Double Dilemma Read online

  Earl ran a hand through his hair. Just the thought of sex with her made him uncomfortably hard. The simple brush of her fingertips along his jeans-covered cock helped add to his dilemma. Had she meant to touch him or was it accidental? No, he doubted it was accidental. He resituated himself in his jeans and hoped the swelling shrank soon. He couldn’t face her with a hard-on.

  Chills skittered down his arms at the phantom feel of her lips near his ear and he coughed, trying to shake the erotic sensation from his system. If he kept reliving the incident at his workbench, he’d never soften enough to sit and work. Damn. She’d made a move on him and he’d acted like a scared teenage boy.

  And all because of what? Earl glared at his reflection. He knew what and why he wouldn’t allow himself to experience sexual pleasure. The price of his personal pleasure was extreme.

  The last time he’d convinced someone to experiment sexually, it cost more than either anticipated.

  Earl heard Emma Jean’s laugh the moment he stepped out of the bathroom. Any other time, he would have enjoyed hearing it. But this struck a nerve. This laugh was low and genuinely sensual. It meant he was in the store again. Though Earl tried not to, he couldn’t resist. Curiosity drove him toward the door to confirm his suspicions.

  At the angle from which he stood, he saw them, but they weren’t aware of him. Yep, it was that hotshot detective who was partners with Emma Jean’s cousin Shelley’s boyfriend. It just didn’t get any worse than this.

  Detective David Delaney stood at the counter, hitting on Emma Jean. He shouldn’t let it bother him, since he planned—for her safety—not to pursue a sexual relationship with her. But it did. Earl hated to admit the man had decent features. Perfectly styled hair, boyish good looks, and when he smiled, he had a set of dimples Earl knew Emma Jean adored. She’d mentioned it enough times that Earl wanted to shove his thumbs into them and twist the smile off David’s face just once.

  Hell, the all-American boy even had height and an athletic build going for him. With his shoulders squared and lifted upright, Earl still stood several inches shorter than his opponent.

  Opponent? Where had that come from? Earl stepped back from the doorway and leaned against the wall. He took a deep breath and tried to still the unwanted rush of jealousy ripping through his system. She couldn’t be his. He wouldn’t take that chance.

  “Earl,” Emma Jean called and Earl jerked from the wall. He silently cleared his throat before he answered.

  “Yes, Emma Jean?”

  “I need you to watch the store for a while. I’m going to brunch with David. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  He stood still until he heard the bell above the door and knew they’d left. Earl walked to the front of the store where he could see them crossing the parking lot. David seemed to be a gentleman, Earl had to give him that, when he opened the car door for Emma Jean. His gut clenched as he watched them drive away. This was for the best, he tried to convince himself.

  If Emma Jean dated David, then maybe she’d find the sexual release she needed and little events like earlier wouldn’t happen. Earl’s jaw tightened and his left eye twitched. The thought of Emma Jean sexually involved with another man irritated him to no end. He closed his eyes and prayed for the strength he needed to accept what he could not change. When he opened his eyes, it hadn’t helped. He still longed for something he refused to allow to happen.

  Six months of therapy hadn’t helped him. Why did he think a simple prayer would now?

  * * * * *

  Her morning may have started off rocky, but Emma Jean couldn’t believe the swift change in her luck. Right off the bat, that prude’s complaint was a blow to her self-esteem. But Earl’s response to her not-so-subtle advances lifted her mood immensely. He’d shown interest. In her book, that was all she needed to procure half of the present she planned for herself.

  The only problem…she needed to find out why he backed off so suddenly. He’d used the sound of the door’s bell as a means of escape and practically ran to the bathroom. Was he shy? Maybe he was a virgin. Nah, she decided. Someone as fine as Earl couldn’t possibly be a virgin. It had to be something else. But the dilemma that was Earl would have to wait.

  The second half of her three-way equation sat perched in the diner booth on the opposite side of the table from her. She liked the fact he didn’t balk at her suggestion of eating here when he asked where she’d like to go. Lifting her gaze, she glanced across the top of her menu and studied the man as he searched the selections.

  Dark brown hair cut neat and collar length. Thick lashes any girl would envy added to the appeal of his sexy, soft brown eyes. The man had a perfect smile complete with dimples. Emma Jean had to admit sexy dimples were a weakness for her. David Delaney had phenomenal looks, strong shoulders and a body she itched to uncover—inch by glorious inch of his tall six-foot-two frame. She could only imagine the physique she’d find hidden underneath the suit he wore with the finesse of a model.

  “Emma Jean, though I’m enjoying the way you’re looking at me, I’m not on the menu.” David’s gaze met hers across the table and the heated look he sent her warmed her to the core.

  She couldn’t resist toying with him. She sat upright, snapped her menu and held his gaze as she replied, “Well, sugar, you should be. I’d definitely order a hefty serving of you with a side of warm maple syrup.”

  “Wouldn’t that burn?” he teased.

  Emma Jean liked the arched-eyebrow look he gave her. It made him appear innocent in his questioning though she doubted anything about him was innocent.

  Clutching the menu to her chest, she leaned forward and said, “Only in the most pleasurable of ways.”

  His lips parted as if he were going to say something, but swallowed it because the waitress arrived to take their order. Emma Jean wished the young blonde had waited a few moments more before popping back to check on them. She was quite curious as to what David’s response would have been. As soon as she left, David redirected the conversation.

  “Out of all the restaurants available for you to choose from.” David sat back in his seat as he spoke. “I’m curious, why’d you choose the diner. I would have taken you anywhere you wanted. This isn’t exactly considered a prime brunch, first-date location.”

  He smiled and those dimples deepened. Emma Jean couldn’t help but linger for a second on them before she retaliated.

  “First, I don’t consider this a date. You’re not getting off that easy.” She shot him a smile that garnered the reaction she wanted. His smile broadened as he shook his head slightly. Good, he’s playful and receptive, just like she hoped he’d be. “Second, my favorite meal is breakfast and this is the only place in town that serves it around the clock. Except for my house.” She lowered her voice to a husky tone, leaned forward and added, “You can check my refrigerator and pantry anytime and find everything for a hearty breakfast, right down to the maple syrup.” She intentionally enunciated the last two words giving them the full effect of her sexual innuendo.

  David’s smile softened as he leaned forward and gently captured one of her hands in his on top of the table. His face took on an alluring appeal and Emma Jean couldn’t pull her gaze away from the mischievous promise she read in those deep brown eyes. It wasn’t until something cool and sticky graced the back of her knuckles that she broke eye contact. He dribbled maple syrup from the dispenser on the table onto her hand and trailed it up several of her fingers.

  Emma Jean’s jaw dropped at his next action. It was a bold move she didn’t expect. Maybe she’d misread him and he wasn’t as sexually inexperienced as she thought.

  “Maple syrup is just as good cold as it is warm,” David said then lifted her hand to his lips.

  The heat of his tongue as it lapped the syrup off the back of her hand hardened her nipples. Her mouth went dry and her lips parted slightly at the sight of his tongue working its way from her knuckle to her fingertip. Her gaze followed the sensual dance of his tongue with every lick until
he situated her fingers against his lips. The look of sheer enjoyment on his face added to her pleasure. Heat shimmered down her spine to warm her pussy and made her hunger for his tongue to tease her clit in the same sensual motion.

  Their gazes held suspended in time for a split second before he suckled her sticky fingers into the moist heat of his mouth. Emma Jean swallowed hard against the sudden flood of saliva to her mouth. The subtle things his tongue was doing to her fingertips sent pure unadulterated desire to her soul. The image of him between her thighs bringing her joy shot behind her eyes and nearly melted her into a puddle.

  He released her fingers with one last sensual flick of his tongue and lowered her hand to the table, covering it with his own. “There now, all clean.”

  Emma Jean licked her lips then replied on a husky breath, “They may be clean but the thoughts you put in my head definitely aren’t.”

  David laughed in a deep, rich tone that sent chills down her spine then said, “You started it.”

  He sat back as the waitress arrived with their orders. The moment she left, Emma Jean slowly covered her stack of pancakes with lots of maple syrup. She noted David watched her every move.

  “Don’t think this is over,” she said, cutting a section of her pancakes and lifting it with her fork. Syrup dripped on her bottom lip. His eyes narrowed when she sensuously removed the drop with the tip of her tongue. “I have every intention of showing you just what I’d like to suck the syrup off.”

  David choked on the coffee he tried to swallow. He knew if the diner had been crowded and anyone had been seated near them, he wouldn’t have teased Emma Jean with the syrup. Exhibitionism wasn’t his style. He cleared his throat, smiled then replied in a low deep tone, “I look forward to it.”

  “As do I,” Emma Jean added before taking another bite. “There’s more than one good use for syrup.”

  The look in her eyes made him forget the long work night and dead-end trail of his stakeout. When he dropped by to ask Emma Jean to brunch, he never expected a lesson in the many uses of syrup. But he truly didn’t mind. She brought out his playful side. A side he thought had died long ago. With her, he’d be an avid student of whatever she wished to teach as long as it pleased her.

  When he first met Emma Jean, he hated to admit she intimidated him. Here was an older woman who knew what she wanted sexually. Hell, she owned a sex toyshop. For all he knew, she’d tried every gadget and probably had a hot sex chamber for a bedroom. He wasn’t sure he could live up to her standards. If it wasn’t for a recent conversation with her cousin, Shelley, he wouldn’t have had the guts to finally ask her out.

  Shelley’s kind words about her cousin unknowingly gave David insight into what made Emma Jean tick. The straightforward, sex-talking, tough-chick attitude she presented was all for show. At least that’s what Shelley tried to convince him. It had been Shelley’s suggestion he take her cousin to brunch and she’d even told him not to be surprised if Emma Jean made him take her to the diner. Sitting here with her now, he doubted anything about Emma Jean was just for show.

  She was a woman with a style all her own. Intelligent, which he’d picked up on during their prior conversations at the shop when he’d popped in to buy things just to get to know her. None of which he’d even opened—the items were still in the bags on his dresser. That thought made him laugh silently at himself as he wondered what she’d think if she knew. He hadn’t been interested in trying any of the products without her, but hadn’t been bold enough to ask for her assistance.

  Every visit with her made him want to learn everything about her, from her favorite food to her favorite movie and most of all, her favorite sexual position. Emma Jean had starred in his dreams from the moment he first met her. But he hadn’t been man enough to ask her out until now. He couldn’t believe he let such a beautiful, fascinating woman intimidate him.

  He smiled inwardly as he sneaked glances at her while they ate for a few moments in silence. He liked the way her brunette hair curled. Long ringlets framed her face, while the rest were pulled into a thick ponytail at the base of her neck and he wondered how one clip managed to control all that hair.

  Her hair wasn’t the only thing he liked about her. She had a fiery set of green eyes and a bodacious pair of perfect breasts. Which at the moment were perched in a bra that hid nothing. The vee-neck shirt fit snug to her chest and all he could think was either she was turned-on by him or she was cold. From the size of those pert nipples he hoped it was the former.

  His mouth watered in anticipation of a taste of the hidden treasures beneath her shirt. David lifted his gaze and met Emma Jean’s amused stare. The little shimmy she did caused her breasts to swing slightly from side to side and lured his attention back to enjoy the momentary show even though he tried to resist.

  Caught staring like some adolescent kid. He closed his eyes but couldn’t stop the heated flush that shot straight to his cheeks. Emma Jean’s soft reassuring tone washed over him as did her words when he opened his eyes.

  “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, David. I like a man who isn’t afraid to admire a woman’s attributes.” She leaned forward with her shoulders held taut, causing her breasts to become even more accentuated inside her shirt. David did the best he could to keep his gaze on her eyes, but she deliberately made it difficult.

  He wouldn’t have these issues with control if he weren’t so damn tired, he tried to convince himself. When she spoke again, he forced his gaze to remain focused on hers. “Besides, I believe the nipples are one of the most sensitive erogenous zones on both male and female anatomy.”

  He surprised himself when he managed to answer in a calm, cool, collected tone. “I can neither agree nor disagree that point. I feel the subject requires further investigation before a verdict is reached.”

  “Do you have any particular subjects in mind you’d like to investigate?”

  David found this sexual tit-for-tat invigorating. Emma Jean didn’t embarrass easily nor did she back down. This conversation was far more enjoyable than any he’d had during the last three dates his mom and older, married sister set him up on over the last six months. They kept introducing him to nice young women his age, but none lit a spark in him like Emma Jean Dupree. Something about her made him hunger for sex.

  Which was a feat after the long, grueling hours he’d been putting in at the precinct. Every ounce of him should be exhausted after last night’s stakeout, but with Emma Jean sitting across from him a renewed vigor jump-started his system.

  “I’m sure we could find a pair of willing subjects in need of the proper authority to point them in the right direction.”

  “And who would lead that authority?” Emma Jean questioned, “you or me?”

  A sly smile tilted her lips in a sumptuous way that made him want nothing more than to reach across the table and kiss her. But he couldn’t. As a detective, he’d already pushed the public indecency code to the edge with the licking of syrup off her fingers. If he reached across and kissed her, with how he was feeling right now, he doubted he’d stop at a kiss.

  “That depends on the method of discipline chosen.” Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a couple walking toward them so he quickly shifted the conversation and hoped Emma Jean followed suit. “Each criminal case is examined individually and the punishment must fit the crime.”

  Chapter Two

  For a split second she looked perplexed then took note of the impending interruption when he gave a slight nod in the couple’s direction.

  “I understand,” Emma Jean replied, but he couldn’t tell if she was perturbed at him or the advancing unwanted visitors. “Being a police detective is a tough job. Your family must be proud of you.”

  “Oh, they are.”

  David noted the subtle cringe Emma Jean did at the sickly sweet tone of the reverend’s wife, Penelope Pickford. But somehow, Penelope didn’t see it. She continued without being invited into the conversation as if it were her right.

 
“We missed you at last Sunday’s services, David. We hope it was the job that kept you away and not some,” she paused and deliberately looked at Emma Jean before she continued, “outside influence.”

  Emma Jean’s shoulders squared and her right eyebrow arched as she met Penelope’s taunt outright. “It’s so good to see you too, Penelope. Save any lost souls lately or are you still searching for your own?”

  Penelope plastered a look of strained pleasantness on her face, which didn’t do her pointed features any justice. It made her nose and chin stick out even more on her thin face. David felt she was more pissed off than anything though she tried to hide it. Unusual for the reverend’s wife. Every time he’d been around her, she’d always presented herself in a proper, respectable manner. From the undercurrent he sensed in the air, there was some bad blood between these two. Though if it came to blows, his money would be on Emma Jean to win.

  “Emma Jean, it might do your soul some good if you graced the doors of our church every now and again. Your momma and your aunt haven’t missed a Sunday since your aunt’s last chemotherapy treatment six months ago.” Penelope deliberately turned her attention to David as she continued. “She’s a living miracle that one. A true representation of the Lord’s work.”

  “Amen,” the Reverend Paul Pickford proclaimed as he finally disengaged himself from a table of loyal followers and joined his wife. He extended his hand to David who took it and returned the familiar greeting. “Hello, David, it’s good to see you.”

  “Likewise, Reverend.”

  “Thanks for talking your brother Kevin into helping with the Baptist youth softball league this year. He’s doing a fine job. If it keeps going like it is, we might actually win the season.” Reverend Paul stopped then quickly added as he nervously adjusted his loose-fitting suit jacket. “No offense meant to you though. Last year’s team came close with you at the helm.”

  “None taken, Reverend. Kevin’s the better player and the most knowledgeable resource for your team. He went to college on a full baseball scholarship. About time he gave something back to the community, before he gets tied up in the working world.”