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They nodded. “Any issues, you all know how to get in touch with Trys. I’ll send an invoice for our services.”
“Thank you both,” she said sincerely. “Not only have you potentially saved my case with this, but you may have saved a promising young woman’s career. I don’t usually like using private investigators, but in this case, I’m extremely grateful.”
My body tensed at Norah’s words, and Emerson’s grip on my hip tightened.Private investigators? News to me.
While Bee basked in the praise of a job well done, my alpha leaned in closely to murmur low in my ear, “My office, now.”
With a territorial squeeze of my hip, Emerson guided me towards his office, never once breaking contact with me. Bee and I shared a quick look as I walked past them. Their eyebrows raised in question, and I flicked them anokayhand sign with my thumb and index finger. I could handle my alpha. The real question was whether he could handle me.
The door closed behind us, and Emerson’s mouth crashed against mine. His lips devoured me like he was trying to own the deepest essence of me. I could only cling to his shoulders, digging my fingers into the muscles as our bodies pressed together. It felt so good to be near him again, to touch him again. My inner omega had craved his comfort, but I still needed more. I needed him to claim me.
Emerson spoke against my lips between his kisses. “I missed you the last few days. It’s hard staying away, even when I want to give you space.”
“One weekend was your idea of space?”
“I thought you needed it after our talk the other morning.”
He leaned in to kiss me again, and I bit his lip hard, but not hard enough to draw blood. He flinched.
“So you decided to tell them I’m a private investigator. That’s the angle you’re playing?”
Emerson traced his thumb over my jawline, staring deep into my eyes. “There’s no angle, love.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and studied his face, searching for any trace of a lie. He seemed honest. He believed what he was saying, but it didn’t make sense to me. Shaking my head out of his grip, I asked, “Then what the fuck are you trying to do here, Emerson? This shit isn’t my world.”
He didn’t let me step away, holding me against him with his arm around my back. The body heat coming off him felt like a brand, even through our clothes. “Only because you don’tthinkit can be your world. But I know we can have a future, Trystan. All you need to do is listen to me.”
I rolled my eyes, growling, “Again, with the alpha bullshit!”
“I know what you need!”
“No! I don’t know if this is some sad attempt to save me or fix me, but either way,stop it,” I snapped, finally pushing him away with both hands on his chest. “I’m not some fuckable project for a lonely alpha, and I don’t want your help!”
Emerson’s pale eyes widened, and he reached a hand out to me. “Trystan, you’re not—”
“I can’t trust you.”
Worse, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to try.
Chapter Fourteen
Emerson
Thesilenceinmyoffice was deafening. I didn’t even try to stop Trystan from storming out, and now…
As a lawyer, I cannot work for a client unless they trust me to do what’s right on their behalf. It’s a lot of faith to put in someone, but I’d never, not once, failed to gain their trust.
So then why, with the most important person finally brought into my life, would I fail so terribly?
I’d only wanted Trystan to see that he had options in life. He didn’t need to be constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the law to catch up with him, or worse.
Maybe I should’ve waited until we’d dealt with his employer first, but I couldn’t help it. Every day in the week since he broke into my life had left me wanting more of him. My inner alpha ached to claim my omega. As far as that side of me was concerned, we had already waited long enough to start our future.
Our life together would be unconventional, but that thought only excited me more. Trystan brought an exhilarating energy with him whenever we met, brightening my world in every way. He was an entire spectrum of colours in a world of shadowy ink that threatened to consume me once again now that he was gone.
A gentle knock dragged me away from my thoughts and out of the cage of my office. Pearl waited in the bright hallway, not in her usual corporate attire, but in leggings and a baggy sweater, her hair piled on top of her head in a bright scrunchie.
“Sorry to interrupt. I didn’t want to leave without giving you this in person.” She handed me a plain folder. “It’s the details of that license plate you asked me to look up a few days ago. It’s registered under a false name, but I’ve finally managed to connect it to someone.”
