"I don't mind. Really."

"My house is only a mile away."

"Griff, stay." Rye clasped his shoulder again. "I'd feel better if you stay."

"Me too," Dax said.

He couldn't fight all of them, nor did he want to. Griff nodded. "Okay."

Exhaustion took over his body, leaving Griff ready to collapse. "That bed is sounding really good right now."

"Let me get a couple of things and I'll leave the room for you."

"Thanks, Emma."

She smiled at him before she left the room. Griff rubbed his forehead, where a pounding headache was quickly forming. "Alaina, do you have any aspirin?"

"Sure. I'll get some for you."

Once he was alone with his brothers again, Griff turned to face them. Dax stood with his head lowered, his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "Sorry I yelled at you, Dax."

Dax lifted his head. His eyes showed compa.s.sion, sympathy and regret. "Sorry I pushed you. I was only trying to help."

"I know that."

He tugged Dax into a back-pounding hug, then gave one to Rye. His brothers had always been there for him, no matter what. He was so lucky to have them in his life.

Alaina returned with a bottle of aspirin and a tall gla.s.s of water. Griff downed three of the little white pills and handed the empty gla.s.s back to her. "Thanks." He glanced at Rye and Dax once more. "'Night."

"'Night, Griff," Rye said.

Griff made his way down the hall toward the guest room. The linen closet door stood open. Emma gathered up a set of sheets and shut the door with her hip.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to change the sheets on your bed."

"You don't have to do that."

"I don't mind."

"Emma, you've only slept on them two nights. They're fine. Besides, Mom will be here tomorrow and she'll change them then."

She drew that full bottom lip between her teeth, the lip he'd imagined nibbling on. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. But thanks."

She cradled the sheets against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Well, then, I'll use these on the couch."

"Do you have everything you need from the room?"

Emma nodded. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Good night."

He watched her until she turned the corner into the living room. Sighing heavily, Griff stepped inside the guest room. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He hadn't meant to blurt out about the baby. His parents had been devastated when Jana died. His mother would've fallen completely apart if she'd known she'd lost a grandchild too. She wanted grandchildren more than anything in the world.

He had to tell them. While he trusted his brothers not to say anything, Griff knew it would be best to tell his parents everything. Soon.

Right now, he wanted to fall into bed and not get up for at least two weeks.

Griff peeled off his clothes and let them fall to the floor. Naked, he crawled between the soft cotton sheets and lay on his back. His head still pounded as if the Lanville High School Band marched through his brain. Maybe if he stayed really still in the dark, his headache would ease.

Rolling to his side, Griff turned off the bedside lamp. He fluffed the pillow, trying to find a comfortable spot for his head. The scent of Emma's cologne filled his nostrils. Instead of moving away from it, he drew the pillow closer to his nose and inhaled deeply. The flowery scent-the same one Jana had worn-filled him with so many memories. Holding hands and walking through the autumn leaves. Cuddled together on the couch while watching a movie. Standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist.

Making love.

s.e.x with Jana had been soft and sweet. He remembered the little gasp in her throat when she came. No fingernails digging into his skin, no screaming, no demands for him to f.u.c.k her harder or faster.

Sometimes a man wanted more than soft and sweet.

Guilt swamped him for thinking anything negative about his wife. Jana had been perfect in every way that mattered. She had rarely cursed, and she'd certainly never said the word "f.u.c.k". If things had been a little more...conventional in bed than he'd wanted, that was okay. It didn't mean he hadn't loved every moment with her.

The pounding in his head dulled to an occasional throb. Griff took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and closed his eyes.

Emma sat on the living room couch, her knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. The house was quiet, proof that everyone was sleeping peacefully. Except her.

Her mind whirled too much for her to sleep. She kept thinking about Griff and what he'd told his brothers. She and Alaina had run back to the game room when they'd heard shouting. They'd arrived in time to hear him tell Rye and Dax that he'd lost his baby along with his wife. Her stomach had clenched at the pain in his voice. Her heart had broken when he'd fallen to the floor and cried in his brothers' arms.

She couldn't imagine that kind of pain. She'd never lost anyone close to her. Her parents still lived, as did both sets of grandparents. She usually ended up arguing with her brother when she was in the same room with him, but she knew if she really needed him, he'd be there for her.

Emma turned on the lamp next to her to the lowest setting. She didn't want to turn on the TV for fear of waking someone, but she knew it would be a long time before she fell asleep. She could read. Maybe that would make her sleepy enough to turn off her brain. Except she'd left her book on the nightstand in the guest room.

Rye had a nice collection of books in the game room, but they were mostly westerns and thrillers. When Emma read, she wanted to get lost in a juicy, erotic romance. If she tiptoed, she could sneak into the room and get her book without bothering Griff.

Emma slipped into her floor-length, black robe and padded down the hall on bare feet. Grasping the door lever, she pressed it down slowly until she could push the door open. A nightlight by the dresser gave her enough light to make out Griff lying on his side, the sheet and bedspread to his waist. She tiptoed to the bed, watching him the entire time to make sure he didn't move. She reached for her book on the nightstand. It wasn't there.

She caught herself before she cursed. She moved her hand along the stand, thinking maybe she had laid the book farther back than she thought.

"Turn on the lamp."

Emma jumped at the sound of Griff's voice. "I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered.

"You didn't." The covers rustled, then he reached over and turned on the lamp. "I wasn't asleep."

He sat up and leaned against the headboard. Griff wasn't as buff as his brothers, but that didn't mean he didn't have plenty of muscles. A scattering of dark hair covered his chest. The line of hair ran down his flat stomach to his navel and disappeared beneath the covers.

Very s.e.xy.

Pushing s.e.x out of her mind, she sat on the bed next to him. "It's late. You should be asleep."

"I could say the same about you."

Emma shrugged. "Too much going through my mind."

"I know how that is."

His gaze dipped to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s for a moment before he looked away. Emma knew her nipples were clearly visible through the satin, even though that's not why she'd chosen this robe when she packed for her visit with Alaina. She loved the softness of it, the way it flowed over her body. She felt s.e.xy and alluring when she wore it. She liked how it slithered to the floor when a man pushed it off her shoulders.

No chance of that happening tonight.

Emma glanced away from Griff and saw her book lying on the floor next to the nightstand. She must have accidentally pushed it off. Deciding there was no reason to remain here any longer, she retrieved it and stood. "Sorry I bothered you. Good night."

She made it one step before Griff grabbed her wrist. "Emma."

She waited for him to speak again. When he remained silent, his eyes downcast, she gently prompted him. "Do you need something?"

"I don't... I'm not..." He cleared his throat. "Would you stay with me?"

His gaze quickly shot to her face, his expression panicked. "I didn't mean... I don't expect anything...s.e.xual. I just..." He stopped again.

Emma understood Griff wasn't asking her for s.e.x, but someone to hold. She gently tugged her wrist from his hand and rounded the foot of the bed. She laid her book on the nightstand, lifted the covers and slid into bed, her back to him.

She heard a click when he turned off the lamp, then a strong arm wrapped around her waist. He scooted right up behind her, his chest to her back, his soft c.o.c.k nestled against her satin-covered b.u.t.t. "Thank you," he whispered.

Taking his hand in hers, she entwined their fingers and closed her eyes.

Chapter Five.

A warm palm slid across her stomach and up to her breast. The dream faded from Emma's mind as she slowly came awake to a man's touch. The palm molded her breast, a thumb flicked across a hard nipple.

That flicking brought her body to complete awareness. She arched her back, pushed her breast more firmly into Griff's hand. Fingers plucked her nipple, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her c.l.i.t with each tug. A hard c.o.c.k nudged her a.s.s, began a slow pumping between her cheeks. The feel of firm flesh made her realize her robe was still belted, but no longer covered her b.u.t.t.

"Emma."

Griff's voice was a husky whisper, a plea for more. His hand left her breast to glide down her body and between her thighs. Emma bent her knee to give him more room to explore.

He groaned when he touched creamy folds. "You're so wet."

Two fingers pushed inside her. Emma laid her hand over his and pressed, silently asking him to go deeper. He obeyed her, his fingers delving farther, then withdrawing to whisk across her c.l.i.t. Pleasure shot through her body.

"I need you," he whispered.

A strange sense of disappointment sent a stab of pain to her heart. Griff didn't need her. He needed the warm body in his bed, the woman who could give him comfort and relieve his loneliness. It surprised her to realize she wanted to be that woman, the one who could make him forget his pain for a little while. It had nothing to do with s.e.x, but with putting another person's feelings ahead of her own.

Reaching behind her, she grasped his c.o.c.k and guided it to her entrance. One thrust and he filled her.

"Ah, Emma." Griff slipped his arm beneath her shoulders, wrapped it around her body and cradled her breast with one hand. He kept the other hand between her legs, caressing her c.l.i.t as he pumped his rod inside her. "Feels so good."

Emma thought that an understatement. He filled her completely, his shaft thick and long and so hard. She guided his fingers where she needed them. He followed her instructions perfectly, the calluses on his fingertips adding more friction to her c.l.i.t.

A little more. She only needed a little more to fall over that peak of mindless pleasure...

Emma crashed back to earth when she felt Griff stiffen. He grunted as his c.o.c.k jerked inside her. He thrust once, twice, before his body stilled.

The o.r.g.a.s.m-or lack of one-didn't matter. Pleasing Griff was all that mattered to her. She a.s.sumed he'd taken care of himself since he'd lost his wife, but this was the first time in ten months that he'd come inside a woman.

He slowly pulled his softening c.o.c.k from her p.u.s.s.y. She heard him sigh before he whispered in a ragged voice, "I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to be sorry."

"I used you, Emma."

She rolled to her back so she could see his eyes. They were filled with sadness and shame. "You didn't use me, Griff. I could've stopped you. I didn't."

She wanted so badly for him to kiss her, which surprised her. Kisses were nice, but they usually didn't matter to her. Lovers shared kisses. f.u.c.k buddies and one-night stands didn't. That's all she'd had in her life, all she'd ever wanted.

He didn't heed her silent desire, but rose from the bed and gathered up his clothes. Once dressed, he left the room without looking at her again.

Disappointment curled in her belly. They should have talked about what happened between them. The first time for s.e.x since his wife's death deserved some discussion.

She would see him later today. Emma would make a point of talking to him the first chance she got.

Griff stopped short of connecting the wrong wire from the ceiling to the fan. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his job all day. He couldn't get what happened with Emma out of his mind. Every time he thought about the way he'd touched her, the way he'd slid his c.o.c.k into that slick p.u.s.s.y, guilt swamped him again. It never should have happened. He never should have touched her. And he sure as h.e.l.l shouldn't have enjoyed it so much.

I'm so sorry, Jana.

He'd managed to avoid Emma all day since he was installing new ceiling fans in Caldwell Apothecary. Teanna Parker, the owner's niece, had contacted him last week about the job. He'd had to put her off while he finished up in Stevens House. After what happened with Emma this morning, he was thankful to be able to do something on his own away from his brothers, who would ask questions he didn't want to answer.

Teanna's husband James stepped into the office and looked up at the fan. "Nice."

"Your wife has good taste."

"I know." James grinned. "She picked me."

Griff chuckled. James hadn't been in Lanville long, but he'd snagged one of the prettiest and sweetest ladies in town.

"Teanna and I drove by Stevens House yesterday. How long before it's finished?"