Page 117 of Tasting Fire
“I’ll get it,” Riley said.
“Mine.” Without an ounce of guilt, Cash elbowed his baby sister out of the way and hurried to the living room. Since the day was nice, his mom had left the front door open, keeping the no-see-ums out with the screen door, but allowing the Carolina breeze inside. And on the other side of that screen stood the woman he wanted so badly to allow him all the way inside her life.
And if he’d felt something huge with his brothers and sisters, it was modest compared to the expansion of his chest now. Emmy McKay was everything he’d ever wanted.
He swung open the door to let her inside. She was holding a round plastic container. “Hey stranger, whatcha got there?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She shimmied her shoulders playfully, and her cheeky grin hit him with a one-two punch—heart and groin. Yeah, he was a goner if Tupperware gave him wood. “It’s a surprise for after lunch.”
He took the container from her and backed her into the corner behind the door so he could kiss her. Her lips were warm and tasted like sweet tea. Tasted like home.
He went in deeper, aligning his body with hers and dismissing the reality that his family was just a room away. But dammit, he needed both his hands to do this right.
He started to release the container and let it fall to the floor, but Emmy pushed him away and gave what could only be called a squawk. “Don’t drop that!”
He brought it back on center, but its horizontal integrity had been compromised while he was busy with her mouth. “You said ‘after lunch.’”
“Yes.”
Sweet! He grinned at her in appreciation. “Does that mean you brought baked goods?”
Emmy slapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh. Oh, no. I didn’t even think about your mom.”
Careful of the valuable container this time, Cash yanked her to him with one hand and gave her a kiss chock-full of tongue and gratitude.
When he finally wound down the kiss, she said, “Whoa…uh…wow.”
“Don’t be surprised if even Maggie kisses you on the lips,” he told her cheerfully and put his arm around her.
Maggie poked her head into the room. “Why am I going to make out with your girlfriend?”
“Because of this.” Cash held up the container as if it were a solid gold trophy.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Just some individual cheesecakes,” Emmy hurried to say. “And I’d like to take all the credit, but—”
Maggie rushed her and did in fact, give her a smack directly on the mouth. “Bless you.”
Apparently Jay had witnessed the whole exchange because he eyed the two women, still in a fierce embrace, and said, “No one told me that family potlucks sometimes featured other entertainment.”
Maggie released Emmy and marched over to slug her boyfriend. “You’re a pig.”
“Good thing you like farm animals.”
“Into the dining room,” their mom called from the kitchen. “Your dad is washing up and everything is hot.”
His arm tight around Emmy, Cash paraded her and her cheesecakes into the room. “Mom, Emmy brought dessert.”
“Oh.” His mom’s expression dimmed and then brightened again immediately. “Great. I’ll just slice up the parsley cake I made and send some home with each of you. It’ll be wonderful for breakfast.”
And at least they’d all be out of sight when that cake went suspiciously missing from each of her kids’ houses.
“Did she say parsley?” Emmy whispered to him.
“Yeah. Don’t try to figure it out. Just nod and smile.”
When they all settled at the big table, the presentations began. Somehow it always worked out that all the food groups were covered. His dad with roasted free-range chicken. Maggie with a knockout pan of four-blend mac and cheese that Cash had a suspicion Jay had cooked along with his cabbage carbonara.
