CHAPTER 4 #2
She caught that lip between her teeth until the pink flesh blanched white, and the movement struck me like a hook snagging deep beneath my ribs.
It tore through old scar tissue, and a familiar pain climbed up from my gut like wildfire, scorching through my chest before settling into the hollow of my throat.
Because I remembered that look. I had been the one to carve it into her expression so long ago.
Her shoulders stiffened as she lifted her chin and finally released her lip. One blink, and the vulnerability was gone. When her gaze found mine again, it burned with anger that seemed to simmer beneath her skin.
She was fire, and I was fucking drowning in her.
I exhaled slowly, grateful for her anger. It was the only part of her I knew I could handle.
I half expected her to storm over to our table, to put me in my place before I even had a chance to speak, but the Blaire standing at the bar wasn’t the same one who’d left. I could still see that recklessness in her eyes, could practically taste her desire to act on it, but she held back.
She took a deep breath, her chest visibly rising and falling before she blinked slowly, as if clearing away the remnants of that girl. She turned back toward Maggie, an easy smile slipping back onto her lips, and she didn’t spare me another glance.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
The bartender slid shot glasses across the bar, and she didn’t hesitate. She gripped the glass overflowing with clear liquid, tipped it back, and swallowed without so much as a flinch. And then she grabbed the next.
She threw it back hard and fast like the liquor could burn the memory of me off her tongue.
Good fucking luck, sweetheart.
I forced myself to look away from her as our server dropped a bucket of beer on our table. I grabbed one, twisted off the cap, and brought it to my lips before McCoy could mutter, “Thanks, Haley.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled, her eyes meeting mine, and I should have thought about how pretty she was. I should have returned her smile or done anything other than take a swig of my beer and look past her to find Blaire.
I’d known Haley since high school. I’d flirted with her at this very bar where she’d served for years, but that was as far as it had ever gone. She’d have to give me a pass for being an asshole tonight. She didn’t deserve it, but it was all I had to offer.
“Can we go ahead and get another bucket?” McCoy asked with a wink that brought Haley’s smile back to life.
She shifted her weight to one leg, her stance practically an invitation that would’ve drawn any man’s eye to the curve of her body, but I was too busy glancing back over to the bar. “Anything for you three.”
I dropped my gaze to the scuffed toe of my boots, tapping my fingers against my beer bottle as she walked away. “I think I’m going to head out.”
“What?” Hunter’s brow furrowed as he reached for the bucket, ice clinking as he fished out a beer. “You never come out anymore.”
“For good reason,” I said, meeting his stare.
“Of course it’s for a good reason,” McCoy cut in, nudging my knee beneath the table. “I think what Hunter’s trying to say is maybe you should finish your beer, stop glaring at the bar, and try to relax.”
“Exactly.” Hunter shrugged, but I didn’t miss the way he tried to hide his smirk. “Plus, there’s no way we’re letting you walk out of here right now looking like a lovesick puppy over a girl you haven’t seen in years.”
“Such a good brother.” I raised my beer in a salute, and he grinned.
“All I’m saying is that you don’t want her to see you leave just because she walked in.”
Heat crawled up my neck, settling below my hairline. I knew coming out tonight was a bad idea. I should have been at home. I should have been with Ruby where I belonged.
“She doesn’t matter,” I lied. “We’ve got a herd to move in the morning, and then Ruby and I have plans.”
McCoy made a scoffing sound, arms crossing as a shit-eating grin stretched across his face.
One that made me want to knock his head into the table.
“Please. If that was my ex, I’d be on my knees barking like a damn dog.
I know you’ve been staring, but did you actually see her?
” He let out a low whistle that turned half the bar in our direction. “She’s only gotten hotter with time.”
“I fucking hate you both.” I drained the rest of my beer while their laughter echoed around me.
Assholes.
Two of my favorite people in the world, but still assholes.
“You love us, and you know it,” McCoy said as he grabbed another beer from the bucket and placed it in front of me.
“Do I?” I dragged my thumb across the label but left the bottle untouched.
I already felt out of control, and more alcohol would only make the situation worse.
“Because I was thinking about giving the ranch hands the day off from cleaning the horse stalls tomorrow. Looks like you two need something to do with your free time.”
McCoy rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, boss.”
“Are you ever going to let us start calling you daddy instead of boss?” Hunter batted his eyelashes at me. “You’ve been running the ranch for over five years now. I think it’s about time.”
“It’s weird for you to have a daddy kink over a man you share a father with,” I said.
McCoy chuckled, grinning like the devil. “He has a point.” He took a long pull from his beer, then added, “Still, I bet Blaire wouldn’t mind calling you daddy.”
I shot him a glare. “I swear to God, if you say her name again?—”
“Relax,” McCoy said, still grinning. “We’re not the ones you should be worried about.”
He tipped his chin toward the bar, and I followed his gaze to where some wannabe cowboy I didn’t recognize leaned against it, far too close to Blaire.
His belt buckle caught the light, all shine and no scuffs, and the brim of his hat curved in that perfect factory arc you only get from a box, not rain or sweat or sun.
He leaned in, saying something near her ear, and Blaire shifted back enough to put a little space between them. Her fingers tightened on the empty shot glass in her hand, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him.
I clenched my jaw until my molars ached.
“Okay, for real, man. You need to relax,” McCoy muttered beside me, his voice dropping to the same low warning tone he used on a spooked horse. His hand clamped over my forearm where the muscle had gone rigid.
My throat locked tight as she tilted her head up to the jackass with an almost shy smile playing on her lips.
“Aw, hell,” Hunter groaned, dragging a hand over his face. “This is gonna be bad.”
The music shifted to another slow song, and the bastard moved in closer, splaying his hand across her hip like he owned it.
Her spine went rigid. She caught his wrist, pried his fingers off her like she’d done it a hundred times before, then pressed her empty shot glass into his palm with a forced smile.
Whatever she said made him chuckle, but he still leaned forward, his face hovering near the curve of her neck like he was breathing her in.
I wanted to get the hell out of here, and I would have if it weren’t for the way her eyes found mine over his shoulder.
“Colt,” McCoy warned, his grip tightening on my arm. “Don’t.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I muttered, though my eyes never left her.
She smiled up at him again, nodding at whatever bullshit he was feeding her. Then his hand slid back to her hip, his thumb brushing along the hem of her shirt, and her eyes snapped back to mine like they always had, like some part of her still knew I’d be the one to get her out of it.
Something in my chest went tight, old instincts flaring hotter than the alcohol burning in my gut. I shoved my chair back, the legs scraping against the scuffed floor, and I cut through the small crowd without a second thought.
Blaire tracked me as I closed the distance, her lips parting on a sharp inhale. Her eyes darted toward the exit, fingers twitching at her sides like she was calculating the fastest way out.
She said something low to the cowboy, stepping back just enough to pass for polite, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t give a damn. His hand still hovered over her hip, then slid lower.
Then he took off his hat, spinning it between his fingers before aiming it toward her head like he planned to set it right on top of her auburn hair.
My vision tunneled, and I caught his wrist.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said, low and edged with warning.
“What the hell?” he snarled, yanking against my grip. “Get your hand off me, you son of a bitch.”
Up close, I placed him. He was one of the new summer hands over on Warner Ranch. I’d seen him around a few times, and when he looked up to see exactly who he called a son of a bitch, he froze.
Smart.
I released his wrist and stepped closer to Blaire, instinct drawing me in until she had to tilt her chin to meet my gaze. Whiskey brown eyes flecked with gold, same as they’d always been, hit me like a punch to the gut. All those years hadn’t dulled a damn thing about them.
She blinked, glanced past me, then back. “What the hell are you doing, Calloway?”
Calloway. That was new. She’d called my brother that plenty of times, but never me. I’d always been Colt, and never in that flat, guarded tone she used now.
“Blaire,” I drawled, letting her name roll off my tongue like my spine wasn’t locked tight just standing this close.
“Didn’t realize this one was yours,” the cowboy said, squaring his shoulders like he was trying to look dangerous.
I didn’t answer. I was too busy watching her.
Blaire’s fingers curled around the edge of the bar, her body edging back an inch. “I’m not his.” Each word was clipped, but there was a small tremor in her voice.
The cowboy slid in closer, dipping his head between us as he stuck out a hand. “You’re Colt, right?” His breath reeked of whiskey. “You took over Calloway Ranch from your dad.”
My neck was tight, but I refused to look over at him. “The one and only.”
Blaire scoffed, and it was like looking at the girl I used to know.
“You slumming it tonight?” I asked her as I nodded my head toward him. “Don’t you have a fiancé somewhere?”
I glanced around the bar like I was looking for him, though I knew damn well she came here alone. A flicker of something crossed her eyes, pain or maybe regret, before her nostrils flared and a flush crept up her throat.
She leaned in enough for the scent of strawberries with the slightest hint of coconut to hit me, familiar and intoxicating. Her right hand moved over her left, the movement almost unconscious, but my gaze caught on it, drawn to the bare finger she tried to hide.
“Is that why you came over here?” she asked, her voice edged in sarcasm. “To protect the honor of some man you’ve never met?”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Nobody can protect a man from you, Strawberry. I know that better than most.”
Her shoulders tightened, and a sharp breath slipped past her lips.
“It’s been years, Colt,” she said, slightly breathless as her chest rose and fell. “You don’t know shit about me anymore.”
I stepped in until there was no space left, the brim of my hat casting her face in shadow. I could still feel the cowboy lingering nearby, watching like an idiot.
“I know you, Blaire,” I murmured, my voice low and gritty. “It doesn’t matter how hard I tried to forget.”
Her hands curled into fists before loosening again. Her right hand rose an inch before she forced it back down, and I almost wished she’d slap me.
It would’ve been easier than this slow, steady burn that was eating me alive.
Blaire lifted her chin, her throat working as she swallowed, then she took a step back, but all it did was make me want to close the distance.
“Relax, Calloway.” Her smile was pure sugar laced with poison. “Wouldn’t want you straining yourself. Take your hero complex elsewhere. I’m perfectly fine over here.”
“Calloway, really?” I dragged my hand over my jaw, feeling the rough scratch of stubble. “Did you forget my name that easily? I figured it’d take you longer to forget about me. Or is that how you handled your fiancé too?”
Her eyes widened, pain flickering once more before she smothered it, and I watched the spark of the Blaire I knew fade right in front of me. I wished I could take back every damn word I’d just said.
“Don’t flatter yourself.” The corners of her mouth lifted back into a smile, but it never touched her eyes. “You’re not that hard to forget.”
We both knew that was a lie, but if she wanted to pretend, I’d let her.
“Keep tellin’ yourself that, Strawberry.” I tipped my hat, flashing her the laziest grin I could manage. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, a real fire sparking in her eyes for the first time since she walked in.
I held her gaze, memorizing every shift in her expression and every subtle change that the years had caused before I forced myself to look away.
The cowboy was still there, still waiting.
I should have told him she was all his. I should have walked away, let them dance, and let her leave this bar with him and make whatever mistakes she wanted.
But my mouth had other plans. “Put your hands on her again, and I’ll fucking break them.”
I watched fear fill his eyes. His gaze flicked back and forth between me and Blaire before it settled back on me. Then I tipped my hat at him before I walked away.
I didn’t look back. I didn’t have to. I could feel her eyes on me, her anger burning beneath my skin as I made my way back to my table.
If I wasn’t careful, Blaire Monroe was gonna finish what she started all those years ago, and there’d be nothing left of me when she did.