More Than Rum (The Maple Leaf Series Book 3) (21 page)

Diana came back into the bar a
few minutes later with an EMT who she directed to the lead singer. Then she
went up to the microphone and said, “Okay, anyone willing to give me a
statement, line up here.”

Hope’s eyes misted when every
single one of those patrons got in line. Daniel was toast. There
was
justice
in the world. Maybe someday his boss, DiNoble, would be toast too.

 “I need a drink,” Hope said,
pulling Adam up against her when he’d returned from the back room, his jacket
in his hands.

“Some rum?” He rubbed her back
as he held her close.

“I need more than rum.” She
looked up at him. “A tall glass of Adam Rouse would probably do the trick.”

 A slow smile stretched across
Adam’s face. “So you want the top shelf stuff, huh?” He jammed his arms into his
coat, reached behind her, and pulled her coat off her chair. “Give me the keys
to your Jeep. You’re coming with me.”

She gladly dropped the keys
into his waiting palm. Her hands were still shaking a little. She looked down
at them then at the blood staining the knee of her jeans and her boots. She’d
made a man bleed. Again. To save herself. Again. A full body shudder shook her.

“Hey,” Adam said. “I’m sorry
that ass ever got his hands on you tonight.”

“Only one way you can make it
up to me,” Hope said, forcing herself to stop shaking.

“How’s that?”

“By putting
your
hands
all over me.”

Adam grabbed her hand. With a
wave to Jake and the rest of Hope’s family, he led her outside the bar and to
her Jeep. “I can do that. Let’s roll, baby.”

“Are we there yet?” Hope asked
in a whiney voice.

Adam laughed and the sound
hummed inside Hope. “Almost. In a hurry?”

She shifted in her seat on the
passenger side of his truck, anticipating peeling Adam’s clothes off and
exploring every inch of his delicious body. After tonight’s events, it had
become even clearer that no one was guaranteed a tomorrow. No one was
guaranteed a second chance to share some love. “I’ve been in a hurry to get to
your house since I left it to come to Black Wolf Tavern.” She smacked her
forehead with her palm. “Does that sound desperate?”

“If I say yes, then I have to
admit to being desperate as well, so my answer is no.”

“At least we’re on the same
page.”

Adam turned onto his street.
“Sweetheart, never mind the same page. I want to be in the same
place
.
Like physically taking up the same space as you, if that’s possible.”  
 

She shifted again in her seat,
a wet heat building between her legs. Clearly, she had no need of a winter
jacket around this guy. Not if he kept saying things like that.

“Let’s aim to defy the laws of
physics tonight then, okay?” She slid her gloved hand under his on the armrest
between them. Gloves. Armrests. Too many things stood in the way of climbing
inside him.

Adam didn’t reply right away.
Instead he grew quiet as he drove through the darkness.

“When I look at you, Hope,” he finally
said as he gave her a sideways glance, “I can’t understand why you’d pick me.”
His voice was strained and Hope’s eyes stung for him. How could he think he
wasn’t worthy of her company, her attention, her body?

Her love?

“And what’s wrong with you?”
She kept her response light and funny, knowing full well he wouldn’t want to
say what he thought was wrong with him.

He let out a breath. “Do you
want the long list or the longer list?” He pulled into his driveway and parked
her Jeep.

Hope grabbed his arm before he
could get out of the vehicle. “How about we make a new list? This one will have
all the things that are so right about you.”

“I don’t think there’s going to
be enough material to make that a list.” He slipped out of her grasp and got
out of the Jeep.

His boots crunched in the snow
as he walked around the front of the vehicle. His knit hat was pulled low, and
his shoulders hunched a bit against the cold. Perhaps the events at the
tavern—events that forced him to use his Marine training—caused him to remember
losing his squad. He was retreating within himself, and if she didn’t act fast,
she’d lose him for tonight.

Maybe longer.

He opened the passenger door
and she hopped out, the icy breeze stinging her cheeks. Adam let them into the
workshop, and Hope drew in a deep breath of sawdusted air.

“You smell like sawdust, and I
love it.” When Adam turned to face her, a question in his eyes, she said, “For
the list of things that are right about you. Smelling like sawdust is right.
Manly. Sexy. Turns me on.”

“Yeah?” A blond brow arched
over a hazel eye. He pulled his hat off, revealing the buzz cut.

“Yes, and let’s not forget the
buzz cut. Love the buzz cut.” She took two steps and was directly in front of
him. After pulling off her gloves, she rubbed her hand over the side of his
head, enjoying the soft, bristly feel of his short hair.

Adam closed his eyes, and Hope
saw some of the tension leave his shoulders.
Good.
Her touch should do
that for him. Soothe. Comfort. Arouse.

She unzipped his jacket and
slid her hands under his Black Wolf Tavern T-shirt, immediately finding his
stomach muscles that had tightened against her cold fingers.

“The abs go on the list too.”
She kissed his stubbly chin lightly. “Actually, your entire body goes on the
list. You’re perfect.”

At that, he let out a puff of
breath. “Perfect is not a word to describe me.”

“Shh,” Hope said, putting her
lips on his to shut him up. “I think you’re perfect, and it’s my damn list.”

He held up his hands in
surrender. “Fair enough.” His arms came around her waist and he gathered her in
close. “Your list is inaccurate though. I’ve got scars.”

“My list is how I see things,
Adam. How I see you.” She took a step back to get a better look at him and to
gain some distance. She couldn’t comprise a proper list when her body was
pressed against his. “You wear work boots. You look hot in a pair of jeans… or
out of a pair of jeans.” She offered him what she hoped was a suggestive smile,
one that would get him out of said jeans in just a short while. “You’re a great
friend to Orion, a wonderful brother to Wendie, a competent woodworker to your
customers.” She gestured to the tools around them in the shop.

“You satisfied the bar patrons
tonight with your bartending skills. You are kind to my puppy, and I’m going to
bet you’ve been kind to other animals along the way.” She stepped closer again,
not liking the distance between them anymore. “You saved me outside Black Wolf
Tavern by chasing away my attacker and handing him over to the police. You
rescued me again outside the bar by not making me have to go in the other
night. You used your amazing marksman skills to get Daniel off my ass tonight
without injuring any bystanders.”

She rested her head on his
shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her tighter. His body heat warmed her,
and she wanted to get him upstairs right away.

“You made love to me and made
me feel like I was something special.” She looked up at him.

“You
are
something
special, Hope. Very special.” He leaned his head down and caught her mouth with
his. A few light nips turned into seeking more, his tongue gliding past her
teeth to stroke her tongue, his hand moving to cover her breast and massage a
moan from her.

“Seems like I came up with a
pretty sizable list, Adam.” She grabbed the sides of his jacket and shook him a
little. “Take me upstairs and I’ll probably be able to come up with more.”

His gaze combed over her,
making her feel caressed somehow. “I’ve got one for the list.”

“Let’s hear it.” She backed up
a step, pleased he had something positive to add about himself.

“I had the good sense to get
involved with you.” He tugged on the end of her hair, pulling one curl straight
then releasing it so it sprang back into a loose coil.

Hope’s cheeks grew hot, and
Adam ran a finger down the side of her face. He took her hand and led her to
the stairs to his apartment.

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

“For all those nice things you
said about me.” He unlocked the door and ushered Hope inside.

“I only spoke the truth, Adam.”

“Maybe, but coming from you
makes it mean more.” He took her coat and hung it by the door then removed his
and did the same.

Slowly, Hope lowered to her
knees and with her eyes still on Adam’s face, she untied his work boots, one at
a time. She pulled them off and set them on the mat in front of the door then
removed her own boots.

Adam guided her to the living
room and pushed her to the couch. “I’ll make a fire. I love how the light flickers
over your body.”

Well, gosh
.

Goose bumps rose all over Hope,
and she wasn’t sure she could wait for him to get a fire going. Technically,
he’d already set one ablaze inside her that would never be extinguished.

He crouched in front of the
fireplace and lit some kindling. The way his T-shirt stretched across his
shoulders and back had her fingers itching to get him undressed. His denim-clad
ass was calling her name too, and when he stood to survey his fire-making work,
her gaze traveled from ass to heel, loving his long, solid legs. She wanted
them tangled with hers.

She wanted his heart tangled
with hers too.

                                                                          ****

As the fire grew in the hearth,
Adam’s throat was still tight from the kind things Hope had said about him. She
believed he was good, and he guessed that was all that mattered. The past had
nothing to do with her. He could have that fresh start he’d always wanted… with
her.

He could be the man he was
always supposed to be.

“You can make a fire like a
true Boy Scout.” Hope’s hands came to rest on his shoulders, and she gently
massaged the muscles there, the front of her body pressing against his back.
“The right list gets longer by the second.”

He turned his head, and she met
him halfway to drop a kiss on his cheek. “The list is not the only thing
getting longer, sweetheart.”

She dropped her hands so he
could turn around. The look of anticipation on her face was priceless. Orange
flames glowed in her dark eyes and shimmered in her blonde hair.

He reached up to finger the
soft curls. “I like these.”

“Better than straight?”

He considered the question,
picturing her straight hair fanned out around her as he’d made love to her. “It
looks amazing straight too. Do you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because it’s attached to
this.” He cupped her face, his thumbs gliding over her cheekbones.

“Aww, shucks,” she said as she
cast her gaze downward.

“Pretty smooth, right?”

“Really smooth. You might get
lucky tonight if you keep it up.”

“Might? What do you mean? I
thought tonight was guaranteed. In the bag.” If she decided not to make love
with him tonight, he might openly weep.

“Never assume it’s in the bag,
honey. Women are complex creatures.” She gave him a smile and backed up a few
steps. She undid the first few buttons on her ruffled black sweater to reveal
more of the silver tank top beneath. “Fortunately, I’ve been sufficiently
turned on by listing all the right things about you, plus I’ve been thinking
about making love to you since we made love earlier.” She slid the sweater off
her shoulders. “I’d probably break down and cry if we didn’t do it tonight.”

He pulled her sweater out of
her hand. After dropping it on the coffee table, he ran his fingers over her
exposed shoulders. “I had the same thought. We’re making love tonight, and
that’s that.”

He slid his hands into the
waistband of her jeans and pulled her up against him. He gathered the end of
her tank top and slowly rolled it up. Hope helped by raising her arms, and in
two seconds, the tank top joined her sweater in the discard pile.

Adam groaned at the sight
before him now. “The red bra. I’ve died and gone to Heaven.”

“I’m pretty sure they don’t
allow bras like these in Heaven. Clashes with all that purity and goodness and…
white and…” She stopped talking when he leaned down and pressed his lips to her
cleavage. “Oh… that’s nice.”

“Good enough to eat.”

Adam kissed a line down her
stomach as he kneeled in front of her. He unzipped her jeans and peeled them
away from her hips. “And there’s more red here.” He looked up the length of her
and met her gaze. “Thank you, Hope. You know how to make a guy very, very
happy.”

Her eyes went soft, and he was
rather amazed at his ability to say all the right things tonight. A short time ago,
back at the bar, he thought he’d never see Hope again. He feared that Daniel
would take her, hurt her, maybe even kill her.

Fortunately, that mission went
better than his last, and now he had Hope all to himself.

He rolled her jeans down her
magnificent legs and loved when she gripped his shoulders for support to step
out of them. The movement brought his face in line with her panties and the
present waiting inside the silky, red fabric.

Slowly, he ran his hands back
up her legs, cupped her sweet bottom in his palms, and ran his tongue along the
flat expanse of her stomach. Her skin smelled like cinnamon again, and he
couldn’t resist the urge to nip at her flawless flesh.

The sound that rose out of her
throat when his teeth grazed her made Adam glad he was already on his knees or
he would have certainly fallen. Half groan, half purr, the noise hardened him
beyond rock solid. He had to get inside her. Had. To.

With a few additional nips at
her stomach, he backed up and nearly ripped off his T-shirt. Only a fleeting
thought that it was a work shirt kept him from tearing the cotton from his
body.

Hope went to the couch to get
the blanket they’d made love on last night. While she spread it out—in nothing
but that fantastic red bra and matching panties, God help him—he got rid of his
jeans, boxers, and socks all in one downward sweep. When she turned around to
face him, she let out a low, husky laugh.

 “It’s as if you snapped your
fingers and poof… your clothes are gone.”

“If only it had been that
quick.” He joined her on the blanket, the two of them standing in the center in
front of the roaring fire. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here.” She smiled
up at him. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” She gripped his shoulders and
looked directly into his eyes. “I mean that, Adam. Completely. Do you believe
me?”

“I do. I just hope you don’t
suddenly decide you’ve made a horrible mistake.” Because that would crush him.
He’d spent so long keeping everyone out. He knew he couldn’t survive if the one
person he’d finally let in didn’t want to stick around.

“I don’t make mistakes.” The
confident tilt of her head reassured him. “I love you, Adam.”

“I love you too.”

He reached for her hand and
guided her down to the blanket. The time for lists and doubts was over. The
only thing he wanted to do now was make love to this beautiful woman who, for
whatever reasons, true or not, had chosen him. She had given him a second
chance, and he was going to take full advantage of her generosity and patience.
She’d waited for him when no one else would have.