Ruby:No, I know how you THINK you feel about love. But that man will give you everything you need.
Taylor:What’s that supposed to mean?
Ruby:It means, saddle that horse before some other filly does #giddyup.
Taylor dropped her phone on the couch, annoyed at Ruby. Why did no one understand how she felt about love and relationships? Her phone pinged and she saw a barrage of horse, cowboy and eggplant emojis coming from Ruby followed by another message.
Ruby:I want all the dirty details once you’ve taken that stallion for a ride.
That woman is too damn thirsty for her age.Taylor switched off her phone and put on the TV to escape. It came on to the same show it always did, some random British baking show that she was now addicted to.Just a few minutes,she told herself and then two hours later she was crying out in horror as Maureen’s showstopper cake collapsed and fell to pieces on the way to the judges’ table. She heard Beau’s key in the door and fumbled with the remote, switching the TV off and jumping up.
“Hey,” she called when he came in. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the patch of sweat on his t-shirt running along his collarbone. His dark hair curled at the edges, his cheeks were flushed from the exercise, and she suddenly understood exactly why Ruby was so thirsty.
“Hey sweetheart!” he boomed, before taking his AirPods out of his ears. “I won’t kiss you, I’m all sweaty,” he said and closed the front door. She knew he was faking for Dale’s sake in case he was watching but she hadn’t seen or heard from Dale for weeks. Maybe he was gone?
“So I see,” she said, her tongue so heavy in her mouth that her words slurred slightly.
Get a hold of yourself!
“I thought I’d grab my stuff and get ready in the cabin next door as we’ll probably just get in each other’s way,” he said, putting his gym bag on the table.
“Sounds good,” she replied. He went into the bedroom to grab his things and she followed him, watching him move around the room. Tonight, was the bachelor and bachelorette parties and she was excited to let her hair down.
“You have a plan for tonight?” he asked.
“Yeah, Christy wants to stop off somewhere first and then we’ll be back in the bar,” she said, leaning against the doorway. She wondered if he was going to ask for her decision. Her eyes darted around the room, landing on the picture frames she added to the dresser. She had stored them under her bed for years, unable to get rid of them even at the height of her misplaced hatred for him. Now there was a small collection of pictures, a little shrine to their youth and friendship. Seeing it there put the doubt back into her mind about whether they should cross that line or not.
He turned to her, grabbing his overnight bag. “Well, I guess this is it. Have a good time with the girls and I’ll be back here tonight…” His eyes followed her gaze to see what she was staring at.
“So, when you’re back later…” Her voice trailed off, she didn’t know what the end of that sentence was. He stepped closer, dominating her space and firing her senses.
“Let me make things real clear, sweetheart. When you get back tonight, don’t come near this room unless you want to take things further. I’m warning you. This room is off-limits.” He ran his thumb along her jawline, his touch leaving tingles in its wake. He hooked a finger under her chin and tilted so her eyes met his, clashing heatedly.
“Because if you come near that room, I’m going to fuck you. Hard. Just the way you’ve been dreaming about.” A desperate sound slipped from her lips as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead that she found herself leaning into.
Then he was gone.
*
“I can’t believe you’re making me go to another bar! How do you know I won’t combust as soon as I walk inside?” Taylor complained as Justine pulled the car into the parking lot of The Apple and Duck.
“Relax Tay, I’ve just gotta do something quick and then we’ll be gone, half an hour tops,” Christy said as they got out. She grabbed her bag from the trunk.
“What’s in that?” Justine asked, pointing to the bag.
“This? Oh, er, the owner is a big fan of my books, so I said I’d drop some off for him and sign them,” Christy said, not making eye contact.
“Cool, I need a drink,” Taylor said as they headed inside. Loud music immediately assaulted them. Taylor glanced around the place, unable to help but compare it with The Rusty Bucket. The bar here was laid out nicely but had tiled flooring which in Taylor’s opinion clashed dramatically with the brick walls. Unfortunately, this bar had the one thing Taylor had been coveting: a mechanical bull. It earned the bar an extra point, but overall the place was cold and impersonal.Nothing like my baby, she thought smugly.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” Christy said and scurried off. Taylor and Justine headed to get a drink.
“What do you want, boo?” Justine said, scanning the selection.
“Patrón, a whole fuck ton of Patrón,” she muttered, needing to take the edge off as Beau’s words circled her mind.
“Let me get this round.” The deep voice reminded her of smoke and whiskey and she turned, coming face to face with an absolute mountain of a man. Tall, tattooed and stunning. Strawberry blond hair, stubborn jaw and a straight blade for a nose. But it was his eyes that caught her attention. One blue and one green and framed by thick lashes.
He raked a hand through his hair and a crooked smile took over his face, making him only slightly less terrifying. She scanned his tattoos peeking out from the rolled-up sleeves of his white Henley, coveting the intricate designs.We’ve got matching roses on our arms.Though his crooked smile said,I’m the shy boy next door,his eyes and whole demeanor screamedlady-killerand she doubted he had spent a night alone in his whole adult life.
