Goodnight Kisses by Wilhelmina Stolen

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!”
    She grabbed the keys before McCrea
could take them. “Thanks, Ed. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back
later for my truck.”
    “It’ll be here, honey. Just be careful.” His finger
took another aim at McCrea. “And son, you’d better mind your
manners.”
    McCrea latched onto her elbow, and
practically pushed her toward s the small entryway at the front of the bar. “Let’s
go.” His tone and grip made her wonder if the moment of desire
between them could be rekindled. It could on her part. Her body was
humming in all the naughty places it had before the exchange of
words between him and Old Ed.
    “Why are you in such a hurry?”
    As they made the dark space of the entryway, McCrea
hauled her into a corner, and the hard edges of his body pinned her
against the wall, causing an involuntary arch of her body. His palm
to the wall, throaty groan stirred her crux, and she knew his
desire hadn’t diminished either. “I’m in a hurry to have you all to
myself.”
    God, she was hungry too! Her hormones had been pin
balling from high to low since her close encounter with him in the
barnyard, and his teasing foreplay was killing her.
    The soft orange glow of the
flashing “Open” sign in the window gave her a glimpse of his smile
as he made a grab for the keys. She twisted her hand free and dangled them in front of his face. “Don’t think you’re
going to sweet talk me out of these.”
    His arm fell, and he followed her to the door. “Keys
are the last thing I want to talk you out of, darlin’.”
    Outside, she trotted backward with a grin. “Oh, really?”
    She knew she was playing with fire,
but she didn’t care. She wanted more than goodnight kisses from
McCrea. “Get your ass in that driver’s seat before I take another
kiss and the
keys.”
    A light rain began to fall, cooling the hot August
air. Her sweaty skin, wet from McCrea’s touch almost sizzled when
the rain hit it. Once on the driver’s side, she took a moment to
fan her face and draw in a deep breath. As she exhaled, she hit the
unlock button on the remote and climbed inside his truck. Unlike
the ranch truck, the new leather in his smelled rich and felt
wonderful beneath her legs. Her hands caressed the steering wheel.
“Boy, this is something,” she said when he climbed in and slammed
the door.
    She watched him take off his hat, toss it onto the
dash, and rest an arm on the back of the seat. “Just be careful.
It’s got a lot of power.”
    “Oh, please. Why do men think women can’t handle a
truck?” She heard him laugh as she turned the ignition. She scooted
the seat forward so she could reach the pedals, and took off her
jacket. “Buckle up,” she said while fastening her own.
    He leaned back in the seat, his fingers tapping
impatiently