by Haley Travis
“You showed up just in the nick of time,” she said, her head feeling so perfect tucked into my shoulder. “I swear I was about to have a panic attack, but then there you were.” Her hand fell to my thigh, and I tried to stare ahead at the road instead of thinking about that.
“Something about you makes me feel stronger,” she said thoughtfully. “Isn’t that funny?”
“I want to be there for you, anytime you need me,” I said quite seriously.
“Well, I needed you today, and there you were,” she giggled. “I can’t quite believe I got through it. It was weirdly satisfying singing while knowing it was being carried straight across a whole field.”
“You sounded incredible. I couldn’t believe how funny you were, and so relaxed,” I said, flashing her a grin. “It was amazing how sassy you were with Bobby on stage.”
She turned to me quickly. “Just so you know, the reason I was called to fill in was because Bobby’s wife is on bed rest for morning sickness. So it’s probably a one time only type of thing.”
Nodding slowly, I said, “To be honest, I’m relieved to hear he’s married after seeing the two of you being so comfortable together on stage.”
I felt her hand on my arm. “If that’s jealousy,” she said in a tiny voice, “Please don’t even bother. If I have you, I’ll never look at another man as anything other than a coworker or friend.”
Pulling into the tavern lot, I threw the truck into park as she tore off her seatbelt and jumped into my arms. Our kiss was pure fire. I already had her pulled into my lap, stroking along her outer thigh and hip, holding her body to mine.
My hand slid into the back of her silky hair, angling our kiss until it was so deep, so all-consuming that the windows might fog up, even in this heat . Finally tearing myself from her lips, I kissed down her soft throat, nuzzling her collarbone until she moaned.
“Cody, nobody has ever made me feel like you do.”
“That’s because you’re mine, angel. Can you feel it?”
She ground into the stiff bulge in my pants with a little giggle. “I can feel it.”
“Damn, you’re saucy,” I growled, yanking her lips to mine.
Her soft gasp, her soft tongue, her sexy, curvy body in my hands...there were only a few cars in the front lot. I wondered if we should risk getting busy right here.
Lorena shifted her hips, brushing her panties across my jeans, her eyes so wide and innocent. A shudder ran through me as I realized how innocent she likely was.
Bringing my mouth to her ear, I breathed, “Lorena, you have no idea how much I need to thrust my cock up into your heavenly little pussy right now. So we need to stop right this second before I make you very late for work.” I honestly had never said anything like that to a woman before.
Instead of pulling away or slapping my cheek, she kissed me more deeply, her ass rocking as she ground harder. Goddammit, she was as turned on as I was. It took every single ounce of my mental strength to pick her up and set her beside me. “You know I want you. But not here.”
“I know,” she giggled, then looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry.”
Staring at the windshield, I tried to will my dick to settle down, then we jumped out and went into the tavern.
I could hear a bunch of frantic voices in the kitchen, as they were likely preparing for a very busy night. “Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. I’ll let you know what the special is as soon as I do.”
As Lorena started wiping down the bar, I looked around the room. “Aren’t there usually flowers on the tables?” I asked. “Or maybe that was a temporary thing. I think it just started a few weeks ago.”
Lorena rolled her eyes and shook her head at the same time. “Darn it. I forgot. The flowers were my idea – to keep it cozy in here. But I don’t know if I have enough time today.”
“Were the flowers delivered?”
“No – I just got in from the field out back.”
“You fix up a tray of mugs and water, and I’ll play florist for the night,” I said.
“Really?” She looked more surprised than usual. Those innocent eyes instantly made my pulse surge.
“Don’t worry – I can manage.”
Twenty minutes later, the bar was filling up as I was placing a mug full of buttercups, white frilly lace things, and striped spikey grass on every table. Lorena had declared me her ‘backup florist’, and anything that made her smile like that was just fine with me.
I didn’t mind that a couple of acquaintances chuckled when they noticed when I was up to. Over the years I’d seen many guys doing many strange things for their women. This was certainly no different. Except this time it was me, and I actually had a woman of my own.
Even though it was very early, I already felt like Lorena was the one. Everything about her made my heart speed up. I was looking forward to long conversations with her just as much as I was looking forward to getting her naked.
It was fascinating to me that the people I had mostly ignored over the years were now chatting with me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Maybe I’d put up more of a wall than I realized, and now that people had seen me with Lorena, it had somehow brought the wall down.
Did having a girlfriend make a man seem more approachable? Or was it that I felt more chatty and relaxed because she was now in my life?
The tavern was packed, and Lorena brought two plates of tonight’s special to my end of the bar. Placing her plate on the lower inside counter, she bent down to sneak a few bites here and there. “We’re not supposed to eat in the main room while we’re working,” she explained, “But since I was so busy right before my shift, I think Iris will forgive me.”
“Absolutely,” I said, winking to Iris where she was obviously noticing from the other end of the bar, and just giving a shrug.
I was so glad that Lorena worked in a place where the staff would look after her. But I really didn’t like her having to rely on the folks from the kitchen for a ride home every night. As I ate my chicken and corn stew with sourdough biscuits, I looked around at the townsfolk. She was pretty safe here, but I didn’t like her living alone without her own car.
After I finished my meal, I realized this was something I could take care of for her. Crossing the room, I went over to a couple who were having a drink in the corner. “Hello George, hello Esther. Do you mind if I interrupt for just a moment?”
“Not at all,” George said warmly. “I’d offer you a chair, but the Barrel is packed tonight.” I nodded, forcing myself to smile at his pinch-faced wife.
“I wondered if you have any small, reliable cars in right now. Doesn’t have to be fancy.”
He instantly flashed the grin that was the hallmark of the ads for George James’ Used Cars, a tiny dealership that was actually on the front field of his small ranch. “Actually, I have three in right now that would fit the bill.” Then his silver hair cocked to the side. “You’ve got that big truck that’s only two years old, am I right? What do you need a new car for?”
“I’m asking for a friend,” I said cautiously.
“Well, thanks for thinking of me. Y’all give me a holler soon and come test drive anything you like.”
“Thanks, George, I appreciate it,” I said, shaking his hand.
Someone behind him called his name, and he jumped up to say hello. Esther had been giving me a pointed side-eyed glance during our entire conversation, and as I started to leave, she stood up to speak quietly in my ear.
“I hope you’re not going to waste your time on that little tramp Lorena,” she hissed under her breath. “She’s been here just over a month and has already been seen getting fresh with several men.”
I somehow managed not to laugh in her face out of respect for George. “Really? What men?”
“You saw her in here last night, giving a peep show to those out-of-towners,” she glared.
“If you think she spilled water on herself on purpose, t
hat’s just sad,” I said. Suddenly I realized that her meanness was probably not just her own, but coming from the preacher’s wife and town busybody Verity as well. That woman had always truly hated anything new in this area. New was automatically evil in her mind.
“Any decent person would feel sorry for her for accidentally making a spectacle of herself,” I said, trying to keep the anger from my voice. “You and Verity can just mind your own business, or I’ll be telling your husbands about the nasty gossip you spread.”
I glanced to see that George was still talking to a man off to the side, and had no idea that his wife was blushing furiously.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she spat. “We are just trying to keep the men of this town wholesome and keep hussies away from them.”
“I’m serious, Esther. This foolishness stops now, or I’ll take it straight to the preacher so that he can pray for your lying, gossipy souls.”
She sat down as quickly as if I’d slapped her. To be honest, the thought had almost crossed my mind.
As I went back to my stool at the end of the bar, the positively horrified expression on Lorena’s face nearly broke my heart. “What was that about?” she asked.
“Nothing important.” She didn’t seem convinced, but she was too busy to ask further.
I was content to sip my beer in the corner, but kept turning to see the hugs and roars of laughter as old friends greeted each other.
Iris came over to lean beside me at the end of the bar. “Problems with Esther?”
“Not really.”
Iris cocked her head, staring at me. “You keep a lot of things under your hat, don’t you, Cody?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.”
“Although you’re one of the few cowboys I never see wearing a hat...” she smiled at me. Then she grew serious. “You know, I consider my employees to be my family. Normally, a young girl, new in town without any real friends yet...I’d be extra protective, and feel the urge to lay down the law if I saw an older fellow getting cozy with her.”
Nodding, I thought it best to just let her continue. “But I don’t have to worry about that with you, do I, Cody?”
“No, ma’am. I think the world of Lorena, and intend to do everything I can to make her happy and keep her safe.”
Iris patted my arm. “That’s what I thought. Don’t worry, I’ll mind my own,” she said, walking away.
Looking around the room, I saw Lorena blushing as she set mugs of beer down in front of a table of men. It took me a second to focus on their conversation through the din, but they weren’t harassing her, just raving about her performance this afternoon.
Quickly turning back to my beer, I didn’t want Lorena to think that I was spying on her. I couldn’t help the protective urges that were overtaking me already. But I knew that men sometimes got riled up on nights like this, so I continued checking on her all night long.
The next few hours went by quickly, as I had a coffee, then one of Lorena’s strangely refreshing lime waters. Iris rang the last call bell, and everyone eventually hauled themselves away into cars and cabs. The second she was finished, Lorena came over to me. “Thanks for waiting,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”
Slipping an arm around her, we went outside and I helped her into the truck. As soon as we started driving, she snuggled into my side in a way that made me never want to let her go.
I found myself wanting to drive too quickly, and tried to take it easy on the gas. “I was so proud of you up on that stage today,” I said. “You shone brighter than the sun. It was amazing to see you let go like that.”
“Thank you,” she said shyly.
“I heard some of the folks in the tavern tonight telling you the same thing. I hope this means you’ll be singing a lot more.”
“Were you keeping an eye on me?” she laughed.
“Not really. I may have glanced a few times when you were talking to the out-of-towners, that’s all.” Catching her eye before I turned down the side road, I said, “I don’t want to overstep my bounds, like I probably did with fixing your porch.”
She laughed lightly. “It sounds like it was more of an emergency than I realized. Thanks so much for that.”
I paused, driving past the fields, wondering whether it was too soon to say what I was thinking. “Of course, I don’t quite know where the boundaries are yet, but I think I’d like to make things official with you,” I said, pulling into her long driveway. “I’d like to be your boyfriend.”
Her rosebud lips fell open. “Really?” Lorena smiled, but looked a bit tense as I parked the truck and turned to her.
“What’s the matter? Please, be honest. Don’t you want to be my girlfriend?”
“I do! Really I do. I’m just sort of surprised, I guess. I mean, I saw you talking with Esther.”
I made a disgusted grunt that caused her to laugh. “That nosy bi... woman is pretty much the only nasty person in this town besides her crony Verity.”
“So you don’t listen to them?” she asked hopefully.
“Not in the slightest. I listen to you.” I chuckled. “And Iris, to some extent.”
Lorena smiled. “Iris is sort of the town’s Mom, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“She likes you,” Lorena said, squeezing my hand. “So as far as I’m concerned, you have her seal of approval. I’d love to be your girlfriend.”
I grinned, then ran around to lift her out of the truck. Holding her hand, I walked her to her front door. “Would you like to come in?” she asked softly. “I’m so wired from that adrenaline rush today that I might actually have half a glass of wine to settle down. I think I have a bottle of whiskey, if you’d like.”
“I don’t touch hard liquor,” I said, following her in the front door and pulling off my boots. “But Lorena, I’m going to need you to ask me to leave after one drink.”
She spun, her hair swirling out behind her as she nestled in my arms. “Why? I mean, would it be so terrible if you stayed the night?”
Dammit, I wish she hadn’t said that first. My fingers clenched around the firm swell of her ass, pulling her tight against me as I kissed her. Her soft moan tightened every muscle in my body as I picked her up, carrying her to the couch and setting her on my lap.
“Lorena, if I stay the night,” I murmured, kissing under her ear, “I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
“That’s okay,” she whispered, but she sounded a bit nervous.
“Angel, I can’t touch you if you’re jumpy about it.” Yet my hand was caressing her knee under her dress, as I tried not to wander up her inner thigh more than a few inches.
She swallowed hard, looking at me with those big, bright eyes. “Cody, I’ve had feelings for you from the first time I saw you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You’d just sat down at the bar, then suddenly jumped up to get the door for an older lady with a walker. You settled her at the best table at the window, pulling out her chair and listening to her ramble on about her cat for a few minutes.”
“Mrs. Hartley,” I said, shaking my head. I couldn’t believe she remembered that.
“You’re quiet, but you’re so kind,” she said gently. “Everyone knows that you’re a good man.”
Staring into those heavenly eyes, I forced myself to speak. “Lorena, what if I’m not good enough for you? What if I’m not everything you need?”
She laughed, slipping her arms around my neck and holding me tightly. “Cody, you’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more. I like the way you seem to want to take care of me, but you don’t want to change me.”
I nodded, then she held my face between her delicate hands. “But you’ll have to tell me now – are you going to be upset when I find a band to sing with? It’ll probably be mostly guys, and I might be traveling a bit. You’re not going to freak out or be jealous, are you?”
I shook my head. “I trust you completely, Lorena. I might ask to meet the band. I might ask for you to
text me so that I know you’re safe. But I’ll try not to go overboard. Is that fair?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “Oh!” She jumped up and grabbed her purse. “Just before the band started, I wanted to text you so you knew where I was, but I didn’t even have your number.” I took her phone from her, entering my name as a contact, and my number, then texted myself so that I’d have her number.
“Thanks,” she said. “I was so glad that you appeared just in time. You really do make me feel safe.”
Setting her phone and purse on her coffee table, I held her close to me. “You shouldn’t feel safe around me when we’re alone, and this near to your bedroom.”
