She started toward him, stopped and her brows drew together.

“Why are you dropping me at work? Persephone is here. I can drive to Gnaw Bone and you can go to the courthouse.”

“Cletus is stayin’ in the garage since you’re spending the night.”

Her face softened, she liked that idea but she said, “Dad’s in town.”

Fuck.

“Your dad, your call to make, Emme. But whatever bed you’re in tonight, want you to know, my preference is that I’m in it with you.”

“I renovated the guest room so Mom and Dad would have a nice place to sleep when they came up.”

“Then it’s your place.”

She held his eyes. “Dad will love Buford.”

He grinned again. “And me in your bed.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, and he knew she liked that idea.

Seeing her room during and before his tour, not to mention seeing her sleeping na**d in her bed, he did too.

“You gonna kiss me and get your ass in gear or stand there staring at me?” he asked.

She moved forward, rolled up on her toes, rounded his shoulders with her arms and she kissed him.

Deck bent into her and kissed her back.

* * *

Three and a half hours later…

“Hey, honey.”

That was the greeting Deck got from Emme on his phone as he was walking out of the courtroom after the hearings.

“How’s everything going?” he asked.

“Dad’s communing with the men, cracking jokes and generally being his normal awesome. He’s happy we’re in the black and how in the black we are. He’s ecstatic I have new insulation. He’s disappointed you didn’t drop me at work so he could see you. And he’s decreed I’m not cooking tonight, we’re going to dinner in town. And just so you know, when that happens, he pays and don’t even try to fight him. A couple of my sister’s boyfriends tried to do that and it got ugly. So, unfortunately, our date night is screwed but on the bright side, I get to spend time with my dad and you, which far from sucks.”

He was glad she was having quality time with her father even if the reason it came about was f**ked.

But no one paid for his dinner and now no one paid for his girl’s. She pulled that shit last night and then distracted him before he could have it out with her.

And he didn’t give a shit if it got ugly. Barry would have to deal. And the kind of man Barry was, Deck reckoned he’d get it. But if he didn’t, they’d split the check.

“Sounds like you’re havin’ a good morning,” Deck noted as he moved to his truck.

“Yeah,” she replied. “How’s yours?”

He got close to his vehicle, bleeped his locks and answered, “Judge set bail. After that, shit can go fast, honey. And McFarland had a nice condo and a nice truck. I found a storage unit with a shitload of stolen property in it they hadn’t got ’round to fencing but Chace phoned this morning and said the inventory the boys were doin’ shows that a lot of shit that was reported stolen was not in that unit. Which means it’s already been fenced, he probably got his cut so he could have the collateral to make bond in the form of cash. And that cash won’t be in a bank account they can freeze. So you need to go talk to your dad. He’s up.”

“Okay,” she said on a sigh.

“No phones, Emme,” he warned. “Your cell only if you know who’s callin’. But other than that, your dad or someone else mans the phones. You good with that?”

“Don’t you think Dane has enough problems, imminently losing his job being another one, that he won’t be thinking about bothering me?”

She just wouldn’t get this. Then again, she’d twisted in her head that the whackjob who snatched her from a playground at school was a good, kind guy.

But he saw the photos of her with McFarland. She was affectionate and enjoyed affection. He was over the top. He gave her a stolen ring to press his suit. He’d used his one phone call to phone her, not an attorney, not a relative, not anyone who could do something for him, but Emme to talk about whatever the f**k he wanted to discuss with her, being incarcerated and knowing she knew he gave her a stolen ring.

This guy was bad news. Deck felt it in his gut. He was not the ringleader of that crazy shit. But he was stupid enough to get pulled in. And stupid enough to do something for a woman he was gagging for that would bring them all down.

The rest of that crew, they found out about the ring, if they didn’t already know, were going to be pretty f**king angry.

He needed McFarland’s focus off Emme and he needed to be certain no other focus turned to her.

Shit like this went warped in a blink of an eye, and people like Emme got caught up in it in ways no one would imagine if someone didn’t pay attention.

He stopped at his door of his truck, hand on the handle but turned his sole attention on her.

“I get you don’t want to think bad things about anybody, about bad shit that may be comin’ your way or about a guy you spent time with, baby,” he said quietly. “But I’m asking you if we can end this go-round we got goin’ about this guy, and to do that, I’m askin’ you to trust me. Be safe and be safe by lettin’ me keep you safe however I gotta do that. Now, do you trust me?”

There was a moment’s hesitation before she said, “I’m sorry, honey. I’m being obstinate about this and I don’t know why. Maybe denial.”

“How about you don’t think about it, let me think about it, and you just go about your day. Yeah?”

“It’s… it’s… this is really cool of you, Jacob,” she said, her voice now soft. “We just started. We should be about fun stuff, not you having Dane always in your face. This is a pain and—”

“Babe, just starting or not, this isn’t a pain. You’re in my life, when it comes to you, this is my job. You get a good man, he’ll think of it that way. And he won’t give a f**k it’s a pain.”

To that he got nothing.

So he called, “Emme?”

“I really like you,” she whispered, and he closed his eyes as her words made his blood heat.

He opened them and yanked open his door.

“I really like you too,” he replied.

“I’m glad.” She was still whispering.

“Go talk to your dad,” he ordered.

“Okay, honey. When are you coming ’round and are you bringing Buford or going back for him after dinner?”