I didn’t mean to blurt it out so eagerly but I hadn’t done this, whatever this was, as an adult.
Emmett blinked as surprised washed over him but his smile grew wider. “Moonshine?”
“Yep.”
“What could be better than good booze shared with a beautiful woman?”
I took that as a yes and smiled in relief. “Perfect.” My heart raced as our server packed up some flan to go, and we left the restaurant. I didn’t know if it was nerves or just anticipation of what would happen next, but I was determined to push myself as much as I could.
Somehow Emmett sensed my anxiety and reached over to rest a reassuring hand on my thigh, which didn’t reassure me so much as send heat through my entire body.
“You’re in charge here, Vanessa. Nothing will happen unless you want it to. Okay?”
I didn’t know which was sweeter, the fact that he thought I was uncomfortable or the fact that he was willing to put my mind at ease when I was the one who invited him over.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Emmett.”
He turned off the car in the driveway and turned to me, heat and kindness swirling in his blue eyes under the desert moon. “You sure you want me to come inside?”
“Yes. I am. Come on,” I said, opening my door and leaving the flan for him to collect while I headed up the walk to the house.
My legs might have been a little shaky but that was to be expected. This was my first sort of date with anyone other than Lance, so I shook off the shakiness and pushed my shoulders back, opening the front door with confidence.
Emmett’s hand found the small of my back and I gasped at his nearness, but I also leaned into it. “You smell good.” His words were low and gravelly, filled with desire.
He desired me. It wasn’t pity or sympathy, it was desire. Pure lust and want.
“Thanks,” I said, hesitating at the door. I decided to keep the heels on because they made me feel confident. Ready.
“How about that drink?”
When I turned to Emmett, he was smiling. “Sounds good. Want some help?”
“Nope. I got it. You have a seat in the living room.”
I rushed off before he could say anything else, but the sight of Emmett’s lips pulling into an amused grin made me remember those kisses. Those hot kisses that had almost brought me to orgasm, right here in this kitchen. I wasn’t ready to relive those kisses quite so vividly, and with Emmett so close by.
I shook off my nerves and grabbed two tumblers in one hand, the jar of moonshine in the other. I threw my shoulders back and headed into the living room, where Emmett waited with a seductive smile on his face.
“Don’t be nervous Vanessa. I don’t bite. Well, unless you want me to.”
Shit. I didn’t even know how to respond to that. “Good to know?”
Emmett laughed and met me in the center of the room, easily taking the glasses from my hand. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” I insisted though my shaky voice made a liar out of me.
“Good, because the last thing I want to do is to make you nervous, Vanessa.” His gaze lingered on mine for a long, intense moment that I felt in my belly. And lower.
“Good to know, but curious minds also want to know something.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” Emmett licked his lips and sat back on the sofa, pouring two fingers of moonshine into each glass.
“If that’s the last thing you want, what’s the first?” Maybe Nessa had shown up tonight instead of plain old Vanessa.
“You really want to know?” He took a sip, his blue eyes never leaving mine, darkening when I nodded eagerly.
“The first thing I want is to repeat those kisses we shared. But I won’t rush you into anything you’re not ready for.”
For some reason, his cautious words made me want to be the reckless one, the one who did whatever she wanted without analyzing it to death.
“Me too,” I told him honestly and set my glass down without taking a sip. I took Emmett’s glass and put it on the table where it belonged before fitting myself on his lap.
“I tried to stop thinking about it, but I couldn’t.”
He grabbed my hips and sat back on the sofa, getting comfortable as his thumbs rubbed along my waistband. “If you want a repeat, make it happen.”
I didn’t miss the challenge in his eyes or his tone, and even though I was nervous as hell, I grabbed his face and put my lips to his, feeling bold. The kiss started out chaste. Emmett let me set the tone, following my lead which only made me feel bolder. Sexier. Sliding my tongue back and forth against the seam of his mouth, I teased him and he let me, only opening up when my tongue slid between his lips.