Creed had just kissed her senseless, and now she was resting her head on his shoulder while he took her to his hotel.  She was going to do it.  She was finally, for the first time in her life, not planning anything and would just go with the flow.  Well, that wasn’t exactly true, she was going to sleep with a man she didn’t know, then watch him walk right out of her life.  Or she was going to walk right out of his.  Tessa had made it to twenty-five years old without ever once having a one-night stand, and tonight, that was going to change. 

She didn’t know how to feel about it.  The man turned her on, and her body was game, but her mind wouldn’t shut off.  She’d gotten on his bike and rode away with him.  What did that say about her? She had her phone and a small nine-millimeter in her purse her brother had insisted that she learn to use and always carry, but she was still taking a risk, a big one.  She didn’t know this man; she’d picked him up in a bar, for God’s sake.  He could be an ax murder or something.  She could say no, and he could go ballistic on her.  Tessa moved away from him as much as she could and looked around.  She knew Hazard like the back of her hand, but she had just been sitting there, not paying attention.  What was wrong with her?

Tessa had gone back and forth so many times, her head was spinning.  Should she or shouldn’t she.  Fuck, it was a little late for those thoughts, she was on his damn bike driving to his hotel.  But after what Creed had just done to her in the parking lot at Frankie’s, she wanted this, a part of her even needed it.  To feel someone close, to make her heart rate pick up in excitement instead of fear, to get some damn pleasure in her life even if it was just for a little while.   For the second time she screamed in her head, what was wrong with that? Then she countered her own thoughts with, other people did it all the time.  Why not her?

Well, they were probably smarter about it, taking their own car instead of driving off with a virtual hot stranger, but still, lots of people had one-night stands.  Rena did it all the time, told her about it, and never once regretted it, or so she said.  Had she lied?  And why did it matter, she wasn’t Rena, she was her own person.  She made a decision, and she was going to stick to it… maybe.

This man did things to her.  She didn’t know him and knew she never would, but she wanted to, and maybe that was the problem.  She wasn’t the type of girl who did or should have one-night stands.  Riding behind a man in the dark of night was not something she would have ever thought would happen to her.  Going to a hotel room to get it on—cue the Marvin Gaye song, Tessa laughed a little at that thought—she was going nuts, and nothing had happened yet.  How was she going to feel tomorrow, and did it matter?

Creed placed his hands on hers and squeezed, and she thought, to hell with it, she liked this man.  If they’d met at a restaurant or on a blind date, she would have wanted to see him again.  This situation was just a little different, she justified to herself.  She was going to get to know him real quick; naked was about as well as you could get to know someone, right?  Then nothing, he would go his way, and she would go hers, easy peasy.  Tess always considered herself a good judge of character, and Creed reminded her of her brothers.  Not in a creepy way or familial way.  He just seemed like the free and wild-type, there was just something about him, and the bike purring between her legs kind of proved her point.  One good thing though was he wasn’t wearing a cut which meant he wasn’t involved with any of the Clubs; she could deal with that.   

Tessa wasn’t any of those things. Her idea of free was getting her degree and moving.  Her idea of wild happened one time in her life, tonight.  She was more good girl than bad, and deep down, she knew that would never change, but maybe, just maybe for one night, she could pull it off because she knew without a shadow of a doubt, she would never see Creed again, and she wanted him.  One night with regrets was better than no night and years’ worth of what ifs. Right?

As if he could sense her distress, Creed started to rub her thigh.  Tessa liked it, liked his touch, and wanted more of it, but she was still fighting herself.  Did he really know or was it her imagination?  He could be just trying to make sure she was still game once they got back to the hotel.  Having a chick freak out on the back of his bike had to be the last thing he wanted. She didn’t blame him; road rash wasn’t anyone’s friend. 

Taking a deep breath, Tess let it all go; she wasn’t the naïve girl everyone thought she was.  No, she was a woman who took what she wanted and needed without any regrets.  Or at least, that was how she was going to be from now on.  She would do this, enjoy the hell out it, and move on with her life.  She knew the score, and she had to go with her gut on this one.  Creed had been upfront, he wasn’t staying in town, and he wanted to sleep with her, even gave her the choice of turning around, and she didn’t take it. 

Tessa was resolved, she’d figured everything out in her head.  She was going to make this a night to remember, and she wouldn’t regret a thing.  That was until Creed started to pull into the seediest hotel around Hazard.  Tessa instantly started shaking her head. Oh, no way in hell was she stepping into that place.  If Creed wanted to think she was high maintenance, well, she would accept it and walk back to her car. When Creed parked his bike, Tessa was still shaking her head.  No way in hell am I going in there.  Tessa didn’t care if he was looking she still pointed at the place like it was going to reach out and get her. 

“Do you have any idea what kind of people stay here?” she asked, not waiting for him to turn around.  Creed did turn around and just raised his eyebrow at her. Well, fuck that, she wasn’t even close to being done.  She might not want regrets, but this place was a no-go for her. 

“Tess?”

“No, don’t Tess me, Creed,” Tessa said, still pointing and shaking her head. “Everyone in Hazard knows this place is a dump, hell, it smells so bad, the local newspaper has written articles about it.  Only hookers, drug dealers, and homeless people who get a couple of bucks will stay in this place.”

“Tess, it isn’t that bad, it’s just a hotel, and if it makes you feel better, I can spray some of my deodorant around.” 

The jerk was laughing at her, and Tessa knew he already knew how bad this place was.  What did that say about what he thought about her? 

“Umm, no, just no. Spraying deodorant around that place won’t get me in the door.  Do you know there’s a whole herd of cats living in the crawlspace?  Mean cats, feral cats.  The Humane Society has been trying to catch them for years, they even do roundups, but they just keep on multiplying.”  Tessa couldn’t help it, she started to rub and scratch at her arms.  She had volunteered to help one year with that round out and ended up getting Cat Scratch Fever; it had sucked big hairy balls, and she wasn’t going to go through that again. 

“Take me back to my car,” Tessa demanded.  This night was starting to suck just as much as that illness had. Tessa started to feel bad, maybe he couldn’t afford anything better, but damn, she would have been better off just hanging out with him at the bar and screwing him in the bathroom.  Even that sounded more fun than going in there, and he had to sleep there tonight, yuck. 

“Listen,” Creed started talking, “I can get another place, this was just what I had, and I wasn’t thinking about anything but getting you inside.”  He pulled her until she was straddling his lap and started to kiss her again, revving her up and not letting her come down.  He was an amazing kisser, and damn, he smells so good, it almost wiped the thought of how bad the Lone Star Hotel was right out of her mind, but she wasn’t that desperate yet.  Creed knew what he was doing, and Tessa had to give him credit where credit was due.  He was saying the right words, adding the right little touches, but she still wasn’t going in there, so she made an offer she never thought she would.  She broke the kiss, only to move back in for another one. Groaning, she pulled back.

“Take me back to my car and follow me home.”  Creed kissed her again, pushing her body into the gas tank.  She was laid out for everyone in Hazard to see, and she didn’t give one damn.  She could feel him right where she wanted him.  When his hand came up under her shirt and caressed her breast, rubbing his thumb lightly over her distended nipple, she was gone.  He could have taken her right there, but instead, he pulled back.

“Get on the back of the bike Tess,” he growled. “Your place better be fucking close.  This ends with me in your bed or bent over my bike, don’t care which one, but it better happen soon.”

Yeah, Tessa thought she knew exactly what he was saying, and she was right on board with it.  Unfortunately, it would take them about fifteen minutes to get back to the bar and another thirty to get to her place, and a lot could change in an hour.  Hell, the fifteen minutes it took to get to the Lone Star, she’d changed her mind at least a hundred times.  What the next hour held would be interesting. 

One good thing, she could sleep in her own bed and not have to worry about Grinder.  She didn’t want to put Creed in the middle of her shit, but he looked like a man who could handle himself, and if Grinder was sitting there waiting, maybe he would finally get the clue and leave her the hell alone.  One could hope anyway. 

Tessa pulled herself up, using Creeds neck, smashing her boobs into his chest.  He knew how to handle her, she was going to see if she could handle him.  Taking her hand and running it through his hair, she was surprised by how soft it was, but that didn’t stop her. Taking a lesson from him, she closed her fists, gently tugging at the silky strands until he was looking right at her.  Leaning forward, she kissed him, only a small chaste one on the side of his mouth, then tilted his head a little, angling his head so he was right where she wanted him and pulled him even closer. Taking his mouth, she started off soft and sweet.  Little licks and tangles, pulling away every time he tried to take the kiss deeper.  His hands moved to her ass and pulled her closer to his body, kneading her butt cheeks, trying to get the upper hand but Tessa wasn’t playing that game right now, this was her show. 

She continued to kiss him slow and sweet, adding a slow glide of her hips, using the muscles in her thighs to lift herself up, just a little.  All those horse riding lessons were paying off for once.  Tessa could post like the best cowgirl out there.  It was the one activity her aunt let her go to only because the man running the stable was wealthy, and Tessa’s aunt was after him.   Tessa could feel him get harder and harder, his hands rougher, and she was loving it.  She loved having this power over him even if it was short lived. Creed wasn’t having it sweet and slow anymore, and once he finally took over, Tessa exploded right there in the middle of the Lone Star Hotel’s parking lot, screaming his name.