Chapter Nine
His eyes sharpenedand darkened at the heat in her expression, which she no longer tried to hide from him.“I hope you’re saying what I think you’re saying,” he growled.
Victoria bit her lip as her head rose and lowered slowly.
Cole lifted her off the stool and wrapped a steely arm around her before he maneuvered them through the crowd and out the door.He took a deep breath and let the silence of the night calm the need that raged through his body at that moment.
“How about you ride with me, and we’ll get your truck later?”
“No, thank you.I’ll drive myself.”
Cole’s teeth clicked together in disbelief and irritation.He wasn’t used to people defying him.He knew he had to hold himself back from what he really wanted to do.Pick her up, carry her to his truck, and close her in with him.He smoothed back the hair from her face and tried to smile.
“But if you go with me, I can hold you,” he said in a cajoling tone.
“As good as that sounds, I think it’s best that the whole county not know we’re sleeping together.”
“I don’t see why not.We’re adults.”He maneuvered them to stand in the shadows on the driver’s side of her truck.
“And I’d rather not get a reputation.This is a small town, and I have to follow the moral standards that come with it,” she muttered and crossed her arms.
His gaze raked over her face before dropping to her lips.His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against his chest.He took a brief second to admire how the yard light off to the side caught the shine of her hair, making it look like burnished gold, before he lowered his head and took her mouth, unable to wait another moment.
Her lips parted enough that his tongue was able to take her mouth in the way he wanted to take her body.He showed her how good it would be between them if she just let him have her.He groaned as he ate at her mouth, taking in the slight taste of hops from the beer she never finished.
Victoria’s arms wrapped around his neck, and she stood on tiptoe to get closer to him.He had total control of the kiss, and she preferred it that way.Every bone in her body was a traditional old-fashioned female with needs that only a strong male could provide, with all the dominance and authority she needed to feel safe.
The spark that had always been there grew stronger, taking her breath and her ability to think.
The kiss went on and on.They could have been standing there for a few minutes or an hour.He knew he needed to pull back if he didn’t want to have her skirt up over her hips, her panties down, and take her in the parking lot.He knew she would be appalled at the thought.Frankly, he wanted the first time they made love to be in a bed where he could stretch out.He lifted his mouth and his gaze centered on her puffy, wet lips.His gaze raked her, trying to find the strength to let her go.
The sound of the bar door slamming shut jolted her to awareness.
“Can you move back?”she whispered and pushed against his chest.
“Absolutely,” he mumbled and then lowered his head again and took her mouth in another breathtaking, hungry kiss.The next time he lifted his head, he moved a step away from her, letting some air between them, hoping it would cool them off a bit.He kept his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
“We need to go before this gets out of control.”
She took a ragged breath and nodded.
