Traceless (40 page)

Justine Mallory had been a despicable individual. How could she have looked so normal? And Misty, well, she'd simply been one of those people everyone thought was creepy, but no one suspected of harm. She'd latched on to Justine in grade school and had hung on ever since. The fear of losing Justine's unconditional love had driven Misty to murder.

The cover-up had gone deep.

Emily had the videotape of her and Clint's courthouse escapade. Caruthers had the incriminating photo. Of course, she'd kept a copy, as had he if he was half as smart as she presumed he was. Either way, it was over. The men in Pine Bluff got to keep their dirty little secret, and Clint got his life back.

Emily pushed the thoughts away. She was through with that. Moving on. Just as her parents had encouraged her to do years ago, without the therapy. In fact, she hadn't had a panic attack since... since that first time she and Clint made love. Sex with Clint was way better than Prozac or Xanax.

Once in a great while she let the idea that she'd fired the shot that ended Justine's life bother her, but then she remembered how many lives Justine had devastated, including her own, and she dismissed the whole concern.

Clint had moved in with her and they were both focused on the future.

Life in general was good.

"Em!"

A grin tugged at her lips and her heart skipped a beat.

Life with Clint was fantastic.

"In here!"

He burst into the room and her breath caught just as it did every morning when she woke up to find him lying in bed next to her.

"Guess what?" he said, excitement making those gray eyes glitter like silver stars. He swung his big, strong arms around her and pulled her close. "I got an A on the test."

Pride welled in her chest. "I never doubted it for a second. You're going to be the best damned paralegal in the state!" Eventually he hoped to get his law degree, but no hurry. One step at a time. He wanted to be able to counsel those in trouble, especially those in prison. He knew firsthand just how badly good advice was needed.

"We need to celebrate."

She couldn't agree more.

He kissed her. Deeply, desperately, and daringly. She wanted him to kiss her like this every day for the rest of their lives.

They'd gotten married in August and Clint had enrolled in the university with a scholarship funded fully by the State of Alabama. As soon as he finished, he would go to work full-time and Emily would go back to school and go after that medical degree she'd always planned on. Maybe not as a doctor, maybe as a nurse like her mother or a physician's assistant. Once school was behind them both, the baby making would begin. Who knew? Maybe before.

They finally had what they had both deserved more than a decade ago.

Clint deepened the kiss, dragged her down onto the bed, and, as he undressed her, she made one more life-altering decision... she was never looking back again.

Some things were simply better off left in the past.

Other things—Clint dragged her panties off and kissed his way up her thighs—were best suited to the here and now.

And to tomorrow. And to the day after that...