Free Rogue Cowboy by Kasey Millstead

in the background.
    “How did you go?  Everything okay?”  I ask.
    “Absolutely. I had a ball, and the customers are lovely.  Very different to my last job bartending at Sinners nightclub in Darwin,” she says with a bark of laughter.
    “It’s pretty tame around here.  You get the occasional rowdy drunk, but it doesn’t happen often.”
    After I show Sadee how to close up, I stop to wave goodbye to the girls as they stumble out the door.  Then, I laugh as their men try to keep them upright.
    “Bye, guys.”
    “If that’s everything, I might head off?”
    “It is.  Joanna is coming in for her first shift tomorrow afternoon, but if you’d like to call in around lunchtime I’ll have a roster drawn up for you.”
    “Okay, I’ll see you again.  And, thanks, Sienna. I really appreciate you hiring me.”
    “Have a good night.”  I smile and see her out, closing the door behind her. 
    “You locking me in?  You know, it’s not exactly legal to keep people against their will.  Lucky for you, I’m happy to be here.”
    He’s smirking.  His arms are crossed over his chest, making his biceps bulge.  The tribal ink tatted up his left arm is peeking out the sleeve of his cream shirt that has a way of bringing out the deep blue of his eyes.  His legs are crossed at the ankles as he casually leans against the doorframe. And goddamn him, he’s never looked sexier. 
    The entire room heats up, and despite the slight smile on his face, the serious energy surrounding him is unmistakable as it holds me captive to his ways.
    Desperate to clear the trance he’s got me in, I give my head a slight shake and then walk around the opposite side of the bar to where he’s standing. 
    “Sorry, Zeke, I forgot you were here.” Liar.
    “Mmm.”  He makes a humming sound.
    “Just close the door on your way out.”  I turn my back to him and load the dishwasher, press the start button and busy myself rearranging the bar mats, even though Sadee had already packed them away before she wiped down the bar, while I wait for him to leave.
    Just leave already.
    No, don’t leave.  Stay.  Stay, forever.
    Wait.  What?  Leave.  He needs to leave.
    I clench the rubber mats in my hands, turning my knuckles white as I wage an inner war with myself.  I’m so focused on the tug-of-war happening in my mind, that I don’t hear him come up behind me.  Well, that, or he has the silent stealth of a lion stalking a gazelle on the lush plains of Africa.
    I’m going to go with the second option.   He’s all commanding and has the whole king of the jungle act going on.  While I’m reserved, slightly uncoordinated in certain situations, but capable of bounding through long grass with elegance and sophistication.
    Fucking hell, I’m losing my mind!  Nothing about me is elegant or sophisticated…
    His hands grasp my shoulders first, then his body presses into my back and his breath skates over my ear as he bends down to whisper, “I don’t want to leave, Sienna.  The sooner you realise I’m not going anywhere, the better off we’ll be.”
    My breath catches in my throat as I fight to reinforce my walls.  Walls he appears to strip away with his mere presence.
    “I don’t think I’ll ever realise,” I blurt without thinking.
    “Yeah, you will, baby.  You just have to trust me.”
    His lips hit my neck and his tongue darts out to taste that spot, the spot that makes a shiver explode up your spine as your knees go weak and your nipples pucker.  Yeah, that spot!  
    His hands tighten on my shoulders as he feels the reverberations of my shudder.
    Oh god, why do I want him so bad?
    A low smoulder begins to burn in my lower stomach as his lips continue to skate lightly across my neck, all the while he’s talking, words I can’t make out because I’m too busy concentrating on the delicious torture he’s inflicting.
    “Sienna,” he says, a playful lilt to his voice.
    “Hmm?”
    “Baby, are you going to answer