Chapter 9 Creed
CREED
I still can’t believe I have this gorgeous woman sitting right next to me in the front of my truck.
This might be the longest drive home that I’ve ever had.
Thankfully, being with Emmie makes it painless as she knows how to keep the conversation flowing, but the anticipation of getting back to Spring Creek and seeing where this leads is insatiable.
She keeps running her finger up and down my forearm. I was already struggling not to get hard while kissing her in the park, but now it’s impossible. I can’t tell if she notices my current hard-on or not, but she did make it sound like sex was a possibility tonight.
Not that I want just sex. I may have sworn off women, but there’s something about Emmie that I’m really enjoying. And one-night stands aren’t my thing, unlike that brother of mine who is constantly bragging about his.
We are about five miles from town when Emmie stops talking, takes off her seat belt, raises herself up, and starts kissing my neck. The rumble from the back of my throat is immediate and something I couldn’t stop if I tried.
“Emmie, that feels so good.” I can see her smile in the rearview mirror as I try to get a good look at where she’s kissing.
“What about this?” She moves toward my ear and my foot accidentally hits the gas. With a slight lurch, she laughs. “Careful there, sir. I trust you enough that I don’t have my seat belt on.”
“Sorry,” I murmur, more excited to get back to town than before.
Emmie is still alternating between sucking on my ear and nuzzling it with her nose. I don’t dare tell her that is one of my favorite areas. Although I think my hitting the gas may have been a good indicator.
As I slow down while pulling into town, Emmie stops kissing me and returns to the center seat. She even goes as far as putting her seat belt on.
“Small towns talk.” She shrugs. “Plus, there’s no need to let ol’ Sheriff William pull us over if he saw me hanging off you.”
I smirk, unsure how to respond to that. Having grown up in South Dakota myself, I know how small towns can be. Albeit Deadwood is a bit different since it’s a year-round tourist attraction as well.
“Where are we going, anyway?”
“Honestly, I don’t care. My place or yours, wherever you’d prefer.”
I take a moment to think about my options. My house still has some boxes that I embarrassingly haven’t unpacked in the few months we’ve lived here. Ideally, I’d like to pick the place up a bit before she sees it.
“Mind if we head to your place? I still feel like I haven’t fully unpacked.”
“That’s fine. Turn here.”
Emmie guides me to her house. The minute I put the truck in park, I turn to kiss her. It’s not fair that she’s been doing all the kissing for the last ten minutes or so.
She kisses me briefly before pulling away. I am momentarily confused, thinking I read her signals wrong.
“For someone who understands how small towns work, you should know you don’t kiss out front.”
“Aw… got it. I haven’t kissed anyone but my wife in…” My voice trails off. That’s not where I wanted my brain to go.
I look away, afraid I just ruined the moment.
“Creed, I know you have a past. Obviously, I do too. I’ve been on one date before tonight in the last four years.
It was a guy my friends found online. They created a profile behind my back, set up daycare, lined up the date, and it was a total flop.
So, I honestly haven’t kissed anyone since my ex-husband. But I really like kissing you.”
My heart rate quickens again; glad she understands.
“Let’s get inside.”
I lean in for one more small kiss. “I’m not expecting…”
Emmie cuts me off. “And I’m not promising. But it’s still early. Let’s enjoy a kid-free night. I know those are rare for both of us.”