Stirring Up Trouble (13 page)

He ignored her protests and poured her a glass of Sprite anyway. Although she was normally up at this hour, he wasn't certain how much sleep she'd gotten before they went out. Since it was her day off, she might be wanting to return to bed, so he didn't want to give her caffeine. Then he poured himself a shot of whiskey. He needed something to calm his nerves.

Maddie eyed her drink for a moment. “Do you stock champagne at the bar?”

Emmett looked in the refrigerated case to see what he had chilled. “I've got sparkling wine, yes. Not actual French champagne. The folks in town usually don't come here to drop that kind of money on bubbly.”

Her brow raised like she was genuinely impressed he could distinguish champagne from sparkling wine. But, then, he was a bartender; it was his job to know. He'd also consumed his fair share of actual champagne in Tampa when he was living the big life.

“Do you want a glass?” he asked hesitantly. She insisted she didn't drink, but he couldn't fathom any other reason why she'd ask.

“I think so. Actually, I think we both need one after the night we've had. I know I have a pretty hard stance on alcohol, but a celebration is a celebration, right?”

“Okay,” he said with a smile. She was nonstop surprises tonight. He pulled the bottle from the case and made quick work of the cork. He pulled out two champagne flutes from overhead and poured them each a glass.

“To nabbing the Penis Picasso!” Emmett said, raising his glass.

“To teamwork,” she added, pointedly avoiding saying the dreaded P-word again.

They both brought their drinks to their lips and took a sip. It had been a long time since Emmett had anything like this, not since the night he'd bought the bar and celebrated the start of his new life. Since that time, life had been easy and fun, but there hadn't been any big moments to celebrate. She was right to suggest this.

“This is yummy,” Maddie noted as she drained her glass with a satisfied look on her face. “It's exactly what I would expect golden bubbles to taste like. Can I have some more?”

“Sure. Once the bottle's open, it's getting drunk or tossed out anyway.” Emmett was surprised she wanted more, but he wasn't going to tell her no. He filled her glass with more golden liquid and watched her bring it to her lips.

“This must be why people drink,” she noted after a few more sips. “I'm feeling good. Loose. Relaxed. For the first time in a long time, I don't have a care in the world.”

Emmett nodded, wondering if giving her champagne on an empty stomach was a bad idea. It sounded like it was going straight to her head. Reaching below the bar, he grabbed the scoop and poured a bowl of pretzels. “These make it even better,” he said.

Maddie absently popped a pretzel into her mouth. “Mmm. They do. Nice and salty.” A sip or two later, her glass was empty again. Emmett had taken only three sips of his own drink. Hopefully, she'd be able to get back across the street. “Come sit by me, Emmett. The bar isn't open; you don't need to hide behind the counter like that.”

She was right. Emmett walked out from behind the bar and settled onto the stool beside her. “Force of habit,” he said.

Maddie was staring intently at the last few drops in her glass. “This color reminds me of the sunrise. Or, at least, what I think it looks like. I'm not sure.”

Emmett frowned. “You're up at three every morning. How have you not seen the sunrise?”

She shrugged. “I'm in the kitchen working. Hey”—she perked up—“maybe we should stay up tonight and watch the sunrise together. We could go back to the roof of the electronics store. I bet that has a nice view.”

It probably did, but he sincerely doubted she'd make it that long. He was about to say as much when she reached across the bar for the bottle and poured herself another glass. “You might want to pace yourself,” he said instead.

“Why?” she asked, setting the nearly empty bottle back down. “I'm probably never going to do it again. Alcohol turns me into a fool. I figure I might as well enjoy tonight for what it is and move on.”

“You're not worried about doing something foolish tonight?”

She raised her glass to her lips and then stopped. Her bright blue eyes fixed on him and a wicked smile curled her lips. “If I do something foolish tonight, it's long overdue and really has very little to do with the alcohol.”

Emmett arched an eyebrow at her. “You say that, but in the morning you may feel differently.”

Maddie took a large sip from her glass. “I want to feel differently. I want to feel anything at all. My life is so . . . lonely. You wouldn't think so, with all the family I have in town, but it is. These last few weeks with you, even when I was ready to throttle you, were some of the better ones I've had in a long time. Our date, that kiss in the car . . . it reminded me just how much I've missed in my life. Did you know I've had only one lover in my whole life? It was a man I met in Paris. I had to go all the way to France to meet a man who wasn't just interested in my family. I can't go on dedicating every moment to my career because I'm afraid. I want more,” she said. “And with this liquid courage in my glass I'm not ashamed to say that what I'd like more of is you. Tonight.”

Setting her glass aside, Maddie leaned in and clumsily planted her lips against his. There was a newfound eagerness in her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed the firm globes of her breasts against his chest. Her tongue sought his, her moves bolder than before.

Emmett could only hold on to her waist, in part to steady her and in part to keep him in check. He'd much rather let his hands roam over every inch of her body, but he knew this wasn't the time. He would let her get this kiss out of her system and then he'd take her home.

He didn't like the women in his life to wake up with regrets. If Maddie still wanted him in the morning after a cup of coffee, she could walk back across the street and they'd pick up where they left off.

Finally, Maddie sat back in her seat, gripping at the counter to keep upright. Three glasses of champagne had collided with exhaustion and an empty stomach to send this teetotaler over the edge, and quickly.

Biting at her lip, she attempted to grip the hem of her T-shirt and pull it up over her head. Before Emmett could stop her, she got it caught, her elbows and arms tangled in the top. He tried to ignore the tantalizing view of her breasts, proudly displayed in a pink lace bra, as he reached over and helped her straighten out. Instead of pulling the shirt off, he tugged it back down.

“I don't want to wear it anymore,” she said with a pouting lower lip. “I want you to touch me. Don't you want to touch me, Emmett?”

“I absolutely do. You just hold on one minute and that's exactly what we'll do.” Emmett planned to go behind the bar and make a quick mug of coffee to sober her up, but the moment he got too far away, she started weaving in her seat. Waking up with a broken nose and a black eye from face-planting on the hardwood floor was not the foolish mistake she was hoping for tonight.

“Maddie?” Emmett watched the combination of alcohol and exhaustion win the battle for control of her body.

“Mmmm?” she said, looking up at him with the glassy, unfocused eyes of a sleepy drunk. She seemed to have even forgotten that they'd kissed a moment before or that she was in the middle of a misguided seduction.

“We'd better get you home.” He abandoned the coffee and wrapped his arm around her waist to help her across the street to her house. Maddie clung to his neck, but before they could get more than a few feet from the barstool, her whole body went limp and her head fell against his shoulder.

She'd passed out.

Plan B. Emmett scooped her up into his arms and headed to the bar's back room. There, a door led to the stairway, meeting up with the outside entrance. Maddie made the task easy by curling against him and snuggling her head into his chest. He took the stairs slowly and carefully, reaching his apartment without any trouble.

From there, he took her to his bedroom, before laying her on the bed and pulling off her sneakers. Her clothes looked comfortable enough, so he opted to leave them as is, covering her in his thick down blanket.

Maddie made a moan of complaint, rousing long enough to frown at him. “Stay,” she mumbled.

His gaze fell to her pouty lips and the revealing low-cut neckline of her shirt. He'd like to stay. But if he was going to have sex with Maddie, he wanted both of them to remember it. “Go to sleep,” he encouraged.

She made another sound of protest and then rolled over, turning her back to him.

By the time he reached the doorway, Maddie was snoring lightly. It was kind of cute, reminding him of a dog he'd had as a kid.

Turning off the light, he went into the living room in the hopes he could find a comfortable spot on his couch. The excessively tight fit of his jeans at the moment would make that a mostly impossible feat.

Chapter Thirteen

Maddie woke up
to a mildly pounding headache in a pitch-dark room. She reached out for her beside lamp and found nothing there. The motion drew her attention to the tight waistband of her jeans and the straps of her bra digging into her skin. She was fully dressed and in a strange place. Why?

She threw back the covers and swung her legs out of the bed. Just enough light shined from the alarm clock for her to see her way to the door. Opening it, she was assaulted by sunshine streaming through the windows and the pieces finally fell into place. She was in Emmett's apartment.

It wasn't at all what she expected. The space was modern and sleek with expensive touches like granite counters and top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. The walls were painted a soft gray. There was no clutter, no deer heads mounted to the wall, and no neon Budweiser signs. It was like a completely different universe from the rustic bar downstairs.

How had she even gotten up here? The last thing she remembered was celebrating at the bar. There was the vague recollection of kissing him and trying to take off her shirt. That extremely unsmooth move made her wince with regret. Alcohol might make her brave, but it didn't improve her seduction strategy or her balance.

Stumbling into the other room, she found Emmett sprawled uncomfortably across his couch with a blanket draped over him. He was fully dressed as well. She was terrible at this. The one night she decides to get drunk and do something crazy and nothing happened. All she had to show for it was a hangover.

“Emmett,” she called to him.

He stirred, frowning at the morning light before he focused on her. “What time is it?”

“About ten,” Maddie replied. “Why didn't we have sex?” she blurted.

Emmett shot straight up on the couch. His hair was even messier than usual, and Maddie liked it. “You were drunk,” he explained, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. “Do you really think I'd have sex with you when you were barely conscious?”

“I threw myself at you,” she said with a whiny edge to her voice that even she didn't like.

Emmett climbed up from the couch and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down at her with the green-gold eyes she'd gotten used to so quickly. “Yes, you did. And I wanted to take you up on it. But you don't have to be drunk to seduce me, Maddie. I think you're an amazing woman and sex stone sober would be even better.”

Maddie wasn't sure about that. She wasn't feeling as brave as she did last night. “Maybe.”

“No, not maybe. Listen, Maddie, when we sleep together, I want you to remember every second of it. And you won't need any alcohol to put you in the mood. I intend to taste and tease every inch of your body, making you writhe and squirm beneath me until you're begging me to take you. Stone sober.”

Maddie sucked in a hard, ragged breath. Just the words were enough to waken the heat inside her. She couldn't even imagine what his actual touch would do to her. She could feel the tug in her belly, urging her not to let this moment pass them by because she was too scared to ask for what she wanted. “I'm stone sober right now,” she said, boldly meeting his gaze.

Emmett swallowed hard. His fingertips pressed in at her waist. “That you are.”

Maddie reached for the hem of her shirt to redeem herself for last night's clumsiness. She pulled her top up and over her head, tossing it onto the couch. Emmett took in the sight of her for a moment before his hands covered her pink lace bra, stroking her through the fabric and coaxing her nipples into tight buds.

She closed her eyes and let the sensation of his touch rush through her. His fingers kneaded at her flesh, making her groan aloud after going so long without a man's touch. She felt him tug the straps of her bra down her arms, lowering the cups until her breasts were exposed. The moist heat of his mouth clamped down on one nipple, drawing hard until she cried out.

“Emmett!” she gasped, clutching at his shoulders.

He arched her back over his arm, his mouth moving thoroughly across her chest and up to taste her throat. Maddie clutched at him, her fingers running through the golden strands of his hair as she pulled him closer. She wanted all of him, and a part of her couldn't believe she was about to get that and more.

Emmett's hand glided up her back, unsnapping her bra with a flick of his fingers. He unwrapped her arms from his neck so he could slide off the bra and toss it aside. His eyes never left her bare body, and Maddie could feel the intensity of his gaze like a caress on her skin.

“Come here,” Maddie said. She reached for the waistband of his jeans, tugging him back to her. “That's better.”

She gathered the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. Her reward was a glimpse of the hard body he'd kept hidden beneath T-shirts all this time. Every inch of him was hard, tanned muscle with a sprinkle of dark blond hair across his pecs that narrowed and traveled down, disappearing beneath the low ride of his jeans. Her palms tingled with the need to reach out and glide across the planes and angles of his chest. She needed to feel his bare skin against hers.
Now.

She reached out and touched him, letting her hands roam across his abs and his chest, rising higher until she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts against him. Emmett's hands ran down her back, cupping the cheeks of her ass through her jeans. In one quick movement, he lifted her up. Maddie reacted quickly by wrapping her legs around his waist and holding on tight as he carried her down the hallway to the bedroom.

Emmett eased her down until the cool fabric of the comforter met her back. As she settled on the mattress, his mouth met hers. The kiss was hard, his tongue demanding everything she could give him. She met his enthusiasm, her fingertips digging into the bare skin of his back. She cradled him between her thighs, and the slow movement of his hips as he kissed her caused a delicious friction between the denim that separated them.

She could feel the heat of it spreading through her whole body. She couldn't kiss him enough, touch him enough, to satiate the burning inside her.

Emmett broke away from the kiss, giving her a devious grin before his mouth moved down her body, his lips searing a trail down her stomach. His tongue encircled her belly button, then he stopped, hovering just at her waistband.

Maddie eased up onto her elbows to watch him. His fingers fumbled with the button on her jeans, then with his eyes focused on hers, he gripped the zipper between his teeth and drew it down. With strong hands, he grasped her jeans and panties, tugging them over her hips and down the length of her legs.

She felt only a moment of uncertainty as she lay completely naked across Emmett's bed. This was the point of no return, but she had no intention of stopping him. Emmett wasn't anything like Joel. She wanted this too badly to let anxiety sabotage it.

He took his time crawling back onto the bed, kissing the inside of her ankles, then her calves. He caressed the sensitive back of her knees, bending them and pushing her thighs apart to open her core to him. Maddie gasped as she felt his breath blow hot on her exposed skin. Her elbows slid out from under her, her back flattening against the bed and her eyes squeezing shut in anticipation of his touch.

His tongue flicked across her, sending a bolt of pleasure through her. Emmett waited a moment for her to recover before gliding his tongue more thoroughly across her flesh a second time. This time, he didn't pull away. The heat in her belly roared to life, her back arching off the bed. The waves of pleasure urged her to push closer even as the intensity forced her to pull away.

Emmett's firm grip on her hips held her steady as he worked his relentless magic on her. Maddie felt herself near the edge, about to go over faster than she'd ever expected. Her moans and cries escalated, her hands clawing in vain at the blankets. Emmett redoubled his efforts, stroking her harder and faster than ever before, and then slipping a finger inside her welcoming body.

Stroking her inside and out, Maddie lost it. The pleasure radiated through her, the intense throbbing causing her to gasp and cry and writhe beneath him. He continued to stroke her until the last shudders passed and Maddie relaxed into the mattress.

Breathing hard, she was barely aware of Emmett rising from the bed. He moved around the dark room, opening drawers and returning to the foot of the bed. By the time she recovered enough to lift her head, Emmett had removed the rest of his clothes and was watching her as he rolled a condom down the thick length of his erection.

Maddie licked her suddenly dry lips as she watched him, her thighs falling open in welcome. He gazed down at the display before him, his eyes hooded with desire. Slowly, he crawled onto the bed, nestling his hips between her thighs. His intense green eyes were focused on her as he moved forward and entered her.

Emmett let a low groan slip through his lips as he fully buried himself inside Maddie's hot, welcoming body. The first few thrusts were slow, as Emmett eased in and out at a pace that bordered on torture. When she could barely take it any longer, she pulled her knees up, allowing him to sink in deeper.

“Maddie,” Emmett growled, squeezing his eyes shut. He started moving faster then. Maddie lifted her hips to meet his every thrust.

After the powerful orgasm she'd had only minutes before, she was surprised to find the heat building inside her once again. With every drive, she inched closer and closer. Emmett dipped his head to kiss her, muffling her escalating cries. It didn't take long for the grind of their bodies to bring her to the edge again.

Clinging to his shoulders, Maddie shouted encouragements. With each “yes,” Emmett drove harder and faster. Finally, the coil inside her snapped and the rush of pleasure swept her up again. “Emmett!” she cried.

“Give in to it,” he coaxed.

Maddie did; she had no choice. Her core pulsated with its release, her inner muscles tightening around Emmett's invasive heat.

With one final thrust, Emmett poured into her with a low groan. He hovered over her for a moment before collapsing just beside her. Maddie curled against his chest and they lay there silently together, their bodies still rocking with tiny tremors of pleasure.

Her heartbeat had almost slowed back to normal when Emmett's voice startled her off the edge of sleep. “I hate to be unromantic,” he said, “but I've got to get in the shower. The bar opens in a half hour.”

Maddie nodded. As much as she'd rather lie here with him and revel in the afterglow, she knew what it was like to own a business. “Okay. I'm going to pack up and head home.”

Emmett kissed her, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. “Thanks for understanding. Why don't you come by the bar later?”

“And do what?” she asked with a laugh. “Drink? No thanks. I'm done for a lifetime.”

Emmett snorted. “Definitely not. I just want you to hang out with me for a while. The bar is slower on Sundays, depending on what NFL games are on.”

“I've got to have dinner with my family, but I'll try,” she said.

“Good.” With a pleased grin, Emmett kissed her soundly, then pulled away and leapt from the bed. She watched his firm, naked ass as he went into the bathroom and shut the door.

With the view gone, she decided she needed to move on. She gathered her clothes, slipping them on and making her way to the door. She was putting on her shoes, leaning against the kitchen counter when she saw Emmett's cell phone lying there.

Suddenly, the worries that Lydia had so expertly planted in her head returned with a vengeance. A quick look at his phone might quell those doubts. She reached for the phone and then stopped herself. She couldn't do it. That was an invasion of his privacy and she would hate it if he did the same thing to her. Maddie wasn't about to ruin the good thing they had going.

With a shake of her head, she pulled on her other shoe and tugged her purse onto her shoulder. She was about to walk out the door when his phone started buzzing. Without thinking, she glanced over at it. The screen proudly declared that Adelia Chamberlain was calling.

Maddie swallowed hard and headed out the door before Lydia's poisonous accusations could ruin her romantic buzz on a perfectly good Sunday afternoon. There was a reasonable explanation for her grandmother's call, she was sure of it. As it was, it would be hard enough to sit across the dining table from her grandmother and not spend the entire time wondering what the hell was going on.

Logan was getting used
to receiving strange phone calls on Sundays. Two weeks ago, it was to represent Emmett in court. Last week, it was to open the shop and hide away Maddie's phallus-covered Mercedes. Today, it was a desperate-sounding Clark Newton on the line.

“I know it's early on a Sunday, but I've gotten myself in a bit of a pickle, Logan. Do you think you could come down to the sheriff's department and, uh, bail me out?”