All You Can Handle (Moments In Maplesville Book 5) (2 page)

Instead of pretending he hadn’t seen her, Ian tipped his glass toward the beauty with the banging Afro and nodded. She continued to stare at him, her expression giving him nothing. Maybe he wasn’t the hot shit he thought he was.

He was two seconds from searching for a hole in the floor to swallow him when a subtle smile drew across her lips. She tilted her beer bottle toward him.

Oh, yeah.
Hell
yeah
.

But then she turned her attention back to the dance floor. Ian waited for her to look his way, but two songs played over the bar’s loud sound system and not once did those dark eyes return to his side of the bar.

He considered walking over there, but that wave of confidence he’d been riding had begun to drift back down to the shore. After the string of home runs he’d hit today, Ian didn’t want to end it by striking out with the beauty across the bar.

Instead, he dropped a five on the bar for Joe and joined Sam and Dale at the pool table.

~ ~ ~

Sonny White observed the small crowd moving in step with each other on the scuffed dance floor. Some were pretty good, but some of them were downright awful. For a brief moment she considered joining them, but a dancer she was not.

Besides, Sonny wasn’t particularly keen on looking like a fool in front of that cute honey drop who’d been sitting at the other end of the bar. He’d moved over to the pool table, where his rowdy friend with the high-top fade circa 1991 was talking loud enough for the entire bar to hear him. She felt sorry for the poor little train wreck. He was so drunk Sonny was sure he’d have to be carried out of the bar.

The honey drop, along with the other one she’d labeled The Hulk, kept a close watch on Drunk Boy. Yet, Honey Drop’s eyes continued to dart her way every few minutes. It was both adorable and nerve-racking.

She’d been watching him from the corner of her eye for nearly a half hour. It had taken him long enough to notice her, but apparently, he was too clueless to realize that he should be over here offering to buy her a drink instead of babysitting his drunk friend. It looked as if she would have to make the first move.

But she didn’t.

She was still trying to decide if she was the kind of girl who was capable of picking up a guy in a bar. She’d been stalwart in her effort to embrace this new, more carefree lifestyle she’d embarked upon, but some actions still gave her pause. Like walking up to a cute guy in a bar and introducing herself.

Besides, she still wasn’t sure if he was worth it. His nicely cut suit and shiny wingtips were a solid knock against him. The stuffy attire was too reminiscent of Douglas Edwards, III—the mistake she’d nearly married after a five-year relationship. Goodness, she needed another drink just to wash that thought out of her head.

On the other hand, maybe the fact that he reminded her of her ex wasn’t such a bad thing. If the cute little morsel trying his hardest not to stare at her was nothing more than Douglas 2.0, Sonny had very little chance of falling for him. And, let’s be honest, she was not picking up some guy in a bar in hopes of finding life-long love. If she went over there, it would be with one goal in mind.

She wanted to get laid. God, did she want to get laid.

But there were other factors to consider. For one thing, she was new to this area. Even though she wasn’t planning to stay in this town for very long, she still needed to be mindful of her actions. She wasn’t sure how one-night stands worked in Small Town, USA. Was Maplesville big enough for her to have some naked fun with the Honey Drop tonight and then not see him again? Or was she setting herself up for awkward encounters at the post office?

Wait!
When was the last time she’d physically mailed anything?

Decision made, Sonny downed the remainder of her gin and tonic in one swallow and hopped off the barstool. Tugging up the waistband of her snug, low-riding jeans, she headed for the pool table, moving with a confidence she’d always possessed, but had never been comfortable showing.

That was something that was gradually changing, too.

With every day that passed she became a bit more comfortable embracing the Sonny she’d suppressed all of these years. It was liberating as hell.

She wasn’t sure if picking up a guy in a bar counted as another move in the Emancipation of Sonny movement, or if it was just plain stupid, but she was slightly buzzed from her drink and riding high off the excitement of the job she’d accepted today with a local catering company. It seemed like the perfect ending to her day.

Sonny hadn’t anticipated her journey bringing her to a small town like Maplesville, but she wasn’t questioning it, either. She’d taken her future into her own hands, doing what would make
her
happy, instead of living her life for her parents and ex-fiancé.

And she had a feeling that the cutie in the charcoal-grey pinstripe could make her
very
happy. At least for tonight.

Sonny walked up to the pool table and shoved both hands in her back pockets so that her breasts would thrust forward at just the right angle. She wedged herself between him and the pool table, blocking the shot he was about to take.

“I’m Madison,” she said.

His eyes went wide, as if she’d caught him completely off guard. As if she hadn’t seen the way he’d tracked her out of the corner of his eye the entire way there.

Oh, the Honey Drop was adorable. And younger than she’d first thought. He couldn’t be older than her own twenty-eight years.

His hair was cut close, and it waved in short ripples. A fine sheen of sweat pebbled along the edge of his forehead, making his light brown skin glisten. He had a set of the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen, a soft, amber-green rimmed with gold. Gorgeous. Heart-stopping even.

Yeah, she could do this. She could be the kind of girl who made the first move.

“Ian,” he said, setting his pool cue to the side and stretching a palm toward her.

Sonny looked down at his hand and allowed a small smile to curl up the edges of her mouth before taking the hand he offered. His palm was surprisingly rough, much rougher than she’d expected from a guy wearing a suit like this one.

She gestured toward the pool table. “Are you winning?”

“No.”

“Good. Then you shouldn’t feel bad about abandoning the game so you can dance with me. Unless you have to stay here and babysit your friend.” She tipped her head toward the loudmouth, who’d just gotten up in one of the other player’s faces. That would not end well.

Ian shook his head. “He’s probably going to get his ass kicked, so that would be a no on the babysitting front. However, I still can’t do what you suggested.”

Her newly minted self-confidence took a slight hit, until he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I don’t dance.”

Sonny’s smile widened. “Neither do I. But I’m sure we can find something else to do.”

Whoa. Who was this woman hitting it out of the park in the brave and sexy department?

With boldness practically oozing from her pores, Sonny led him to the only available booth remaining in the bar, which had swelled with patrons over the past hour. She hadn’t expected such a crowd on a Monday night, but apparently this was how they rolled in small towns like Maplesville.

When Ian made a move to sit opposite of her, she tugged on his cuff, pulling him into the booth next to her. She twisted on the worn maroon Naugahyde and bent one leg to prop her sandal-clad foot up on the bench. The gold from her favorite toe ring gleamed under the lights. She set her elbow on the tabletop and rested her chin on her fist.

“It sure took you long enough to notice me,” Sonny opened. “I’ve been sitting over there trying to snag your attention for nearly an hour.”

“Have you?”

“Don’t bullshit me,” she said. “You’ve been watching me all night. I just said that to stroke your ego.”

He chuckled. “Okay, so maybe I’ve been watching you too. I’ve been trying to figure out those mixed signals you’ve been tossing my way.”

She released an exaggerated gasp. “Mixed signals? I have not been sending you any such thing.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he drawled, his eyes dancing with amusement. “You can save that drama for the stage. I’m not buying the innocent act.”

“I wasn’t acting,” Sonny said. She traced her finger along the rim of the table. “I was trying to decide if you were worth it.”

A curious brow peaked over those gorgeous amber-green eyes. “And?”

His voice had dipped several octaves, making her skin tingle with that single word.

Sonny matched his raised brow. “We’re sitting here together, aren’t we?”

A slow smile stretched across his lips, and for the first time she noticed the small dimple in his cheek. Just like that, she was toast. Resisting that dimple was out of the question.

Sonny lost track of time as minutes meandered into hours. Their conversation spanned the entire spectrum of ridiculousness, from arguing over the casting in the
Marvel Comics
action movies, to agreeing on the brilliance of McDonald’s perennial McRib. She’d never imagined there could be so many double entendres about a sandwich.

With every sexy, flirty innuendo that passed her lips, the fake, cloistered Madison White she’d been molded into over the course of her life died a little more. She felt emboldened; the wild and free Sonny she’d embraced didn’t hesitate when it came to asking for what she wanted.

And right now, she wanted Ian.

“So, why don’t you dance?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “Just not my thing. Why don’t you?”

“Because I look like a drowning duck whenever I try to dance,” she said with a laugh. “Even years of classes couldn’t help me. I’m living proof that the ‘all black people can dance’ stereotype is just a myth.”

“You can’t be that bad.”

“You wanna bet?” She asked. She tipped her head back and downed the remainder of the drink she’d been nursing for the past half-hour, then grabbed Ian by the wrist.

He tugged. “What are you doing?”

“Come on,” she said. “I demand we get on the dance floor and make fools of ourselves.”

Pulling him out of the booth, she grabbed him by the lapels of that nice-fitting suit and didn’t stop until they were smack in the center of the dance floor.

She didn’t worry about learning the dance moves. She could get what she wanted by simply moving her hips from side to side. She turned around and fitted her back against his front, pulling Ian’s right hand around her waist and placing it over her bellybutton. He flicked his thumb back and forth over her bellybutton ring.

“This is so damn sexy,” he whispered in her ear.

Taking full control of the brazenness she’d been cultivating over the course of the evening, she rubbed her backside against him and was rewarded moments later with the reaction she’d hoped for. The telltale bulge that hardened behind his zipper spurred her on, feeding her self-confidence, daring her to be bolder than she ever thought she could be. She ground herself even more against him, her stomach fluttering at the desperate moan he made in her ear.

“You okay back there?” Sonny asked over her shoulder.

He answered with a deep chuckle, the rumble cascading down her spine.

She swayed her hips again. “Just let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.”

His other hand came around her waist, his fingers locking just above the snap of her jeans.

“What are you offering?” he asked.

His hips undulated the slightest bit, his erection fitting against her backside.

Her blood quickened, a mixture of apprehension and anticipation shooting through her veins. Sonny looked back and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Ian’s eyes dropped to her mouth as he released a slow breath. She turned in his arms, so that his clasped hands now rested at the small of her back.

She looked up at Ian and was nearly singed by the heat in his eyes. There was no doubt about what he wanted.

This was it. Decision time. The moment was hers for the taking.

How far was she ready to take this bold new Sonny? Far enough to sleep with a complete stranger?

No.

She was bold, but she wasn’t
that
bold just yet.

Sonny’s mouth dipped in an apologetic frown. “I think maybe we should stick to dancing.”

In that moment she loathed herself. She hated that she’d uttered those words, but Sonny knew she would hate herself even more if she’d said anything else. Embracing this new Sonny was a gradual process. She just wasn’t there yet.

Dammit
.

“It’s okay,” Ian whispered. “I understand.” Sonny’s eyes flew to his. He nodded. “I do,” he said.

After her heavy flirting, a lot of other guys would have accused her of leading them on. For the barest second Sonny reconsidered, but she knew she couldn’t go through with it. What if she
did
have to mail off a package one of these days and ran into him at the post office? Or the grocery store? Or the dry cleaners? Talk about awkward.

She didn’t want to introduce any drama into her life, and trying to avoid seeing her one-night stand around town would be unnecessary drama.

She reached behind her and pulled his hands from where they rested at the small of her back. “It’s probably time for me to get out of here,” she said.

“You sure?”

She nodded.

“Okay, then. I’ll walk you to your car,” he said. He must have noticed the caution that flashed in her eyes because he followed with, “I swear, I just want to walk you to your car. I won’t try anything with you.”

Could he really be as sweet as he seemed? Maybe this didn’t have to be one night…

Sonny tossed that idea out of her head. The one thing she was definitely
not
looking for was a commitment of any kind. She’d just broken free from five years of captivity. The last thing she needed was to be shackled to someone again.

At least this way, if she did happen to run into Ian during her short stint in Maplesville, there would be none of that uncomfortable small talk that she suspected happened when virtual strangers, who just happened to know what the other looked like naked, encountered each other again. That was the one bright spot to not taking tonight any farther than they’d already taken it.