Free Goodnight Kisses by Wilhelmina Stolen Page B

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