Crimson by Jessica Coulter Smith Page A

home?”
    Pistol grinned. “Maybe.”
    Crimson kept an eye on Holly, ready to jump to her defense if anyone bothered her. As the night wore on, he realized that she knew how to handle the customers, even the grabby ones. She sidestepped more wandering hands than anyone should have to, and yet she kept her smile firmly in place and moved on to the next table.
    When he saw her cash out and head for the entrance, Crimson excused himself and shadowed her steps. The rain had slackened outside to a drizzle. Crimson watched as she walked to an ancient car parked at the curb and tried to start it. The engine refused to turnover. As she rested her head on the steering wheel, he realized she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He walked over and tapped on her window.
    Holly manually rolled down the window and peered up at him with uncertainty in her eyes. “May I help you?”
    “Actually, I thought I might be able to help you. I don’t think your car is going anywhere tonight. Why don’t you let me give you a ride home? It’s too wet outside for you to walk, and I know your feet have to be hurting after working tonight.”
    She nibbled on her lower lip and it drew his attention to how full and kissable her lips were. He forced his gaze back to her eyes and waited for her decision. She was right to be leery of him, not having met him before. A single woman working late at night, especially in a bar, could never be too careful, but he wasn’t sure how to set her mind at ease. Crimson hunkered down next to the car so he wouldn’t tower over her.
    “You don’t have anything to fear from me,” he assured her. “I only want to help.”
    “I saw you follow me out here.”
    “Only to make sure you got to your car safely. I saw some of the customers inside giving you a hard time and I didn’t want them to follow you out and hurt you. You looked like you could handle yourself in there, but…”
    She nodded. “You’re right. In there, I know how to handle myself. Out here? Not so much. I appreciate you looking out for me.” She stuck her hand through the open window. “I’m Holly.”
    “Crimson.” He took her smaller hand in his and marveled at how soft it felt against his callused skin.
    “That’s an odd name.”
    He smiled. “It’s my road name. I’m part of the local M .C. Does that bother you?”
    “I’ve never met a biker before, not knowingly anyway, but no, it doesn’t bother me. You seem nice enough, even though I’ve always heard bikers are tough and criminals. No offense!”
    “None taken.” He rose to his feet and opened her door. “Come on. Let me give you a ride home. I won’t rest easy tonight unless I’ve delivered you safely to your door. I may not be part of the criminal element, but that doesn’t mean some of the men inside this bar aren’t. Let’s not take a chance with your safety.”
    Holly stepped out of the car, snagged her purse, and then locked the vehicle. “All right. I’ll accept a ride home.”
    The rain began to pick up as Crimson secured Holly inside the truck. He ran around to the driver’s side and slid in right before the downpour started. He wanted to shake the water from his body, but thought the animal-like gesture might trigger questions he didn’t want to answer. While it wasn’t common knowledge that shifters existed, enough people knew or wondered to make it dangerous to expose himself.
    Of course, he wanted to hang out with Holly more, maybe get to know her better, and then she would eventually find out the truth about him. How would she handle being mated to a bear? She was sturdy enough to take his brand of loving, with those curvy hips and gorgeous legs.
    “You’re staring,” she said, tugging down the hem of her skirt.
    “Sorry. I didn’t meant to. You just have really beautiful legs. It’s hard not to look at them.”
    Her cheeks flushed, but she stopped trying to pull down her skirt.
    “You haven’t told me where I’m going,” Crimson