Author note:

This week is killing me I hope to be able to post a few more chapters before Christmas. I hope you are all still enjoying this story. Let me know...

CH 23-Selfie Game Strong

Clay's phone buzzed at 5:00 a.m. He groaned. It could only mean one thing; they were getting spun up. He slipped out of bed as quietly as he could. He was in and out of the shower and ready within fifteen minutes.

Jason had sent him a message telling him that Mikey was being dropped off with a friend, so Emma didn't need to hurry home.

Before he left, he wanted to alert her of his departure. He sat down on her side of the bed and kissed her awake.

"Mmhmm. What, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry to wake you honey. But, I gotta go. We got called in."

"Huh? Oh…okay. Crap! I need to go home to Mikey."

"Shhh. Stay still. Your dad texted that he made other arrangements. You don't need to worry."

She sat up and the sheet fell to her waist. He leaned in to kiss her again and her arms went around him.

"Be safe." She was still thinking of how he had been injured on his last mission. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"I am coming home to you babe." He kissed her again and started to leave the room. He turned and looked back at her. What a picture she made. Hair mussed, skin still rosy with sleep, her perfect breasts with hard peaks from the friction of his shirt when he held her. He stalked back over to the bed and kissed her until they both needed to breath and then forced himself to pull away.

"I'll contact you as soon as I can. I love you."

"I love you too." He grabbed his bag and made himself leave.

Emma laid back down after Clay had left and grabbed his pillow. She buried her head and willed herself not to cry. His scent calmed her, and she was able to doze off.

When he arrived on base and went to the briefing room, he heard Sonny complaining.

"Damn wake up call. I was sound asleep. Why can't intel wait until a decent hour? Am I right Spenser?"

Clay stayed silent. He had much more to complain about. He had been forced to leave Emma snuggled next to him, warm and naked in his bed. Just as he was thinking of her as he had left her, his phone lit up with a text. It was from Emma.

-I love you. Come home safe. I'll be waiting-

She had attached a picture, a selfie. She was still in his bed, wearing just a sheet and blowing him a kiss. He took a quick screen shot and typed out a response just as the briefing started.

-Love you too Emmie. Keep my spot warm-

"Bravo 6…Bravo 6, you with us," asked Blackburn.

"Yes, ahhh, yes sir." Clay was able to answer and focus his eyes on the screen at the front of the room. But, as Sonny would later tell him, he still had a "goofy" grin on his face.

The team got downloaded on the pertinent information and together they had formulated a plan. It looked like this could take several days. He wanted to let Emma know before they left, and communication was spotty.

-Could take a bit. Will let you know more as I can. Love you-

Clay concentrated on gearing up and didn't get a chance to check his phone until just after take-off.

-Thx for telling me. Staying at ur place. Borrowed a shirt again. Hope it's ok-

The photo she sent this time was taken of her reflection in his bathroom mirror. She looked like she had just taken a shower. Her hair was wet and curling around her shoulders. She had put on one of his flannel shirts. She didn't yet have it buttoned, revealing a tantalizing strip of skin that included the curve of her breasts, her navel and a pair of tiny, white panties.

"Damn," he whispered under his breath.

Clay shot off a quick message.

-Don't mind at all. Just be prepared for me to take it off you when I get home. Pls warn me next time. Don't wanna give anyone a show-

Emma hung out at the apartment the rest of the day. She changed the sheets and ran some things through the laundry. While she waited, she curled up on the couch and flipped on the TV, settling on a Christmas movie. She even fixed herself some hot cocoa. She snapped another selfie snuggled under a cozy blanket with her mug of hot chocolate.

-Watching Christmas movies. Missing my mistletoe partner-

She had no idea when Clay would see her messages, but she kept sending them, hoping he would see how much she loved and missed him.

By the time Bravo landed and had comms set up, Clay had about five texts from Emma. Most were sweet pictures of her activities and how she was missing him. The final one of the day came with a warning.

-For Your Eyes Only-

It was a picture of her back in his bed still wearing his shirt. But the hand that wasn't holding her phone was dipped into the front of her panties. She captioned it with,

-Wish you were here-

"Fuck," he groaned. He hoped like hell this OP would stay on track and they would get home soon! He texted back.

-Don't start without me-

His phone pinged almost instantly.

-Too late 😉-

"Holy shit! Need a cold shower now," he said aloud.

Observing his mood and hearing him grumble, Sonny asked, "What's up Goldilocks?"

Clay didn't hear him. He was already on his way to take care of his…situation. Sonny picked up his phone and saw Emma's name.

"Aw hell, I don't want to know!"