Finn leaned against the bar and stared over the floor to the woman in the back as she finished cleaning the windows. He couldn’t help staring at her ass. It was a work of art, sue him.
For the past four months, they’d busted their asses cleaning, tearing down and building up parts of this building that could be done easily and quickly.
She didn’t point and direct, she got in the muck with him. They’d spent a day up on the roof together and he still had wet dreams about her up there with him in a pair of fitting jeans and a white tank top which only accentuated her breasts and curves. He’d smashed his own fingers more than once being distracted by her.
Emmie had a great head for business and she was adamant about putting money back into the village instead of going outside of it when at all possible. Two people hadn’t wanted to work with her and instead of moping about it, she went to someone else and used their services. He’d had a larger issue with it than she had.
Downstairs, instead of curtains over the windows, she’d asked him to make her some wooden slat shades that they could use to keep the sun from shining in directly. He’d not done that before but it had been an adventure he hadn’t wanted to turn down.
Upstairs in their shared space, she had different colored curtains. For the main area she shared, was a neutral grey-silver shade. For his space that was sectioned off by sheets she’d made his dark blue over a lighter blue so he could use the dark ones if he wanted to sleep during the day but the sheer light blue just gave him some protection from peeping eyes outside. In her area were green and pink. A seamless blend of dark and light.
She was amazing with a needle. She’d purchased a secondhand sewing machine and actually traded items for items needed for the bar.
His nights were long as he ached more and more for her each day. Their looks got more heated with each passing day. Still he didn’t act on it.
“You know you’re lusting after her in a way that surely isn’t healthy for you to do.”
“Hello, Ma.”
“When your grandfather told me you were living over the bar with some woman I was positive she would end up pregnant and I would suddenly have another child to raise.”
He stared down at his mother. Thin with glossy black hair, she was the same beauty he remembered her being.
“I’ve not touched her, Ma.”
“Maybe not physically but I am positive you’ve stripped her bare and had your way with her a few times already just standing here. We’ve all seen it increasing over these few months. I’m still waiting for the wedding and the wee ones to follow.”
“Ma!”
“I know how this works. Trust me, you weren’t an immaculate conception.”
“Still doesn’t mean I want to think about you and Da doing that.”
“I like her for you, Finn.”
“Do I even want to know what you mean by that?”
“Probably not. Don’t muck this up. She’s the one for you whether or not you’re ready to see that.”
“So me and Paddy’s daughter is an okay match for you?”
“I see Paddy in her. I wish he were alive to see her now, he’d be so proud of her.”
Emmie flipped down chairs as time neared for them to open. Her bucket of sudsy water sat on the floor near her. She danced along to some music that played in her ears.
“I’m beginning to think this place may actually work out. We may make this bigger and better.”
“I’ve never seen you so focused. Like I said, she’s good for you.”
His mom pushed up and kissed his cheek before she made her way over to where Emmie continued to put the chairs down. He turned around and retreated into the kitchen. The now spotless kitchen. She’d polished all of it and cleaned to get it to how it should be.
They had plans to do more with the kitchen later but right now, they could do some fried foods for those at the bar if they were hungry.
Patronage had increased and he could see more of a profit without him stretching things. Stuff that put him at ease.
“Afternoon Finn.”
“Donnie, thought you weren’t coming by until tomorrow. Did the date for the shipment change?”
“I’m here as a customer tonight. I saw Emmie out there and she said you were back here. I wanted to talk to you a moment.”
“What’s going on?”
“You know Emmie better than any of us. Is she seeing someone?”
The floor had just been yanked out from under him. Heart thundering in his chest, Finn struggled to make the words leaving his mouth as calm and blasé as possible.
“Not that I’m aware of. She’s not mentioned anyone to me if she is. And I can’t recall seeing her go out on a date.” Acid churned in his gut.
What he wanted to do was punch the man in his face and make him understand to keep his grubby hands off Emmie. Donnie was a good-looking guy. Strong from delivering boxes of alcohol all day. His sandy brown hair never looked out of place and his smile could charm many women. Finn had seen it done.
“Great. I’ll ask her tonight.”
“Wonderful.” He forced that word out from his throat because it surely didn’t want to leave on its own.
Donnie waved and vanished back out to the bar where he could hear the music going and conversation. Finn moved to that door and peered out. Emmie had found her element. There was another live band playing tonight. She had mastered the bar without any problems. Right now she was talking to a woman named Affrica O’Shea Leighton, a reporter who had swung by to do a story on the bar. The women had hit it off and were laughing as they stood toward the back, listening to the band. Actually the first band she’d allowed in their bar. Black Raven. They were a huge draw.
Affrica had been by a few times, sometimes working, others just to catch up with Emmie. Once she’d brought her husband with her. A rich man from America named Reeve. The man was as nice as she was.
Yes, he would always think of it as their bar, even if it wasn’t his and he’d been doing more and more construction work during the day, while she handled the day to day.
She moved away from Affrica as she got back to work writing to speak with others as she worked the crowd. A red haze settled over his gaze as he saw Donnie bent in close to her talking.
Her smile and the laugh that poured from her churned his gut further.
Sorry Ma, looks like it’s not going to be.
His mood had sunk below the floor and he couldn’t keep it from leaking out into the job. He’d just snapped at Sam when Emmie brought a new drink and put it before the man and walked off with Finn’s arm in her hand.
In the back of his mind, he could hear some catcalls and taunting following them through to the kitchen. She didn’t stop there, instead, she pushed him through into the backroom and kicked the door shut behind her, closing out anything else.
“What the hell crawled up your craw?”
He glared down at her. “What are you going on about?”
She didn’t back from his angry look. Hell, he wasn’t sure she even noticed it.
“You. What’s going on with you? If you can’t be nice to the people we’ve worked hard to keep while we’re renovating, then don’t bother coming back out.”
“You want to know what my problem is?”
She tossed her hands up. “No, I asked what it was because I most definitely do not want to know.”
“Why are you so happy? Going out with Donnie is that exciting for you?”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not dating Donnie and even if I was, what business is it of yours? We’re not dating. You’re mad because I’m happy?”
The tension between them increased in size tenfold.
“What are we doing?” he demanded.
“We work together. Share a place but you have made it abundantly clear I am not anyone you’re interested in.”
“How the fuck have I done that?”
“All those nights we sit together on the futon and talk, never once have you made a move toward me. Four months of sharing the same damn sleeping space, living space. Everything. Yet from you. Nothing. I could walk around naked in front of you and you wouldn’t care. I’m not your type. I get it. I’m just the one who owns the bar and could take it all away. Just because one person in the village doesn’t think I look like a leper and is interested in me doesn’t suddenly mean you get to act all jackassish and try to pretend you give a damn.”
Is she crazy? If she thought about walking about naked I would have my cock so far in her pussy we could be considered one person. Okay, so she didn’t have to walk around naked for that thought to be ever present in his mind.
“Is that what you think?” His words were low and graveled.
“Think? It’s what I know. Not that it’s any of your business, but Donnie just wanted to pass along a message from his sister to me. He didn’t ask me out on a date, but hey, thanks for making me feel even worse that no one finds me attractive around here.”
She whirled away from him and yanked the door open. He slammed it shut, the force of his move, pulling her forward as she fell with it.
“Now what?”
“Just this,” he growled.
He whirled her around, gripped her by the front of her black shirt and dragged her up to meet his descending mouth. Driving his tongue through her lips, he delved deep into her warmth.
Another growl, deeper and heavier than the first exploded up from his chest as her taste settled into him. She tasted of the nut mix they had at the bar. He’d seen her eating it like candy, it was a favorite of hers. But beneath that familiar taste was another one. Something he’d never encountered before, brand new and he knew in a split second that was nothing but pure, Emmie.
Her whimper of need traveled from her to his cock, encasing it in iron. She placed her hands on his chest, her nails digging beyond the cotton of his shirt to score his skin.
He wanted more of that. More of her.
“Emmie, if you’re done reading him the riot act, we have some people out here who could use some more drinks.”
She sprang back from him and flicked her tongue along her swollen lips, eyes wide with lust and shock.
“I’ll be right there,” she hollered.
Her chest heaved with her breathing and yet, she didn’t say anything to him, just turned her back and walked off slamming the door behind her.
Smooth move asshole.
He allowed himself a few moments to get his dick under control before he too, returned to the main bar. A cheer rose when he appeared and he slowed before looking around.
“What?”
“We told Emmie that we didn’t ever recall anyone other than your mother taking you to task. Trust us, the cheer is for her, not you. Although good for you for not running away.”
He sliced his gaze to Emmie. She held it and lifted her chin.
That’s my girl. Absolutely refusing to hide. He shrugged. “She didn’t hold back anything, that’s for sure.”
More whistles and cheering for her filled the bar. He stood there and took it. He deserved it and so much more.
The rest of the night passed quickly and he caught himself a few times getting angry again when Donnie sidled up to the bar to spend his time flirting with her. as he watched, it wasn’t only Donnie who flirted with her.
How the hell did I not notice this before?
The woman in the bar was a far cry from the one who’d been led in by McSweeny. She had been quiet and fearful. This woman here worked hard beside him, shared meals, sweat, and even tears. A multilayer faceted woman. Even so, he knew there was stuff she’d yet to share and kept to herself.
All that time they’d been working together, side by side, getting Emerald Myst cleaned and running again, he’d fallen for her. Sure, he’d ignored his sexual desires for her just because they were both giving everything to the bar. When she wasn’t working on that precisely, she was sewing, quilting or something else in exchange for mortar work, windows and more so the money they made came back to them without having to go right back out.
Hell, she’d had the entire floor stripped and polished one day, having him move all the tables and chairs outside along the building. That night they’d served drinks outside, having the window open to serve them through.
She’d made two quilts for Lou’s girls in exchange for the floor work the man did. Even some of the regular’s who’d been uncertain about her being there, had been complimentary about the changes she’d brought. There weren’t massive changes at least not to what the purpose of the bar was. However, what she did do, made the place something he was sure her father would have been proud of.
Once they finally closed and he wrapped up with the paperwork he spied her going out with the trash. She didn’t come back within five minutes and he frowned. It shouldn’t have taken much longer than that. Pushing back from the bar, he made his way to the backdoor and drew open the door when her voice filtered through the night to his ears.
“Do you really think so? That could be so much fun.”
“I think we won’t know until we try it. So what do you say, will you come with me?”
That voice he recognized as well. Donnie.
He flexed his fist and struggled not to march over there and punch the man in the face. Instead, he backed away silently and returned to the paperwork. By the time he’d finished, she still hadn’t come in. Ninety percent of him longed to go make sure she was okay but he knew if he saw her locking lips with anyone else the rest of his night would be spent behind bars.
Swearing to himself, he locked up everything but the back so she could come in when she got done, doing whatever it was she was out there doing. He punched the wall on his way up the stairs, barely slowing at the spikes of pain pushing through his hand.
He’d just finished getting ready for bed and was walking from the bathroom when she strolled into the living area.
Their eyes met and she froze, watching him like a deer watches a predator.
Be nice. The mantra running through his head didn’t do much in the way of convincing him not to fly off the handle and demand to know what the fuck she was thinking talking to Donnie late at night out by the dumpster.
“What the hell was that?” she demanded as he barked in tandem, “What were you doing with Donnie?”
Her brows furrowed, and she said, “What?”
“What the hell was what?” he questioned at the same time.
She propped her fists on shapely hips. Ones he’d been dreaming about for months now, holding them as he stroked deep within her heat. As she wrapped her legs around him, taking him all the way, her voice raspy from how often she screamed his name as she came on his cock.
“What about Donnie?” Warning laced her tone.
He didn’t care. He’d been pushed too far and he had no control to restrain himself any longer.
“Outside with him at the dumpster. Making plans to date him?”
“What if I was? We went over this already. You have no say in that one way or another. There’s nothing wrong with Donnie. He’s a perfectly nice gentleman.” She stomped closer to him, pinpricks of fire in her gaze. “And what the hell was that earlier?”
“The kiss?”
Her lips trembled before she responded in the affirmative.
He held her gaze, losing himself in the ever-changing shades of brown encapsulated in her eyes. So expressive. So emotional. For her, they truly were the windows to her soul for she couldn’t hide anything. Not from him. Not now. He’d learned to read her. He’d spent time watching her for pure joy as she learned the culture and she absorbed it like a sponge.
Finn longed to claim her mouth once more, just to appease his rioting senses that craved more of her. From her ear bud he could hear some Motown she loved listening to, playing.
“Is that what you’re talking about, Emmie?” He glided forward, refusing to release her gaze. “The kiss we had in the storeroom?”
Sure she’d nodded but he wanted her to verbally acknowledge their kiss.
“You know it is.”
“So say it.” He towered over her and struggled not to pick her up and hold her.
“What difference does it make? Fine, yes. The kiss.”
He couldn’t miss the way her voice trembled when she said that.
“Has it been so long you’ve forgotten the reason for a kiss?” He touched her hair, dragging it along his fingers, reveling in the softness. She’d taken out the braids, most, there was one left on her left temple that added an air of mystery to her. And she looked delectable now, more than before. Longing for all of it to be on his body as she moved over him.
“To appease a conscious?”
“No.”
“Because you’d secretly been drinking and that also explains why you were snapping everyone’s head off?”
“Not even close.”
“Then it’s not important. I’m guessing it was a mistake because heaven forbid you wouldn’t want me as a man wants a woman. You just don’t want me having fun with anyone else in case it takes me away from always being here where you can keep an eye on me.”
He cupped her chin, not allowing her to move from his touch. “Is that what you think? That I couldn’t ever want you?”
“I really don’t want to go over that. It doesn’t matter. Like I said before we’re not dating.”
“We are now,” he swore, once again taking possession of her mouth.
Her taste was there, under the mint and coffee but he found it. And latched on like a starving man. Sprawling his hands along her back, he hauled her in close, ensuring all her curves touched him.
The moment her hands brushed along his chest, he moved them back against the doorframe of the living area. Ravenous hunger beat him and he lifted her, so her mouth was closer. She hooked her legs around him, her core tight to him.
“Emmie,” he rumbled past her lips.
“Shut up, just shut up.”
She ripped his button down open, buttons scattering along the wood floor, but he didn’t care. Her warm palms smoothed along his pectorals and he needed more.
Frantic motions as they yanked, shoved, and wriggled out of their clothes. A quick perusal before he lifted her once more in his arms as she reached between them to guide him into her.
“Fuck,” he ground out as he pushed into her wetness.
“Oh damn.” Her head hit the wall behind her and she dug her nails into his shoulders.
Words escaped him. The tight, wet heat surrounding his dick wiped all words from his mind. All he knew was pleasure and the woman in his arms. Dragging open his eyes, he wrapped a hand in her hair and tugged so she looked up at him.
He didn’t speak, just continued to kiss her as he allowed her to adjust to his size. The bite of her nails deepened, and he began to move, slowly at first. Drawing back until just the head of his cock was inside her. Then a leisurely push until he couldn’t go any further. Their tongues twined and danced around one another.
He burned for her and wanted it all from her. Finn broke the kiss and tugged her head back a bit more.
“Ready?”
“For all of it.”
That’s all he’d needed to hear.