Turbulent Desires(29)

"We're going to start the evening off with a special duo. We've got  Maverick and Sugar about to sing for you all," the man on stage called  out, and the crowd cheered again.

"Sugar? You told him my name was Sugar?" she snapped as he pulled her closer to the stage.

"Every star needs a stage name," he said as they reached the steps.

"You don't have a stage name," she pointed out. He laughed.

"Baby, I'm already a star," he told her.

Lindsey was horrified. Within seconds, she found herself on the stage  with at least fifty people staring up at her. A mic was placed in her  hand.

"I have never sung karaoke before. I don't know how," she exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I picked the best song. You just follow the prompter," he said.

She wasn't going to do this. He couldn't make her, she decided. But then  the crowd was staring at her, and the music began playing, and Lindsey  knew she was going to make a fool out of herself either way. There were  only two choices. She could either sing the song, which would be  terrible with her tone-deaf vocals, or she could run off the stage in  humiliation.

Her only solace was the fact that the patrons were most likely three  sheets to the wind already. In their drunken bliss, they wouldn't pay  her any attention. Plus, she was standing beside Maverick. Who in the  world would look at her when he was there with a mic in his hand?

And then the words started, and he began to sing. She was rooted to the  spot. Of course, the man had an incredible voice to go along with  everything else that was absolutely perfect about him. But not only was  it his voice, it was the lyrics.

She was a huge Johnny Cash fan, and he'd picked a fun song to sing.  Lindsey actually found herself smiling as he sang the first verse of  "Jackson."

". . . goin' to Jackson . . . I'm gonna mess around . . ."

Without even thinking about the crowd below them in the crowded bar,  Lindsey lifted the mic and began singing with a grin on her face.         

     



 

". . . make a big fool of yourself . . ."

The smile Maverick sent her way made her cheeks glow for a whole new  reason. The song was flirty and fun and both of them got into it. She  even found herself dancing with him as he talked of going to Jackson and  messing around, and she countered.

". . . people gonna stoop and bow . . ."

". . . hah!" That was her favorite part of the song. She even chucked  him beneath the chin and was rewarded by his brilliant smile.

The crowd went crazy and sang along with them to the old classic by the  man in black. As the song wound down, Lindsey couldn't keep the grin  from her lips.

There she was, on the stage with Maverick, grateful he had pushed her  into doing something she hadn't wanted to do. He leaned down and kissed  her briefly, which had the bar patrons cheering again, reminding her of  where they were.

"That was a great song to start our night off. Next up is . . ."

The host continued speaking as Maverick led her offstage and back to  their table in the corner of the bar. She sat, picked up her glass, and  looked across at him.

"What are you doing to me, Maverick Armstrong?" she asked, not sure if  she were asking this of herself or of him. She took a sip.

"I'm teaching you to enjoy the small stuff," he answered, drinking his beer.

"And what happens when it's finished?" She hadn't meant to ask that  question. She knew what happened when she did. She wanted to take it  back immediately, but his eyes fired up as her smile faded.

"Who says it's ending?" he said as he reached across their small table and grabbed her hand.

"Well, unless we're heading down to Jackson . . ." She tried to make it a  joke, but for some reason the thought of him fading from her life was  making her throat close.

"Are you proposing to me, Ms. Helm?" he asked, the sparkle back in his  eyes, but something else was there too that both scared and excited her.

"No!" she said as she tugged against him.

"Hmm? I know I'm irresistible."

Her cheeks heated and she was grateful for the dim lighting surrounding them.

"Yes, you are pretty suave," she said, downing the rest of her drink.  The waitress came up and asked them if they needed anything else.  Lindsey held her fingers up indicating she wanted two more. She had a  feeling she was going to need them.

"It's a pilot thing," he told her when the waitress left.

"What's a pilot thing?" she asked.

"The attitude. Being able to do something most people can't makes you pretty dang confident," he told her with another wink.

"Hmm. I think it's a Maverick thing," she countered.

"Want to get out of here?" The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable. And her body responded to it instantly.

"I just ordered more drinks," she panted.

He leaned over to the table nearby, slapped a couple of hundred-dollar  bills down, told them to enjoy the drinks, and then stood up and pulled  her with him.

"The table next to us says thank you."

And with that, they were moving rapidly toward the parking lot.

Anticipation burned in Lindsey's stomach as he practically tossed her in  the truck and ran around to the driver's side. Maybe tonight was going  to be more than just foreplay.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Maverick was punishing her. She was sure of it. That's why he'd gotten  her body all revved up two nights ago and then had left her burning  after a few hot kisses. He'd jumped into his truck and gone home. She'd  wanted to make love to him, wanted to quench the fire he'd stoked.

But he said it wasn't time yet.

And just like that, he'd left her standing there, royally ticked off.  Then to make matters worse, he hadn't called her the next day. If this  was part of his mission, he was failing completely, because she didn't  feel better. She felt frustrated.

"I have a good mind not to see that man ever again," she said through clenched teeth as Stormy sat on her couch nursing Aaron.

"You're awfully wound up over a guy you don't care about," Stormy pointed out.

"He's just so frustrating. He takes me on all these adventures, makes me  laugh, really makes me burn, and then he just walks away like he's not  affected in the least."

"Don't let him walk away," Stormy pointed out.

"He's just a tad bit bigger than me, Storm. It's not like I can stop him," Lindsey told her.

"Make him unable to walk away," Stormy told her.

Lindsey stopped and looked at her friend. "What do you mean?"
         

     



 
"Seduce him." Her friend said it so simply, as if that were the easiest thing in the world to accomplish.

"How am I supposed to do that? I haven't ever chased after a guy," Lindsey told her.

"I'm not exactly the best teacher on the subject," Stormy said with a  laugh. "However, you have sex appeal oozing off you in giant waves.  You've always been beautiful and confident. If you put your mind to it,  you'll have Maverick lapping at your feet like a starving puppy."

"Hmm. Mav on his knees is sort of an appealing idea," Lindsey said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, the boy is pretty dang delicious. Not quite as delicious as his brother, but I can see his appeal," Stormy said.

"I love how much you adore your husband," Lindsey told her. "I thought  he was a hopeless case when I first met him, but I see that he would  also do anything and everything for you. It's pretty spectacular."

"He's my soul mate," Stormy said simply, as if that was a common thing.

"You do realize that epic romances like yours and Cooper's aren't usual, don't you?" Lindsey told her friend.

"That's why it's that much more special. I know what we have is rare,  and I plan on never letting it go. It's not always easy. People can  forget how it felt in the beginning. Time can wear on a relationship. We  can take advantage of each other if we aren't careful. But I won't  allow that to happen because I love Cooper with all my heart and soul  and I won't ever let him go."

"I don't want that, Stormy. I don't want to feel like I can't live  without another person," Lindsey told her as she sat down, suddenly  feeling drained of energy.

"Oh, sweetie, you won't have a choice," Stormy said with a sigh. "When  you find your soul mate, there's no choice other than to be with them,  because you can't breathe right without them at your side. Yes, it's  rare. Most people settle for what they think they want instead of for  what makes them happy. But when it hits you, there's no place far enough  you'll be able to run. You will find each other no matter what."

"That doesn't sound pleasant at all," Lindsey told her.

"The pain you go through to find each other isn't pleasant. But at the  end of the road, when you're in each other's arms, it's absolute bliss."

"I think I want my old friend back, the one who likes to bitch with me about men," Lindsey said, only half kidding.

"She's long gone, darling. This is the new me, and I'm here to stay," Stormy said with a laugh.