Goodnight Kisses (9 page)

Again, jealousy tightened in his stomach.

What the hell is he doing?

Jess spun her around and ended the
dance with a quick kiss
on
her cheek. Eleanor laughed and
stepped away to answer her cell phone again. She bent her head and
pressed a finger against her ear to drown out the noise. The one
troublesome strand of hair that always seemed to be in her
way,
fell again. She tucked it behind her ear, skimmed the
crowd
and smiled when their eyes met.

He wanted a woman who reeked of innocence and
virginity. A woman who was sweet and untouched. The girl next door
everyone loved and every man dreamed of marrying. He wanted
Eleanor, and for more than a night.

Jess, who was sitting three seats down from him
tipped his beer as a reminder. If you care for her, let the land
go.

Could he do that? Would he do that?

“Here,” Vanessa tossed his wallet
onto the bar in front of him. “I found this
on
the floor. You must
have lost it in the fight.”

Vanessa with his wallet? Not good. He opened it,
counted his money and credit cards and was surprised it was all
there. She clearly expected his gratitude, but he knew better than
to offer it. So he shoved it into his pocket and went back to
watching Eleanor.

After the call
ended
, she headed
in his direction.

Christ. Here she comes.

She maneuvered her way through the
drunken men and over to the bar where he sat. The slinky motion of
her hips as she crossed the room made the men teeter
backward
in their seats to get a glance at her ass.

“Our waitress is
here.
”
Vanessa said loud enough for Eleanor to hear and went back to
hugging his arm. “Bring us a beer, Mackenna.”

Eleanor tilted her head to the side and produced an
unexpected sexy-as-hell smile. “McCrea, sugar,” she practically
purred out his name, “if I’d known you were this hard up for a
date, I would have said “yes” when you asked me.”

“You little bitch!” Vanessa’s voice trembled under
the strain of competition. Her fiery red hair didn’t match her
temper, but she was always willing to put on a good show. Vanessa
loved attention, even the kind that landed others in trouble.

“Shut up,” he ordered.

“She started it
─.”

“I came here to get
drunk
─.”

“And fight,” Vanessa finished.

“Not listen to you whine,” he passed a warning
glance in her direction that made her glossy lips flatten. “Go
home.”

“But I thought
─”

“You thought wrong.”

“Fine,” Vanessa grabbed her purse, flung it over her
shoulder and stomped off towards the back.

“Now you’ve done it.” Eleanor’s
grin
widened,
and a low, husky, laugh worked its way up her slim
throat. The sound seemed to vibrate down his body.

Does she know what that laugh does to me?

“Sugar?” he questioned.

She bit her bottom lip as she smiled. The sight of
her white teeth raking across the soft flesh gave him another
lustful jolt of pleasure while the sexy grin that curved her lips
made his dick twitch with the thought of pursuit. She hiked a hip
onto the bar stool and twisted around in her seat to watch the
door. “I thought it was a nice touch.” Whether it was intentional
or not, the movement thrust her breast upward and her erect nipples
outward.

Nope. No bra.

Whatever reservations he had about Eleanor went up
in smoke. Jess was right, his pecker was in control and walking
away wasn’t an option.

“Did you come all the way out here just to piss off
Vanessa?”

“No, but it was worth the drive.” She glanced over
her shoulder. “Like I said before, I’m meeting my date here.”

“Do I know him?” he asked, trying not to let his
jealousy show.

The faint smell of flowers hit his nose when she
turned her head. “You do.” Her blue eyes danced in a way that made
him uneasy.

“But you’re not going to tell me who he is, are
you?”

“Nope.”

“Why not? Afraid I won’t approve?”

“I don’t need or want your
approval, McCrea.” She propped an elbow on the
bar
and rested her
chin in her palm. “But I will tell you he’s about your height and
weight. He has gorgeous brown eyes and lips,” she took a deep
breath and let it out, “that beg to be kissed.”

“Jesus, I need another beer,” Jess mumbled and moved
to a table.

McCrea did a glance over his shoulder to the men at
the tables. It was hard to believe she was here for any of them.
They were all way out of her league, and too drunk to care that she
was a virgin. “That’s too bad.”

She raised her eyebrows in question. “You sound
disappointed.”

“Maybe I am.”

“I doubt that.” She nodded towards the back booth
where Vanessa sat watching them. “Your date seems eager to
please.”

He felt the need to clarify. “She’s not my date. She
just showed up, as usual.”

“That one’s got her claws in deep.”

“Not as deep as she thinks.” He
leaned
closer
so that only she could hear him. “About your
date.”

There was a pause to the words that were about to
break her parted lips. “What about him?”

“You could ditch him and come with me.”

Her eyes darkened. “You’re serious.”

“Hell, yes,” he said softly and
with one finger, ordered her closer. She hesitated then slipped
from the stool. “Closer,” he whispered and slid an arm around her
waist, pulling her between his legs. For a few
seconds,
he stared
into her eyes, purposefully a
rousing
her curiosity. Then
touched a finger to her bottom lip. “But just so you know,” he
returned her wink from earlier, “my dates don’t end with goodnight
kisses.”

Without skipping a beat, she raised a slim eyebrow
and gently grasped his hand, removing it from her lip. “McCrea, if
that finger or those lips have been anywhere near Vanessa Worley
tonight,” her smile was superficial. “You can keep your goodnight
kisses.”

Her cleverness and spot on
response
was
arousing. “Trust me darlin’,” the hand she was
holding eased to the base of her head and urged her closer, “when I
get done with you, you won’t care
where
they’ve been.” He brushed
his lips across
hers
and heard her draw in a sharp
breath.

Piece
of cake.

The sound of her pounding heart
overpowered the noise of the drunken crowd, blocking out whistles
and lewd cheers when their lips touched. According to all her
research on sex, a kiss could manifest an orgasm, and McCrea’s had
her seconds away from crying out in ecstasy. It was everything she
dreamed it would be soft, sweet, and sexy, and nothing like the boy
kisses she’d had before. His skillful lips were
magical
and cast a
spell that left her lightheaded and weak. Sweet lord, this was
heaven.

Heaven that ended too soon when he pulled back.
“We’re drawing a crowd.” The alcohol on his breath mingled with his
rich cologne that left her holding onto his shirt for support.

“I don’t care,” she managed.

His low, coarse laughter penetrated every nerve in
her body. “Normally, I wouldn’t either, but─” The unfinished
sentence lifted her eyes to his.

“But what?”

“I don’t want people talking trash about my
Eleanor.”

His Eleanor?

“You had to know they’d
talk
about anything we do.”

“After tonight, what they say about
us won’t matter anyway.” She wasn’t sure what he meant by that. The
hungry hounds of gossip weren’t easily appeased, and the thought of
tomorrow’s gossip headlines almost had her cringing. Mouthy
Mildred’s Hot Topic List would
read:
Local Playboy Seduces
Innocent Neighbor Girl. She could see poor Rose as her complexion
paled, and she tried to explain how it was all just gossip. Good
luck, Grandma.

McCrea looped a
loose
strand of
her hair around his finger and gently tugged. “What happened to the
little girl in pigtails, and braces that used to chase me around
the barnyard?”

Oh, she’s still chasing you.
“She grew up,” she
whispered,
because it was too
early to admit the truth.

His finger traced her
jawline,
and ventured down her neck to her collar bone which gave her
body an involuntary shiver. “She sure did.” The depths of his eyes
reflected a new fascination for the woman he saw in her.

The break of his lips and the slant
of his head let her know another kiss was coming, and she didn’t
care who saw it. The touch of his lips fueled her hunger for
something more, and the teasing war with his tongue drove her
closer to the sweet release she craved. She was in the hands of a
capable lover, one who could tease her all night. He was five years
her senior and experienced in a way that made him threatening to
any woman who wanted to risk her heart for more than one
night in his bed.

What would that be like?
Her imagination dove deeper into a torrid scene of
his body entwined with hers. She knew McCrea wasn’t the teasing and
leaving kind, and the scene in her head would happen if she didn’t
stop it. He wanted satisfaction just as much as she did, and his
dates didn’t end with goodnight kisses.
Sweet Lord! What am I doing?

She broke the kiss. “McCrea.” His name was all she
could manage.

The teasing specks of gold in his eyes were replaced
by black pools of desire. His fingers gripped her hips and gently
pushed her back so he could slide from the stool. “Give me my keys,
Ed. We’re leaving.”

Ed eyed the two of them. “Like hell, I will,” he
said and turned back to the men on the opposite side of the
bar.

“Where are we going?”

“Someplace private,” he
tipped
her lips with a soft kiss. “I want you all to
myself.”

Panic pushed a hand into his chest. “Wait.”

“Why? Are you having second thoughts?”

“No.
Yes,
” she
stuttered.

“Which is it?”

“I just thought,” she closed her eyes, confused by
what she should say.

“What did you think?” Something
edgy was in his eyes.
An emotion
she hadn’t seen before.
Anger? Frustration? She couldn’t tell.

“
That things
would move slower.”
She couldn’t hold her weak smile. “I wanted to get your
attention.”

“You got it.” She loved the husky sound of his
voice.

“I can’t do this…” her voice broke into a deep
breath, and she hated herself for what she was about to say.

“What can’t you do?”

“I can’t do more than goodnight kisses.” With a
flushed face and a racing heart, she stepped back. “I’m not
Vanessa.”

He caught her arm and gently eased her closer. “I
don’t want you to be. Trust me, Eleanor.” His tender kiss soothed
her second thoughts. “Tonight will be more than anything you could
hope for.”

More than anything she could hope for? “What does
that mean?”

“Trust me.” He repeated and thumped the bar with his
fist. “Ed! Give me my keys, now!”

This time, Old Ed wasn’t so easy
about the order. He pointed a finger at McCrea. “Listen here, Son.
I’m not about to let you drive out of
here
drunk,” he tossed the
finger in Eleanor’s
direction,
and she knew her boss’
protective side was about to rear its ugly head. “And I’m sure as
hell not letting you drive out of here with this little gal in the
truck with you.” Something about the way Old Ed said it made her
think he wasn’t happy about her leaving with McCrea, drunk or
not.

McCrea’s face changed into the
hardness she’d seen the night he punched Willard, but Old Ed
didn’t
care
and showed his lack of concern by flipping the
television to a different station.

“How the fuck am I supposed to get home?” McCrea
yelled back, and rather than see him make a fool of himself, she
quickly jumped in with her offer.

“I’ll take you home in my truck.”

McCrea hammered another hard fist to the counter to
get Old Ed’s attention. “I’m not leaving here without mine.”

A sharp glance from her boss made her cut in before
he could answer. “I’ll drive him home, Ed.”

The veteran bartender who always
took it upon himself to keep watch over
her,
eyed her
carefully. “Are you sure you can handle this ugly cow chaser,
honey?”

His gentle question caused her to smile. “I’m
sure.”

With a deep frown, he slid the keys
across the bar to
her,
and explained the policy she knew
by heart. “I made all of ‘em give me their keys before the first
drink.” He pointed to
Jess,
who sat a few seats away. “I cut
these two off a half an hour ago. Then,” he pointed to McCrea with
a scathing look, “this one started a fight!”