Goodnight Kisses

by Wilhelmina Stolen

  That made him take another long draw.

  “You say you’re not the man everyone thinks you are, but yet….” The arch of a single brow spoke of her doubt.

  Shit. How could this sweet, young thing unravel him so easily? Behind the expulsion of smoke, he gave her curvy body a once over and noticed the outline of her breasts under the thin yellow dress. He’d gotten a glimpse of the tantalizing pair when she’d twisted around to look in the back for a gas can. Not too big and not too small. They were just the right size to fill his palm, round, firm and…. He swallowed. Is she wearing a bra? “Here we are with you in my lap and my hand on your leg.”

  “Yes,” she agreed and removed his hand from her knee. “Here we are.” The ease of her voice and the friskiness in her eyes was almost sinful. She sat up, her lips passing close to his as she slid off his lap and onto the balls of her feet. She tucked the edges of her short dress into the bend of her knees, and drew a finger across his bottom lip before she slowly rose to her feet.

  His throat constricted. “Aren’t you the little flirt?”

  She pressed a hand to her chest and offered an innocent look. “Me? Flirt?”

  Sweet, Jesus, there was an innocence about her despite her best efforts to look sophisticated and mature. She was ripe for the picking, and he’d be damned if he let another man get the first taste.

  To hell with her date. Eleanor would be his tonight and if he played his cards right, his wife in a couple of weeks. His palms itched. He wanted the deed in his hand and Eleanor in his bed.

  With his mind set on seduction, he crawled to his feet and walked back to the bar just in time to hear Jess yell, “Damn, what a fight!” as he came back in.

  By now, the ruckus had settled, and the men were nursing their black eyes, busted lips, and wounded pride. To avoid Ed’s blistering stare, McCrea turned his back to the bar and braced his elbows against the edge.

  One of the men handed Jess his hat. “Grab mine.” McCrea pointed towards the floor next to his brother, and again, his eyes found Eleanor. She ran her hands through her hair and crammed them into the pockets of her short denim jacket.

  Jess tossed him his hat. “What’s she doing here?”

  He dusted a peanut hull from the brim. “Maybe she’s working.”

  “She told me Old Ed wouldn’t let her work the party. Said things might get out of hand.” Jess adjusted the position of his hat. “And those don’t look like her usual work clothes.”

  “Nope.” McCrea followed the length of her pale yellow dress up to the elastic bodice. She had worn that same dress last week to his parents’ anniversary barbecue, minus the short denim jacket. The dress was strapless, and he knew it would be so easy to slide off her breasts. “Damn.”

  “Don’t do it.”

  McCrea stopped mentally undressing her long enough to ask, “Do what?”

  “I know that look. Take my advice,” Jess nodded towards a table in the back. “let Vanessa scratch your itch and leave El alone.”

  “Maybe I want more than a scratch.”

  “I doubt that, but if that’s the case take it slow. El is a tenderfoot and the kind of woman a man wants to settle down with.”

  He grinned. “I am looking for a wife.”

  Jess propped an elbow on the bar. “No. You’re looking for a way to get Granddad’s land.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I knew something was up when he wanted to see you. So I hung around after dinner.”

  “You were listening?” McCrea asked.

  “I was.”

  “Then you know he wants me to marry her?”

  Jess nodded.

  “Wade said she had a fire about her,” he said without taking his eyes off of Eleanor. “Said she was just what I needed.”

  Jess picked up an over turned stool and sat down. “El’s not the girl for you.”

  The barnyard chase came to McCrea’s mind, causing jealousy to speak. “But she is for you? Jesus, that’s rich. I saw the way you two were carrying on this afternoon.”

  “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t indulged in a fantasy or two, or that I hadn’t noticed how pretty she is, or that that dress offers just enough cleavage to keep a man looking.” Jess cleared his throat. “What man wouldn’t?”

  He glared at his brother. “Don’t get any ideas about living those fantasies. Eleanor is mine.”

  There was a touch of disbelief and humor in his brother’s eyes. “Since when?”

  He and his brother were close, and if he laid a claim to Eleanor, Jess would never cross the line.

  He watched her dig into her pocket for her cell phone. “Since I decided Wade was right.”

  “That’s your pecker talking,” Jess laughed. “You’re being ruled by a stronger power than common sense, and lust can make a man do some crazy things.”

  He drew in a deep breath and rubbed his palms together. “Crazy or not, I have to find a wife. Blame it on Wade.”

  “Is that who you’re going to blame when you break her heart?” Jess asked, flatly.

  “That won’t happen. I’ll explain everything and she’ll understand that it’s just business.”

  “Christ, listen to yourself.” Jess shook his head. “Marry Vanessa, write her a check and divorce her. That will be business.”

  “I don’t want Vanessa.” He watched the redheaded whore from his high school days flirt with a group of men in the back. “And a year is a long time to live with a slut like her.”

  “Yeah,” Jess agreed and scratched the back of his head. “But she’d be in it for the money. El won’t. She believes in love and romance. Marrying you for the sake of a piece of land won’t be either.”

  “I can persuade her,” he said with coolness.

  “Trust me on this one. You’re setting yourself up for a fall, and you’re going to take her with you.”

  “You heard Wade. He likes Eleanor.”

  “So do I and I don’t want to see her hurt.” Jess moved closer. “The goddamn land will always be there. El won’t. If you care for her, let the land go. You’re going to get it sooner or later.”

  McCrea took a deep breath and went back to watching Eleanor.

  “Don’t you see? El is like a new colt, all jittery and nervous, and if you try corralling her,” Jess smacked his hands together. “She’ll run.”

  “No, she won’t,” he sounded confident, but he wasn’t. “She’s done a lot of growing up. She’s a woman now.”

  “A woman you don’t know a damn thing about. Court her a while, take things slow and when you get her, don’t let go,” Jess concluded with a big smile.

  His remark warranted a hard look from McCrea. “The marriage is for a year.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re going into this with divorce in mind?”

  “It’s a business deal.”

  A rare irritation came over Jess. “Don’t you dare sleep with her or- or let her think you care for her- when you don’t.”

  The radiance she gave off was as rare as pearls. The glow on her face, the sweetness of her smile and the innocence of her body were his for the taking. He had her within his grasp, a precious opportunity, and suddenly seducing sweet Eleanor seemed wrong. He wanted her body, but did he want her heart? Could there ever be anything more than physical attraction between them?

  He let out a shaky breath and ignored the truth. “I can’t wait to inherit the land. It means too much to me.”

  “If you do this, she will never trust another man enough to give him her heart or love. You’ll ruin her.”

  McCrea shifted his shoulders. “Why do you always bring love into this?”

  “Because I have a heart.” His brother had a rare disposition when it came to women. One which allowed him to relate to them in a way that confounded other men.

  “And I don’t?” McCrea scoffed.

  “Obviously not,” Jess answered. “Eleanor deserves a man who loves her.”

  “Did you know she�
�s meeting a guy tonight?”

  Jess looked away. “She mentioned it.”

  “Did she mention she was in love with him and had plans on seducing him before she leaves for college?”

  Jess rubbed his face with a groan, “Jesus, McCrea. Sometimes I think you were adopted.”

  “You know who he is, don’t you?”

  “Forget the guy. Fix your screwed up priorities before you entice El into scratching your itch.” Jess smacked him on the shoulder before he walked away.

  A high-pitched laugh burst through the noise of the barroom crowd and pierced McCrea’s patience. Out of aggravation, he threw a quick glance over his shoulder and made eye contact with the source. “Shit.”

  Vanessa scrunched her freckled covered nose and gave him a wink to let him know she was on her way up to the bar. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was draw her attention, but he knew he had.

  The quick tip-tap of her high heels crawled up his spine, and he felt her ease closer as if she knew he was thinking about her. He doubted that. Vanessa wasn’t adept at seeing anything past the end of a man’s checkbook. She had ─ in the words of his sister ─ the face of a movie star and the personality of a blank sheet of paper. She was self-absorbed, money hungry and very protective of the men she considered hers. McCrea was unfortunate enough to be one of those men.

  Jesus. How could Jess suggest he make a deal with her?

  Within seconds, she was sitting on the stool Jess had vacated and leaning over to wipe blood from the corner of his mouth. “You’re bleeding.”

  He recoiled at her touch. “Don’t.”

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m not in the mood.” For anything.

  Her red lips spread into a smile as she curled up against him, and slid a hand down to the inside of his thigh. “But, Babe, I thought we could go back to my place tonight.”

  “Not a chance in hell, Vanessa,” he said coolly and sipped his beer.

  She snuggled closer and palmed his dick without discretion. “I bet I can change your mind.”

  He shoved her hand away. “Damn, Vanessa.”

  She swiveled around with a giggle and headed towards the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”

  Hopefully one of the other men would proposition her, and spare him the job of pissing her off later. After all, she was there to work the crowd of drunken men. Every one of them knew what kind of woman she was. Cheap and easy to come by. She was a convenience McCrea hadn’t indulged in a very long time, and he planned on keeping it that way.

  These days, his sights were set a damned sight higher.

  Someone dropped a few quarters into the old jukebox in the back and a slow country tune started. Jess took Eleanor’s hand and eased her into his arms. With one hand on her lower back, and the other around her waist, they moved around the dance floor, with perfectly synced steps.

  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 th
e 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 arousing 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.

  Chapter Four

  A Lesson in Seduction

  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?