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much I wanted to taste each curve of
those lips as their shape changed. I wanted to feel every single
emotion she expressed with them right underneath my tongue. Fuck! I had to stop this, so I’d have some time for my dick
to return to its resting state.
    “Your sister
has gone through a lot,” she finally said. “I’m sorry.”
    “Thank you. Do
you think you can help me?”
    “I can do more
than help you, Cowboy.” That vixen smile of hers was back on her
face. “I can nearly guarantee you that I’ll find him.”
    I wasn’t sure
if that should make me happy or afraid. The thought of what it
would mean to find the bastard could scare the living crap out of a
corpse.
    “Then I guess
I’m your next project.”
    She eyed me
from the bottom up before saying, “You certainly are.” Emma reached
forward over the table for a handshake. “Congratulations, Cowboy.
You’ve just hired the best investigator in the country.”
    I stood up,
taking her little hand into mine and squeezing it gently, quite
grateful that my erection had gone down. Touching her for the first
time, even if it was just through a handshake, was so rewarding
that if I died now I’d be a very happy man. Who was I kidding? I
could never get enough of Emma. There would never be enough of her
simple touch, her beautiful lips, and sinful body.
    I made my way
around the conference room table and followed Emma as she led me
toward the door. She turned suddenly, nearly bumping into me. I
held my breath because if I inhaled any more of her sweet scent I
wouldn’t be held responsible for throwing her down to the ground
and having my way with her the way I’d imagined.
    “I’d like to
ask you a question that’s not business related.”
    “Go ahead,” I
smiled. Her eyes danced with happiness in response.
    “You called me
‘smart’ back at the club. How did you know? And please, I don’t
mean to sound conceited – I’m just curious.”
    “I asked the
security guard your friends were flirting with. He told me you’re
from the city, and that this was a one-time thing.”
    “It was. I
lost a bet.” She shrugged as if she was already regretting her
actions.
    “You should
reconsider your choice of friends. But for what it’s worth, you
were amazing on that stage. You could have turned a gay man
straight and put Viagra completely out of business.”
    A flush of
pink covered her cheeks, and I fought the urge to smooth my hand
over her skin to feel how its temperature had changed.
    “Thank
you.”
    “Now can I ask
you a question?”
    “Of
course.”
    “Have dinner
with me?”
    “Is this
personal or business?”
    “I’d like to
think personal.”
    She paused for
a moment while considering my offer. Her mouth slowly curved up
into a beautiful smile. “All right. I’ll have dinner with you.”
    “I’ll need
your address so I can pick you up.” I paused. “If that’s all right
with you.” Knowing the forward thinking kind of woman that she was,
I hoped she’d appreciate the gesture. I still wanted to do
everything for her, including spoiling her rotten and treating her
like she was a princess worthy of the best. But I knew better than
that, and given that Emma had grown up in New York, she was likely
a modern kind of woman more than the country girls I was used
to.
    She opened up
her iPad, saying. “Add your number to my contacts and I’ll text
you. For what it’s worth, Cowboy, I’m glad we ran into each other
again. And not only because I know that I’m the only one who can
get this job done.”
    “For what it’s
worth, Emma, I’m happy to have found you again as well. And I trust
you with this case more than I’d trust anyone else.”
    The smile she
gave me before I left was absolutely priceless. Shit! I would have
given up my first born (if I had one) just for that smile. Okay,
maybe not, but whatever came next, I was ready to make the
sacrifice for her.

    C HAPTER 5
    Emma
    Grace was at
my condo that afternoon for some much