CHAPTER 5 #2
I could still feel the phantom weight of his hands tangled in my hair as we lay beneath the stars, still hear the words he’d breathed against my collarbone when he thought I was asleep.
The memory of his gaze, tender and reverent like I was something precious, burned behind my eyelids.
Whatever label he wanted to slap on it now couldn’t erase what we’d been.
I had been in love with him, and this whole town had called me his girl.
Hunter snorted. “Not a couple? Buddy, you carved y’all’s initials in the tree by Mom and Dad’s house. Y’all were joined at the hip from junior year through the summer she left.”
“Honestly, even before then,” McCoy muttered into his beer.
Hunter chuckled as he reached for a beer out of the ice bucket, twisting the top off and sliding it in front of Maggie without a word.
“I think I forgot how insufferable y’all are,” I shot back, reaching for my beer. The bottle was lighter than I expected, and the fizz went down smoother than it should have. My limbs felt loose and my head a little floaty.
“Insufferable is generous for these three,” Maggie teased as she leaned against me. “I’m not sure what the word for them is.”
“Hey.” Hunter pouted, his gaze flicking between me and Maggie before it finally landed on her. “I’m not that bad.”
“It’s a group project kind of thing.” I twirled my finger in a circle, motioning among the three of them. “It doesn’t matter how fun you are, Hunter. You all have been a group for a long time, and you’re evaluated on your group’s performance.”
McCoy laughed, and even Colt’s mouth twitched like he was trying not to smile.
“Well, maybe I should join y’all’s group instead.” Hunter moved his chair closer to Maggie’s, but she quickly raised her foot, pressing her boot against his seat between his legs to stop him.
“We’re currently closed to new members.” Maggie grinned, and Hunter pressed his hand to his chest as if she’d wounded him.
“You two met today.”
“Right.” Maggie nodded. “And now we’re closed.”
I laughed as another round of beers appeared. I blinked up at the girl I knew from high school. “Hi, Haley.”
“Blaire! Wow.” Haley looked me over. “How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Good.” She nodded, but then she turned in Colt’s direction and lingered.
I reached for another beer, letting the alcohol ease my tension as the others started talking. Hunter and Maggie teased one another while McCoy threw in comments here and there that had me laughing.
Colt said nothing, but his silence felt louder than the laughter around us.
I tried my hardest not to look in his direction, staring at my beer label until the edges frayed beneath my fingernail.
His cologne drifted across the table every time he shifted in his seat, and I swore I could feel the heat radiating from his body even though he sat just beyond arm’s reach.
By the time I finished my beer, the room was hazy, the music was too loud, and my skin was flushed warm.
That’s when Colt stood. His chair scraped back, and his shadow fell over me. He plucked the bottle from my hand and set it firmly on the table.
I tipped my chin up to look at him. “What if I wasn’t done with that?”
“You’re done.” His voice was low and final, and his eyes lingered on my mouth long enough to make me wet my lips with my tongue. “Come on. I’m taking you and Maggie home.”
“Maggie drove,” I argued, leaning back farther in my seat, like maybe that small amount of distance would keep him from noticing how fast my pulse was beating.
“And she’s had too much to drink.” His gaze slid to my friend before landing right back on me. “You both have.”
I folded my arms across my chest, the wooden chair back pressing into my spine as I tilted my face up to meet his gaze. “I don’t need a babysitter, Colt.”
“Are we back to Colt now?” He leaned closer, one hand resting on the back of my chair and the other bracing against the table in front of me. “Are we done with the formalities?”
Hunter whistled low. “Man, some things never change.”
“Shut up, Hunter.” Colt didn’t even look his way. His knuckles grazed my shoulder absently, and heat bloomed beneath my skin, a slow burn that traveled down my spine and pooled low in my belly.
My body reacted to him before my brain could catch up, years of muscle memory responding to the way his focus was locked entirely on me, his body hovering so close to mine that I caught the faint scent of leather.
“I’m not ready to go.”
“You’ve had enough.” His words came softer, but they held an edge of command that sent a shiver down my spine. “I’ve got work on the ranch in the morning, and I’m not leaving you two here without a ride.”
“I can handle myself.” I let my gaze roam over his face and that stupid, slutty mustache that he didn’t have before. It was a mustache that turned a smart, sensible woman into a fool. “You realize I’ve been doing just that since I left, right?”
“I’m well aware, Blaire.” His gaze dropped to my mouth for the briefest second before locking on mine again. “But you’re back in my town now, and I’m not leaving you here while you’re drunk and every other man in this bar can’t keep their eyes off you.”
“Maybe I like their attention.”
His jaw flexed, a muscle ticking in his cheek. He leaned in closer, his knuckles brushing against my bare skin, deliberate this time. “Is attention what you’re looking for?” His voice was low and rough. “You know you can always tell me what it is you need.”
Heat shot through me, my pulse stuttering, and I sucked in a sharp breath as memories crashed over me.
“Get up, Blaire.” His mouth curved into a dangerous smile that made my stomach ache in a way it hadn’t in a very long time. “Or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of this place. Your choice. Do you want the whole town talking about how I carried you out of here tomorrow?”
“Kiss my ass, cowboy.” I held his stare, willing myself not to move, not to give him the satisfaction.
But he smiled as his fingers ghosted over my skin, something in his expression told me he wasn’t bluffing.
The Colt I used to know would do exactly as he threatened, because protecting me had always been the one thing he took too seriously.
With a deep exhale, I leaned forward, closing the distance between us until I could feel his warm breath against my lips. “Fine, but only because I want Maggie to get home safely.”
Colt’s laugh was low and far too smug as he stepped back enough to let me stand. I grabbed Maggie’s hand, pulling her to her feet as she giggled, and Colt jerked his chin toward the exit.
“You good?” he asked McCoy and Hunter.
“Yeah,” McCoy said, gaze flicking between us. “Good night, ladies.”
“I’m coming with you.” Hunter threw down some cash on the table before standing and trailing after us.
Colt’s hand hovered over the small of my back as he guided us toward the door, and even though he didn’t touch me, I could feel myself burning beneath his hand.
I should’ve pulled away. Instead, I foolishly let the whole bar watch me walk out with Colt Calloway.