A Whole Lotta Trouble

by Lea Hart

  “And you’re good looking,” Emily added. “The ladies will be swooning when they get a glimpse of that square jaw of yours.”

  “Can someone just kill me now?” Weston groaned. “This is absolutely the last thing I want to be involved with.”

  “Embrace the suck, brother.”

  Seeing Weston’s handsome face scrunch up, she felt a stab of sympathy for him. “How long is your publicity duty supposed to take?” Emily asked.

  “Not sure. I’m meeting with the department’s public relations person next week, and I’ll get the particulars.”

  “Well, I wish you good luck,” Emily said firmly. “Do you think you’ll have time to find out who broke into my house before you go on tour?”

  “Absolutely,” Weston answered. “Willy sent all the physical evidence from your house to our labs, and we’ll see if anything pops. I’ve made a few calls and am looking into the company the Pierce brothers are keeping. Give me a couple of days and I should have something to move on.”

  “I appreciate it, Weston. I know you’ve got a full plate, and any little thing you can do will be helpful.”

  “In the meantime, we’ll be peanut butter and jelly,” Rick said firmly. “Stuck together with no room for anyone to cause you harm.”

  Emily leaned forward and grasped Weston’s hand. “Please, find out who did this as soon as possible, because having your brother trail me all over South Texas will not bode well for either one of us.”

  “Will do, Em.” Weston glanced over at Rick and shook his head. “I suggest you do something about resisting your own worse instincts, so Em doesn’t find it necessary to do you some justified harm.”

  “I’m…going to try.”

  “Hallelujah,” she said as she lifted her hands. “We might make it to next week with all our sanity intact.”

  “Lawd, woman, give me some credit. I didn’t follow you to every call you’ve had in the last two days.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “If I pretend to believe your sincerity, will it get me any points?”

  “It sure won’t make you lose any,” she replied with a smile.

  “Then that’s winning, as far as I’m concerned.”

  …

  Aunt Pearl’s eightieth birthday was in full swing, and Rick guessed more than half the county was in attendance. There were two large tents filled with people celebrating a woman who was still hell on wheels and had more fun than people half her age.

  Tapping his foot to the music, he glanced around and wondered where Em had gotten off to. He’d last seen her in the clutches of his mama and hoped it didn’t spell bad news. He hadn’t had the chance to update his mother on the latest developments of his and Em’s budding romance but was fairly confident that with her super-human gossip-gathering skills she was more than apprised of what was going on.

  Letting out a frustrated groan, he watched his mama walk in his direction, sans Em. The woman had a determined smile lighting up her beautiful face, and that had never meant good news for him or his brothers. Giving her his own resolute grin, he held out his hand. “Hey, Mama, you put on another amazing shindig.”

  “Thank you, son. Nothing better than having friends over to celebrate with good food and even better margaritas.”

  “Did Daddy put the kibosh on the fireworks this year, or did you convince him it was a good idea?”

  “I didn’t even bring it up, since the horses were out of sorts for a week the last time we lit up the sky.”

  “Considering how much you love those animals, it’s not a surprise.”

  She dropped her hand to Rick’s arm and smiled. “Speaking of fireworks…”

  Inwardly groaning, he knew the speculative look in his mama’s eyes was trouble. “Are you pretending not to know every detail of what’s transpired in the last week?”

  She sniffed. “I’m a woman with a full plate and don’t have time to listen to the gossip at the weekly Garden Club meetings.”

  Throwing back his head, he let out a loud laugh. “You don’t need to listen to anything, since you’re the one who usually knows the most.”

  “Well, in the case of you, I know very little since you haven’t seen fit to let your poor mama know a thing.”

  He crossed his arms and looked across the patio and felt his heart stop for a second when he saw Emily in the arms of another man. “Why the hell is my woman dancing with Harlan McKintree?”

  “I introduced them earlier and suggested they might find one another entertaining.”

  Controlling every impulse in his body, he took several long breaths in and out. “Mama, you tryin’ to do me in the way the tangos in Ramadi never could?”

  Celeste Blakely straightened her five-foot-one frame and folded her hands. “I love you with every bone in my body and want you to be happy more than anything. I’ve watched you stitch yourself back together in the last year and know that you’re ready for a big slice of happiness. What I don’t know is who you might want to have it with.”

  Letting his hands fall to his sides, he rolled his shoulders. “You and I both know it’s always been Em.”

  “Exactly what does that mean, son?”

  “You want me to say the words out loud, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I want you to let me and God know what you’re thinking.”

  “I want…”

  “Yes?”

  “What you and Daddy have. A union strong enough to withstand anything that comes along, enough laughter to make the bad times bearable, and undying respect for one another.”

  “Then I suggest you go and grab your girl before that rascal Harlan talks her into some kind of nonsense.”

  “I’m the only one capable of that, but there’s no reason to let Harlan waste his breath.” He bent down and kissed his mama’s cheek. “Love you, ol’ girl, even if you give me more grief than I deserve.”

  “Son, we both know I haven’t given you half of what the good Lord would deem fair.”

  “Well, the good news is that I survived combat, so you have a real good chance of making sure to give me a full helping.”

  “And don’t think I won’t make sure to do just that.”

  He chuckled. “I’m goin’ to get my girl and twirl her around the dance floor, so she can see just how good a catch I am.”

  “Son, there isn’t anyone better, and deep down, she knows that. Just give her a minute to come to that conclusion on her own. A woman likes to believe she’s the architect of her own fate, no matter how much the hand of God is involved.”

  “Noted.” Taking a step backward, he gave his mama the grin that had always gotten him out of trouble and knew he wasn’t going to waste the second chance he’d been given.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emily collapsed on the porch swing in front of Rick’s house and slipped her heels off, letting out a sigh of contentment. “Your mama put on an amazing party, and I think your aunt loved every minute of the attention.”

  “The woman loves nothing more than being celebrated and dancing with the handsome men,” Rick said as he handed over a bottle of water and then leaned against the porch rail.

  “Can’t blame her, since not grabbing all the fun while you can is foolish.”

  “Are you mad I cut off your fun and put the word out you were taken?”

  Pushing her foot against the cool cement, she let the swing move back and forth. “I was for about a minute but decided hogging all your mama’s candidates was silly, since I had no intention of giving any one of them a real chance.”

  “Damn straight.”

  “Don’t gloat, or I may rethink takin’ you on.”

  Letting out a low chuckle, he pushed off the railing and dropped onto the swing. “No way you’d give up the pleasure I’ve been drowning you in. You’re stubborn as a mule, but you’re not stupid, and I
’d bet the ranch you’re not ready to give up all those orgasms I’ve been giving you.”

  “You don’t have to toot your own horn.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s…”

  “Bad manners?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, we’ll keep our talk of how well we match one another to the bedroom. I promise from here on out never to discuss how much I like the taste of you on my lips as I bury myself inside your tight heat, unless we’re inside the four walls of the room upstairs.”

  Stifling a laugh, she looked down at her bare feet. “See that you do, because the town doesn’t need to overhear how loudly you growl when I have my mouth on you.”

  “Em, that’s a freaking religious experience and shouldn’t be uttered in anything above a whisper.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “Not really, since we’ve never been short on fireworks.”

  She let her eyes run over his long, jean-clad legs and broad chest covered in a white crisp dress shirt and gave him a small smile. “God willing we’ll figure out a way to keep from blowin’ ourselves up.”

  “Not sure that’s possible since it seems we’ve got the kind of heat that drips down our backs and soaks the sheets. We’ve never had a tempered response to one another, and if the last couple of days are any indication of where our passion is headed, we’re in for a hell of a ride.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Are you saying that because we start in one room and end up on the floor of another?”

  “I’m sayin’ it because I’m not satisfied until I’ve got you quivering and shaking. I love that we’re uninhibited, and when we’re done, all we have left are short breaths and full fucking hearts.”

  “Maybe it won’t last.”

  “Or maybe this is just the beginning and we’re about to get a whole lot better.”

  “Not sure I can handle…better.”

  Rick pushed himself to his feet and held his hands out to her. “I’ve never seen you back down from anything, so get that gorgeous ass of yours up and show me you can handle us.”

  She pursed her mouth together and raised herself slowly off the swing. “I’d be more than happy to.” Lifting the bottom of her long dress so she wouldn’t trip, she hoped her big mouth wasn’t making promises her mind and body couldn’t cash.

  Because the truth of it was…she was scared out of her mind.

  She was falling for the boy she’d loved for most of her life and prayed she had the kind of bravery something like that required. The walls around her heart were cracking, and as much as she wanted to let them fall down once and for all, she wasn’t quite ready.

  What if she let him all the way in and they didn’t work out? What if she opened her heart again and they couldn’t find a way to make one another happy?

  There would be no way to survive.

  Rick grabbed her hand before they walked in the house and mounted the stairs. “We can think our way through this or feel our way through. I’m votin’ for the feeling since God wouldn’t have given us this if he didn’t think we could handle it. I think the best thing we can do is heap a bunch of blind faith on what’s happening and hope we can create something worth holding on to for the rest of our life.”

  “Blind faith?”

  “Yeah. Along with your willingness to take me on.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. “I’m hoping that you choose me and allow me to show you that I’m worthy.”

  “You’re one of the best men I know, Rick Blakely.” A smile broke across his face, and she knew that letting her tight-fisted hold of rational thought go for a minute wouldn’t mean heartbreak was just around the corner. After all, she had her best partner in crime at her side, and if they couldn’t figure out a way to survive, then no one could. “Now let’s go find out just how good we can be.”

  …

  Good was a massive understatement. He and Em together were fucking great.

  Rick braced his legs, threw his head back, and slid his hands through Em’s silky blond hair. “Just like that, Em. It’s fucking perfect.” Letting the muscles in his jaw relax as her warm, welcoming mouth slid half-way down his length, he decided that heaven on earth really did exist.

  “Mmmmm,” she murmured as she looked up and winked.

  It was as religious an experience as there was in the world. “Goddamn, how do you get better with every passing minute? I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

  And it wasn’t because she let her tongue slide up and down his shaft, but because she made him feel like there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.

  Including coming in the next twenty seconds.

  He gritted his teeth as her hands joined the action and moved down to his base with her mouth following. Pressure mounted as she worked her magic over his cock, and his stomach muscles seized. She was giving him so much incredible pleasure, he felt robbed of his ability to do anything but moan and groan like a crazy man.

  Panting, he almost cried when she pulled him from her mouth and then thanked his lucky stars when she licked a long line from his balls to the head.

  Game over.

  He was a dead man.

  His girl doubled down and swallowed him down the back of her throat, and he couldn’t contain his response. Body shaking, he gave in to the best release of his life as Emily swallowed everything he had to give. Blind with love, appreciation, and so much fucking incredible happiness he didn’t think he’d ever recover.

  The colors filling his vision receded, and he opened his eyes. Seeing Em blessing him with a satisfied smile, he matched it. “You fucking own me, woman.”

  “I know,” she said with a laugh as she fell back against the bed. “And don’t think I’ll ever let you forget.”

  Falling down next to her, he pulled her into his arms and let out a contented sigh when her head rested against his heart. “In about five minutes, I’m going to own you and remind you why there will never be another man capable of satisfying you.”

  “I could fall asleep, so maybe we could save that until the morning.”

  “Nope, we’re not ending our day without me buried so deep inside your body that the idea of being separated becomes in any way acceptable.”

  “We could just hold hands and fall asleep.”

  “We’ll do that after.”

  “You sure have a lot of specific ideas on how things should go.”

  “Kind of like you,” he said with a laugh. “You want to run the show as much as I do.”

  “Which suggests we should—”

  “Figure out the best way for both of us to be happy and get a little of what we need.”

  “I was thinking of something different.”

  “I know, and that’s why I cut you off. I’m filling the air around us with all kinds of positive shit. Before too long, it’s going to become your norm, and you’ll have no choice but to join in on all the good vibes we’re creating.”

  “Okay, dear.”

  “You really are sleepy if you’re saying something like that.”

  A sharp, clear laugh was her response, and he joined her, knowing some moments of grace were too beautiful not to roll around in.

  “I’m going to get a little taste of you before you pass out.”

  “Rick, you don’t have to…”

  “Hush, woman,” he murmured as he cupped her pussy. “It’s my turn.” He slid his fingers teasingly through her slick folds and brushed his thumb across her clit. “You like that?” he whispered as her body jumped against his fingers.

  “Mmm. Mmmm.”

  “Good,” he rasped out as his blood began pumping furiously. He moved down her body, leaving a trail of kisses. When he got his face close to her bare, pink, glistening pussy, he sucked in a breath, filling his lungs with her addictive scent. He cupped her as
s and spread her wide, pulling her tight against his mouth. Spearing his tongue inside her heat, he fucked her with his mouth and loved the way his name fell from her lips.

  He fastened his lips around her clit, letting his tongue swirl over and over while he curled two fingers inside and let his third tease over her ass. One more tight flick of his tongue and she went to pieces, exploding with a moan of pleasure, as her body shook and trembled. Before she could recover, he sat down on the bed and pulled her into his lap. His thick, swollen head nestled against her soft lips, and he felt his come leak from his cock as she slowly rolled her hips, teasing him without mercy. “Fuck, Em. You tryin’ to kill me?”

  “A little,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sunk slowly down his shaft.

  “Just like that, open up for me and let me feel that tight pussy of yours take all of me.”

  Gasping, she clung to him and slid her body down his until he was all the way inside. His heavy balls rested against her ass, and he groaned when she rolled her hips and ground against him. “That’s it, darlin’.”

  He gripped her tightly and let her bounce up and down a couple of times before he couldn’t take it anymore. Flipping her on her back, he growled and drove himself deep into her heat.

  “I’m not fragile, Rick.”

  “What are you sayin, woman?”

  “Give me all of you.”

  Heart exploding, he yearned for her words to be true. There was nothing more he wanted in the world than Emily wanting everything he had to give. He canted his hips, dropped his head, and slid himself deep enough to touch her cervix. “This enough?”

  “More,” she cried out.

  Taking the permission as a benediction, he thrust in and out of her tight heat until his balls were slapping against her ass. He made sure her clit slid over his thickness with every thrust and aimed for her sweet spot just inside. The come was boiling inside his balls, and he groaned, fucking her deep and hard, praying he was giving her everything she needed.