by Melody Anne
“The grin doesn’t inspire confidence,” she told him.
“I thought my grin was my best feature,” he countered.
“Oh no. Your eyes are your best feature, especially the way they sparkle with a touch of humor and a whole lot of heat,” she said. Then she clamped her mouth closed.
Why was it that she often spouted exactly what was on her mind? It wasn’t an endearing quality in her humble opinion.
“Heat, huh?” he said as his brows rose and he wiggled them.
“I just meant . . . um . . . that they are bright,” she said, hating that her cheeks gave her away every time she was mortified.
“This is a good time for me to ask about your most embarrassing moment,” he said with a laugh.
“Oh, that’s so easy. Just about any time I’m with you and I open my mouth without letting my brain catch up,” she said with a laugh.
“You can open your mouth around me anytime without letting your brain stop you,” he told her as he tugged again on her hand. “I really need a new truck,” he grumbled when she didn’t fall into his lap.
“Saved by the console,” she told him, though the atmosphere in the truck was a heck of a lot hotter now, with or without the heater running.
His eyes—those eyes she’d been talking about—took on a whole new level of heat as he gazed over at her. Just when she thought he was going to lean across the divider and kiss her, he smiled that beautiful smile that took her breath away.
“Saved for now,” he said. “We’d better get back.”
If his voice hadn’t sounded so disappointed, she might have been worried. But they continued chatting as they came down the mountain and headed for home.
She learned about every pet he’d ever owned, his dream vacation spot, and the stupidest pranks he and his brothers had pulled. By the time they arrived at her cottage, her side hurt from laughing so much.
Again, though, he walked her to her door, and then barely brushed her lips before disappearing into the night. She was beginning to want to punch the man as much as she wanted to kiss him.
The anticipation of waiting for him to take her into his arms again was killing her. If he didn’t do something about it soon, then . . . well, pretty much then nothing. She just wasn’t brave enough to initiate. Not yet, at least.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Another meeting down. The fund-raiser was shaping up nicely. Lindsey was also noticing that Maverick used the meetings as an excuse to then take her to outrageous places afterward. Their current spot was a place she never would have come to on her own.
The noise in the bar they were at was nearly deafening, but the sweet taste of Lindsey’s drink was beginning to drown it out. It wasn’t quite a dive bar, but close enough. She both liked it and was a little horrified.
Never would she have found herself alone in a place like this, but she knew she was safe with Maverick by her side. No one would dare approach her while the six-feet-plus giant of a man was near. He was just too dang intimidating for anyone to even think about coming too close.
Lindsey wondered why she wasn’t afraid of him. He could easily subdue her. Maybe she felt secure because she knew there was no way he would do that. He wasn’t that type of man.
“Are you ready for the real fun now?” Mav asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t really think I brought you to this bar for drinks and fried food, did you?” he asked with a wicked smile that had her lifting her glass and taking another big chug. She had a feeling she was going to need the liquid courage.
Before she could ask him to explain, a man stood up on the stage and the crowd cheered. She looked at the man and then back at Maverick with suspicion.
“Are you all ready to karaoke?” the man called out. Lindsey’s face drained of color.
“You can’t possibly think I’m getting up on that stage and singing, can you?” she gasped.
His eyes were glowing.
“Trust me, it’s a healing experience. When you learn not to care about what other people think and just live for the moment and for your own happiness, your worries will fade away. These are strangers, people you most likely will never see again, and they are all here to have a great time,” he said as he tugged on her hand.
“No way, Mav. There’s no way I’m going up there. Not even with the buzz I have,” she threatened.
“Too late,” he told her.
“We’re going to start the evening off with a special duo. We’ve got Maverick and Sugar about to sing for you all,” the man on stage called out, and the crowd cheered again.
“Sugar? You told him my name was Sugar?” she snapped as he pulled her closer to the stage.
“Every star needs a stage name,” he said as they reached the steps.
“You don’t have a stage name,” she pointed out. He laughed.
“Baby, I’m already a star,” he told her.
Lindsey was horrified. Within seconds, she found herself on the stage with at least fifty people staring up at her. A mic was placed in her hand.
“I have never sung karaoke before. I don’t know how,” she exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, I picked the best song. You just follow the prompter,” he said.
She wasn’t going to do this. He couldn’t make her, she decided. But then the crowd was staring at her, and the music began playing, and Lindsey knew she was going to make a fool out of herself either way. There were only two choices. She could either sing the song, which would be terrible with her tone-deaf vocals, or she could run off the stage in humiliation.
Her only solace was the fact that the patrons were most likely three sheets to the wind already. In their drunken bliss, they wouldn’t pay her any attention. Plus, she was standing beside Maverick. Who in the world would look at her when he was there with a mic in his hand?
And then the words started, and he began to sing. She was rooted to the spot. Of course, the man had an incredible voice to go along with everything else that was absolutely perfect about him. But not only was it his voice, it was the lyrics.
She was a huge Johnny Cash fan, and he’d picked a fun song to sing. Lindsey actually found herself smiling as he sang the first verse of “Jackson.”
“. . . goin’ to Jackson . . . I’m gonna mess around . . .”
Without even thinking about the crowd below them in the crowded bar, Lindsey lifted the mic and began singing with a grin on her face.
“. . . make a big fool of yourself . . .”
The smile Maverick sent her way made her cheeks glow for a whole new reason. The song was flirty and fun and both of them got into it. She even found herself dancing with him as he talked of going to Jackson and messing around, and she countered.
“. . . people gonna stoop and bow . . .”
“. . . hah!” That was her favorite part of the song. She even chucked him beneath the chin and was rewarded by his brilliant smile.
The crowd went crazy and sang along with them to the old classic by the man in black. As the song wound down, Lindsey couldn’t keep the grin from her lips.
There she was, on the stage with Maverick, grateful he had pushed her into doing something she hadn’t wanted to do. He leaned down and kissed her briefly, which had the bar patrons cheering again, reminding her of where they were.
“That was a great song to start our night off. Next up is . . .”
The host continued speaking as Maverick led her offstage and back to their table in the corner of the bar. She sat, picked up her glass, and looked across at him.
“What are you doing to me, Maverick Armstrong?” she asked, not sure if she were asking this of herself or of him. She took a sip.
“I’m teaching you to enjoy the small stuff,” he answered, drinking his beer.
“And what happens when it’s finished?” She hadn’t meant to ask that question. She knew what happened when she did. She wanted to take it back immediately, but his eyes fired up as her smile faded.
> “Who says it’s ending?” he said as he reached across their small table and grabbed her hand.
“Well, unless we’re heading down to Jackson . . .” She tried to make it a joke, but for some reason the thought of him fading from her life was making her throat close.
“Are you proposing to me, Ms. Helm?” he asked, the sparkle back in his eyes, but something else was there too that both scared and excited her.
“No!” she said as she tugged against him.
“Hmm? I know I’m irresistible.”
Her cheeks heated and she was grateful for the dim lighting surrounding them.
“Yes, you are pretty suave,” she said, downing the rest of her drink. The waitress came up and asked them if they needed anything else. Lindsey held her fingers up indicating she wanted two more. She had a feeling she was going to need them.
“It’s a pilot thing,” he told her when the waitress left.
“What’s a pilot thing?” she asked.
“The attitude. Being able to do something most people can’t makes you pretty dang confident,” he told her with another wink.
“Hmm. I think it’s a Maverick thing,” she countered.
“Want to get out of here?” The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable. And her body responded to it instantly.
“I just ordered more drinks,” she panted.
He leaned over to the table nearby, slapped a couple of hundred-dollar bills down, told them to enjoy the drinks, and then stood up and pulled her with him.
“The table next to us says thank you.”
And with that, they were moving rapidly toward the parking lot.
Anticipation burned in Lindsey’s stomach as he practically tossed her in the truck and ran around to the driver’s side. Maybe tonight was going to be more than just foreplay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Maverick was punishing her. She was sure of it. That’s why he’d gotten her body all revved up two nights ago and then had left her burning after a few hot kisses. He’d jumped into his truck and gone home. She’d wanted to make love to him, wanted to quench the fire he’d stoked.
But he said it wasn’t time yet.
And just like that, he’d left her standing there, royally ticked off. Then to make matters worse, he hadn’t called her the next day. If this was part of his mission, he was failing completely, because she didn’t feel better. She felt frustrated.
“I have a good mind not to see that man ever again,” she said through clenched teeth as Stormy sat on her couch nursing Aaron.
“You’re awfully wound up over a guy you don’t care about,” Stormy pointed out.
“He’s just so frustrating. He takes me on all these adventures, makes me laugh, really makes me burn, and then he just walks away like he’s not affected in the least.”
“Don’t let him walk away,” Stormy pointed out.
“He’s just a tad bit bigger than me, Storm. It’s not like I can stop him,” Lindsey told her.
“Make him unable to walk away,” Stormy told her.
Lindsey stopped and looked at her friend. “What do you mean?”
“Seduce him.” Her friend said it so simply, as if that were the easiest thing in the world to accomplish.
“How am I supposed to do that? I haven’t ever chased after a guy,” Lindsey told her.
“I’m not exactly the best teacher on the subject,” Stormy said with a laugh. “However, you have sex appeal oozing off you in giant waves. You’ve always been beautiful and confident. If you put your mind to it, you’ll have Maverick lapping at your feet like a starving puppy.”
“Hmm. Mav on his knees is sort of an appealing idea,” Lindsey said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, the boy is pretty dang delicious. Not quite as delicious as his brother, but I can see his appeal,” Stormy said.
“I love how much you adore your husband,” Lindsey told her. “I thought he was a hopeless case when I first met him, but I see that he would also do anything and everything for you. It’s pretty spectacular.”
“He’s my soul mate,” Stormy said simply, as if that was a common thing.
“You do realize that epic romances like yours and Cooper’s aren’t usual, don’t you?” Lindsey told her friend.
“That’s why it’s that much more special. I know what we have is rare, and I plan on never letting it go. It’s not always easy. People can forget how it felt in the beginning. Time can wear on a relationship. We can take advantage of each other if we aren’t careful. But I won’t allow that to happen because I love Cooper with all my heart and soul and I won’t ever let him go.”
“I don’t want that, Stormy. I don’t want to feel like I can’t live without another person,” Lindsey told her as she sat down, suddenly feeling drained of energy.
“Oh, sweetie, you won’t have a choice,” Stormy said with a sigh. “When you find your soul mate, there’s no choice other than to be with them, because you can’t breathe right without them at your side. Yes, it’s rare. Most people settle for what they think they want instead of for what makes them happy. But when it hits you, there’s no place far enough you’ll be able to run. You will find each other no matter what.”
“That doesn’t sound pleasant at all,” Lindsey told her.
“The pain you go through to find each other isn’t pleasant. But at the end of the road, when you’re in each other’s arms, it’s absolute bliss.”
“I think I want my old friend back, the one who likes to bitch with me about men,” Lindsey said, only half kidding.
“She’s long gone, darling. This is the new me, and I’m here to stay,” Stormy said with a laugh.
“Well, I’m more focused right now on satisfaction, so I think I’ll take your advice and attempt to seduce Maverick.”
“Maybe because he’s the one,” Stormy said with a knowing smile that Lindsey wanted to smack away.
“There’s no chance he’s the one. I’m not interested in the one. I’m interested in the one right now. Forever isn’t going to happen for me,” Lindsey insisted.
“If that’s what makes you feel better for now,” Stormy said.
When her friend left, she was grumpy. She didn’t want to think about soul mates and forever-type romances. There were far too many that never worked out. That’s what would most likely happen to her. She didn’t want to feel like she couldn’t make it through another day unless a man was by her side.
So she put her plans into motion. She might not be willing to play with her heart, but she was more than willing to see if her body was still working correctly. And she knew just the man to play with to find out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Something was different in her eyes. Maverick knew from the moment he walked into the house. He could see it, feel it in the air. He’d been honorable the past couple of weeks. He’d put her needs above his own.
He’d been aching with a desire that couldn’t be quenched the entire time.
“This is my night to cater to you,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.
He coughed as he tried to tell himself not to read too much into her words. “Huh?” He was losing control fast, and the look in her eyes was making his head spin.
“I’m in charge for the evening.” He would let her be in charge any damn time she wanted if she kept looking at him like that.
“What’s the plan?” he practically panted.
“You’ll see. I’m going to freshen up.”
And just like that she disappeared into her bedroom, leaving the door cracked open. He knew the bathroom was in there, and when he heard running water, he practically drooled.
Maverick knew this cottage inside and out. He’d stayed in it several times over the past few years. Just knowing she was sleeping in the same bed he’d slept in countless times was messing with his head enough. But imagining what she was doing in the bathroom right now was making him feel faint.
Moving over to the fridge, he pulled it open and spotted a six-pack of beer
. He needed one, or maybe the entire thing, if he planned on making it through the night with this sexy woman. Undoing three buttons on his shirt, he was still sweating as he pictured her in the bathroom . . .
Was she in there changing into something . . . silky, soft, and easily removable? Was she putting on more of her intoxicating perfume or touching up her pink lips? Was she preparing herself so he could then unwrap the gift she was presenting him?
Or was he fantasizing way too much?
Yes, there had been a look in her eyes, but that didn’t mean she was ready for them to have sex. He’d promised her he wouldn’t do that until she was asking him. He was seriously considering taking back that promise because right now he couldn’t think of anything other than sinking deep within her silky pink folds.
Her bedroom door was cracked open, and he wanted to walk through it, and straight into the bathroom. He didn’t know how he was finding the restraint not to do exactly that. But then she called him.
His body froze at the soft purr of her tone. He didn’t have to be called twice. Almost as if he were being pulled by strings, he began moving. He entered her dark bedroom and saw the bathroom door open.
There was a soft glow emanating from the bathroom, the flicker of light casting shadows on the wall. He moved to the door. Then his heart might have stopped beating for a few seconds.
There she was, sunk deep in the bathtub, only bubbles covering her in the dim lighting. A bottle of wine rested in a bucket on the side of the tub and two glasses sat within reach. His head began buzzing at the absolute beauty of her. She was perfection and he her willing slave.
His mouth dropped to the floor with the look she was giving him. Her eyes told him she wanted him. Damn, he didn’t know if he could actually make her utter the words. Without even thinking about it, his fingers lifted as he began undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt, then quickly tossed it away. Pride filled him at the appreciative gasp from her ripened lips.
