Chapter Ten

Emily froze.

Rather than react, she felt nothing. Numbness right down to her marrow.

She thought of all the times Dalton had been frustrated with her when she'd bend over backward for her mother. Now she understood that he meant well, that he spoke from experience and was only trying to protect her heart. Emily had been too optimistic, expecting love when there was only emptiness. Her mother had gone too far, and enough was enough.

There would be no more handouts, no more second chances, no more trust. No more trying to earn her mother's approval.

She turned to Dalton and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Emily should have listened. He'd been right all along and she'd tried to deny it at every turn. Dalton may have changed over the years, but her mother had only gotten worse. Some people were not redeemable, even if they were blood.

A dog barked in the distance, pulling her out of her reverie.

The gravity of their situation weighed heavily on her. There was a man with a gun pointed at them, and a mother who was more of a stranger beside him. She didn't want to die, not when life had just started to feel worth living.

She reached out and held the edge of Dalton's shirt. When she glanced up at him, she was surprised not to see the same fear she felt on his face. There was nothing, a look of irritation and something more, something dark and sinister that made her forget about the threat in front of them.

"The money?" asked the man. "You'd be smart to hand it over."

"For an extortionist, I'd have expected better research," Dalton said.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't have a clue who you're fucking with."

Within seconds, one of Dalton's arms swung out brushing her behind him. With the other, he pulled out a handgun from the waistband of his jeans. The bullets rang out: one, two, three. Emily closed her eyes tight and held her hands over her ears. Everything felt surreal, and she wished she could wake up from the nightmare.

As the quietness blanketed them, she dared open her eyes to peek.

She braced her hands on Dalton's strong back and peered around him, unsure what she'd see, but grateful they weren't injured.

The man with the gun was crumpled on the ground, a wound on his forehead bleeding out into a crimson pool around him. She gasped, nearly losing her balance. Dalton held her close to his side to stabilize her.

She'd never seen a dead body before. When she finally looked away, her mother was still standing. Part of her expected Dalton would take the chance to kill the woman he compared to his own evil mother.

They made eye contact.

Things were different now. The usual pity she'd felt was absent.

"What have you done?" Emily said. She didn't even recognize her own voice. Her body was going on pure adrenaline at this point.

"I didn't mean it. This isn't what I wanted," her mother said.

Emily narrowed her eyes. "What exactly did you want, then? My money? My happiness? My sanity? You've taken them all, what more do you want?"

She didn't expect an answer, and certainly didn't want to hear more lies.

"It went too far…"

Emily shook her head. "I'm done."

This time she meant it.

Her mother looked to Dalton feigning innocence.

"Your life is in Emily's hands. If it was up to me, you'd already be dead," Dalton said. "Whatever she wants, whatever she decides, I'll support her. So if it's mercy you want, don't look at me."

"You'll leave this town. Tonight. You'll never return. You'll never contact either of us. Because if you do, you won't be dealing with me next time." Emily had to reign in her emotions. It was so tempting to feel sorry for her mother, to make excuses for her, but this time she wouldn't cave.

"That's what you want?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "And consider yourself lucky."

She turned and walked back toward the office, no longer willing to deal with any of this, and not wanting to appear weak. Dalton had to be her rock right now. He was all she had in the world.

A frog burned in her throat.

She sat on the sofa in the office, trying to calm her racing heart. This was good, she tried to convince herself. The dogs would be safe now. She wouldn't have to walk around feeling like a target. Life could go on and they could focus on their love and just being happy.

That didn't mean it was easy.

Emily wasn't sure how long she sat there, half in thought, half in a daze, when the door opened.

"Everything's done." Dalton's voice was gruff yet gentle.

She glanced up, not moving.

"The body? My mother?" She had so many fears and questions. Her life had been simple up until now, and this was more than she could handle. She wasn't made like Dalton.

"My team is on their way now. There's nothing to worry about. The police won't be involved," he said. "Your mother's gone. You won't see her again."

She let out a little gasp, covering her mouth immediately.

"I didn't kill her." Dalton sat down beside her, the cushion dipping slightly "I don't want you to be afraid of me, baby."

Emily shook her head. "I'm not afraid of you."

Honestly, she was more afraid of him hating her. All this was her fault.

"Never fear me," he said. Dalton tilted her chin toward him to get her full attention. "Promise?"

She attempted her best smile under the circumstances. "Promise."

****

Dalton carried the basket across the fields, the blankets over one of his shoulders. Emily tagged behind him. He turned back on occasion, wanting to see the happiness on his wife's face.

It amazed him that he managed to go a lifetime with nothing on the inside, and now he'd move the world for just one woman.

"Is this good?" he asked.

Emily stopped once she caught up, hands on her hips, looking around. There was nothing but fields around them, not a single prying eye or modern obstruction.

"It's perfect," she said, taking the blanket from him and shaking it out until it settled flat on the grass.

He never thought he'd be having a picnic and playing house, but here he was, married and never happier. It had been almost seven months since the incident at the dog shelter. Since then, they'd gotten married and adopted two more dogs from the shelter to join Zero at home.

They sat down under the warmth of the afternoon sun.

"I still can't believe we're married," she said. "And you actually thought I'd say no."

He shrugged. "I don't know what I would have done."

Dalton had put off asking Emily to marry him for too long. His own insecurities ate at him until he finally dared to take the risk. It had paid off.

"Well, I'm yours now."

God, she was beautiful, the sunlight highlighting her blonde hair like an angel. The sundress she wore left little to the imagination, her cleavage spilling out the top.

"And what will I do with you?" He crawled toward her on the checkered blanket, forcing her to drop to her back.

She reached up and braced her hands against his shoulders. "Whatever you want," she teased.

He slipped a hand under her floral dress only to find she wasn't wearing any panties. They made eye contact and he lifted a brow. "Someone's being naughty."

"What?"

He used his thigh to force her legs wider apart, then impaled two fingers into her pussy. She was wet, immediately arching up for more.

"Dalton…"

"You need cock, don't you, baby? Beg for it, if you want it."

She bit her lip, a look of pure wanton desire in her eyes. He'd do anything for his woman. Emily was his everything, and he'd never have his fill.

"Please."

"Please what?" He pumped his fingers, fucking her pussy and rubbing his thumb over her clit. "Say it or you don't get it."

"Dalton, don't be mean." She writhed beneath him, being stubborn, which only turned him on more. He loved it when she talked dirty.

Emily ran her hands over his shoulders and arms, then reached for the belt of his pants.

"Ah-ah."

"Give it to me," she said. "You know I want you."

"Say it."

He pulled his fingers away and unfastened his belt, freeing his solid cock. Dalton ran the thick head along her slit. Over and over until her chest was heaving, and breathing coming in short gasps.

"Please," she said. "I need your big cock."

"That's a girl."

This time he obliged her, thrusting inside her hot little cunt in one firm thrust. She cried out, a mix of relief and satisfaction spurring him on.

He fucked her hard and fast, the breeze cooling their heated flesh. There was something unique about making love out in the open, only nature and the lazy clouds above.

Emily screamed, not holding back. He felt her pussy pulsing around him, and he knew she wouldn't last long. Dalton tugged open the bodice of her dress, leaning down to suck her soft tits, teasing her nipples with his tongue. She was Heaven on earth.

"Come for me," he demanded.

Her claws began to dig into his biceps, then she cried out as an orgasm ripped through her. He felt the walls of her pussy tightening around his shaft, the rhythmic pulse of her release brought out his own. Dalton filled her with his cum, pumping his hips until he was completely spent.

They dropped down to their backs, their breathing slowing down as they watched the sky.

"Do you think you'll ever get tired of this? Of me?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

He hoisted himself into a sitting position and looked down on her. "Baby, I blackmailed you because I didn't think you'd want me if you had a choice. But you married me. You loved me despite everything. You're all I'll ever want and all I'll ever need."

She smiled up at him, a soft blush on her pale cheeks. "Good answer, Mr. Moore."

"It's a promise."

He'd bullied her, tormented her, then couldn't get her out of his mind all his adult life. She'd become his obsession.

But her goodness changed him, her forgiveness healed him. Dalton would spend the rest of his life making things right. She'd given him another chance and he'd never risk her love, for anything.

The End