“He was happy to know, Emme,” Deck informed her.

“Yeah, Jacob,” she leaned toward him, “I know. He is right now lamenting the fact that I didn’t run into you on the street months ago so he could invite you to our annual family trip to Breckenridge and he is currently out buying you your own personal snowmobile. Which FYI, me, all my siblings and brother and sisters-in-law all have at Dad’s place in Breck. In other words, not only is he coming up to take care of business that he pays me to do, he’s either figured out we’re together or is praying to God at the same time doing a voodoo love dance, hoping we’ll get together because he’s always liked you like I always liked you. A lot.”

“He knows we’re together,” Deck told her.

“What? Did you tell him that too?”

Deck said nothing.

She stared.

The stare turned into a glare.

Then she hissed, “I cannot believe you.”

“Babe—”

“Don’t babe me, Jacob!” she snapped, her voice rising and her hands flying out to her sides before she clamped them both on her hips. “I can’t believe you told Dad we’re together!”

“Is it a secret?” he asked.

“No! But you haven’t seen him in nine years. I have, like, regularly, and I’m also his daughter, the fruit of his loins, so I think I should get to share with him who I’m dating, don’t you?”

The fruit of his loins.

Fuck, he wasn’t going to be able to stop his smile.

She caught it, the vibe in the bathroom turned heavy and her voice got low. “This isn’t funny, Jacob.”

“Emme, you don’t want me to laugh, don’t rant at me saying shit like ‘fruit of his loins’ lookin’ cute and sexy in jeans and a bra.”

He knew that was the wrong thing to say when she closed her eyes, looked away, then turned back and opened her eyes again.

“You are very intelligent,” she said quietly. “But because of that, you do not know all and get to do whatever the f**k you want to do. We’re talking about my job and my father. Discussing those how we’re discussing them and why is not amusing. I don’t care if I’m wearing a clown suit.”

Yeah. It was the wrong thing to say.

But something struck him about her reaction and this entire scenario.

She was pissed but this was something important that they could work out, even if the dialogue was heated.

So she wasn’t cursing like a sailor. She wasn’t shouting. She hadn’t lost her mind.

She was holding it together, sharing what was on her mind and calling up patience in an effort to get it through to him.

And f**k, he liked that.

He uncrossed his arms from his chest, planted his hands on his h*ps and spoke quietly in return.

“You’re right. You’re cute, sexy and funny, even when we’re arguing, but you’re right. And, just so you know, he knows about McFarland’s issues with the law but he doesn’t know about your relationship with McFarland.”

Relief flashed in her face and Deck kept talking.

“But I don’t seem to be able to impress on you I got concerns about this guy, I don’t want you to have f**k-all to do with him no matter how that comes about, and I think the fact that I’d go to your dad to deal with him should say just how fundamental those concerns are.”

“Okay, Jacob, I hear you, but you need to understand, things that are important to me, my family, my job, my house, you don’t make unilateral decisions, act on them and inform me later… or not. You talk to me.”

“Point taken,” he conceded and she blinked.

“Pardon?” she asked.

“You’re right, baby. I acted out of concern but f**ked up. It won’t happen again.”

“You… I…” she blinked again, this time she did it twice and fast, “just like that?”

“Just like what?”

“You’re agreeing with me?”

“Yeah, Emme. You’re right. I f**ked up. I’m admitting it. Shit happens like this again, which I hope to Christ it won’t, I’ll discuss it with you before I carry a decision forward if that decision affects you.”

“I…” she hesitated, “don’t know what to say.”

“Nothin’ to say. We don’t have time for makeup sex, seein’ as your dad’s lookin’ forward to seein’ you, I gotta drop you at work then I gotta get to the courthouse for the bond hearings. So you need to get dressed and we need to go.”

“Can I at least kiss you?” she asked, and Deck grinned.

She was indicating the fight was over and now he could appreciate her being cute and sexy again, up close.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

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.