by Rainey, Anne
He reached a hand out, touched her cheek with a finger and stroked. “No, it’s not very PC, but it is very appealing all the same.”
She mentally smacked herself for her fanciful notions and asked, “So, how about you?”
He
frowned,
as
if
suddenly
uncomfortable with the conversation. “I wanted to be what a lot of boys long to become. A firefighter.”
Now that did surprise her. The handsome and well-dressed man standing in front of her could easily pose for GQ.
He’d look perfect sitting in a boardroom, but wearing a firefighter suit with soot streaking his face? She honestly had a hard time picturing it. It just went to show that you should never judge a book by the cover.
She smiled, feeling genuinely at ease, as if she’d known him much longer than just a few minutes. “Well, I don’t know about you, Blake, but I’m not quite ready to give up on that dream.” Blake grinned right back. “You know, Sarah Templeton? I think I’m going to really enjoy living at Willow Glenn.”
Two
Sarah felt panicky. She’d changed clothes four times and still wasn’t sure. Her final decision consisted of a simple black skirt that sat just above the knees and a white silk blouse. She’d left her hair down, blow drying it straight and tucking it behind her ears. It was simple, but feminine. She debated over the shoes the most. She had a pair of black flats, two-inch black pumps, and black high heels. She’d gone with the pumps, not willing to break her neck by attempting to wear the taller ones.
Good Lord, there was simply too much stress involved in dating.
She heard a knock on her front door and she fairly leaped out of her skin. She gave herself one last glance in her bathroom mirror, grabbed her purse, and left the room. Sarah took a deep breath, then opened the front door and proceeded to drool.
Greg stood on her front step, his broad shoulders braced against the doorframe, wearing a clean pair of snug jeans that appeared nearly new, a long-sleeve, navy blue button down shirt and brown, leather work boots. She’d never seen anything quite so magnificent. He’d even tried to comb the wild mane of his hair into some semblance of style. She could have told him he shouldn’t have bothered, though. She liked his messy brown hair; it always made her want to dig her fingers in and play.
“You
look
great,”
Sarah
complimented, hoping her voice didn’t sound quite as throaty as she suspected.
His grin, laced with just a shade of masculine need, melted her insides as he stared down at her, leaving Sarah suddenly tongue-tied. “I’m pretty sure that’s my line, sweetheart.” He checked her out from head to toe and whistled low. “You skipped right past great though, didn’t you? Truth be told, you look sexy as hell.”
She smiled, feeling her confidence level rise a notch. She was going to do this.
Finally, Sarah would have sex with a man and she’d get to see what all the talk was about. Something very female inside of her told her that Greg Stiles would make it a very enjoyable experience too.
* * * *
Sarah was having the time of her life with Greg . They had gone to see a movie and, much to her surprise, he’d picked a comedy. They’d laughed themselves silly.
She hadn't laughed and had such a good time with a man in…well ever. They were back in his black Blazer and on their way home, but he turned down a different road.
Puzzled, she glanced over at him.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh baby, the evening is not yet finished. You aren’t going to turn into a pumpkin are you?" he asked teasingly as he looked over at her for a brief moment.
Sarah saw mystery in his eyes and something else pooling in their devilish d e p t hs . Hunger? But for what, Sarah wondered. Or maybe the correct word was, for whom?
She decided not to think too hard about tonight. Just to go with the flow for once. "Well no, but I would like to know where my prince is taking me on such a lovely evening as this?"
"Now that would certainly spoil my lady's surprise, would it not?” he murmured, keeping up their lighthearted role-playing.
"Yes, I suppose it would, and I certainly wouldn't want to spoil it. Shall I close my eyes too? So your surprise will be complete and untainted?” She laughed, full well expecting him to laugh along with her.
"Yeah, close your eyes, fair lady,” he whispered lustfully, “trust in me to tell you when to open them again.” He paused, then asked a little too seriously, “Will you trust me, Sarah?"
"Yes, Greg, I trust you." She breathed out, then proved it by closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the seat.
Greg hadn't expected the conversation to
take
such
an
interesting
turn.
Nevertheless,
he
couldn't
let
the
opportunity to observe Sarah up close go by. She was so pretty. Especially when she laughed. She made him feel like the luckiest man on earth when the smiles were directed towards him as they had been tonight. He’d taken her to a comedy for two reasons. He wanted to take her mind off her nervousness because he knew she had been apprehensive at first. He didn’t quite understand it. She was a knockout and she seemed so confident, but around him she stuttered like a jumpy schoolgirl. The second reason was so he could watch the way her face changed as she laughed. There wasn’t anything more beautiful than a woman’s smile. Well, except for maybe a woman in the throes of a climax, obviously.
What he hadn’t expected was the raging hard-on he’d gotten when her face had split into a disarming grin. Who would have thought that laughter from a woman could make a man as hard as granite? Hearing her in the theatre made him glad that it was dark. He would've made a spectacle of himself if it weren't. Hell, he was so horny by the time they’d left that he knew if he took her straight home, he'd have her stripped down on the floor, and would’ve been inside of her within seconds.
That’s when the thought had struck to take her to his brother’s bar, The Trouble Spot. As appealing as it was to take Sarah in such an abandoned way, he didn't want her to think he had no finesse at all, that he was no more than a crazed animal.
Although, that was pretty much the way he felt at the moment.
Of course, Sarah wasn’t just any woman either. She was special. Sweet and kind and so fucking sexy sitting next to him with her eyes closed and her legs pressed tightly together. He couldn’t wait to get her alone, to get her out of her clothes and explore her petite body. Watch as she spread her legs wide just for him. As they turned the next corner and began traveling down the street where the bar was located, Greg peered over at Sarah to see if her eyes were still closed. They were. In fact, she had a sexy little smile on her lips and her hair was like satin, falling down past her shoulders, giving him a perfect view of her slender, delicate neck. He may well have been a vampire in some other life because the need to taste her pulsing vein with his tongue and bite into her pale, ivory flesh there,
marking
her,
was
nearly
overpowering.
He pulled into the parking lot of the bar and drove around to the back, so they could enter from the private entrance. He stopped the Blazer and put it in park, but didn’t turn off the engine. He leaned closer to Sarah and whispered, "You’re turning me on right now, Sarah Templeton."
He wanted to seduce her, to mesmerize her into doing as he wished. Her lashes began to flutter open, but he touched each lid with a kiss, effectively keeping them closed. "You trusted me to say when, and I have yet to do so, my lady."
She remained quiet, but her lids never lifted, thrilling the hell out of him by her sweet submission. He caressed her hair with his fingers and stroked her silky tresses.
"I love your hair, sweetheart. So soft and baby fine."
<
br /> Greg trailed his hand down its length to smooth one finger over her neck. He touched the pulse beating wildly in her throat and it seemed to quicken right under his fingertip. Greg leaned in closer still, inhaling her feminine fragrance. "Your scent is making me nuts. Bet you didn’t know I’ve thought about you, did you, Sarah?”
Her mouth fell open, tempting him. He covered it with his own, tasting both her surprise and her arousal. He kept it quick…
Otherwise he might strip her right there in the parking lot.
“I imagine you lying under me at night, your soft body pressed against mine as I take you slowly from behind. I’ve had my fair share of hot, erotic dreams of you, Sarah.” His voice grew raspier with the fever that ran through his veins. A fever only she could cool.
He bent his lips to her pulse and licked the length of her protruding vein. "Do you want more? Would you trust me with your body, baby?” Her jerky nod gave him exactly what he needed, her total acceptance.
“Mmm, yes. I want more of you too.
So much more. I want to know all your secret little desires. The ones that cause your blood to pound hot in your veins and have you quivering with need. I want you begging and wriggling beneath me… for me."
He bent and tasted her succulent, ivory neck. It was arched up towards him like an offering to a god. He licked her soft skin and sucked her into his mouth. Then he bit her lightly, branding her as his woman. Greg had never felt such a powerful need to stake a claim on someone as he did with Sarah. The thought of Blake touching any part of her body made him want to tear the man limb from limb.
Greg lifted his head, stared down at her pliant body and groaned. "You may open your eyes now, sweet angel. If we stay out here much longer, I will have you beneath me. It would bring me infinite amounts of pleasure, and that’s a fact, but when we come together for the first time it won't be in my truck."
Sarah opened her eyes. Her body burned with need and her chest heaved as if she’d run a marathon. When Sarah saw the raw hunger in his dark gaze, she knew it was the same for him. If she were a survivalist, she would have jumped out of the Blazer and ran for her life at that moment. If she were anything like her father, she wouldn’t even be in the truck with him in the first place. Thankfully, she wasn’t either of those things. She was Sarah, and she wanted more. More of Greg, more of his kisses, and she wanted him to appease the hunger that he had created.
"The things you do to me, it's simply not becoming of a lady.” She tried for lightness, but it seemed to fall flat.
"Sarah, the things you do to me, it’s simply not becoming of a prince.” He smiled
lecherously
and
winked.
“Thankfully, I’m no prince. I’m just a man who wants you really badly.”
"Oh, well then," she said, and then went right ahead and blushed.
Greg touched her cheek gently, as if understanding how nervous she was. “You won’t regret a single minute of tonight. I promise you that.” He turned off the engine and grabbed the keys from the ignition.
"Come on, we're here."
Greg jumped out, came around to her side, and opened the door for her. "Where is here?"
"My brother’s bar.” He took her hand and helped her down out of the Blazer, then closed her door. "I hope you like it. It can be pretty damn loud and rough at times, but I thought we could grab a bite to eat."
"I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.” Then something odd struck her. “You know, I had no idea you had a brother, or that he owned a bar for that matter, but thank you for bringing me.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his rigid jaw, then grinned, pleased with herself that she’d been daring enough to do the kissing this time.
Greg growled low. "Damn, woman, have mercy. No more kisses unless you’re prepared to take more."
"Mmm, I can't wait," she teased, feeling bolder and naughtier than ever.
Greg only grunted his reply and led her to the door of The Trouble Spot. Sarah couldn’t help herself; she let out a faint giggle. Who would have thought she had the power to drive a man like Greg crazy with lust? And she knew that’s exactly what was happening. She may be a virgin, but she knew enough about men to recognize when one was turned on. And judging by the front of Greg’s jeans, he was as hard as a lead pipe right about now…
And every bit as big as one.
Sarah was having the time of her life .
What more could a girl ask for anyway? A great movie, wonderful food, stimulating conversation, and all from a devilishly handsome man! She was on cloud nine. Her practical side knew she would have to come down soon, but for now, she was content to enjoy her evening and her handsome escort.
His brother’s bar was much more than just a bar. It was really more like a friendly neighborhood tavern. Everyone seemed to know each other. The music was a mix of top forty hits and the top country artists of today. There was something to please every ear. The looks of the place had a woodsy, sort of homey appearance. The walls were done in a kind of barn siding wood. There were wooden wagon wheels hanging from the ceiling with colored lights attached to them. Even the dance floor was hardwood and made her think of old time barn dances. Everything was decorated with taste. Greg’s brother obviously wanted the patrons to relax and feel right at home, able to kick their heels up and let loose.
All the waiters and waitresses wore a simple, clean, white t-shirt and jeans, which blended in with the country décor.
Everyone that walked by their booth greeted Greg with a friendly hello and a handshake. A few of the men who stopped by gave her the once over, but then were met with a steely look from Greg, thus obliterated any interest they may have shown in her. That was a new feeling too.
Having a man go all caveman over her.
Something about it made her insides all jittery.
She met Tyrell, the manager. He was an extremely large African American with a good-natured disposition. Tyrell stood a few inches taller than Greg and was much broader, which was saying something because Greg was no slouch. He had a wonderful smile and seemed as sweet as a teddy bear, but Sarah had the feeling he could be very mean if provoked. He stared at Greg with the kind of devotion born from a long and firm friendship.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t met Greg’s brother, Matt. It was his night off apparently, but Greg assured her he would introduce her to him another time. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. She thought maybe he was only being polite.
He hadn’t given her any indications that their evening would be anything more than a simple date. Although, his kisses in the truck had definitely made her aware that, while it was their first date, there wasn’t going to be anything simple about how the night ended.
She leaned forward and attempted to speak over the music. "Where did you meet Tyrell?"
Greg stared at her and waited a beat, as if debating what to tell her. "I met Tyrell under pretty strange circumstances," he began. "He was in some trouble when we first encountered each other. Seems he owed some rather nasty people a lot of money. I came to check out this place for Matt. He wanted me to do some remodeling and that’s when I saw the men Tyrell owed attempting to beat the dollar bills out of him. I decided to intervene."
Her eyes shot wide. “Oh no! What did you do?” Sarah leaned forward, completely riveted to his story.
"I very calmly explained to the men that they were going about getting paid the wrong way.” Greg took a drink from his cola, then went on. “ I ended up paying them the money myself."
"Seriously?” That shocked her. It wasn’t what she’d expected. Call the police, sure, but pay a stranger’s dept? “I mean, you didn't even know Tyrell at the time.
Why would you do something like that?”
Sarah was dumbfounded.
"Yep, I gave them the money.” He shrugged. “There was something about him. He reminded me of a guy I once knew in high school, Karl. Karl’s life hadn’t been an easy one. His dad was a drunk and his mom had skipped out on him
when he was just a kid. Even with the odds stacked against him, he still managed to graduate from high school and go to college on an athletic scholarship. He never had a chance to finish though, because he was stabbed and killed in a mugging off campus. I figured since I couldn’t be there for Karl, maybe I could do something for Tyrell.
Besides, Tyrell worked off every single cent since then, doing odd jobs for me before he came to work for Matt. He’s a proud man and completely refused to let the matter drop. Matt couldn't run this place without him, let me tell you. He's invaluable."
Sarah’s heart was in her throat and her eyes burned with unshed tears. She sensed the pain Greg still carried around with him over the loss of his friend etched into the planes and grooves of his handsome face.
To her, Greg was a hero. He was such an honorable person and she was afraid she was starting to fall a little bit in love with the man. She wanted to say something, tell him how terrific he was. But, she sensed he wouldn’t like being labeled a hero. He didn’t seem the type to need praise for doing a kind deed.
“Well, it’s pretty clear he’s gained a loyal friend in you. You’re very sweet, Greg. Underneath that gruff exterior lurks a heart of gold, I’m thinking."