The Unseen Enemy Series

Chapter 29

Dallas didn’t know the last time he’d seen Dean so happy with a woman… probably never. The way he looked at Emma, man. His eyes softened and he smiled a private little smile. Endearments spilled out of his mouth, and he didn’t even seem to realize it; he touched her tenderly, took care of her. She meant something to Dean, and no matter how many times he told the guys she was a casual thing, Emma wasn’t.

What was her story, though? Dallas had spent time watching and listening to her when she wasn’t traveling and came around three times a week or so, and the girl was still a puzzle. Total f*****g mystery.

She was smart, obviously; Dallas was actually surprised that she was a PA charged with making hotel reservations for a spoiled model. He’d have thought that Emma would be in something way more professional. She was kind, too: the way she talked to Jim was nothing short of a miracle. The man was a wreck in so many ways – wracked with guilt and self-loathing about what had happened to that kid over in Afghanistan – and she somehow managed to get him to relax and open up. Nobody could get him to do that except Dean, Chris, and Dallas.

But what made Dallas warm to her the most was the way that she was with Dean. Affectionate and gentle, she looked at him like he was the only man in the room, the only man she saw in her presence. It was clear as day that he was special to her; he meant something. Her insistence to treat Dean as not much more than a walking d**k was ridiculous, and Dallas wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep his mouth shut about it.

It’s not your business, man. They’ll come around. I hope.

Dallas shrugged. “OK, whatever you say. If that’s the end, that’s the end. So, what are you up to today?”

“I have the morning off, then I go to work. You?”

Dallas sighed. “I have that guy from Atlanta coming into town tonight, and he wants to go out clubbing.”

“On a Wednesday?”

“I know, right? But he needs protection, so it’ll probably be an all-nighter at bars and strip clubs, watching his back.”

Dean grinned. “You know you love the strip clubs, man.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. But I’d also love a night in. Too many all-nighters lately, Dean. I may start to assign myself just day gigs soon enough, leave the clubbing s**t to my younger guys.”

“Well,” Dean said. “That’s the perk of being the boss, right? We get to control the work schedule?”

“True enough.” Dallas stood and stretched. “Anyway, I have some errands to run, then I need to get back to bed for a few hours. Have to be alert tonight.”

“Yeah, OK. See you later.”

Dean went back in the house and walked down to the bedroom. Emma was still sleeping and he climbed back into bed carefully, trying not to disturb her. She looked better already; her cheeks had a bit of color and the darkness under her eyes had lessened. It seemed that all she had needed was a good night’s sleep… and some mind-blowing s*x, of course.

He hardened as he remembered the night before. They had started slow, as Dean had promised, but things had heated and sped up rapidly. Within a few minutes of showering together, they were both naked in the bed, Emma pinned under him, Dean plunging inside her soaked centre, his hand between their bodies and rubbing her c**t. She had come fast and hard, and then almost immediately fallen asleep in his arms. Dean had held her to him, stroking her gorgeous hair, until he had crashed himself.

Now she stirred a bit and he touched her cheek. Those eyes fluttered open, almost purple in the half-light, and when she saw him, she smiled. He pulled her close and she buried her head in his chest, her fingers curled around his t-shirt, holding onto him. She closed her eyes again and dropped off again, her breathing deep and steady. He stared down at her, so trusting and calm; she hadn’t even thought twice about cuddling up to him, even in her hazy state of half-awareness.

Dean shut his eyes too, wondering if he could maybe get some more rest. With Emma, he slept better than he had in years. The nightmares had backed off, the guilt had receded. They were both still there, just below the surface, he knew; they would never leave him fully, but they were leaving him in peace. For now.