The Devil's Storm Read online

  “Emily, Lee’s not dumb. He knew the risk when he asked you out. He asked you, remember?”

  She stopped as she grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Ironically, the first one she grabbed was one of Adrian’s old Georgia Tech t-shirts. Emily grimaced and noted to toss it out later. Maybe she’d been right; sleeping with Lee might have helped her get over Adrian. Other than a twisted sense of revenge, she couldn’t imagine what else would make her so eager to take him to bed. Except for his hands. God, he had perfect hands. Did he even know that? They were strong, masculine, but his touch was so smooth she almost swooned at each touch. And his jaw. And his delicious mouth. And Jesus, he had obviously been working out. While he didn’t exactly have a six-pack, the man was toned in all the right places. He also had good hair. And drop-dead gorgeous gray-blue eyes.

  Come to think of it, she liked a lot about Lee. At least when it came to his looks.

  “Emily?”

  “Yeah,” she started, snapping out of her thoughts. “You know what, you’re right. He’s the one who asked me to be his date. He’s the one who had his hands up my dress all night. If people think we’re together, then it’s his fault.”

  “So did he stick around or did he leave out this morning?”

  “Oh, I’m sure he left. Lee doesn’t strike me as the type to stick around in the morning. Much less until noon. Besides, it was definitely a one-night stand. He’s still so hung up on Maddie.”

  “What a shame,” Aaron sighed. “You two are adorable together. Scandalous, but adorable.”

  “Shut up, Aaron.”

  “I’ll see you at work tomorrow. Take an Aleve and get those legs rested up because we’ve got to configure that new Imogen Cunningham exhibit.”

  Emily groaned but said her goodbyes, threw on some clothes and put her hair up in a bun. When she stepped out of her room, her mind automatically slipped into memories of last night. The gorgeous dress she couldn’t afford was lying in a sad, exhausted heap at the bottom of the stairs, but oh, the memories seeing that dress puddled on the floor brought back. The night before, she hadn’t even gotten her front door key out of her bag before Lee was fiddling with the buttons in the back of her dress, desperate to get her out of it. She had to admit, having him so obviously riled up was hot.

  Just as she got the front door open his hands were already peeling the dress away from her skin as he buried his face in her hair and left a blazing trail of slow, greedy kisses from just below her ear, down her neck and in the hollow of her collarbone. He pushed the dress down from her hips and it sank to the floor. She’d first noticed his hands on the drive to the museum, how perfect they were, and now she admired them even more as they explored her bare body. “Emily,” he mumbled in a low growl as his hands flowed over her breasts, her nipples standing on end as she shivered under his touch.

  She turned toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck as their lips locked in a delicious kiss. Her hands made quick work of his tux jacket, and he took his hands off her only to fumble over his button-up and pants, yet not once did they break their kiss. As soon as his pants hit the floor her hand met the base of his cock, stroking his length in her hands.

  Lee pulled her body to his, but groaned and rested his head in the crook of her neck as she stroked him harder and faster. Not to be outdone, his fingers slipped into her already-soaked folds, teasing her until she hissed and tugged on his wrist, urging him to enter deeper.

  Lee obliged, plunging two fingers inside her. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she felt a wave of relief wash over her. He seemed to enjoy it as much as she did. Emily gasped when he gave a knowing smile and drove her towards the stairs, then turned her around and down towards the steps. She caught herself on all fours just as he kneeled and pressed his gorgeous mouth to her now-molten core, running his tongue down her slit before delving inside.

  This move must have been the first in her new sex-based workout repertoire because holding this position on the steps while he made her moan and feel like everything inside her was imploding was difficult. He shoved his fingers back in, back and forth, harder and faster until her walls tensed, contracted and left her in a weak jumble on the stairs.

  He hissed in pleasure as he withdrew his fingers and stuck them

  both in his mouth. Emily watched wide-eyed. “Do you have any clue how amazing you taste?”

  It took her a minute to regain her composure before she conjured a single word to say to him. Her brain had lost control of her body hours before. So instead of saying anything, she practically dragged him up the stairs to her bed. Her body would do a better job of communicating what she felt; words, at this point, were worthless.

  “Emily, are you going to stand there all day or are you actually going to eat these waffles I’ve slaved over all morning?”

  She jumped in shock with a curse. “Damn it, Lee! You scared me to death!” she declared, turning to see him sitting in the living room, reading the Sunday morning Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

  He gave a cocky grin. “Well good morning to you, too. Or afternoon in our case.”

  She gave him a skeptical look up and down. He was wearing a slightly wrinkled button-up and a pair of… jeans? Lee Atwood owned jeans? He didn’t wear his Armani suits around the house? He looked damn good, just very different.

  “I thought you would have left,” Emily said with a shy grin as she stepped down the stairs and edged towards him, achy legs beginning to limber back up with every step.

  “I promised you waffles. And that’s kind of a douche move to slip out in the morning without a word, don’t you think?”

  Emily couldn’t say she disagreed. “I’m sure my waffles are cold by now. And how did you make them? I don’t even own a waffle maker.”

  “Made a trip to the store early this morning. And I saved batter to make you fresh waffles.”

  Emily raised a brow as she followed him into her kitchen. He set about reheating the waffle-maker and grabbing a bowl of batter he’d already whipped up that morning. “My, my. Gentleman Lee is thoughtful,” she began, taking a seat at her kitchen island while watching him. “Purchases waffles makers to make fresh waffles doesn’t slip out after a one-night stand...”

  She had added that last part just to test him. Emily wondered what he would say. And at first, he didn’t respond at all. Disappointment crept in, but she had told Aaron the truth. Lee still loved Madeleine, and the last thing she needed in her life was yet another man in love with Madeleine McCollum instead of her.

  “One-night stand, huh? Did I do that bad?”

  Emily looked up at him in shock. “What? No. No, you were… amazing,” she admitted with a sputtered laugh. “I just figured...You know… like you might be too attached to Maddie for anything but one-night stands.”

  “Ah,” he began, seeming to consider this for a moment while he sprayed down the waffle maker and grabbed a spoon from her drawer. He certainly had acquainted himself with her kitchen quickly. Emily waited with bated breath to see what he would say next. Did he want more than just one steamy, sex-filled night? What would he want? More importantly, what did she want?

  Emily didn’t know the answer to that question. But she did know this: Lee was different than she thought he would be, and damn was he good in bed.

  “Maddie actually called me this morning.”

  Emily looked up at him, more disappointment already spreading. If she was calling him, it couldn’t be good. “Oh. Really?” she began, trying to feign anything but the discouragement circulating in her gut. “What did she have to say?”

  Lee scoffed in response. “To not hang around my Dad’s house for the next few days. She and Adrian will be staying there while they wait for that hurricane to pass.”

  Emily thought about Adrian. She was glad they were being smart and taking precautions, just in case. More than one stubborn Savannah resident on the evening news insisted they’d wait out the storm in their homes. “Maddie told you to stay away fr
om them?” Emily asked, a little in disbelief.

  “I don’t think she meant it to come across that way. I think she didn’t want me to be surprised because Dad certainly hasn’t mentioned it. But, besides all that, I’m really glad she called, because we had a conversation I think we both needed.”

  “Which was?” Emily asked, her tone a little too eager.

  Lee looked to her, but then bit his bottom lip and turned away from her, setting about pouring the batter, careful not to spill a drop on her countertops. The pauses in this conversation were killing her, but she realized Lee was nervous to tell her whatever was on his mind.

  “We talked about moving on,” he admitted. “I think I needed to know it was okay to have a life without her.”

  Emily huffed. “You needed your cheating ex-wife’s permission to

  be happy again?”

  He ceased all movement, then finally turned around to her with a sigh. “I know it sounds pathetic."

  “It is,” she agreed, unable to be anything but perfectly honest with him.

  “But you can’t tell me you don’t hope Adrian will be happy, or that you don’t worry about him. If you loved him enough to marry him, I know you’ll understand.”

  Feeling ashamed of herself, Emily nodded. Lee was right. She might have hated Madeleine for taking Adrian from her, and now, for having such a hold over Lee, but that didn’t erase the fact that for three years of her life, Adrian had been her everything.

  “Anyway, pathetic or not, it helped knowing she’s happy, and that she just wants the same for me. And…last night was the first time I’ve been happy in a very long time.”

  She couldn’t deny the fact that every ounce of disappointment dissipated with that statement. “So, what do you want?”

  He laughed. “I want a relationship that means something more than sex. I’m getting older. That just seems like a waste of time.”

  “I see.”

  He eyed her peculiarly. “And what do you want?”

  Emily scoffed. “From you? Or in general?”

  “Let’s shoot for ‘in general’ first.”

  Well, that was easy enough to answer. “I want exactly what Adrian accused me of wanting when we split up—a husband and a family. And this time, I want him to actually be in love with me, not his sister-in-law.’

  “That’s not an unreasonable request.”

  “I would hope not,” she laughed.

  At that point he stopped and checked her waffle, and deeming it cooked enough, he took it out and put it on a plate and set about making another one. “How do you like your waffles? I got fruit, syrup, butter, whipped cream, whatever you want.”

  “Just syrup, please,” she said, and within seconds he was passing her a container of warmed syrup.

  They sat in silence for a moment as she took the first bite of her waffle. He had been right. Gentleman Lee made damn good waffles. They were thick and fluffy, with a hint of vanilla.

  “So what about the other question?”

  She looked up at him, then swallowed and put her fork down.

  “You mean, what I want from you?”

  “If anything.”

  Emily considered this for a moment, thinking through it while she took another bite of the waffle. “I think this,” she began. “And just hear me out. We're acquainted more physically than we are personally. I mean, I know you, you know me, but we really don’t know each other.”

  “No, we don’t."

  “You want more than sex, but you’re worried you can’t deliver on the more than part, right?” He looked like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. “I’m scared, too,” Emily continued. “I’ve dated, but I’ve not had what I would consider an actual boyfriend since Adrian. I don’t want to get hurt, but I don’t want to be alone forever, either, and I know you feel the same. So here’s what I propose — let’s give it a week. The week after, you’ll be off on business again. That gives up time apart to think about what we want.”

  “I get a free trial of Emily, huh?”

  “No strings attached. Unless we decide strings are exactly what we want. And if it doesn’t work out, no hard feelings.”

  Lee’s eyes met hers. “Miss Parker, you have a deal,” he said with a sideways grin. She held out her hand to shake his, but instead, Lee leaned across the counter and kissed her in a quick but passionate lock that rendered her breathless.

  “Just taking advantage of my week,” he stated as he stepped away from her as if he needed an excuse.

  Emily licked her lips, relishing his taste. “Want to take advantage of your week upstairs?”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Madeleine’s stomach sank when she spied one of the ubiquitous green Georgia road signs directing the way to Buckhead. From the second she saw the Atlanta’s sunset skyline rising in the distance from 75, her anxiety had been on a steady incline. They had not spoken a word since McDonough. They didn’t have to; their thoughts were the same.

  When Promenade II, the building Atwood Technologies had always inhabited since his grandfather’s days as CEO, came into their line of sight, Adrian had reached for her hand. Madeleine knew all too well it was for his sake as much as hers, and she laced her fingers through his. This trip would be hard. Everything about the city seemed so distant and foreign when it had once been home.

  Madeleine flicked her eyes over as she heard his fingers drumming on the steering wheel of his Jeep. They had taken the most utilitarian vehicle they owned, unsure of what they might encounter when they got back home.

  “Don’t be nervous,” she murmured, squeezing his hand.

  Adrian laughed. “I’m not nervous… I’m scared out of my wits.”

  “There’s no reason to be scared. They love you.”

  “They’re pissed at me.”

  Madelene sighed. “And yet, they asked you to come stay with them. No matter what, their love for you overrides their anger any day, and I can’t help but admire that.”

  Adrian rolled his eyes. “If you only knew…”

  “Try having parents who never cared."

  “Can we promise we’re going to be better than our parents?” Adrian proposed. “I don’t want my kid to be this nervous to come home.”

  He was chewing his lips, left hand still tapping incessantly on the steering wheel. If anything, their conversation had made matters worse. Madeleine felt it might be best to add her own perspective. “I never want them to question if we love them. I remember staying up at night wondering if they did. Especially after mama died. Were either of them the least bit regretful we were never close?”

  Adrian shook his head. “We’re not going to let that happen to ours. If they know nothing else, they’ll know their parents loved them.”

  They pulled into Tuxedo Park, Buckhead’s top-shelf neighborhood featuring multi-million dollar historic homes. After his and Maggie Beth’s divorce, Richard had gone right out and made an offer on the first house that popped up for sale in the neighborhood. Richard was all about status symbols. Madeleine thought how lonely his seven-bedroom mansion must be all alone. She wondered where Lee was living now. She knew that he had moved out of McCollum Manor last year, but she had no idea where he was living now. Did he share the need for a status symbol like his father, or had he gone a more practical route?

  Richard’s house was a grand, three-story affair constructed from white-painted brick and stucco. It was a classic colonial style, and it was on the largest lot in all of Tuxedo Park. The meticulously kept estate always looked as if it were ready for a Southern Living photo shoot.

  Adrian stopped at the front gate, the Jeep idling as they both sat there staring down the paved path to Richard’s house. “You know it’s not too late to go back home. I hear the Connors down the street throw one hell of a hurricane party—”

  “You’re not going to get a dissenting vote from me. Waiting out the storm at home is starting to sound like an easier option.”

  “We could go anywhere. Why di
d we choose to come here?”

  “Because we decided it would be a good idea to rebuild your relationship with your parents,” Madeleine murmured hollowly.

  “Still thinking it’s a good idea?”

  She shrugged. “Do we want our child to know their grandparents?”

  Adrian sighed and rolled down his window. “Damn, go for the jugular why dontcha?” he muttered as he started punching in the code for the gate.

  “Happy to oblige, darling.”

  They watched as the gate opened slowly to allow the Jeep to

  enter. Madeleine’s stomach sank in fear as they approached the house.

  “Admirable of you to sacrifice yourself for his happiness. Maybe it is true love after all,” Evelyn muttered from the backseat. “How will you handle being the villain instead of the victim? In Richard and Maggie Beth’s eyes, you ruined their family.”

  Madeleine took a deep breath. For once, Evelyn might have been right.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted.

  “You don’t even have a novel to work on,” Evelyn harrumphed with a self-satisfied smirk. “It’s gonna be a long week.”

  Yes, it most certainly is.”

  “You okay?” Adrian asked suddenly.

  Madeleine put on a smile. “Are you?”

  “Hell no. So it’s okay if you’re not okay, either.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Adrian rolled his eyes. “You are the worst liar ever.”

  They pulled to a stop in the bend of Richard’s circular drive just before the front door. Adrian swallowed, then gripped Madeleine’s hand in his. “Well, here goes nothing.”

  He cut the engine and stepped out of the car like he wasn’t the least bit nervous after all. Maybe even excited. Madeleine guessed in a way he probably was excited. His family had always taken priority. At least until she came along. Reluctantly, Madeleine opened the door and stepped out of the Jeep, but before she could even shut it, the front door opened, and Maggie Beth came bounding outside to envelop her youngest son in a fierce embrace.