“When are you and Barbie on the run over there gonna fuck?” he asked nonchalantly, projecting his tension back at me.
I nearly choked on my beer, the resulting foam escaping my lips, which I hastily cleaned with the napkin I found on the table.
“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” I echoed back. His smile was wide and accusatory as he tapped the neck of his beer bottle against mine in solidarity.
“Cheers to women who have us so twisted up, we don’t know our dicks from our elbows, brother,” he murmured.
I took a moment to look out on the dance floor. Moving to the music, Stella seemed so naturally free, dancing with an untroubled spirit, as though nothing could burden her. It warmed my heart to see her happy and smiling.
Knowing what I did about her history, it seemed as if she needed this more than anyone. At the moment, she wasn’t a mom, anyone’s woman, or a girl on the run. She was just Stella.
I continued to watch as the pair, she and Ray, made theirway back to the bar and requested another round of drinks. Wade’s hiss from beside me caught my attention.
“Aw, fuck.” He said, scrubbing a hand down his face in frustration.
“What?” I asked, looking between the girls at the bar and my brother in confusion.
“Two words- Jose. Cuervo.” he sighed.
“Aw, fuck is right,” I murmured.
Ray held her liquor like a champ, especially tequila- but it brought out her feisty side. Get the girl riled up after a couple shots, and she’d be jonesing for a fight with anyone who looked at her sideways.
Countless times, we’ve had the unpleasant task of removing her, a highly reluctant participant, from this particular bar—the situation always because of her friend and frequent drinking partner, Jose Cuervo.
To slyly monitor the girls at the bar, I left my seat under the ruse of getting another drink. As I slid up to the oak top and placed both palms down to order, I heard Ray shouting at Stella over the booming country music.
“Lick it, drink it, suck it.” Ray instructed.
I turned towards the girls just in time to see Stella’s tongue dart out to lick the line of salt off the back of her hand. Her throat bobbed as she took back the tequila shot, and her plush lips wrapped around the lime wedge. That semi I’d been fighting the entire night was now rock hard as all the blood from my head went straight to my dick. Stella threw her head back in a laugh and I fought the urge to throw her over my shoulder and take her home like a caveman.
“Let’s do body shots!!” Ray shouted as she smacked her hand down on the bar for Hayes to pour them another round.
His eyes met mine in question, and I slowly closed them,letting out a deep breath of resignation. This was about to be a long fucking night.
After the girls had successfully sucked down three tequila shots, they took back to the dance floor. Their moves had become more fluid with the alcohol now flooding their veins and I could see Stella swinging her hips slowly to the beat. She looked ethereal and carefree under the neon lights of the bar.
I was just about to turn around and watch from our table when I saw a hand curl around her waist and a man step up behind her, lowering his lips to her ear. I couldn’t hear her stilted laugh over the thrum of the music, but I could sense the tension radiating off her in waves.
In two long strides, I was on the dance floor and standing beside Stella and Ray. I glared at the man who had his hand currently gripping Stella’s hip and gave him the ‘man nod’ that insinuated he better fuck off before I start swinging.
He immediately let go of Stella and backed off the dance floor, mumbling about needing to find the pisser as he left. To check on her and make certain she was alright, I positioned myself behind her delicate form and swayed to the rhythm of the music.
“Ah, my white knight in Wranglers,” she lightly slurred as she turned towards me with a wide grin and a slight chuckle. “Come to save me from the big bad man who wanted to dance?”
“Like you’ve said before, you don’t need savin’, but I figured a pretty girl like you deserved a better dance partner than a wanna-be cowboy in brand new Ariat boots.” I smirked down at her, and that favorite color of mine crested her cheeks.
Her usual strong front was clear, but I could tell she hadappreciated my intervention. I’d give her the grace of pretending that she didn’t need saving just this once, if it meant I got to get my hands on her.
“Show me what you’ve got, Cowboy.” She teased as she twirled around so her back was to my front.
The song was upbeat, a driving beat that took a moment to fully sink into. I could feel the heat radiating from her small body in front of me, but we were still inches apart. I didn’t want to risk startling her, so I maintained a safe distance between us.
Her hips swayed in time to the beat and I felt myself becoming more and more comfortable in the rhythm. I chanced brushing my fingertips over the highest portion of her hipbones, and she instinctively moved back into my body. Euphoria surged through me as the warmth of her back pressed against my chest, a perfect fit.
I settled my hands on her hips and coasted through the motions with her, fighting to keep the blood in my head from rushing back south.
I dipped my chin down and placed my lips close to her ear, just like I’d done earlier.
