“Yes I know; some people are like that.”
“I guess I ruined your evening. You look very pretty.”
“Thank you and you didn’t spoil our evening. This way you and I get to know each other a little better. How did you do on your Roosevelt essay last week?”
“Roosevelt essay?” She frowned, her brows furrowing deeply with confusion. “But I didn’t…” Then she halted, all but bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.
As her eyes rounded, it was that precise moment when Emma guessed the truth. She’d fibbed about having a report to do. As the seconds raced by she watched the varying emotions cross her young face, leaving her cheeks crimson.
She lowered her eyes with obvious guilt. “Please don’t tell Dad.”
“Tell him what?” Emma encouraged in a neutral tone, needing to hear the truth. “What did you do, honey?”
She refused to raise her eyes. “I kind of told a little white lie. I do have an essay to write but it’s not due until next Wednesday. I thought if I stayed home then you two could be alone with each other and, and maybe…” She shrugged her shoulders. “My dad’s crazy about you,” she blurted out, changing the subject.
This caused Emma’s brows to arch high with surprise.
“Do you like him?”
Emma rose to her feet, afraid their conversation was heading toward a dangerous topic she wasn’t ready to discuss with Mike’s daughter. “I don’t think we should be having this…”
“It’s true!”
Melissa grabbed her by the hand to keep her from leaving.
Emma stared at her for a moment, a reluctant smile forming on her mouth. “How do you know that?”
She gave a small yawn, closing her eyes. “I just know. He’s been acting all weird lately and, well, I can tell you’re crazy about him too. Are you mad at me?”
She was crazy about Mike, but Emma wasn’t about to admit it to Melissa, at least not until Mike knew how she felt about him. Not about to encourage Melissa to continue, Emma decided to change the subject and quickly.“Of course not, sweetie. Is there anything else I can get you before I leave?”
Melissa shook her head without opening her eyes. “No, thank you.”
As Emma closed Melissa’s door, she couldn’t help wondering how a thirteen-year-old could make such an astute observation. Most girls her age were usually so wrapped up in themselves they thought the world revolved around them.
She was halfway down the stairs when she paused with pleasant surprise, noticing several things simultaneously. A delicious aroma drifted up to her, a fire had been lit in the fire-place and the coffee table in front of it had been set up with two place settings.
“I can’t do anything about the dancing but the least I can do is replace the dinner you missed.”
Emma turned slightly to see Mike emerging from what she guessed was the kitchen, carrying a large tray in his hands.
“It smells wonderful,” she said, joining him at the bottom of the stairs and following him to the living room. “You have a nice home, Mike. I like the décor. Did you do it all by yourself or did you get some assistance from that redhead floozy Mrs. Dawson told me about?”
He set the tray down and straightened, his eyes filled with amusement. “As a matter of fact I did it myself, thank you.” He closed the distance between them, a look of purpose in his eyes. “And we’re not really going to have a discussion about Lacy Jones, are we?”
“Lacy Jones?” Emma began to feel slightly nervous, but in a delicious way, when Mike reached forward. The trailing ends of his tie were resting on her breasts and his fingers teasingly brushed against them as he took hold of it.
“The redhead floozy,” he explained, slowly pulling her toward him. “How’s Melissa?”
“It’s what we both expected. I gave her some Tylenol and the heating pad. She could hardly keep her eyes open by the time I left.”
He gave a little jerk to his tie, which caused Emma to stumble against him. “I don’t know why she couldn’t have told me.” He sounded slightly disappointed.
As her head fell back, she met the growing desire in his eyes. “It’s a girl thing.” Her sigh became a moan as Mike purposely teased her sensitive nipples with his knuckles. He lowered his face, causing her to catch her breath.
“I’m glad you were here to help her.”
“Me too,” she agreed softly.
“And you know what else?”
“Our dinner is going to get cold?” she joked, focusing her eyes on his mouth. She was hungry and it wasn’t for food. Why didn’t he kiss her?
His mouth curved upward as though he knew what she was feeling.
“I want to kiss you.”
His words caused her pulse to throb. “What’s stopping you?” she whispered, waiting patiently for his mouth to finally touch hers.
“I promised myself I wouldn’t kiss you until the time was right,” he responded without hesitation.
“And when will that be, Detective?” she asked in a silky voice.
The look in his eyes turned dark and lazy. “When I can kiss all of you.”
“Oh.” Emma couldn’t think of anything to say after that. She was sure the heat enveloping her body had nothing to do with the fire burning brightly in the hearth. Then her belly rumbled loudly, causing them both to laugh and relax.
“I think my body’s trying to tell you something.”
Mike took her by the hand, and pulled her with him to sit at the coffee table. Her eyes rounded with appreciation when he removed the lid of a silver dish, revealing two perfectly cooked omelets complimented with a side of what appeared to be homemade applesauce. She watched him uncork a bottle of wine and pour them each a glass.
In spite of the fact that Melissa was upstairs sleeping everything was perfect. Furthermore, she found she’d much rather be there with Mike than on some crowded dance floor somewhere. She smiled when he glanced her way, and accepted the glass. She took a little sip.
The long look they exchanged was full of heat and promise. It was just a matter of time before she told Mike how she felt.
They ate in comfortable silence, watching each other. Several times Mike’s gaze fell to Emma’s mouth as it closed over her fork, turning the meaningless act into a sensual preliminary of things to come, leaving the atmosphere charged with unspoken desires.
She wondered what was going through his mind. His expression was hard to read, his eyes gentle and contemplative. It didn’t take long before she was feeling excited inside.
“What are you thinking?”
Mike surprised her by asking, reaching for his glass.
“That you’re an excellent chef. That omelet was wonderful.” She sighed contentedly, skirting around the truth. There was no way she was going to acknowledge he’d turned her on by simply watching her eat. Dropping her fork she leaned back against the sofa, placing her hand on her full stomach.
“And that’s just one of my many talents,” he admitted, grinning like a lazy wolf with something devious on his mind.
“I can’t wait to see what the others are.” Reaching forward she scooped a dab of applesauce off her plate, bringing her finger toward her mouth. Mike’s hand shot out, catching her wrist, halting her in the process.
“Come here.” He effortlessly pulled Emma over until she was half-lying across his lap, guiding her finger to his mouth at the same time. Their eyes clashed with mutual awareness as his mouth slowly closed over her finger, sucking it clean.
“You are talented!” she gasped, feeling her heart race. A tingling in the lower region of her body signaled her arousal.
Mike leaned back, stretching his legs out in an effort to get more comfortable while arranging Emma more intimately against him. The movement caused her short skirt to ride up the back of her legs, but when she reached to pull it back in place his hand was there to stop her.
She raised questioning eyes to him. His teeth flashed white against the dimly lit room, the fire dancing wickedly in
his aroused eyes.
“Don’t ruin the view,” he chastised, linking his hands loosely against the back of her waist. “You have very nice legs.”
Chuckling, she relaxed, placing her head against his chest and snuggling into his warm body. “It’s the stockings.” Emma had long ago slipped off her heels in favor of comfort.
She caught her breath when Mike trailed his fingertips along the backs of her thighs, inching closer to the hem of her skirt. She wasn’t ticklish, but when a finger glided higher, beneath the material, she shivered with delicious pleasure.
“Ticklish?”
The humor in his tone was evident.
“Not exactly.”
Mike’s fingers roamed higher. “Then why are you shivering?”
Raising her head, she met his heavy-lidded eyes. She didn’t credit the lazy half-asleep look in them with being tired. “You know why.”
His expression spread into a slow-moving grin of eroticism, causing her blood to boil.
“Tell me,” he insisted.
His fingers reached the tops of Emma’s stockings where the garter belt circled her thigh. She felt the change in his body almost instantly, his reaction proving he was on the same plateau of excitement she was.
“You’re full of surprises, sweetheart.”
She gasped when his fingers slipped beneath the garter. “You have Amanda to thank for that. She said stockings are much sexier than pantyhose.”
“Remind me to send her some flowers tomorrow.”
“You like?” she asked in a smoky voice.
“I like,” he responded hoarsely.
Emma’s soft chuckle rippled through the quiet room as she returned her head to Mike’s chest. She didn’t protest when he continued his intimate search, tenderly exploring the softness of her thighs above the stockings. When his fingers moved ever closer to her bottom she began to squirm, knowing that if he continued much further he was going to be in for an even bigger surprise.
“Mike…” Emma wasn’t sure she wanted him to find out like this. She’d planned on their evening ending much differently than relaxing in front of the fireplace in his home with his daughter sleeping upstairs. “Mike, I’m not wearing…” But it was too late.
She heard him suck in his breath, his fingers stilled for a moment. Emma could only guess what was going through his mind when it dawned on him that she wasn’t wearing panties. Technically she was; Amanda had also talked her into buying a lacy thong.
“Woman, are you trying to kill me?”
With every word his hands glided slowly up until his palms were caressing and squeezing her naked buttocks.
Emma laughed huskily. “I think it’s called trying to turn you on.” She squirmed against Mike, every nerve ending in her body alive with pleasant sensation as he continued to run his palms over her. “I guess Amanda’s a bad influence.”
“You get my cock hard without half-trying, honey. Remind me again to send Amanda flowers.”
He gave her bottom a rough squeeze, growling low in his throat.
His fingers were hot against her flesh, branding Emma where they touched her. “I don’t think it was meant as a form of punishment,” she teased, arching her hips into the cradle of his, taking pleasure in the power of his full erection.
It occurred to Emma that if they were to unzip his pants and move her thong aside he could slip inside her where they both wanted him to be. Her breath began to come out in little pants at the picture that presented, of them making love before the fire. Before she knew what she was doing she unbuttoned several buttons on his dress shirt, and put her mouth on his hot flesh.
“Sweetheart…” He sounded as though he was in pain.
His hard-on throbbed strongly against her. Emma continued to run her open mouth along his hot flesh, going a little crazy when one of his fingers dipped teasingly between her legs, brushing over the thin fabric covering her mound. Emma bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out with pleasure.
She pulled back to meet his desire-filled eyes, knowing the emotion mirrored what he saw in hers.
“Yes, you want me to stop, Detective?”
“Hell no.”
As Mike’s finger continued to flick over the thin barrier covering Emma’s pulsing clit her hips began to move as if they had a mind of their own. Her soft moans were overshadowed by the crackling fire. She arched against his cock wildly, wishing there were no clothes between them.
God I want him!
Mike must have guessed her growing ardor. The next thing she knew his finger was slipping beneath her thong and into her wet pussy, burrowing deeply. His mouth swallowed her cry of surprise. And then Emma gave in to the fierce need riding her.
She closed her eyes and moved her hips, meeting each thrust of his finger eagerly. He made sure to include her swollen clit until she was trembling and gasping helplessly against him.
“Do you know how badly I want to be inside you right now?”
Mike’s whisper was hot against Emma’s neck. His hips moved with subtle precision, fueling the hunger coursing through her. Lord what she wouldn’t give to have his cock buried deep inside her right then. But it didn’t stop the pleasure building to gigantic proportions until she lost control.
“Mike!” she whispered against his mouth. The sweet rush of release caused her body to twist atop his.
“Let it go, honey.”
He held her easily until the tremors subsided.
It felt like forever before Emma’s breathing calmed down.
“I can’t take you home tonight,” Mike said after a long silence.
“I can sleep on the couch.” She’d be cozy there next to the fire.
“Like hell you will. I want you in my bed. I’ll take the couch.”
As much as Emma yearned for Mike to join her in his bed, she knew his integrity as a father wouldn’t allow it. Not as long as there was a chance Melissa could surprise them. She loved him all the more for his strength and caring, sensing it was as much for his daughter as it was for her.
Her tongue came out to stroke across his bottom lip. She felt a violent shudder rack his body, even as he distanced himself emotionally. Disappointment laced her words, in spite of her attempt to keep her tone light hearted.
“Then kiss me goodnight, Detective, and show me the way.”
Chapter 20
Mike stood at the foot of his bed, staring down at the sleeping angel tangled in his covers. The fact that Emma was lying there, against his sheets, leaving her scent upon his pillows, was a surprising turn-on. She was on her side with one pillow clutched to her as if she were holding her lover close, a secret little smile on her lips as she dreamed.
Is she dreaming of me? He liked to think so.
He carefully reached forward, and brushed the wild hair off her face so he could better see her. When she stirred slightly he held his breath, though she only moved closer to the pillow, moaning softly in her sleep. Mike pulled the quilt over her, reluctant to leave but knowing he must. Melissa was waiting for him downstairs, or so he thought.
“Dad?”
He pivoted to see her standing in the threshold of his doorway, and quickly raised his finger to his lips in a gesture for her to be quiet.
“How do you feel, kiddo?” he asked after shutting the door so they wouldn’t disturb Emma. “You’re dressed,” he added with surprise, taking in her jeans and heavy sweatshirt.
“It’s a school day,” she reminded him in a tone that revealed she was surprised he could forget. “Friday, remember?” She hopped down the stairs in front of him.
“I thought you weren’t feeling well.” He naturally assumed she’d be staying home. However, Melissa wasn’t like some kids who came up with any excuse not to attend school. She actually liked it.
“Emma fixed me up. I’m okay now.”
“What about breakfast…”
“I’ll eat a breakfast bar on the way to school.” She reached for her coat, her eyes straying to the living room and notic
ing the blanket and pillow on the couch. “Did you sleep on the sofa last night?
Not because he’d wanted to. “Yep. Mrs. Dawson left Emma stranded here. I couldn’t take her home and leave you here alone.” He watched her zip up her coat. “You sure you feel well enough for school?”
Nodding, Melissa explained, “I don’t want to miss today. I have a big science test and Mrs. Waller doesn’t give make-ups unless you have a doctor’s excuse. She’s a real…”
“Melissa…”
“Witch,” she continued, pulling a knit hat down on top of her head with a big grin. “You know, I really like Emma, Dad, and she’s crazy about you.”
Mike’s brows rose and he crossed his arms.
“And you’re crazy about her too. Admit it.”
“How did you get to be so smart?” he questioned with amusement, not bothering to argue with her when deep down he knew she was right. He was more than crazy about Emma. And he was glad Melissa liked her too.
She paused to think as if her answer really mattered. “I think certain wisdom comes with entering womanhood,” she said with seriousness.
Mike nearly bit through his bottom lip to keep from laughing.
“You like her, don’t you, Dad?” She opened the door, waiting patiently for his response, her eyes watchful.
Mike could see the approaching school bus barreling down his drive. He was lucky the bus driver didn’t mind coming all the way down his road, since they were the only ones who lived there.
“The bus is here.” It quickly became apparent she wasn’t moving until he answered her. He sighed deeply. “Yes, I like her. Satisfied? Now go to school!”
A wide grin broke out on her face and she gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek before twirling and running for the bus. Mike closed the door and turned, his eyes automatically drawn to the top of the stairs where his sleeping angel stood with her arms crossed and a pleased expression on her face. He moved until he was standing directly at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes eating her up.
PASSIONATE ENCOUNTERS Page 18
