Monday morning came with a string of goodbyes to Killian's family. Liam and Elsa were dropped off at the airport to head back to England and the boys. Emma went into work late herself so that she could be there as well. The couple then parted ways for each of them to head into work. While Liam was in town, he had signed the necessary paperwork to make him a member of the board, and Killian wanted to get it to Regina and her lawyers.
The day itself went rather quickly, and at five fifteen, Killian walked into the coffee shop and ordered two hot chocolates, both with cinnamon. Emma had gotten him addicted. Granted, he was pretty sure he was addicted to anything that had to do with her. Moments after he picked up the drinks from the barista, Emma walked into building. Her smile at seeing him still made his heart flutter. "Hello, love. Good day at work?"
They both took a seat and he handed her a drink, as she replied. "Mmm, thank you. Busy, but good. I was working a bit with Archie and Tink today on organizing the outing to the Track for the kids. We haven't told them yet, but I think Archie is as excited as the kids will be."
They both laughed, and Killian could just imagine Emma's boss jumping around like a cricket in his excitement. "Thanks for helping with that; hopefully when the others start, they can do all the organizing and it won't cut into your work."
Emma tilted her head, and put her hand on his arm. "Killian, I like doing it. And now with Ingrid there, work is not nearly as crazy as it used to be. Seriously, I like helping." She smiled again. "I just can't wait to see the kids' faces. They are going to go nuts." Even if the kids didn't know anything about racing, or didn't even like it, it wouldn't matter. It was a day out and an event with junk food and entertainment—something that they rarely ever saw. Sure, they occasionally were able to take them to a few places—usually businesses donating tickets here and there to the zoo or a museum, and Granny would pack brown bag lunches. But this was going to be special.
They weren't able to finish the conversation because their interviewee approached them at the table. She was a thin, long-haired brunette, dressed in a nice black skirt suit, along with what Emma liked to call power heels—she was pretty sure they were Louis Vuitton, and at least four inches. Killian and Emma stood to greet her.
"Hello, Mr. Jones. And…" She turned to look at Emma, "I'm sorry…I wasn't aware of anyone else...I don't know..."
"Emma Swan," she replied to the woman.
"Emma, nice to meet you," She turned back to Killian, "And you, Mr. Jones. I'm Lily Paige." She reached out a hand and they both shook.
"Please, call me Killian, and let's sit down." They all took their seats, and they both started to ask Lily questions.
Part way through the conversation, when those hired for the other roles came up, Lily turned towards Emma. "Oh, I thought you were part of the board for the charity."
Emma smiled at the girl, a small piece of unease setting in her stomach, but she pushed it away. It was nonsense, the woman just hadn't been informed or who she was or that she would be at the interview. "No, I work at the local shelter."
"And she's my girlfriend." Killian added, and took Emma's hand in his. "She's been graciously helping me with the interviews."
Lily smiled. "Oh, I see." She turned back to Emma with a smile. "I bet you'll be happy when all this gets settled and you can turn it all over to someone else and turn your attention back to your job."
That unease came back, and Emma pushed it away again. "Oh, no. It's no problem. I plan on still helping out wherever it's needed." Killian smiled at her, and the unease vanished completely.
"Well, hopefully, once we get this all running like a well-oiled machine, we will have volunteers coming out of the woodwork." She turned back to Killian. "So, do we have a location for operations picked out? If not, I have contacts in the real estate market and for renovations if that is necessary."
"We are currently at Mills Racing headquarters. But that is only temporary until we get off the ground. First things first will be the announcement of the charity at the Charlotte race coming up soon. Then after that, the move will be the first order of business."
"Well, if this all works out, I can set up the appointment early to start looking right after the race." With that they continued talking about the location, and then where they saw the charity going and what Lily thought would be a good course of action.
Soon the interview was over, and the next person was there almost immediately. The man was also very well dressed, but except for the initial greeting, he basically ignored Emma, only addressing his answers to Killian, even those Emma asked. That bothered her greatly, and from the irritation she could almost feel radiating off Killian, it did him as well. Killian attempted to bring her into the conversation a few times, but it didn't seem to matter.
Only a little more than a half hour later, Killian himself was making an excuse to end the interview, and then told the man, "Thank you for coming; someone from Mills Racing will be in contact soon."
As soon as he was out the door, he turned to Emma. "I am so sorry for that, my love."
She smiled at him. "It wasn't your fault." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, instantly feeling better that her instincts on what Killian thought had been accurate.
"Well, I can tell you he will not be getting the job." They both stood, and he took her cup and threw both of them in the trash, while she gathered her belonging, and then he held the door for her as they walked to their cars. "What did you think about the first one?"
"She's smart. She knows what's she's doing. She wasn't rude." Per se, she added in her head. She shook it off. "What do you think?"
"Well, I agree with you. Also, Regina knows her mother, and if she is anything like her, she thinks she would be a good candidate." They reached her bug, and Emma opened the door. He leaned in and kissed her. "We'll just see about the person tomorrow night, and make a final decision after that." Emma nodded, and got into the car. "I'll see you at home." He said without thinking and shut her door and then headed to his own.
Tuesday night, they both walked into Killian's house and Emma dropped the pizza onto the kitchen island while he went to get them drinks. He popped the top off two beers, and with Emma bringing over plates, they piled them with pizza and retreated to the couch.
They both groaned at they sat on the couch. "Well, that guy was a little better than the one yesterday." Emma said, and then took a bite of pizza.
"Yeah, he at least wasn't rude. But...was it just me, or was he really, really full of himself."
Emma started laughing and tried to to choke on her pizza. "I was just waiting for him to start talking in the third person."
They both laughed harder, and after Killian swallowed a swig of his beer. "Well, I guess it's settled. Lily will be the Executive Director...unless you think we should look at more candidates."
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I know we need to get this decided. The race is coming up soon, and we are already pushing it."
"Emma...if you have reservations, or don't think it will work. We will figure out something."
She knew he wouldn't go through with hiring Lily, or anyone, if she had any reservations. But she also knew, their time frame was rather short. The woman was really smart and knew what she was talking about. She had connections that the charity needed. Regina knew her mother. "I can't think of any valid, logical reason why she shouldn't be." She answered truthly.
"Alright then, I'll let Regina know tomorrow." He took another bite of his pizza, and wrapped his other arm around her shoulder and she snuggled closer as she kept eating. He looked around, seeing various pairs of her shoes right next to his by the door. Her afgan her adoptive mother Ruth made over the arm of the couch. She was flipping through the DVR recordings, and he saw some of the shows she recorded for herself, and some he now watched because she introduced him to them. The feeling of just how perfect it felt, washed over him.
He swallowed hard and tried to summon the courage to broach a subject he had pushed away for far too long. "Emma…" He started, sat his plate and beer on the table, and then moved to face her.
She could hear the seriousness in his voice, and she sat up and turned to look at him, "Yes?"
He bit his lip, and took another breath. "I probably should have said something before. I was just...worried, I guess that's the right word."
The hesitation in his voice and uncertainty clearly written over his face, had her worried herself. She reached out for his hand. "Just tell me what's wrong."
That produced a smile smile. "Nothing is wrong...actually, that's kind of the reason…" He shook his head and could see the confused look on her face. "I am not doing this right at all, love." He took a deep breath, and let it out. "I know you basically already do, but...I want to make it official."
Emma closed her eyes and shook her own head, "Wait, what?"
"Will you officially move in with me?"
It took a moment for the words to sink in her head that it wasn't a bad thing, not bad at all. Then the smile bloomed over her face. She quickly sat her food down on the coffee table and flung herself into his arms, giving him a hard kiss.
He broke away on a small chuckle, the feeling of worry completely evaporating. "So, is that a yes?"
She nodded quickly, and then finally managed to get out a "yes."
"Perfect." He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her lips. "So, what all do you still need to pack, that's not already here?" he said with a wink.
"Hey, it wasn't on purpose. I just started needing things, and you didn't want to me to leave."
"Mmmm, I do have some rather persuasive ways of convincing you." He wiggled his eyebrows, and she couldn't help the blush that washed over her. His hands went to her hips trying to maneuver her closer.
She went willingly, allowing him to situate her in his lap. "Well, I think the only things I really have left are my summer clothes, furniture, and kitchen stuff." She saw the smirk on his face from the last comment. "Yes, I do have pots and pans. Well, like three. But I meant, dishes and silverware and stuff."
"Okay, just let me know when and I can schedule the movers to pack and bring it over."
"Wait, wait." She stopped him, "I can pack my own stuff. And, where are we going to put all my furnature?"
"Well, that front room is completely empty, so your bedroom furniture could go in there for another guest room." Emma nodded; it would work in there with ample room. "And there is room in there for some storage as well, until we figure out something else. Also, the guest bedroom up here has room for a couch and other things. I just never got around to it. Unless, you want to put your couch here, and we move this one in there."
She looked at him like he was nuts. "You want to move my cheap old couch out here?"
He rolled his eyes, "How expensive it is doesn't matter. If you like it better, we move it here."
Her hand came up to the side of his face, and smiled back at him, knowing he meant every word. "I love you."
He grinned back at her, "I love you, too." His hand drifted to the back of her head and pulled her in for another kiss. "Let me know what you need help with."
"Okay, I will. There is a lot going on right now. But, I actually need to give my apartment my notice. Which means I have some time to get everything together and move. We can worry about where to place my old couch after the charity event."
"Sounds good. And those two weeks we don't have to travel anywhere since the All Star Race and Charlotte are here."
"Oh, perfect," she agreed. "Now that it's decided, how do we celebrate?"
He tapped his finger to his lips in fake thought, "Hmmm, I think I have a few ideas." With that, he pushed her backwards and tackled her to the couch. She let out a yelp of surprise that turned to a laugh and then moan when his body settled between her thighs, and his mouth found her neck.
The next day, Killian was at home in the middle of making dinner when Regina called him.
"Just wanted to let you know," she began after their hellos. "Lily has accepted the position. Also, she was able to work it out with her current employer that she didn't need to give notice, and will be able to start immediately. She knows how much work there is today before we announce."
He was surprised. "How did she manage to do that?"
"There was another person that she had actually been training to take over for her in the future. She has been looking for a change for a while."
He nodded, even though no one could see it. "Well, that is really helpful."
"Agreed. I'll have her in here tomorrow morning, signing all the paperwork. But I think it would be good for her to come to the Dover race this weekend. I'll be there as well. During down time, we can all go over everything and make some headway. Do you mind flying her there?"
"Not at all. It will give Emma and myself time to discuss things with her as well."
"Perfect. Looks like it is all coming together. I'll see you all in Dover." With that, they said their goodbyes and Killian continued making dinner.
That Thursday was almost like any other time they got ready to fly out to a track. Emma was actually used to it now. She would get home—yes, she could actually say that now. Even though she still had stuff to move, she was officially living with Killian. She could officially call it home—then she'd quickly change and they'd get themselves and their luggage into the car that was waiting for them. Only this time, the driver had picked up their third passenger first.
Killian helped Emma into the bigger car than usual, and she took her seat across from Lily, then Killian sat beside her, his arm hugging Emma close.
"Thank you for allowing me to ride with you," Lily told them.
"No problem. Actually, it will be beneficial." Killian responded.
"I reached out to my contacts, and they are looking for some available space to suit our needs. I told them to send me what they come up with, and we can make appointments to view after Charlotte."
"Perfect. Hopefully, they can find a place not far from Mills Racing, but also not too expensive. I'd rather pay a little more upfront to remodel than higher ongoing costs."
Lily nodded, "Agreed. I have already let them know that. Hopefully they can come up with some good options."
The three continued to talk about their plans and ideas for Charlotte and announcing the charity until they arrived at the airport. Once again, they had picked up food along the way, and as soon as the plane was fully in the air, they were eating as they talked.
"I already reached out to the track and have booked a double suite." He told her. "Which has more than enough room for all the children and employees at the shelter, with plenty more spaces for press, crew, etc."
Emma smiled. "Which is good, because they don't need ear protection inside." She had been worried about that, and after discussion, they agreed the suite was a much better option than sitting the kids in the stands. Besides, it kept them all in one place.
"It also makes it great for pictures," Lily commented, "Which we will need lots of. Especially with you in your fire suit," she said turning to Killian.
"I was planning on being there before the race anyway, along with as many of my team that can be there as well."
"Good. I'll make some calls and make sure plenty of press are there. We'll need to decide on a logo, mission statement, and get materials made to hand out quickly." She jotted a few more things down on a notepad. "I'll work with the other directors on the website, setting up accounts for donations to come in, and hmmm...what do you think about T-shirts? For the staff and volunteers."
"Actually, that would be a great idea," Emma said and smiled. The ease to which Lily was moving forward with the project seemed to calm the nerves she had before.
"I agree," Killian chimed in. "Though I doubt we can use Peter Pan or Captain Hook on the logo." He gave a small pout.
Emma laughed, "Sorry babe. But I don't think legal would approve." She patted his leg.
"True; however, we might be able to come up with something that isn't outright copyrighted, but alludes to the idea," Lily added, and Emma noticed Killian perk up and smile at that idea. "Actually, let me reach out to the designer that came up with my last company's new logo."
They continued chatting, and figured out a pretty good game plan for what needed to be done by the time they landed.
They dropped Lily off at the hotel attached to the track, and then the two of them found their way to their RV to get ready for bed. It was already pretty late. "Well, I think everything is going well, love. She seemed to just pick the ball up and run with it. She knows a lot of people that should help us get the charity off the ground quickly. Which is needed with our tight schedule," he said as he discarded everything but his boxers and then plopped down in the bed and yawned.
Emma nodded and pulled an old t-shirt over her head, crawled under the covers, and curled up next to him with a smile, ready to fall asleep. "I agree. Lily's contacts seem almost too good to be true."
The next morning, just as Emma was turning on her computer to get to work, a knock came from the RV. Killian was scrambling the eggs, so she went to go get it. She opened it to find Lily, hair in a pony tail, a thin navy sweater for the Delaware spring, and jeans. Emma stepped to the side and motioned her in.
"Sorry for the casual dress, but I figured it would be better at the track."
Killian looked up and waved his hand, "No worries, lass. No need to dress up for me," he said and then plated the eggs and bacon he had cooked.
Emma went back to her computer, and sipped on her coffee. Killian came up and placed a plate next to her, and kissed her cheek. "Thank you," she told him and immediately grabbed a piece of bacon to munch on.
He turned back to Lily. "Did you eat already? Are you hungry?"
"Oh, how nice of you. I ate at the hotel, but thank you. I just wanted to get an early start in our discussions, and then I know Regina will also be around." She turned to Emma, "Will you be joining our discussion while Killian is out practicing?"
Emma hesitated. She wanted to be there, but she really needed to work today. She had already taken too much time off, and Archie was being really good about letting her work from the track. She didn't want to push it. "No, I've got to work today."
"Okay," the brunette said and quickly turned back to her boss. "Is there anything you don't need to be part of, that Regina and myself can handle for you?"
Killian made his breakfast into a sandwich, and wrapped a napkin around it while he thought. He topped off his coffee in the Captain Hook mug that Emma got him, and twisted on the lid. "Let's talk about it as we walk to the garage." He turned to Emma, and leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "We'll get out of your hair, love. I'll see you for lunch."
She smiled up at him. "See you then."
With that, he turned back to Lily and they both headed out of the RV. Emma watched them go, and turned back to her laptop. She felt a shiver run up her spine, and reached for her coffee to warm her up.
She had put on practice to have in the background as she worked, so she knew Killian had already headed back to the garage and was done for the day, well over an hour ago. Hell, almost two hours ago. She checked the time on her laptop—it was almost two o'clock. Her stomach growled and she sighed. "Guess he forgot about lunch," she murmured to herself, and decided to finally eat one of the sandwiches she had made.
At almost two thirty, there was a knock on the RV door. She got up and opened it, to find Robin.
"Hey."
"Hello, Emma. Regina was wondering if you and Killian had time to head out to dinner tonight."
"That sounds lovely. But he's not here to find out."
Robin gave her a confused look, "He left practice hours ago."
"Yeah, well he's not here. I don't have a clue where he is."
"Did you try texting...wait...he leaves his phone here when practicing." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Bingo. He said he would be here for lunch, but he was a no show. Do you know where he went?"
"Not sure, he was talking to Regina and that new girl about the charity, when they walked out. But Regina was at my ...err…" Emma rolled her eyes at him, and he grinned. "Right...you know...She was there, when I got there before twelve thirty."
The unease in Emma's stomach had gotten bigger, but now it was turning into worry. This wasn't like Killian. Even if there was a change in plans, he would have told her. But her head quickly turned upon hearing his voice. "Hey, Mate. Hello, love. How is work going?"
Then the worry turned into rage. She turned to look at Robin, and the other man could clearly see the steam coming from her ears. "I don't think tonight will work Robin."
Robin nodded. "Understood." He then turned to Killian and patted him on the shoulder as Emma spun around in a huff and headed back instead. "Good luck, mate." He told his driver and walked away while shaking his head.
Killian looked at Robin walking away and then to the door that banged behind where Emma went inside. He didn't have a clue as to what any of this was about so he headed into the RV, and started to walk into the bedroom to change and take a shower, with a quick, "Are you okay, love? Something wrong with work?" He could practically feel the anger radiating off her.
"Work is fine." She snapped at him, without even looking at him.
He pulled the suit off his shoulders, and let the top hang at his hips as he tilted his head to look at her. He knew she was a little more testy and emotional this week due to her cycle. But this was very excessive from what he had witnessed before. "Do you need a massage? Me to bring out the heating pad?" They kept an extra in the bathroom.
That got her attention, and even more anger. She stood up quickly, "Really!? That's why you think I'm angry? Don't be one of 'those' guys, Killian."
He held up his hands in surrender, "Love, I am seriously at a loss for why you are mad. And from the way you are looking at me, you're angry at me. What did I do?" He looked at her, and watched her close her eyes trying to take a deep breath. He saw plates on the table, saw the crusts of the sandwich she had eaten, and then another made sandwich on another plate. From the wilted lettuce, he could see it had been there awhile. "Are you angry that you made food and then I had texted you to join us at lunch?"
That got her attention. "Wait? What text?" She went over to his phone on the counter. "How could you text me? Your phone has been here all day."
Then he understood, and his eyes widened in understanding. "You didn't get it."
"Get what?" she wanted to scream but the words barely came out of her lips. She would not cry, dammit.
"Emma, I texted you from Lily's phone. Asking if you had time to meet us for lunch" He walked closer to her, his hand reaching out to her. "We were in the middle of a discussion about the charity, and didn't want to stop in the middle, but we also didn't want to bother you if you couldn't stop working." His hand found hers, and pulled it to his chest. "So I used Lily's phone to text you, where we were, and if you couldn't make it I would see you later."
"I didn't get it." She said, her anger slowly dissipating.
"I'm so sorry," he said and gently pulled her to him.
Her face pressed into his chest, her nose slightly tickling from his chest hair. He was still all sweaty from practice, she looked up at him, "You didn't even come back to take a shower?"
"Like I said, we were in the middle of talking, and I didn't want to interrupt you…"
She cut him off. "You never interrupt me."
He kissed the top of her head, "I'm really sorry, Emma. When we see Lily, we can check and see why the message didn't get sent, and we'll make sure your number is correctly entered in her phone."
She gave a small smile. "Or, you could just interrupt me. Or call me, and not text me."
"I didn't want to…"
"If you say interrupt one more time," she said, though the small smile on her face gave away that any anger she had was melting away.
"Is there anyway I can make all this up to you, my love?" he asked with a wiggle to his eyebrows.
"Take that shower with me?" she asked.
His eyes darkened, and he picked her up and carried her back into the bathroom. "Killian!" she squealed. "I can walk." She giggled again when her shirt and bra were quickly discarded. "And undress myself."
"But this is more fun," he said before his mouth latched onto a sensitive nipple. She moaned, and her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him there, as his hands tried to rid himself of the rest of his firesuit, and her of her leggings. He pulled back when they were basically naked, her in just her underwear. "I'll turn on the water, and you do what you need to."
She knew exactly what he meant; this wasn't their first time while it was her time of the month. Far from it, actually. She shed her underwear and tampon, and walked into the shower behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and let out a deep, calming breath. She should have known better—Killian would never deliberately left her hanging like that. She knew part of it was that her gut just didn't trust Lily. She still wasn't sure why.
===∞∞∞∞∞===
Practice went well on Saturday: Killian was starting fourth, with Victor, Eric, and unfortunately Jefferson right in front of him. That night, they had the dinner out with Regina and Robin, only Regina had invited Lily, which definitely felt like the fifth wheel. But with how good Regina and Lily, not to mention Killian and Lily, were getting along, Emma wasn't sure who the fifth wheel was.
Killian was still very attentive—his hand was in hers, or arm around her shoulder, asking how her food was, etc. But Lily was easily steering the conversation back to other things. And what really started to irk Emma was when she was started talking to Killian and Robin about the car. She knew about cars! Oh, come on!
Apparently, a boyfriend in college grew up with a father as mechanic, and all his brothers were, too, so she learned a lot while they were dating. They even went to a few races together, though she admitted, until she took the job, she had a different favorite driver. Her hand had shot out and touched Killian, reassuring him that had now changed, which made everyone laugh but Emma, who was still looking at her hand on Killian's. She could almost feel a growl start to come out of her throat. Killian had pulled away to take a drink of water, but hadn't seemed to think anything of it. That fact bothered Emma even more.
Emma closed her eyes and tried to shake the thoughts away. They were just working together. They were just getting to know each other as colleges. It didn't mean anything. And even if Lily wanted it to be, she trusted Killian. Nothing would happen. When he turned back to Emma, and gave her that smile, reserved for just her, she could feel the tension fade again.
"Want to order dessert, love?"
She smiled at him, and leaned into his ear; she was ready to get out of here, and not be around Lily anymore. "I want dessert alright, but back in the RV." She left a kiss just under his ear, and saw him sit up straighter.
He looked to the others. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm stuffed. I think it's time to call it a night."
"What about the designs for the T-shirts? My contact got me a couple initial ideas I thought you would like to see," Lily asked.
"I think they can wait till tomorrow for a decision." He signaled for the check from the waitress.
"I've got this, Killian," Regina told him and then turned to Lily. "I would like to see the designs. I'll give you my imput tonight and you can relay it to Killian."
"Thank you, Regina." Killian said and was out of his chair, helping Emma out of her's. Once she had her arm in his, she said, "We'll see you all tomorrow." Whereby, they made their leave, and Emma looked over her shoulder as they walked out smiling at the others. Robin and Regina gave her a friendly nod, but was it just her imagination or did Lily look angry? But in a flash she was smiling back at her, too.
As they got outside and headed back to the RV, she debated if she should tell Killian what she was feeling about Lily. She shook it away. She was being crazy and hormonal. There was nothing to worry about. She just really hoped she was right.
The next day, Killian and Emma met with Lily to look at the designs. Some of them were okay, others not so much. But none of them captured what they were looking for. Killian gave some more specifics, and Lily made notes to tell the artist. Then Killian was off for press, Lily went back to her room for work, and Emma found the girls. She really needed some girl time.
She thought about telling them about the feeling she was having about Lily, but she just knew they would tell her she was worrying about nothing. She knew what they would say: that Killian loves her, so nothing else matters. So she didn't say anything, and just let the drink with the girls try to relax her. Which helped, and soon she was standing with Killian and his crew at his car, listening to the national anthem.
The race was actually pretty boring. There was a very long stretch of green, with cars just vying for position, and not much happening. Emma was shocked that she was missing the cautions. Not that she wanted to see any wrecked cars, but cautions helped to break up the race, and start everyone back in a line. Not to mention when everyone was spread out so much, it was really hard to pass. The only cautions coming out were for debris and one blown tire. But Killian had finally made it to the lead, taking it away from Sean, only to lose it again to Eric. With the last ten laps to go, Killian and Eric kept exchanging the lead. Not that they were trying to do so; they were both fighting hard to keep it.
With barely a fender difference, Eric got over the finish line right before Killian. As Eric was doing his burnout, Killian was out of his car on pit lane, and answering reporters questions. As soon as he was done, he found Emma and pulled her in for a quick kiss.
"You almost had it."
He smiled back at her, and tucked her under his arm as they walked back to the RV to get ready to leave. "Almost. But I'll take second. Come on, love, let's go home."
That next week, and after more failed attempts to capture what Killian wanted for a logo, Emma had an idea and she talked with Tink.
Her co-worker got a large smile on her face. "Oh, I can help with that. Just giving me a few days." On Wednesday, she hand delivered her a stack of drawings, Emma looked through them, smiling. She took out five of her favorites, and gave the rest back to Tink.
She stopped by her apartment after work, picked up a suitcase full of her summer clothes, and packed a few boxes of her pots and pans. She then left with the suitcase and headed home. When she pulled up the drive, she immediately recognized the Lexus sitting in the driveway. "Lily," she sighed, and opened the garage to park inside. She pulled her suitcase into the house, and dropped it off in the currently empty room. Well, not empty—it had a couple of things Emma had brought from her apartment each day after work.
She then headed into the kitchen, the direction laughter was coming from. She peeked her head around the corner to see Lily and Killian laughing at something on Lily's computer. "Hello," she said softly.
Their heads both jumped up, and a bigger smile came over Killian. "Emma, you have to see this." He motioned her over, and she ducked under his arm to look at the computer. They were watching one of those funny cat videos.
She could admit it was funny, but it begged the question. "So, doing work, I see."
"Actually, we just got done," Lily said, and started to turn off her computer. "I'll give more details to the artist, hopefully we can get there soon. We don't have a ton of time left. I have all the pamphlets and the website, just holding on that logo. Not to mention the T-shirt order. We may just have to choose…"
Emma cut her off. "No. We get this right, and we get something he likes."
Killian's head darted to Emma's quickly; was he detecting a bit of venom in her voice? She had a smile, but he could tell it didn't reach her eyes. Lily continued before he could say anything, "Well, the only other choice is no logo, with just the name and then redoing everything. Which will cost money."
"I'm not too worried about it." Emma told her, knowing that something would be decided quickly, but not tipping her hand.
"No, you don't have to worry about it. Because that's my job, and the others that work there." She turned back to Killian. "I better get going, I'll be happy when the rest of the staff start tomorrow."
"Me too," he said. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Here, let me show you out." She followed him out of the house, and Emma leaned against the wall, watching them go. Once the door was closed, Killian quickly came back, and kissed her hard. "God, I missed you."
That immediately put her in a better mood. "I missed you, too. And I have something to show you."
He walked over to the stove and stirred the pasta sauce again. Then put the strainer in the sink and poured the boiling water over it, the pasta now done.
"It smells wonderful, but I don't want to get food on it. So this first," she said, tugged him to the end of the counter, and pulled a folder out of her work bag. She then slowly laid out five different drawings. "Pick one."
He looked at all the drawings. Each was a child's drawing, done with crayons. They were wonderful, and whimsical, and just perfect. He looked up at her with wonder, "Emma...how?"
"I knew you weren't liking what the artist was coming up with. It was much too modern, and not right. So, I had Tink work with the kids and each was to come up with a picture of what they thought Peter Pan's lost boys and girls would look like." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, and pulled her close. "There are more, but these were the five I thought you would like best."
"It will be so hard to pick, but I agree. One of these will be it. I love them all." He thought about it for a minute. "We were going to pay the artist quite a bit to come up with the art. So, can I give each of these kids some scholarship money?"
Emma smiled, and then her eyes widened. "All of them?"
"I think we could use all the art, at some point on the website or somewhere. But, I think…" he pointed to one of them. It was of two trees, that looked to each have a tree house, with a rope bridge between. On the bridge and down on the green grass, were drawings of boys and girls. "This one is perfect."
She smiled up at him. "I agree."
With the decision made, Killian sent off a fast text to tell Lily to cancel the artist, and that they had their designs. Emma continued to grin as they ate dinner. Point one Emma, she thought to herself.
On Friday, Emma stayed at work while Killian did practice for the All-Star Race. He was already in the race, so he didn't have to worry about performing in the Showdown that was on Saturday. Three of those drivers would be allowed in the All Star Race since they didn't qualify on their own.
When she got home from work, she noticed that Killian wasn't home yet. She knew practice ended much earlier, and the track wasn't that far away from the house. She sent him a text message, and almost immediately she got a text back.
KJ: Sorry love. Time got away from me. I'll grab something for dinner on the way back. Grilled Cheese?
She smiled; he knew she couldn't say no to that. But what was he making up for? She shoved the thought away and responded.
ES: Mmmmm sounds good.
KJ: Okay, see you soon.
Killian sighed and put his phone is his pocket. He looked back at Lily. "I can't believe it's so late already."
"Wow, yeah. Sorry to keep you. But we got a lot of headway done today. The staff all seem good so far, and now we have that logo, which is adorable by the way. Did one of your nephews draw it?"
"Oh, no. Emma and Tink at the shelter got the kids to draw them. I've already had Belle and Merida take care of the scholarships for the ones we want to use; the main one will get a larger amount, and then some small prizes for the rest who helped."
She looked a little shocked by that. "Oh. I see. Well, that's very nice of you. But Killian, I should really be made aware of any money coming out of the budget. You probably spent more than what the artist…"
He cut her off at that. "I don't care about the money. Also, it won't hit the budget, I spent the money for the scholarships and the awards myself. I got something that I wanted, something the artist was not going to come up with."
He could tell he made his point, because she nodded and responded, "Okay. I understand."
"And with that, I need to go." He made sure he had everything, and left to stop at the sandwich shop Emma loved before heading home. When he got there, he found her sitting watching TV, a beer in her hands, and one waiting for him on the coffee table. He kicked off his shoes, and sat the take-out next to his beer. "How was your day, love?"
She sat up and pulled him down to her, to capture his mouth for a kiss. "Better now." she said and then started to untie the bag and take out the food containers. She opened the first one and moaned, "Mmmmm onion rings."
He plopped down next to her. "I know you."
She shoved one in her mouth, "You do." She licked her fingers and then looked at him, "So how was your day?"
He took his own food, and leaned his head back against the couch. "Exhausting."
She munched another onion ring. "Why?"
"Practice was long, and then I went back to help with the charity. Everyone is luckily working well together, but there were so many questions to answer."
"Well, soon it will be 'running like a well oiled machine', and 'will have volunteers coming out of the woodwork' so you can 'turn your attention back to your job'." She said quoting Lily during her interview.
Killian immediately picked up on the wording and the slight mocking in Emma's voice. "You don't like her," he said as realization dawned on him. He was obviously very slow in putting it together, but now it started to make sense. His eyes widened. "You, really, don't like her."
Emma sighed next to him. "I...I just...I don't know. She makes me uneasy for some reason."
He smiled at her. "Emma...you can't possibly be jealous." He looked at her. "Bloody hell, you ARE!" He shook his head in disbelief and a little hurt. "Why?"
"I am NOT jealous. I just have this...feeling."
That stopped him, and he studied her. He trusted her feelings, he trusted HER. But he himself had not picked up anything wrong with Lily. She was headstrong, and gung-ho, and self assured. However, that came with the position and what she needed to do. "What feeling? And since when?"
She shook her head. "Forget it." She took a big bite of her grilled cheese.
"No. I'm serious. Tell me."
"Since the interview," she said with a full mouth.
"I asked you…"
She swallowed, and sighed. "I know, I know. But I didn't have a valid, logical reason to say no to her. And the other two interviewers were so horrible."
He reached out for her hand, his thumb rubbing the back of it. "What are you feeling?"
She groaned. "It's hard to say. She rubbed me wrong during the interview. The way she didn't know who I was, which I know wasn't her fault. But then the way she looked when she found out, was like, 'Oh, just the girlfriend.' And then, it seemed like with her comments she wanted to get me out of her hair and send me back to work."
"Emma, I've been worrying that I have requested too much, and I hate taking you away from your job."
"But you don't sound like I'm an inconvenience."
"I agree, she does have a little bit of an abrasive personality. What else though?"
"The missed lunch/text thing didn't help," she admitted.
"I'm sorry...you saw the text on her phone though. It just didn't go through for some reason."
"Yeah, some reason." Emma muttered.
His hand came up to her face and had her look at him. "Emma, is this about her not being good at her job? Or you just don't like her near me?" She looked down, and he had his answer. His fingers brushed over her face. "Emma. She hasn't tried anything with me, I swear. But, even if she had, I would never...NEVER...do...THAT." He leaned in and kissed her lips. "I love you. My future is with you."
She smiled back at him, tears in her eyes. "I love you, too."
He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "I swear, if she tries anything with me, she will be out the door. Okay?" She nodded, and snuggled closer. "Good. Now, how about we continue watching that fairytale show you got me to watch. Since we got to the second season, I really like that new character."
"The pirate?" She started laughing, "I just knew you would." She kissed the side of his face, and brought up Netflix.
Emma went with Killian on Saturday morning for qualifying. She sat with her friends, and Ruby told her all about the setup of the race for Sunday. It was another non-points race, like at the beginning of the year. So it was basically a no-holds-barred race, with everyone trying to win. The format seemed to change yearly. There would be two fifty-lap segments and then a thirteen-lap final dash to the finish.
Emma immediately saw the difference in qualifying since it included a mandatory green flag pit stop. Ruby exclaimed it then had the pitcrew's performance added to the equation. She wasn't worried about that; Killian's pit crew were one of the fastest. Ruby continued to tell her about the race itself. The break between the first and second set of fifty laps as well as the second set of fifty laps each had a mandatory pit stop as well that required the change of at least two tires.
"It's kinda like evening the playing field as much as possible," Ashley said.
"Yeah, but this year's starting lineup for the last segment is...unusual." Ariel chimed in.
Emma looked to Ruby, and Ruby explained. "The starting order for the last thirteen laps will be decided by taking nine to eleven cars, number determined by random draw, force them to take a four-tire pit stop, and have those cars start at the back of the back."
Emma shook her head in confusion. "Wait? What? So, it would be more beneficial to try and stay in twelfth at the end of segment two? Why? WHY?"
The girls laughed and some agreed with her. "They think, and I mean NASCAR, that it will make it more interesting for fans," Ashley said and took a drink.
"Everyone's just going to try and stay in that 12th position," Ariel sighed.
"Yeah, but if the officials can prove your are trying to do that, they can kick you out of race," Ruby reminded them.
Emma had no idea what to expect with the race tomorrow, but she had a pretty good idea what the plan for Killian's team was, and it wasn't staying in the back. They qualified in fifth. Once given the go-ahead, they made it back home, and decided to make use of having the weekend at home and the new summer temperatures.
It was to get to the mid-nineties that day. With the temperatures increasing, Killian had the boat delivered to his dock earlier in the week. But when Emma had seen it, she was pretty certain that something that size should not be called a boat. Granted, Lake Norman was a large lake and could fit bigger watercraft, and the boat had no problem fitting next to the long dock. She hadn't realized just how long the dock was until the boat was sitting next to it.
They both quickly changed, and Emma found towels, sunscreen, and other necessities and put them a bag, then headed to the kitchen to find Killian closing a picnic basket.
He swallowed hard at the sight of her. She wore a sheer white shirt over her red bikini top, along with short jean cutoffs. "You look...beautiful."
With how long it took him to say the last word, she looked down at herself, unsure. "Is something wrong? You didn't sound like you truly meant that." He walked over to her, and pulled her against him, having her feel exactly what he thought of her outfit. She swallowed hard, and her eyes dilated slightly. "Ohh…"
He smirked and leaned over, kissing her neck. "'Ohhh' is right." He nuzzled closer, and moved up to lightly bite at her earlobe. "If we don't get out of here right now, we never will."
She shuddered against him; his voice sounded like pure sin in her ear. She had to grab hold of her willpower to pull away from him. "Oh no, buddy. You have been talking about taking me out on the lake, and that's what we are doing."
"You are right. I promised." He took a deep breath to steady himself, and grabbed the basket, and then her hand, and they left the house out the back door. They both put on their sunglasses and strolled down the grass to the dock. Once they got to the boat—err yacht, yes that was definitely the word for it, she thought—Killian helped her on board. Then he released the ropes holding it to the dock and jumped on as well. He went inside the boat and started the engines as she looked around.
She swore it was like a smaller version of the RV. The back of the boat was open with seating. But the front had glass windows and doors that could be opened. Inside had a TV, kitchen, and a table with bench seating. Then she saw steps leading down, and she went to go look. There was a master bedroom with a queen bed. There was also a bathroom with a shower. She strode back up the stairs, and leaned over his shoulder as he pulled away from the dock. "Exactly what do you do on this boat that requires full sleeping arrangements?"
He laughed. "So, you already gave yourself the full tour, I see." He reached back and pulled her around to sit next to him. "When I get free time, I like to spend it on the water. Feel the gentle roll of the waves. I have been known to sleep out here."
She smiled. "That actually sounds really nice."
"Well then, there is a week break coming up; maybe we can spend the weekend out here."
"Mmm, that sounds fantastic," she agreed, and watched as he steered the ship out into open water. Soon the house was a small spec in the distance. He drove for awhile, and then threw anchor near one of the small, uninhabited islands. She stood and headed out to the back, looking around. It was gorgeous and quiet.
He pulled the basket from inside and one of the blankets from below, and started to walk out to the front of the boat. "Ready for lunch?"
"Oh yeah." She grabbed the bag she brought and followed him up, then helped him spread out the blanket and then sat down with him as they dug through the picnic basket. She dug in her bag, and brought out the sunscreen. "Need any?"
"I put some on before we left. But maybe after we eat. You?" He asked towards her, a little hope in his eyes.
She laughed. "Same." They started snacking on the sandwiches and veggie tray as they looked out onto the water. "It's so quiet."
"Does it bother you? Would you like me to turn on the radio?"
"No, it's fine. I'm just not used to it. It's rather nice."
"Aye. I've always found it relaxing." Comfortable silence fell between them as they continued to eat, small smiles exchanged as they watched a few ducks land nearby. Soon, they were cleaning up what was left, and Killian returned the basket to the kitchen.
He came back out, and removed his t-shirt, leaving him in his swim trunks.
"Oh no, you have to wait an hour before swimming." She told him with a wink.
Killian laughed. "I wasn't heading in just yet. Just getting some sun." He grabbed the sunscreen, "Would you get my back please?"
She couldn't refuse that little smile, and she was sure he was giving those damn puppy dog eyes under the sunglasses; it really wasn't fair. She grabbed the bottle from him and gave him a half-hearted huff of annoyment, which just made him laugh harder. But once she started to work the lotion into his neck and back, his head started bobbing down, with low moans instead of humor coming from his lips. When she got done with his back, she dropped the bottle in his lap. "All done."
He could tell from the small curl of her lips that she was teasing him; her touch before was deliberately working him up, and, hell, he had the partial tent in his swim trunks to prove it. He squeezed some more sunscreen into his hand, and then started to rub it into his arms, then pecs, and down his abs. His eyes watched her the whole time, and saw the small lick of her lips. He worked over a few areas more than needed. "Your turn?" he asked, and she didn't say anything. He smiled and continued. "Emma?"
"What?" She jerked her head up to look at him. "Oh, yeah...sure." Her mind was hazy from the display he just made. Two could play that game. She stood up, raised her shirt slowly, dropped it to the floor once it was off, and then shimmied her shorts down her hips, giving them a little extra wiggle on purpose. She then turned, sat down in front of him, and lifted her hair out of the way. He started to apply the lotion to her back as his lips leaned forward and kissed down the slope of her neck.
Emma moaned at the feel of his hands and lips working over her. She damn well knew where this was going to lead, but she didn't care. She leaned back a little, and after getting her back, his hands started to move up her sides, and around to her front. He pressed her back against his chest, as his hands moved up her abs, and around the fabric of her top, over her breast bone, and then his fingers dipped under the fabric, cupping her breasts under the bikini top. She groaned and arched her back, pressing against his hands.
"So beautiful," he said into her ear and nibbled at her earlobe. His fingers tweaked her nipples, causing her to moan and close her eyes, resting the back of her head on his shoulder. He moved his left hand out from under the top and down her front. His fingers trailed along the band of her swim bottoms, and then dipped under. "Mmmm, and so wet, and ready for me." He breathed into her ear. "And all mine."
She knew that at any moment a boat could come by and see them, and she didn't care; hell, it made it more exciting. All she cared about was needing his fingers to move lower, to relieve the pressure and want between her legs. "Killian...please…"
He obliged and dipped two fingers into her core, the moan from her lips his reward, as he started to slowly pump them in and out of her, as he pressed his palm against her swollen clit. She gasped and he smiled against the skin of her neck, leaving another kiss, as his other hand kept squeezing her breast and lightly squeezing her nipple.
Her breath hitched as her hips moved against his hand. "That's it, love," he said into her ear, increasing the speed of his fingers. "Let go; I've got you."
Her hands gripped his thighs on either side of her, and with a couple more thrusts of his fingers, she was sailing. Her body shuddered and his hand left her breast so his arm could wrap around her, hugging her to him as the pleasure washed over her.
She felt his lips kissing her neck, whispering sweet words between each one as she came back to her senses. She blinked her eyes open, and turned her head to catch his lips with hers.
He pulled his fingers from her and she pouted at the loss, making him smile. "Don't worry, I think you will like what I want to replace them with." She looked around, making sure there weren't any boats around, not that she was thinking about that a few minutes ago. "No worries, love. It's pretty quiet out here; no one is around...yet." He gave her a wink, and her heart rate increased. "Lay back on the blanket, for me?"
She smiled and turned around, laid back, throwing her sunglasses to the side. He took off his as well, and gave his own groan when she opened her legs, her hand trailing down and pushing the bikini bottoms to the side, exposing her bare folds, glistening with her desire. "You aren't playing fair, my love."
She smirked at him. "What fun would that be?"
He pushed his swim trunks down, had himself in hand, and was on his knees between hers in an instant. And in the next moment he was thrusting home, both groaning in pleasure. His arms came under her back, and his hands gripped her shoulders, as her legs wrapped high on his hips. "God…" he kissed her. "You always feel so damn good around me."
"You know what feels better?" She asked and shifted her hips making them both moan. "If you move." She winked at him.
With that, he pulled out and thrust back in hard, making her eyes close and head tilt back. "Like that?" he asked, his hips retreating and then plunging back inside.
Her legs gripped him tighter. "God...yesss." Her hips rocked up against him and he pushed in again and again, quickening his pace. Her hands gripped at his back, trying to hold on through his powerful thrusts, pleasure-filled sounds coming from her mouth. If the boat was any smaller, she was sure that he would be rocking it with each move. "Mmmm….yes…"
He was so close—hell, she had worked him up the moment he saw her in the bikini. Who was he kidding—she always had him worked up. He moved his hips a little faster and loved hearing the gasp from her lips. He just wanted more; he wanted deeper. He lightly bit at the skin on her neck and then moved his arms to press his palms to the hull of boat, and pushed himself back up to his knees, changing the angle, and shifting a little more in her. They both groaned, and she asked, "What?"
"This," he said as he unwrapped one leg and slid her leg up and her knee over his shoulder, opening her up to him even more, and allowing him to seat himself deeper. "Fuck…" he growled and closed his eyes at the feeling.
She pulled her other leg tight around his hips. "Yes, me. Fuck me, Killian."
"With pleasure…" he said and started to buck into her again, his hips working frantically to piston in and out of her in quick succession over and over. Her moans got louder and louder with each thrust. He could feel her inner muscles start to contract. "Fuck, yes...come for me. Let me feel…" But he didn't have to finish his sentence, because she started to grip him, her mouth screaming his name, and her body flew over the edge. On the next push of his hips he followed her, stilling and coming deep inside of her, as pleasure rushed through him.
He put his weight on his forearms and pressed his forehead against hers as they both tried to catch their breath. She gave him a soft kiss. He looked down into her deep green eyes. "Love you."
She smiled back up at him. "Love you, too."
He lowered her leg from his shoulder, and then kissed her nose, making her giggle. He rolled them to the side, slipping from her as they did. He then tugged up his swim trunks, and she straightened her bottoms, making her giggle more. "Well, that's a first."
"What is?" he asked.
"Never done that in public before," she admitted.
He looked at her, then out across the water. "Well, except for some ducks, which I believe you scared off with your scream," he said with a wink and she lightly swatted his chest, "There is no one here." He brought up his hand to stroke his chin. "But if you like it, I can think up some ideas."
She swatted him again. "You are terrible."
"Okay, let's get cleaned up," he said, standing and pulling her to her feet. She was about to head below, but he grabbed and spun her back to him. "I have a better and faster idea." Before she could ask, he jumped into the water and pulled her with him.
As soon as she got back to the surface she sputtered. "Why you…" She splashed water at him. He laughed and splashed her back, ensuing a water fight, at least until he dove for her and dragged her back under with him, only this time his mouth found hers before they got back to the surface, and they came up kissing. Her arms and legs wrapped around him, and he deepened the kiss. "Why get us all clean if you are just going to get us dirty again?"
He kissed a line down her neck, and shifted her up further in the water so he could kiss down her breastbone. "Because it's so much fun, and you are just too damn tempting." His lips then found hers again. They didn't pull up to the dock until almost midnight, both tired, but with loving smiles on their faces.
===∞∞∞∞∞===
The media was out in full force the next day. It reminded Emma of the first race she went to at the start of the year. As soon as Killian got to the track, he was whisked away by Regina and Emma found where the girls were holed up while their men were also out amongst the hordes of reporters.
They day went by quickly. Soon, the opening ceremony was over and she was kissing Killian right before he got in his car and following the crew back to the pit. Killian and Sean were the only two of their group of friends to qualify in the front; the rest were back in the teens. Emma was curious as to whose strategy would work best, and in the end win the one million dollar prize. Killian had told her that it's always best to stay up front. But with part of the field having to move to the back with thirteen laps to go, was that a good idea?
Emma had her confirmation just a few laps in that the drivers weren't holding back on this race. They all seemed to have the 'checkers or wreckers' view that Ruby told her about since points for the championship weren't involved. By the time the first segment was over, two cars were already out of the race, one was being worked on, and three others had major damage but were able to go on with quite a bit of Bare Bond. Killian had made it from fifth up to second place right behind Phillip, with Sean not far from him. The others still seemed to be content staying towards the back.
Almost everyone took two tires at the mandatory green flag stop, since most of them took opposite two tires on the last caution, and they were back out on the track. Emma bit her lip a few times, watching as the front three kept trying to take the lead from each other. Some were close calls, and some were actual hits, as the cars traded paint with each other and sparks flew. But at least they were skilled drivers and didn't cause a wreck.
It was twenty-three laps into the next segment when cars started to make their mandatory green flag two-tire pit stop, most of the teams again opting for the minimum and changing the opposite two from the last pit. Killian's team saved him time to get him out in first place, just in front of Sean and then Phillip. With only three laps to go in the segment, two cars got into each other mid-pack and crashed into the wall, spinning cars around and causing three others to crash and bring out a caution that effectively lasted the rest of the segment. Those five cars were then put in the back of the pack.
Which also meant five cars were pushed up in order, which included Victor and Eric. Emma was sure they weren't happy about it. For one, it now put them in position to have to make the pit stop and start in the back on the last segment, but it would also be worse because they would start at that back of that as well, unlike those that decided to stay in the lead, like Killian. Maybe Robin and Killian's strategy would be the best after all.
The random draw was made, and top ten cars would be made to make a mandatory four-tire pit stop, and then start at the back of the pack. After all was said and done, and due to the number of cars being out of the race, or substantial laps down, after the four-tire pit stop, Killian was only back in seventh.
Emma smiled to herself and looked to Robin, who gave her a grin. They both knew they had a good position. They weren't far back, and unlike the cars in front of them, they had four fresh new tires. With the green flag dropped, the cars were off, and Killian as well as Sean were around the drivers in front of them while Phillip moved up the center, passing two. You could quickly see the benefit of the fresh tires, and those who started in front were quickly falling back.
It wasn't long before Philip, Sean, and Killian broke free of the rest of the pack, and back to just trying to get ahead of each other. With one lap to go, it was still anyone's race. With Sean and Killian neck-and-neck, and Phillip behind Sean, it was a last-minute push and slingshot around Sean that got Philip the win, and Killian placing third.
Emma had to take a deep breath once she realized she had been holding it; her heart was beating a mile a minute. She turned to Robin and he raised up thumb and finger signifying just how close it really was. Emma took off her headset and went down the stairs to find Killian finishing up an interview. He was smiling and gesturing wildly, but she could tell he wasn't upset—just pumped about the exhilarating race.
Once he wrapped up the interviewer, he found her, kissed her, and she then broke away to smile up at him. "Good job."
"A win would have been better," he told her as they started walking back to the garage. She rolled her eyes. "But all in all, third is good, and the car isn't damaged. Now...let's go home." And after squaring everything away with the crew, that is exactly what they did.
Point Standings:
Car - Driver - Points - *=leading
#71 - Killian Jones - 450*
#8 - Phillip Haven - 439
#36 - Victor Whale - 443
#53 - Sean Herman - 442
#65 - Eric Sirena - 437
#92 - August Booth - 437
#12 - Tarrant Jefferson - 363