Chapter 15 Lina #2
With that, I chugged a few gulps of my beer, hoping to cool my insides, and turned away from their table, heading to the jukebox. Looping my arm through Sage’s, I charged to the other side of the bar. As far away from Dad and Reed as I could get.
“What was that all about?” Sage asked, once we settled into our seats at a two-topper.
“Nothing,” I glowered, watching Christian join Dad while Reed headed to the bar for another drink.
Sage and I chatted and nursed our beers. After last weekend, I wasn’t quite ready to load myself up with liquor while the bar started to fill up for the night, getting louder and more rambunctious. Brooks and Dunn reverberated through the terrible stereo system.
Dad and Christian were now in some sort of heated debate across the room.
I could tell it was heated because Christian was using his hands a lot, and Dad was pinching the bridge of his nose like he was getting a headache.
Knowing both of them, it probably had to do with the rodeo or training.
In the last year, Christian had taken on training all the rookie bull riders, while Dad continued to train the junior broncs who came to Thornbrush for lessons.
I was still angry with Dad, and I didn’t think all the beer in the room could cool my insides right now. My blood was nearing its boiling point. I didn’t typically get this mad at him, but I was feeling so raw after the last few days. Everything felt like it was just too much.
Plus, I couldn’t help my eyes continually being drawn to Reed.
An attractive woman sidled up to the bar, squeezing between him and another patron.
She touched his arm and gave him a bright, flirtatious smile.
Reed gave a small smile in return and shook her hand.
It shouldn’t bother me that a woman was hanging on his arm right now where he leaned against the bar, but it did.
She had copper hair, and I wondered if he had a thing for redheads.
From what I remembered, his ex-wife had red hair.
Each time he said something to her, she leaned closer to him, her hand still resting on his muscular forearm.
My eyes narrowed. Pretty sure her full tits were brushing against his biceps, too.
A sharp pain shot through me like a lightning bolt.
“Want a different drink?” Sage asked.
I turned to her and cleared my throat, hoping that would also clear the spike that felt lodged in my chest.
Her head was tilted, as if considering something.
Shit. Did she see me staring at Reed? Had she been talking to me while I was in my head?
I noticed then that her bottle was empty and mine was half full. My fingertips stilled, midpick. Apparently, I was also sexually frustrated from the way I was peeling off the label. I downed the rest, hoping it would dislodge this feeling of … jealousy?
“Another beer would be fine.”
Sage nodded, weaving her way through the crowded bar.
Why would I be jealous of another woman?
I didn’t get jealous. Like ever. I may have been raised surrounded by cowboys, but I could be a girl’s girl.
While some women were catty and territorial, I never felt that I had to be.
I was trying to rack my brain, but I don’t think I ever once felt as though I had to compete with another woman for a guy’s attention.
Maybe it was because I never had to work for it or really didn’t care to try.
I was always 100 percent myself, and that typically attracted plenty of men to choose from.
With Reed, though, all that went out the window.
Seeing a woman on Reed’s arm … it made me feel things I wasn’t used to.
Hell, it even pissed me off more. I mean, she had great tits, and I don’t think I would have faulted her one bit for showing them off.
Fuck, I’d do the same thing. There was no reason for me to hate her, other than the fact that she was touching Reed. And he was letting her.
I felt as if I were about ready to blow a gasket. All these feelings needed to go somewhere, and I was never one to keep them bottled inside. I was ready to fling open the gates and release the hounds, so to speak.
Reed ducked his head to whisper something in her ear, and I felt like I was so close to losing it.
My hand clutched around the now-empty bottle, and I wanted it to crack and splinter until it shattered in my grip.
I wanted to feel the sting of it cutting into my flesh and the blood oozing down my arm, if only it meant to distract me from this fucking feeling.
Or … chuck it at his head. That would work, too.
“Grab my ass again, and you’re going to get a knee in the fuckin’ balls.” Sage’s voice cut through my thoughts as she returned with our beers. My gaze swung to where she stood off to the right of our table.
“Come on, baby.” Some cowboy was nearly rubbing himself against her like a feral cat.
Her hands full of beer, she elbowed him in the ribs to push him away.
The hell if I was going to let my friend get groped by this jackass who didn’t take no for an answer. I shot to my feet and hurried to help, taking my drink to free up one of her hands.
She stepped to the side, allowing us both to face this prick head-on. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, but he had a porn ’stache that told me he thought he was God’s gift to women. My nose wrinkled at the pungent smell of his cologne, like he fucking bathed in it.
“You heard her, douchebag. Step the fuck off,” I told him.
“This has nothing to do with you, sugar,” he said snidely, glaring at me.
“Don’t call me sugar, asshole. Touch my friend again. I dare you.” I took a step closer, putting myself between him and Sage, my boots nearly bumping his. He was several inches taller and maybe had fifty pounds on me, but I could still inflict some damage if I had to.
“Lina, he’s not worth our time. Let’s go.” Sage put a hand on my elbow, but I brushed her off.
I was wanting a fight. I needed to fight. To let out this anger bubbling inside me and prove to myself that I wasn’t some damsel in distress. I could rescue myself—and my friend while I was at it—if the situation called for it.
The dude stepped closer, and like a knee-jerk reaction, I tossed my full drink in his face and watched his eyes flash red as the beer dripped down his now-hardened expression, the bottle shattering at his feet.
“What the fuck, bitch!”
I raised my arms, about to push him, when a strong arm wrapped around my middle, lifting me off my feet, pulling me back against his hard chest. I immediately started flailing, my legs kicking and arms swinging.
I wanted to hit this asshole in his ugly mug.
I wanted to kick and punch whoever was brave enough to hold me back.
No one should ever fucking hold me back.