Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) (43 page)

With every pass of his tongue, every caress of his fingers, he mended her broken pieces, fusing them back together and making her whole once more. Soon the ache in her chest was overcome by the pleasure between her legs as he sucked her clit into his mouth and sent her spiraling over the edge into a sea of bliss.

The weeks rolled by and Luke and Embry continued to heal. The pain in her ribs was now nothing more than a twinge if she moved the wrong way, and the guilt-induced dark circles beneath Luke’s eyes had begun to fade.

She’d finally sat for her finals, but probably wouldn’t hear back about her grades for another month or so. With all the downtime she’d had to study, she wasn’t worried.

Luke had started working from his home office to spend more time with her. With everything that had happened, she hadn’t secured an internship at another firm, so she’d started working with him. They had always been a good team, and when she stopped being a pain in the ass long enough to listen to anything he said, she actually learned a lot.

When Luke had to leave to meet a client or go to court, Morgan, Brett or Jeremy would stop by to keep her company, and her parents had taken to coming to visit at least once a week to cook for them both.

On one such day, Embry was relaxing in the sun on the back deck, doing legal research for Luke, when the doorbell rang. Morgan was standing there at the door, grinning like a Cheshire cat, with a small caravan of older women who seemed to speak nothing but Greek behind her.

Embry blinked at Morgan, then at the string of women piling out of the van parked behind Morgan’s SUV. “Um, hi, Morgan. What’s this?”

Morgan shrugged. “My entourage, what do you think it is?”

“I—um…” Embry shrugged and gave up, waving Morgan and her entourage into the foyer.

They stepped inside, carrying large racks of heavy garment bags.

“Upstairs, first door to the right,” Morgan directed. Then she turned her attention to Embry. “Up you go.”

Okay, this was getting strange. “What
is
this, Morgan?”

Her mouth curved into a wide smile. “You couldn’t come to the dresses, so I brought the dresses to you!”

“You mean…” Embry trailed off, watching the parade of women, who she now assumed were the shop owner and team of seamstresses, climb the stairs with rack after rack.

“Yes!” Morgan clapped excitedly. “Wedding dress shopping!”

The last woman walked through the door with a large tray of fresh fruit and a bottle of champagne, and Morgan and Embry followed them up into the master bedroom.

Morgan closed the door, a wicked gleam in her eye. Why they were doing this all in her bedroom, Embry had no idea, but she went with it, like most crazy things Morgan did.

Throwing open the French doors to the balcony, she let in the fresh air and sunlight, then she stretched out on the chaise lounge. One of the tiny women fussed over her, pouring her a glass of champagne and handing her a plate of fruit as Morgan was helped into the first dress.

It was an incredible feeling seeing her best friend since childhood trying on wedding dresses. But as stunning as they were, they didn’t seem Morgan’s style at all.

“I love this one,” Embry said. She watched as Morgan did a twirl and the gorgeous lace train of the dress floated weightlessly around her feet. “But it doesn’t seem like one you’d like.”

“I don’t look good in it?” Morgan pouted playfully.

Embry rolled her eyes. “You look good in anything. I’m just surprised, these are more…” —Embry hesitated awkwardly, not wanting to offend her friend— “my style.”

Morgan chuckled. “They are, aren’t they?” She shrugged. “
You
should try one on!”

Embry’s eyes widened in horror.
Wedding dresses?
She couldn’t say the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Especially after all she and Luke had been through together. But it wasn’t something to be forced, and she sure as hell wouldn’t be trying on any white dresses before that time. “I’ll stick to the bridesmaid dresses, thank you very much,” she said, her smile turning into a laugh.

“No big white wedding with Southern Sexy?” Morgan wiggled her eyebrows.

Embry wanted all of that with Luke, and more. Although she pictured it as more of a small, intimate wedding on a beach. She shook the thought from her head. This was about Morgan.

“This is your day! I say we take a break, go sip some champagne on the back deck, and then we find you your dress,” she offered, in hopes of distracting Morgan from more southern sexy wedding plans,

Morgan shook her head and came to sit on the balcony with Embry. “We can drink champagne right here.”

Embry eyed Morgan. “Is there a reason you’re keeping me locked in my bedroom?”

Morgan lifted her hands and shrugged. “I’m on strict orders.”

Embry’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “From whom?” she asked, though she was certain she knew.

“Georgia peach.”

“Would you stop calling him that?” She hated the nickname, but she thought Luke secretly enjoyed it. Morgan had distracted her from the point. “Why is he giving you strict orders?”

“Who can tell?” She shrugged. “Southern sexy has questionable motives at best.”

Embry let out a frustrated huff. “Since when do you and Luke work together or agree on
anything
?”

Morgan’s eyes tightened with pain, and Embry suddenly knew exactly when. Luke had eventually opened up to Embry and told her all about the night of the accident, what it had been like for him. Morgan had held him together, kept him going, and they’d leaned on each other for support. A bond had formed between them, and he seemed to understand Morgan now.

Embry groaned then. “Am I really stuck in here all day?”

Morgan nodded emphatically and held up her glass of champagne. “Might as well make the most of it!”

By the time Embry had been let out of her prison, Morgan had tried on at least twenty dresses, and the sun was now sinking over the bay, the sky outside looking like a perfect watercolor painting.

A knock came on the door, and Embry ran to answer it. She found Luke smiling on the other side and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his face. “There you are! I missed you. I’ve been stuck in here all day!”

He raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Morgan. “You have?” he asked, feigning innocence.

Embry slapped at his chest. “Yes, I have. So what was the reason?”

He shrugged, offering an infuriating smile. “No reason, just wanted you to have some girl time.”

Morgan hugged Embry from behind, then pushed past them into the hallway. “Girl time over! Ladies, let’s go!”

Luke and Embry moved aside as the caravan of women and dresses left their bedroom. Something was off, though. Their explanations weren’t making sense. Either Luke or Morgan was up to something, but Embry had no idea what.

She was distracted from her thoughts as Luke pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it onto their bed, then he loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves. He looked good enough to eat.

He smirked at her, reading her thoughts. “Want to go sit down by the dock for a bit since you’ve been cooped up all day?”

“Yes!” He knew her too well. All she wanted was to be out by the water.

They made their way downstairs, and out the back door.

“I didn’t get to finish the research today,” Embry said, as she noticed her laptop laying out on the coffee table. “Morgan kind of interrupted that.”

“That’s fine.” Luke shrugged, looking out at the dock, seemingly preoccupied.

Embry tugged on his hand and pulled him to a stop. “Luke?”

He turned back to her. “Yeah, baby?”

“Is everything all right?”

He cupped her face, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips and smiling. “Nothing could be better.”

He grabbed her hand, and they stepped off the deck. Luke stopped abruptly as they reached the dock, bending down to inspect the small circuit box attached to the side. “Hold on a sec, sorry. There was something here I wanted to check the last time I was out here and forgot.”

Embry nodded and looked out onto the bay, the moon rising in the sky as the sun finished setting.

Suddenly the dock was illuminated in beautiful, glowing lights strung from one piling to the next, lighting a path all the way to the end. She gasped, her breath taken away by the beauty of the twinkling lights reflecting off the bay.

She turned to find Luke standing behind her, grinning like a fool. Had he been doing this all day? “You did this?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. “You like?”

She narrowed her eyes at him then lit up, beaming at him. “I more than like.” She pressed up on her toes, kissing the corner of his mouth. “Luke, it’s beautiful.”

He shrugged it off. “Not as beautiful as you.” He grabbed her hand, leading her out toward the bay. “C’mon.”

They reached the end of the dock where Luke had set up large lanterns and a pile of blankets, and she turned to him, stunned tears in her eyes. “You did this for me?” she asked in awe.

“I did.” He took a seat on the blanket, leaning his back against the piling, and pulled her down between his legs, her back against his chest. “All for you, baby,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

She stared out onto the bay, lights shining all around them. “This is perfect.”

He nodded against her in agreement, and she snuggled into his arms, content to look out onto the water as the small waves lapped against the dock, the lights casting a soft glow on everything around them.

“We’ve had some pretty important talks out here, haven’t we?” Luke said thoughtfully.

Embry nodded, her mind going back to the first time they’d come out onto the dock. Luke in his worn Georgia hat, his muscles busting out of an old T-shirt, fishing pole in hand as he tried to explain to her that he was a professor. That had been the start of it all, and it seemed like since then, any important talk, breakup or makeup, had happened right where they sat.

He eased her away from his chest and stood, walking the end of the dock and looking out onto the water, contemplating.

She pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, but he turned in her arms, breaking her hold.

His eyes burned into hers, bright and sincere. “We’ve had to overcome more than most in a short time,” he said, softly, lifting his fingers to trace the curve of her face. “I’ve been faced with losing you too many times, Embry, and if I’m sure of anything, it’s that there’s never going to be anyone else for me, it’s just you. It’ll always be you.”

She was hit with a rush of emotion, his words causing a flutter in her stomach.

His eyes clung to hers, pleading and intense as he bent to one knee.

Oh my god!
Her hands flew to her mouth, her heart beating erratically in her chest as moisture rushed her eyes.

“Some might say that it’s too soon, to give it time, but if there’s one thing I learned over the past year, it’s that I need you. All of you. You’re my family, my everything.” His voice cracked on the last word, his eyes filled with emotion.

He held up a small box and opened it to reveal the most beautiful round, brilliant cut diamond, shimmering wildly in the hanging lights on the dock. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she looked down at the man she loved, her world, about to make her happier than she’d ever been.

“I don’t work without you, Embry. I never have, and I never will.” She felt the passion and intensity behind each word. “It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, or even next year, but marry me, baby. Promise me that you’ll be mine for the rest of our lives, and I promise you I’ll spend the rest of our lives—”

“Yes,” she whispered, cutting him off. “Yes.” She fell to her knees in front of him, crushing her lips to his, their tongues tangling, their bodies twisting together filled with passion and love.

He broke the kiss, holding her face in his hands, his forehead resting against hers. “I love you, baby. So much.”

She nodded silently, unable to form words, she was so overwhelmed with emotion.

Without another word, he laid her onto the blanket, quickly doing away with their clothes as his hands and lips explored her. She felt everything and nothing as she floated above her body, happier than she’d ever been.