Richard.  I missed him so much.  This last week was probably the longest and most onerous of my life.  Every night I wanted to come home to his smile and every night I was disappointed.  “Did you tell your family?”

“Not exactly,” his husky voice replies as he leans heavily on the arm of the couch.  “God, I’ve missed you,” he confesses while nudging my nose with his.

I’m about to kiss him again when a throat clears behind me.  Oh crap!  I completely forgot my guest!  “Do you need to sit down?  How are your ribs?”  Forgotten guest or not, my boyfriend is my number one priority.  Richard says he is fine to stand, leaving his eyes locked distrustfully on my cousin.  He is going to feel so silly about being jealous in a moment.  I shake my head and wave my cousin over.  “Wes, this is the man I’ve been telling you about all evening, Detective Richard Giordano.”

Richard, acting as though he is in no pain at all, offers his hand and a grim visage to Wes.  My cousin’s open smile as he approaches to take it illustrates his clear amusement at Richard’s demeanor.  “Richard, this is my
cousin
, Wesley Breaux.”

The truth about my surprise male houseguest makes Richard’s eyes grow wide.  His eyebrows try to crawl off the top of his head, and his entire body relaxes.  “Very nice to meet you.  I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware Em was expecting family.”

“And you also weren’t aware I would be male,” Wes casually laughs.  “I must say you handled it better than I would have if I caught my love with an unknown man.  Don’t blame my little cousin here.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to steal away from the campaign or get Emp here into the event tonight.  Luckily, Alexander felt magnanimous, allowed for the last minute ticket, and for me to stay with her while we’re in town.  It saves him a room charge anyway.”

Richard wavers a bit on his feet and I wonder when the last time he took his medication was.  “Do you need to lie down?  Where are your painkillers?”  Wes shuts his mouth and flanks Richard’s opposing side when he hears the concern in my voice.

“Probably,” Richard pushes through clenched teeth.  “It’s been kind of a trying day.”  We help Richard into my bedroom.  Wes bids us goodnight once my boyfriend is situated on my bed.

“No, seriously.  Don’t let me mess up your plans,” Richard offers.

“There’s no mess,” Wes admits with a chuckle.  “We were planning to head straight to bed anyway.  I have a long day tomorrow to prepare for the debate on Tuesday.  Besides, with you here now there’s no way Emp wants to hang out with me anymore.  You kids enjoy each other but try to keep it down, please.”

“Wes!” I exclaim as I throw a pillow at him.  It completely misses because he hides behind a closed door.

“Goodnight, little cousin.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” he bellows through it.

I turn while shaking my head to see Richard’s blushing, but amused, face.  I settle into nursemaid mode and help him remove his clothes, leaving him in his undershirt and boxers.  I don’t join him in bed until after I brush my teeth and change into my pajamas in the bathroom.  I grab enough Ibuprofen while in there to equal the painkillers he left at home.  He fights me about taking them but does in the end.

I gingerly curl into the warmth of his right side once everything is taken care of.  We both sigh as if finally finding home again.  “Tell me you love me, bellezza.”  I giggle and snuggle closer, saying the words.  The silly man has me repeat them a handful of times before I laughingly refuse to do so anymore on command.  Instead, I pepper kisses along his neck as I feel him stir against my leg.  The hand at my back presses against my spine.  “Em, I need you.  Let me make love to you.”

My body jolts from his words.  I am coming to understand what it is to physically need another person and I
need
Richard. 
But
, his ribs. I hesitantly lift myself up on my elbow to meet his eyes when he pulls himself into a sitting position with a grunt before standing.  I lay there confused as I watch him rearrange the pillows across the bed until he is satisfied.  He pulls me up beside him then demands I remove my clothes.  At my wary look he says, “Trust me, I need to feel close to you.”  He doesn’t move me until I comply and remove my clothing.  “Do you mind giving me a hand as well?” he questions mischievously as he motions to his boxers.  I flash him a playful smile before sliding them down his sculpted legs while he pulls his shirt over his head.  He stands before me, proudly naked except for the bandages around his mid-section.

He lays on his uninjured side, using the pillows to help prop him up.  He then guides me until I am wrapped in his arms with my back against his chest.  His lips move along my neck and shoulder.  I feel his smile against my skin.  His fingers skim across my inner thighs.  I inhale sharply in response and shut my eyes tight.  His lips find the hollow of my neck.  “Relax,” he breathes against it, “it’s just you and me.  I love you.”  His implorations have the desired effect and I quickly melt not only at his voice but also at his touch.  By the time his fingers separate my folds to fondle what lies between them, I am a molten pool of mush.  The surge of electricity and pleasure that races from his touch through my body curls my fingers and toes.  I arch against him, pushing my body into his hand as I moan with longing.  “Tell me if I wasn’t injured you’d let me have you,” he whispers.  “Tell me you want me inside you.”

“Yes,” slips from my tongue before I even consider stopping it and I beg him to take me anyway.  “Make love to me.”

For the span of what seems like forever, neither of us move.  My words hang in the air, heavy with the important weight they carry.  I am unsure about what is about to happen next and nibble on my bottom lip nervously.  Then Richard suddenly crushes me against his body, one hand capturing my breast and pinching my nipple as the other slides a finger delicately inside me.  My body bucks against the intrusion as I gasp.  My heart races, my blood boils, and my mind loses its grip of all sanity.  All there is in that moment is Richard; his heat, his passion, his erotic caress.  I
need
more.

I maneuver my arm between us and find his cock.  My fingers envelop him, eliciting a jolt of his body.  My name comes out in a whispered growl and a second finger slides into me to join the first.  I clench my teeth together, grunting through each surge.  “You’re mine, Em.  You belong to me.”

I stroke him until his body tenses and doesn’t relax.  “I’m close,” he confirms.  “Think you can handle one more to finish you off?”  I take a deep breath before agreeing and lock my jaw closed.

This time as his third finger glides inside my body stretches to accommodate him.  Richard goes slowly and I match my rhythm to his, take my cues from him.  “
Yes
,
Empathy.
  Faster,” he groans, doing so himself in me.  An explosion travels through my body, ignited by the heat between my legs.  My thighs dampen in response to the erotic friction he creates.  He pulses over my hand in time with the orgasmic pulses in my body.

I grab my pajama shirt for a little clean up before shifting in his arms when it is over to lie on my back and look at him.  He is incredibly pleased with himself.  What he has given me before in our nights together is miniscule in comparison to the contented exhaustion I feel now.  “Lover, that was amazing,” stutters through my lips as I pant to catch my breath.

He chuckles as he leans in to kiss me.  “Sorry about the mess I made of the sheets.”

I shrug and carefully snuggle into him.  “I’m tempted to leave it.”

“Like I’ve marked my territory?”

“I seem to recall you claiming me as
yours
,” I tease with an arched eyebrow.

He actually shrinks away at my words and appears ashamed.  “I shouldn’t have said that, Em.  You don’t-”

My hand cups around his neck and forcibly brings his lips to mine.  “Oh, you absolutely should have said that,” I counter against them.  “Because it is exactly how I feel about you.  You are mine, Richard Giordano.  So you bet your ass I’m yours.”

Richard Giordano: Em’s Apartment

Dawn is just breaking when my eyes open to take in the blur that is Em’s room.  The smell of coffee woke me up.  Yet, the weight of her deeply sleeping body throws me into a state of alarm.  I pinch my nose to clear the fog from my eyes and the action erases the haze from my head as well.  Her cousin is here, Wes I think?  I carefully slip out of bed, dress, and head towards the kitchen.

“Morning,” his mocking tone greets me.  “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”  I answer in the affirmative and sink into a chair at the table.  “You need anything else?  I’m sorry, how would you prefer I address you?”

“Rich is fine.  Ah, I think Em keeps some aspirin in the cabinet by the sink.  I’ll take a couple of those as well, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing,” he answers.  A couple of minutes later and the pain is subsiding between the aspirin and the warmth of the coffee.  “Emp was reluctant to say what exactly happened to you.  Do you mind me asking?”  I don’t and given that he is her family, and she obviously adores him, it is imperative I make a good impression.  I give him the guy’s version.  He listens and whistles when I finish.

“How come you call Empathy ‘Emp’?” I ask.

“Ah, she’s got you fooled too,” he laughs.  “Not surprising.  You’ll learn soon enough.  There’re nine years between us and our parents were close until hers moved.  Neither of us had any siblings so for many years it was just the two of us.  She has quite a mischievous streak in her and she was constantly underfoot.  Always reminded me of Puck from Shakespeare’s
A Mid Summer’s Night Dream.
  The comparison combined with her size at the time and the need to shorten her name, thus created Emp.”

“I don’t find her troublesome.”

“You will,
trust me.
  She won’t be problematic, but soon you’ll understand.”  I pretend to accept his warning and sip my coffee.  “Should we get the unpleasantness out of the way then?” he asks while sipping his.

What?
  I almost spit mine across the table.  I thought Em and I did a pretty good job of keeping it down last night.  Surely, if he has a problem with it, she would have mentioned something.  Wouldn’t she? 
Did you really give her a chance?

“Think of me more as an older brother looking out for his favorite sister.  What exactly are your intentions with my little cousin?”

The friendly demeanor from last night and just moments ago vanishes.  He crosses his arms on the table as he leans into them.  I have a vague memory of her saying she talked me up to her cousin last night.  Somehow, I know this guy will see through a lie in a heartbeat, so I decide to tell him the whole truth. “I love her.  My intentions are to make her happy for the rest of her life.”

“So you’re planning to propose?”

Em only just admitted to loving me a few weeks ago.  “Not immediately, no.  But, I plan on steering this relationship down that road.”

My answer appears to appease his curiosity.  “Good.  Emp’s a strong woman.  The way she handled the death of my aunt and uncle proved that.  She’s got good friends in Sabene and Tom.”  I blink at that.  Wes seems like a shrewd judge of character.  Maybe I need to cut Worthy a break. 
Maybe.
  “They’ve always had an eye out for her.  Though I’ll admit, knowing you’re around gives me some peace of mind.  I’ve never seen her so happy.”  I relax some at that.  “
But…
you hurt Emp, in any way,” his tone is serious as his face takes on a hard edge, “and just remember I’m on a first-name basis with the soon to be President of the United States.”

“What about Alexander, Wes?” Em pipes up from behind me.  Is it wrong to feel rescued by her?  His concern for her is to be expected, especially if they are more like siblings than cousins.  Fathers have grilled me harder.  However, that threat at the end, something told me it isn’t idle.

Her arms steal around my neck as she hugs me from behind, leaving a kiss on my cheek.  “Morning,
lover
,” she purrs softly in my ear.  “It was cold and lonely in the bed when I got up.”  Why is she whispering such things in front of her very protective cousin?!  Heat builds in my cheeks, though I don’t need to feel it to know I am blushing.  A pointed look from Wes confirms it as well.  He is obviously aware of what she is up to.  I guess she
can
be a bit of an imp.  “What time is your appointment?” she asks at a normal volume.

“Around three this afternoon,” I answer.

She skips into the kitchen with Wes following close behind.  “I hate to do this, Emp, but I need to get going.”

“Give me a minute,” she replies, “and I’ll ride down with you.”

I hoped we would have the day.  Em addresses the questions swimming on my face before I can give them voice.  “I’m sorry, Richard.  But we made quite a few changes to
Covered
.  Today Tom and I are reviewing them to make sure they fit into the show the way we want.  I’m supposed to be in contract negotiations for the theatre house this afternoon, but I’ll make sure I’m done in time to get you.”  I shouldn’t have popped in on her.  She has a life, a very busy one now with the added role of co-producing with Worthy.