done for the night.” She couldn’t swallow another glass of water without her bladder exploding. As much as she liked the old guy and enjoyed his company, she’d humored him enough for one evening.
With a forced smile, she looked at Zee and hiccuped. Loud.
Mac chuckled. Zee grinned. “Told you I could drink her under the table. ’Night, all. Catch you tomorrow.” He walked out of the bar, his designated driver hot on his heels.
Mac closed the door behind him and turned the dead bolt shut. Talk about defining moments, Sam thought. From now on, she’d associate the sound of a lock clicking into place with this man and this night.
“Alone at last.” He adjusted the brim of his baseball cap and grinned. Then he crooked a finger in her direction. “Come here…Sammy Jo.”
His dark eyes glittered with unchecked desire. Her heart threatened to explode in her chest, but she walked toward him, transfixed by the heat in his gaze and the way he made her body ache with one searing look.
Three steps, maybe four, and she reached him. Without prelude, he cupped his hands over her cheeks and kissed her. His tongue worked its way into her already-open mouth and sought hers. Sam expected a hard, demanding kiss, much like the ones they’d shared earlier. She could have handled one of those.
But the tender way he kissed her, learning the deep recesses of her mouth and then nibbling on her lower lip until she nearly cried at the unexpected sweetness of the assault—well, that she couldn’t handle at all. When he lifted his head, his gaze caught and held hers.
She couldn’t catch her breath, so she didn’t try. As for the lump in her throat, she swallowed and attempted to talk over it. “What was that for?” she asked.
“You looked uncertain and I wanted to make sure you remembered why.”
She didn’t have to ask “Why what?” Why she’d plastered her body to his earlier. Why she’d agreed to stay with him. Why she shouldn’t change her mind. He had no way of knowing she already knew. He was the answer to all those questions. His incredible masculinity and the chemistry she could generate only with him. She’d come west on a mission of sorts, but even in her wildest, most erotic dreams, she’d never imagined Mac.
He grasped her by the waist and settled her on one of the few stools still standing on the floor. Thanks to her loose, flowing top, his hands cupped bare skin, and the touch made her long for more. Instead his hands went to her feet, and he unlaced and pulled off her sneaker. He massaged her aching arch through her white sock.
She leaned back against the bar and sighed with delight. “Wow, that feels good.”
He groaned. “I could think of lots of things that would feel better, but something tells me you need this more.”
“You know a lot about someone you just met.” She was still thinking about the reassuring kiss, not her sore feet.
“You’re easy to read.”
She forced her heavy eyelids open. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” Because he wasn’t, which made this a very one-sided relationship. Whoa. Not a relationship. A one-night stand or, if things worked out, one week. But not a relationship, which implied long-term commitment. She was already embroiled in one of those.
Sam didn’t like the way her thoughts were going, and she tried to concentrate on her feet instead, which wasn’t difficult, since he’d pulled off her other shoe and settled in to work. His hands massaged and coaxed along her arch and up her calves.
Long, sensual strokes alternated with short, deep thrusts of his fingers into her tender muscles. “You surprised me tonight,” he said.
“You mean you aren’t used to being mauled by women?” Sam held no illusions. He might have taken charge, but she had definitely approached him first.
He laughed. “I was talking about you helping out around here. You pitched in when I needed it most. I appreciate it.”
His hands had moved higher, working their way up her thigh. She tensed, but under his continued ministrations, she began to relax again and enjoy.
“I can pay you Theresa’s salary,” he said.
“You already paid Theresa her salary,” she reminded him.
“Because her family needs the money and Bear won’t mind. You don’t need to work for free. It isn’t much, but…”
Sam could barely concentrate on anything but the feel of his hands on her bare skin and the thought of where they were headed next. But through the tingling sensations and the desire, she got a solid view of Mac. A special, caring man…hers for the duration of her stay, if she wanted him to be. And she did.
In return, he needed to know what she wanted from him, and that didn’t include cash. “I don’t want your money, Mac.”
He muttered something she almost missed. Something that sounded like “That would be a first,” but his agile fingers had reached the hem of her skirt and she knew she couldn’t trust anything she heard except her own rapid breathing.
“Why not?” he asked. “You earned it.”
“I don’t take payment for things I enjoy, and I enjoyed helping you.”
“I’m sure you picked up a lot in tips tonight, anyway,” he said.
“I didn’t do too badly for my first night.” She grinned.
“You’re a hell of a woman, Sammy Jo.” His drawl was deliberate, she knew, as was the way his finger dipped beneath the lace in her panties. At that first intimate touch, she let out a slow moan, accompanied by a tremor her body couldn’t control.
“Is this the way you show your gratitude?” she asked, trying to keep the moment between them light even as his finger moved over the lace, rubbing back and forth with unerring accuracy. It didn’t work. Fire shot straight through her body, making her burn.
“No, sweetheart. I’m doing this because it turns you on and I enjoy that.” To her disappointment, though, he slipped his fingers out from beneath her skirt. His hand shook as he placed it on her thigh. That telling gesture made his withdrawal easier to take. She wasn’t alone in this swirling, all-encompassing state of desire.
“But I want you wide awake and participating, not exhausted from working behind the bar.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before bending to retrieve her shoes.
“Go on up and I’ll meet you after I’ve cleaned up.”
Sam blinked, her mind unable to comprehend his words because her body was strung so tight she thought she might explode. She could attempt to seduce him, but she didn’t want their first time to be in the bar.
Despite her inexperienced technique, she’d made it this far. She was more than content to let him take the lead. As she offered a wave and headed for the stairs, she realized Mac was right. She was exhausted. From the look of things down here, he might be a while and she could put the time to good use. After she relaxed, she would set exactly the right mood.
MAC HIT THE TOP STEP at a run. When was the
