PASSIONATE ENCOUNTERS (8 page)

It was the first time Mike commented about her costume.
Until then Emma had half-hoped he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now she
became self-conscious. The way his gaze was moving over her made her feel he
could see right through it.

“Detective,” she corrected in a sassy tone. “I guess I have
no choice but to let you do the gentlemanly thing and drive me home. Just let
me get my coat.” She walked away before he could say another word.

On her way to the ladies’ room, Emma couldn’t help but wonder
what she was getting into. There was clearly something about Mike that drew her
to him, a definite chemistry between them. In addition, she liked his sense of
humor. She wasn’t at all certain she was looking for a relationship, although
it was apparent Amanda thought she was. One thing was certain though; Mike
wasn’t looking for a relationship. Since he was letting her believe he was
still married, that was the only conclusion she could draw. The question of the
century was, why?

Slipping into her coat, she left the ladies’ room, noticing
the party was beginning to wind down fast. Someone had finally turned off the
disco lights. The soft glow of the fluorescent bulbs overhead revealed the
dancing had stopped. Muted sounds of conversation and mild laughter had
replaced the music as the few partygoers left behind had formed into small,
tight groups. Frankenstein waved to get her attention, shooting her a kiss when
she glanced his way. Laughing, Emma tossed him one back.

Mike was waiting for her at the snack table, munching on a
celery stick, the leafy green part hanging out of his mouth and dripping water
down the front of his black shirt. He’d removed his mask and somehow appeared
even more dark and dangerous. Sexy, which was probably why she said what she
did when he was within hearing range.

“I hope your wife doesn’t mind you taking another woman
home.”

Not so much as a blink gave his true feelings away. “Let me
worry about that.”

He took her by the arm, and led her toward the door. It was
on the tip of Emma’s tongue to tell him the truth, but she’d let it go on for
too long. After tonight they’d probably never see each other again anyway, so
what did it matter? Just because they’d run into each other twice in one week
didn’t mean anything.

“Do you believe in fate, Mike?”

Mike wasn’t big on kismet. He was a realist, believed in
facts, black-and-white and what was in front of his nose. He had to see it to
believe it. He hadn’t always been that way. Maybe his mother was right, he’d
let his situation with Sharon harden him. Turn him into a cynic.
What man
wouldn’t grow a little bitter when the woman he loved and thought loved him
just walked away?

“No.” He decided to leave it at that.

The second they stepped through the door, a crisp autumn
breeze whipped over them. The chill in the air was undeniable. Mike watched Emma
pull her coat more closely around herself as they walked through the parking
lot to his truck. He glanced down to see the wind wreaking havoc with her hair.
Leaves from the maple trees nearby were flying about their heads and shoulders
and by the time he opened his truck door, Emma was laughing and trying to keep
her hair out of her face and mouth. The low seductive quality of her laugh
sharpened his senses, hardening his determination to ignore it.

“I love this kind of weather!”

Her soft voice drifted away on the wind. She turned toward
him, and paused between him and the door he’d opened. Her face was upturned as
she gazed up at the unclouded sky.

“Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp clean
air and the sound of howling wind whipping through the trees. Don’t you?”

Although she’d asked a question, Mike got the impression she
wasn’t expecting a reply. He’d never given the time of year much thought. But
for a moment he allowed his gaze to follow hers upwards, before he slowly
lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. The parking lot light reflected the
innocence in Emma’s eyes. The urge to kiss her was so strong at that moment
that it made him shake. He actually started to crowd her against the truck,
pulling back when a moment of sanity returned.

If I kiss her now I won’t
stop there.

“What’s wrong?”

Did she sense his dilemma? Suddenly Mike didn’t give a damn.
His cock had been in a semi-hard state all night because of her and nothing was
going to keep him from getting some relief. Even if it was just a kiss.

Emma’s mouth was already parted, as if in anticipation. He
didn’t hesitate. Wasn’t going to ask her. He lowered his head and covered her
mouth with his, growling when he lost control and crushed her to him. Mike knew
as soon as he tasted the sweet softness off her lips that it wasn’t going to be
enough.

Sounds of pleasure surrounded them as Emma kissed him back
with as much passion. She needed no coaxing, and opened her mouth eagerly
beneath his. Mike slipped his tongue inside, taking hers in an erotic dance of
give-and-take. Drinking in her warmth and searching for more.

With impatience he moved her thick coat aside and moved
against her, letting her feel what she was doing to him. He swallowed her soft
moans of desire, a shudder moving through his body when she arched against his
cock.
Fuck!
He realized it wouldn’t take much to make him come.

Mike moved his mouth to the delicate arch of her exposed
throat, and kissed his way back up to the corner of her soft mouth, tugging on
that delectable bottom lip. His hands glided up her twisting body to her
breasts, taking them into his hands. Groaning, he caressed them until he felt
her nipples harden.

“Mike!”

The soft sound of Emma’s plea was like a gunshot blast. And
to a police detective that signaled danger. It alerted him enough to realize he
was close to fucking the willing Emma Stuart right up against his truck.
Drawing up what little strength he had left, he reluctantly pulled away.

“We’d better go; it’s getting late.” He was breathing hard.

So was she. Seconds of silence followed before a calmer Emma
said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Mike, you probably have to work tomorrow.” She swung
around to get in.

What was she sorry for? The heated moment between them or
the fact he was driving her home? Mike didn’t bother correcting her. If all
went accordingly tomorrow, he’d be spending the day out on Bear Lake with
Melissa for some quality father-daughter time. He figured he'd better get in as
much time as he could before she started talking about dances and boyfriends.

These days all he had to compete with were the weekend
slumber parties at her friends’ houses. So far he’d managed to talk her out of
having them at their place. Having one teenage girl in the house was bad
enough, but there was no way Mike was going to subject himself to a bunch of
girls on the brink of womanhood. He’d seen the way they ogled anything male. A
clear sign their hormones had kicked in. Mike figured he needed that kind of
trouble like he needed a hole in the head.

Touching Emma as little as possible, he helped her into the
cab, closed the door, and took several steadying breaths as he walked around to
the driver’s side. By the time he climbed in, he was halfway in control again.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being cooped up in his truck with her after all.

It was worse than bad. As soon as the cab filled with the
heat he’d turned on, he caught her light fragrance. Not the perfume Emma was
wearing, but her. In an effort to take his mind off her, and how damn good she
felt in his arms, he reached forward and turned the radio on low. But that only
intensified the atmosphere with the slow, sultry tune of an old love song.

Hell!
There was no escape. The sudden image of them
making love made his blood come to a full boil. He sighed deeply, and ran a hand
through his hair while trying to pretend he wasn’t harder than stone in his
pants. Maybe if he talked to her it would keep visions of them together out of
his head.

Keep it impersonal, old man.

“Are you warm enough?” As soon as the words passed through his
lips he wished he could recall them; it was hotter than a furnace in there.

“Yes, thank you. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I moved about
a month ago.”

Mike’s gaze swung her way but all he saw was the glitter of
her eyes in the darkness. “Am I even heading in the right direction?” he asked then
let out a chuckle of dry humor.

Her soft laugh overrode the music playing on the radio.
“Yes. I moved into one of the new townhouses down on the lake.”

For the second time his head swung Emma’s way. “Bear Lake?”
That was the only lake around that he knew developers were building on now.

“Yes, you know where it is?”

He nodded with disbelief, and clenched his jaw. “Yes, I know
where it is.”

He couldn’t believe it. She was actually living on the very
lake he spent most weekends fishing with Melissa. If he didn’t know better,
he’d think there was more than just coincidence working against him. What had
Emma asked him earlier about fate?

Thinking of his daughter, Mike wondered how the Halloween
party had gone at her school. He’d offered to chaperone, but she’d begged him
not to, saying it was bad enough some of the other parents were going to be
there, baby-sitting, if he remembered her words correctly. They didn’t need a
cop around on top of that.

His daughter hadn’t been a teenager long enough to know what
every parent of a teenager already knew, that sexual curiosity and
experimentation were right around the corner. Mike dreaded those coming days,
recalling what his own youth had been like once he’d hit puberty. He’d lusted
after everything in a skirt, including some of his teachers. He’d gone through
the last three years of high school with a constant hard-on until one of the
cheerleaders had taken pity on him and put him out of his misery, educating him
in the art of love.

Mike snorted to himself.
Love, hell, it had been lust
pure and simple.
The thought of something like that happening to Melissa
made him sick inside, but he knew it was going to happen eventually because it
was part of life. Still, god save the punk who tried to get fresh with her and
he found out about it.

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his ominous
thoughts. He shot Emma a glance, and reached for it where it was clipped onto
his belt. He just happened to be driving beneath a streetlight and was able to
make out that her eyes were shut, but instincts told him she was just resting.

“Yeah?” he said into the mouthpiece.

“It’s me, Dad.”

An instant smile formed on his mouth at the sound of
Melissa’s voice. She sounded tired. “What’s up, kid? Everything okay at the party?”

“Oh, we left there an hour ago. I’m at Casey’s now. I just
wanted you to know before you went to bed.”

Casey was Melissa’s best friend and her house was one of the
few places where he allowed her to sleep over. Secondly, the fact that she
didn’t have any brothers around was a definite plus. He’d never allow Melissa
to spend the night with one of her girlfriends if there were boys in the house.

“And?” Mike could always tell when there was something else
on her mind.

“Well, I know we had fishing planned for tomorrow, but…”

“Spit it out, kid,” he encouraged when she hesitated.

Melissa cleared her throat. “Would you be very upset if I
didn’t go? A group of us from school want to go river rafting tomorrow and then
picnic at the park and I thought, well, you wouldn’t mind. Casey’s parents are
going,” she was quick to add.

Mike knew what he wanted to say, but something totally
different came out. “Bear Lake isn’t going anywhere; we can fish any weekend.
You go rafting with your friends and have a good time, just dress warm. And
call me with all the details before you leave in the morning.”

She said goodnight and Mike released a long breath, snapping
the phone back into its clip. It was starting already. Tomorrow was probably
just the first of many canceled outings between them.

Chapter 7

There was something warm and comforting listening to Mike’s
voice in the darkness of the cab. And sexy. He was sexy. Emma’s pulse was still
racing over their kiss, her blood still hot. She was honest enough to admit
that she wanted more with him. She’d nearly sunk to the ground in weakness when
she’d felt how hard and ready his cock has been.

Wrong place. Wrong time.

She opened her eyes, glanced at Mike, and asked the obvious.
“Was that your daughter?”

“Yep.”

She smiled at his brisk response. “Sounds like you were
being dumped,” she continued.

“Yep.”

“How old is she?”

“Thirteen going on twenty.” He kept his eyes on the road.
The turn off to Bear Lake came into view and he made a sharp left. “You have a grown
daughter; how did you handle it when Amanda turned thirteen?”

Emma chuckled, not correcting his assumption about their
relationship. After all, she had raised Amanda.

“There’s nothing to handle; you can’t stop them from growing
up. All you can do is guide them and hope they make the right choices. And
support them when they go their own way and it’s not the path you would have
chosen.”

“You make it sound so easy. What about…” He hesitated,
obviously growing uncomfortable. “Sex education?”

“Some of that she’ll get in school.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He cast her a glance.

“I don’t mean that.” Emma laughed softly, realizing where
his fears were heading. “They teach sex education in school, remember? In
addition, you should be talking to her about it at home. You might let your
wife handle that particular discussion.”