Third Chance Read Online Free PDF Page A

inside of Ryan relaxed then he reached out and slipped his fingers through Emma’s before returning his attention back to the police. “What can I do to help?”
    Detective Hornbeck met his gaze straight on. “Keep her safe, and let us take care of the rest.”
    Oh, Ryan’d keep her safe, but there was no fuckin’ way he wasn’t doing everything he could to find and end the threat against Emma. “You got it.”
    They talked for a little while longer about possible suspects before the police finally left and Ryan was alone with Emma. She gave him a small, tired smile then wandered through the main hallway off the foyer to the back deck. Today, she wore a pair of loose khaki shorts paired with a navy blue t-shirt that stretched nicely over the tempting swell of her breasts. Her golden hair was pulled up into a messy bun and even without a stitch of makeup, she was so beautiful in the sunlight that she took his breath away. When she sat in one of the padded wrought iron chairs facing the lake, he took a moment to admire the long, endless expanse of her legs as she crossed them. At some point, she’d put a slim golden chain on her ankle with a tiny gold four-leaf clover charm.
    Ryan wanted to kiss that bit of sparkle, but the vibes Emma was putting off weren’t conducive to romance. Everything about her body language screamed discomfort and tension. Instead of sitting in the chair next to hers, he took a seat on the wide, oversized bench of the covered porch swing. It was actually more like a rocking futon than a swing, but it was comfortable as hell and he’d always found it soothing to sit out here and watch the water.
    “Come here, sweetheart.”
    It took Emma a moment to drag her eyes from the water to Ryan and his heart ached as her lower lip trembled. “Okay.”
    Ryan drew her onto his lap as best he could while not pissing off his arm, then sighed when Emma wrapped herself around him and burrowed her face against his neck. For a long while they sat like that, swaying gently on the swing while Emma nuzzled into Ryan and he returned the favor, gently petting her until she eventually relaxed. She was tracing the edge of the tattoo on his biceps when she finally broke the silence.
    “It makes me sick.”
    “What does?”
    “The idea that someone was watching me, intruding on all my private moments, spying on me. It is such a horrible, terrible feeling of violation, and I hate it. Hate how weak it makes me feel, how dirty .”
    The loathing in Emma’s voice struck Ryan like a physical blow, and he tried to swallow back the shadows of guilt that panged through him at the thought that he’d violated her privacy as well by spying on her at work, even though his intent was nothing but good.
    Helplessness and frustration at his inability to fix this mess had him tightening his hold on her. “You are not dirty. You are everything that’s good in this world.”
    Emma sucked in a quick breath, then let it out with a shuddering sigh. “This is such bullshit.”
    “It is.” Ryan kissed the top of her head then rubbed his lips against her forehead. “But I promise I’ll do everything I can to catch this asshole.”
    The soft press of her body began to stir feelings in him that went well beyond the desire to comfort her. In an effort to not come off as the world’s biggest asshole, Ryan eased his hips over to the side and tried to will his semi-hard dick to calm down. Unfortunately, Emma wiggled right back, and his semi- became a full-on erection.
    He knew she noticed because her breath caught and she tilted her face up to his with a small smile. “Good to see you’re making a recovery. How are you feeling?”
    “Fine.” He gritted his teeth when she began to run her fingernails over the skin on his thighs that was exposed by his shorts.
    When her clever fingers slipped beneath his shorts and began to caress his inner thigh close to where his balls were drawn up tight, a tingle raced from the base of his spine