For Love or Music Read online

  Wade had completed the second lunch order when she brought back a new order adding it to the clip for him. Her green eyes met his, and for the moment, he saw the edge of desire before she shuddered, hiding her feelings.

  "Mornin."

  That was the extent of the conversation before she returned to the front to the customers. Emily heard the soft "Good Morning Emily.” to her back as she walked through the double swinging doors. "This is how she wants to play this. I bet she thinks all I want is a one-night stand. Miss Emily is playing it cool like it didn't mean something. So, Miss Emily, you want a challenge? Well, you have got one."

  The diner stayed busy for the Saturday, Emily kept her distance, and Wade did everything in his power to get closer each time she drew near. He could tell his advances were creating a turmoil within. It seemed the more he tried to touch her, the more distance she created between them. It neared the end of the shift, his frustration mounting feeling as if he had never had to work this hard to get a girl's attention before.

  Since high school, any girl he ever wanted it was easy, and it only grew worse after becoming famous. After he married, he continued to get a least twenty propositions a week. It had never interested him, not any of it; Lincoln could not remember ever wanting another female the way he did Emily, never remembering feeling this way with Lacey. Instead, it was much more of a fascination, realizing he was much too stupid to recognize his marriage to Lacey was not love.

  With Emily, he felt the need to tell her about his life's story and beg to hear hers. And with Emily, he found himself as Wade once again, without hesitation when someone said his name, the reply came quickly. He especially loved the way she said his name, that is when she would look at him, which she had not done much of today. This entire week of thinking non-stop about a woman that spoke only a few words to him to slinging burgers to be around her had to mean something, proving that she is different. "Emily is the one."

  Lincoln said to himself as he stowed the food, preparing for closing time. He took the time to look around, knowing what he needed to do now.

  #

  The lunch crowd cleared, and Emily was furious. Feeling as if she had done everything right, acting as if nothing had happened. "But no, he acted like we were a couple or something. How dare he." She stomped towards the front counter, livid at his insinuating touch. Several times throughout the morning and the busy noon service, his arm lazily had wrapped around her waist possessively. Emily had glared towards Meghan for help, only to receive a shrug of her shoulders.

  Now unaware Wade had left his post in the kitchen, removing his apron and eased up behind her as she slammed the cash register drawer closed. His words passed next to her ear in a hot whisper, causing Emily to tremble.

  "Talking to yourself again, who are you mad at Emily, me, or yourself?" She began to tremble when he gently took her hand. "Emily, come with me, please." Lincoln lead her to the front door, looking back at Meghan, he didn't have to ask, she knew. Meghan handed Emily her purse. "Ya'll have fun. Em. I have this." Lowering her voice, she whispered. "I don't want to see you until Monday morning." Looking back towards her friend as if she was headed towards the firing squad, nodding when Meghan added. "Don't worry. Katie will be at my house."

  With a wink Meghan closed the door behind them, switching the sign to closed, locking the door. Unable to resist watching as Wade opened the door of the truck helping her inside. Emily pulled her seatbelt, but Meghan half expected Emily to bolt from the truck, at any second, Wade recognized the signs. Before she could unfasten her belt, he tilted her chin towards him and gave her the sweetest, softest kiss. Emily smiled a real smile.

  Meghan turned away from the window, knowing she had done the right thing, knowing God had finally sent a man for Emily to love.

  #

  Tension filled silence filled the air of the confined space during the drive out to the farm; Wade turned in driving past the barn to the bunkhouse to park. Emily rolled her lower lip between her teeth, her nerves apparent. "They are gone for the weekend, had a horse show." Patting her hand, Emily began to relax.

  "Oh, surprised you didn't go." Smiling, he shook his head, placing the truck into park. "So, we are alone?" Lincoln stepped from his side, circling the front of to open the door for her, unable to resist when he lowered his voice to tease.

  "Relax, little girl. I am not going to eat you." Lincoln growled, causing a loud giggle followed by what Emily would describe as a very non-sexy snort.

  "You make a horrible big bad wolf." He grabbed her hand. The heated moment flashed between them as the air shifted as the laughter faded on their lips, his intent obvious when he whispers.

  "I thought we could use some alone time to get to know each other with nosy locals wondering about the town sweetheart flirting with the bad boy newcomer." She knew better than anyone that this guy was far from a bad boy.

  "Ha. So, you think you are a bad boy? Before he could respond, Emily broke the connection of his clinging fingertips and bolted for the barn.

  "Dang, she is fast." Laughing, as he followed her into the barn, his eyes adjusted to the dim interior after the bright sunlight, searching for her.

  Emily tried to slow her breathing, not sure why she felt the compelling need to take off in a run as she did. -Moving from her hiding spot behind a stack of feed, when she heard the heavy booted footsteps of her stalker shift. Emily bolted from the safety of the dark to sprint for the ladder. He was right behind her as scrambled up the ladder, diving into a pile of soft hay as Lincoln landed on top.

  "Not a bad boy hmm. Maybe I can show you how bad I am." Emily continued to giggle, more from nerves then the silly conversation flowing between them since arriving at the farm.

  "Not convinced." Lincoln grabbed her, rolling her over onto her back with him on top. His fingers itched with the desire to touch her body, which screamed out for him to caress. His long fingers tickled down her sides until she could not breathe. Emily stopped laughing as his head lowered to hers, as his lips skated across hers, with a taste of what is yet to come. This kiss began, a kiss to put all other kisses on the planet to shame. When Emily believed the best kiss of her life had happened the day before in the kitchen at her restaurant, he takes it to the next level.

  Her tongue took over, wildly tangling with hers as Lincoln pulled back as if to ask, who are you? It did not take long for him to discover the Emily hidden beneath all the layers. She clutched at his shirt, tugging it over his head until she could run her fingers across the rippled muscles down his back circling toward his front. Her small fingers tugged at his jeans by the belt loops, tempting as one finger teased under the band of material. Her hands worked their magic around to his stomach, eliciting a low groan of the excitement of her willing partner. Her fingers trace the soft line of hair from the center of his washboard stomach, leading to a small patch of hair in the center of his chest. Emily giggled as he deepened the kiss. Mumbling, against the onslaught of her lips, he asked.

  "Are you enjoying yourself?" he growled into her mouth.

  "Yes, thank you."

  "Didn't your momma teach you to take turns?" Emily laughed.

  "Yes, but I am horrible at that lesson. I didn't pay close enough attention." Lincoln took his turn, rolling them with Emily now on top. She leaned back to straddle his hips, unable to recall this feeling of intensity in a very long time. He reached up and gently unbuttoned her shirt, hesitating after he finished with the first two. His eyes left the object of attention to meet hers in the muted light of the hay barn, seeking assurance, Emily nodded. Lincoln completed his task, sliding the shirt down her shoulders, his breath hitched with excitement when he noticed the light pink bra with a tiny bow resting between her breasts. The image Emily exudes can handle anything and then finding out that underneath her protective shell, she is soft. This knowledge only served to entice him much more if that was even possible. Scared, Lincoln hesitated, worried she would go running out of this barn and his life in a flash if he sai
d or did the wrong thing.

  Lincoln reached behind her slowly undoing the clasp, sliding the straps down over her silky bare shoulders. Emily shifted her arms to cover her breasts, holding the loose material in place, hiding not only her skin but her soul.

  #

  Lincoln leaned forward with her legs now circling his waist, tipping her chin until her eyes met his, to kiss her softly. His fingers rubbed small circles on her back and neck as his lips traced a line to the rounded edge of her shoulder. With trepidation, Emily released the iron grip hold from the barrier between her chest and his, to reach around his back, pulling him closer to her until their bare skin caressed for the first time.

  Lincoln turned their bodies, lowering Emily onto the bed of their combined shirts and hay. He trailed kisses from the curvature of her neck across the shoulder, blazing a trail of hot need until he reached the first part of his mission. His fingers led the way of his lips to circle the soft mounds molding to the interior of his palm. His tongue darts out with the sole intention to taste the puckered flesh, circling the creamy mound until a swipe across the rosy bud elicits the low moan of this sexy woman beneath him.

  "Oh. Wade." Lincoln's eyes dart from the nub, preparing to take this adventure to the next level when the sound of his name, the name of his birth stopped him short.

  "Repeat it, Emily." He insists.

  "Hmm." His mouth may have lifted from her skin, but his fingers continue the onslaught on the soft flesh, eliciting the signs of deep desire within.

  "Emily. Say my name, again."

  "Oh, Wade. Please touch me."

  That name from her lips shifted something deep within him, which much later he will have the time and energy to discern his feelings but now he had a woman, this woman who craved him as much as he desired her, wanting Wade to touch her more. He returned his attention to the soft breast, his tongue darting out to take a wet taste of the rosy peak, provoking another round of loud moans.

  "Oh, Wade. More please."

  His tongue flattened with slow, measured strokes in one direction then another until her slender fingers slipped into his short hair tugging from the roots pressing his head until his nose pressed against the soft mound. His lips opened latching on, causing her hips to buck against the weight of his body.

  "You have no idea how beautiful you are you, do you?" Her eyes darkened to a deep emerald filled with desire, monitoring each swipe of tongue across her flesh. Shaking her head in denial. "You are, so believe me when I tell you are beautiful." His lips continued their mission moving south to her bare stomach, toned and still womanly. Emily lifted her hips bucking against the hard wall of his chest, moaning out in longing when he shifted his body. She longed for his heated weight to return as he reached down removing first one tennis shoe then the other. His fingers slipped to the button of her pants releasing the hold to lower down the soft swell of her hips to long, toned legs. He hesitated briefly, filled with concern she would claim him a mistake and demand to leave. Willing to end this escapade now if she chose to stop.

  Taking matters in her own hands, out of impatience, Emily unbuttons her jeans sliding them down her slim hips revealing a matching pair of pink panties with tiny bows.

  "Woman, are you trying to kill me?" He growls as he tosses the pants, her fingers work feverishly to the button of his low-slung pants. Wade kicks his boots and pants off, sending them a few feet from their entangled bodies. Not long after her jeans, the pink scrap of material meets a similar fate as warm kisses down her belly trailed down until Wade's eyes dart towards her in surprise.

  "For you."

  "For me, really?" As happy as a kid with his favorite birthday present.

  "Yes, you and no others. This is a first, and you have Meghan to thank it was her idea." Wade grinned, responding.

  "Can I thank her tomorrow? I am busy right now." Her eyes twinkled when she answered his question with a nod, a wink, and a point of her finger, reminding him of his forgotten duties. "Oh, does the lady say I need to get busy now?" Emily released a moan with a short nod. Wade hesitated. "Wait I didn't hear you."

  "Yes. Wade, please lick me now."

  "Gladly mam, I aim to please." He returned to trailing kisses from her belly button, past the soft swell of her lower belly working lower. By the time his tongue touched the tender apex of her thighs, releasing her own version of a flood of moisture. Emily reached, helping him to lower his boxer briefs with one swift movement.

  "Well, that settles a bet," Shaking his head.

  "I don't want to know, do I?"

  He laughed, tossing the black material to join its predecessors.

  "Nope." Wade pulled her tight into his arms.

  "Em, Are, you sure you are ready?" She felt the length of him against her lower belly, pausing in her mind, she craved for this to be so much more than just sex. "Emily, I want you to be sure." She nodded, embarrassment overtook her as he sheathed himself with a condom he had left beside their bodies, unnoticed in the frantic moments while relieving each other of clothing. Emily lifted her legs to hips pulling him into her.

  "Love me, Wade."

  Those words resonated through his head as he entered her tight space. "Home" Unlike any home he had ever known. She clung to him, moaning his name as he delved deeper.

  "Oh, Wade."

  "Emily. I love you." Wade exploded as Emily released trembling quakes, gripping him tightly as the aftershocks resonated with the buried feelings of forever flowed with each pounding beat of his heart. As soon as the last tremble had relented and Emily's eyes were able to focus on his, he whispered the words again. He felt her withdraw, not physically but within her spirit. "Em. I meant every word." Tears welled in her eyes.

  "You do? How? We haven't known each other that long." Their eyes held the lifeline between them as their bodies continued their connection, Wade reluctant to disengage of this perfect moment. He knew he had to convince her to give them a chance.

  "Honey. I knew the minute my hand touched yours over a glass of tea."

  "But what about the age difference?"

  "Age is a number, and it doesn't matter to me. Please don't let our ages decide our life together." Emily dropped her chin in slow, measured movements. "Babe as much as I would love staying the way we are, but this hay is beginning to itch. How does a shower sound?" Wade lifted his body from hers, withdrawing from her warmth, a painful separation when he longed to return. Emily gathered her clothing when Wade halted the act of redress. "Don't bother putting your clothes on; they will come right back off." Emily shuddered with excitement as they bolted for the bunkhouse shower.

  Chapter 9

  After a long shower involving a great deal of hot water and soap, Emily held tightly with muscular strength around his waist as her back rested against the slick tiled enclosure. When she believed he could not bring her to release once more, he managed to leave her boneless in his arms unable to do more than a smile as her head nestled against the side of his neck craving sleep. The next time he entered her was on the floor of the bathroom, when they had yet to make it to the bed, Wade insisted he needed a break to care for the horses.

  He watched her as she led one of the mares to her stall, wearing only his t-shirt and those pink panties with the tiny bows. Just knowing that she had them on was enough to drive him crazy. The only other thing covering her bare legs were an old pair of mud boots. Something about her bare legs and those boots. "Oh, she is going to be the death of me." Closing the stall door, Wade sauntered up behind her, pulling her back to his bare chest. Slipping his hand under the shirt into the silky pink material as his free hand undid the button on his jeans. Emily moaned, wet and ready for him, he held tightly to the wood door as she pressed her perfectly round bottom against his hips. Within seconds those panties were down to her knees as he teased at her entrance. His hand reached into his pocket for another packet of protection.

  "Wade, please."

  "Emily. Wait, I am out of condoms. We have to go back to the house."<
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  "No. I am not waiting."

  "Emily." He pleaded.

  "No. Now damn it, Wade. Now." Her insistence was his undoing as he entered her from behind. It did not take long for Emily to release a string of spasms. Wade shifted his weight on the cusp of quaking himself when he began to withdraw from her heat. "No. Stay."

  "Emily. I need to pull out."

  "No. Are you clean? Tell me. Damn it."

  "Yes. Tested. Clean."

  "Now. I want to feel you. Don't make me wait."

  Wade began to ask about protection when the tight muscles of her channel clamped down on his shaft. Her moans sending him over the edge as he pressed firmly on her back while pulling her hips to meet his powerful thrusts. Emily clung to the wood handle of the stall door bent in half at the waist as Wade pummeled her from behind.

  "Grrr." Releasing a guttural moan as he exploded meeting another string of spasms from her body. Pulling her body tightly against his, still connected, he whispered in her ear. "Sorry, that was not polite of me." He pulled out, reaching for the pants shoved down past his knees as Emily turned to face him.

  "I would rather have passion than politeness any day." She smiled against his lips, before nipping playfully. "But you could make it a lot longer this time." His look of surprise tickled her senses when he asked.

  "This time? Again?" He swallowed hard.

  "Yes." She lured him with her fingers, lifting his hand, placing it under the shirt, over her breast.

  "Em are you teasing me? Emily nodded, lifting his free hand towards her parting lips, taking his index finger deep into her mouth. Wade released a gravely moan, as she glanced towards the effect of each caress of her tongue. "Oh, honey I don’t know if I can keep up with you." He lifted her, sliding her legs around his hips, entering her once again, deeply. The subject of protection forgotten once more as his powerful, quick, and deep thrusts brought them together. Holding her tightly, he kissed her wet cheeks, tasting the tears.