Chapter 14
He stood on the front porch, nerves crawling up his forearms. He didn’t know why. Other than the fact that he was head over fucking heels for this girl, and he wanted tonight to be perfect. He wanted to take her out, spin her around, and hold her on his shoulder when a slow song came on.
It was her face that kept him up at night, her laugh and her smile. It was the taste of her damn lips, is what it was. He reached out, opening the screen door that led into the kitchen at Silo Springs. He didn’t have to look around because there she stood, right in front of him—in all her finest cowgirl princess glory.
“Hey…” she breathed with a smile.
Was this woman real life? Of all the women he’d gone out with—there really hadn’t been many, but even so—he’d never been as awestruck dumb as he felt right now.
“You’re beautiful. So damn beautiful—you’re blinding me, sugar.”
He meant it. He felt completely transparent in the moment. No guard—just plain vulnerable. She was blushing under his stare as he moved toward her, flowers in hand.
“Stop it. You’re just being nice to me.” Her smile was sweet and flirty. She lifted her fingers and grazed them down the middle of his torso, reaching his big belt buckle and giving it a wiggle. He was wearing his usual black T-shirt and Wrangler jeans. Justin tipped his bearded chin, his eyes locking with her dusty green ones. “You don’t look so bad yourself, cowboy. I like that you still chose to wear that hat backwards. A cowboy one just wouldn’t have suited.”
When she bit her lip, he felt his dick twitch. This woman would put him six feet under and fast if he didn’t start moving things along with her. He needed to up the pace. She took the flowers from him and laid them on the wooden table. Justin reached for her hand.
“Are you alone right now?”
“Yeah. Chris took the girls out to dinner so I could shower and get ready in peace.”
He could smell the fruity notes of her shampoo and whatever she was wearing for scent. It swirled around them. If he was a weaker man, he would push her up against a wall and ask her a series of seductive questions before taking her mouth and devouring her like he wanted to.
But instead, Justin held her hands in his and raised one to his lips. “Are you ready to go?”
The lights coming off the dance hall were shining through the windshield as Justin put his truck in park. He reached over and hooked a finger under Blythe’s chin, turning her face and bringing it closer to his. He moved forward, close enough that his nose was almost touching hers.
“This is going to be fun. Wait right here. I’m coming around for you.”
He turned, jumped out of his side, closed the door, and jogged around the front of the truck. She was beaming when he opened her door and put his hands on her waist. He lifted her out and placed her feet gently onto the blacktop. He could hear the country music coming from inside the building as he saw a look fade over her face.
“What's wrong, sugar?”
“Nothing, just nerves. This is going to be great. I’m letting go tonight and letting my hair down.”
He smiled, squeezed her hand, and walked them up to the door—pulling it open. There was a live band and a bar off to one side. He could see the regular townspeople and noticed a few idiots from his younger years. Robby Denton was his least favorite. The guy was notorious for bangin’ and leaving ‘em hangin’—never the same girl twice. He had to be outsourcing at this point, pulling women from all the surrounding areas.
Justin shoved his disdain to the back of his mind and refocused on Blythe. He knew her instincts were telling her to hide when he felt her pull towards a row of chairs lined up against a wall.
“Oh, no you don’t…” He winked and pulled her to his chest. Then he quoted a movie he’d seen once as a whisper in her ear.
“Dancing is just a conversation between two people—talk to me.” He watched as she dropped her chin and smiled. He started to move his feet and pulled her out into the middle of the dance floor. The band was singing “Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban. He started with a simple two-step motion to build her confidence. When he felt like she was ready, he spun her out and under his arm.
He held both of her hands in his and lifted them high above her head as she continued to spin. He led her in circles around his body as she spun in fluid motions while he stepped and turned around her, too. Justin meant what he said when he’d told her he could country swing her into next week. In his younger years, the bunk boys used to go out on the weekends. And when they did, he went with them. They would drink, and he would dance with any woman willing to let him practice with her.
Blythe was tiny in comparison to his height. She was like a fairy dancing around him. He lifted her by the waist and guided her to wrap her legs around his hips, then dipped her. At one point, she slowly dragged her hand over his belt as she moved around him. When she was right where he wanted her, directly behind him, he put his arms back to stop her. Justin bent his knees, lining his hips up with hers. He pressed his pockets to her front and swung his ass left and right—dragging her skirt with him as he did.
He heard her laugh as she started swinging her hips back and forth with his. He turned to see her, and the smile she wore was intoxicating. She was a siren, and he felt his resolve waning. He could take hold of her pretty little face and devour her right there, in the middle of the dance floor.
He almost did. He loved seeing her like this.
Walls? What walls? In the moment, she seemed completely free from whatever hurt the Chicago douche had put her through. But, ultimately, he knew she wasn’t—and he desperately wanted to be the one to fix that.
When the song ended, the room clapped for the band. The lead singer announced they would be taking a break, and the jukebox would be playing for a little while. Dammit—she was delicious. They were both mildly out of breath, and her chest had a light coating of sweat that looked more like glitter underneath the lights. He knew he could dip his head down, run his tongue over her skin and taste the salt there. The way she pulled him in was like a drug. Though, the consequence of succumbing to temptation wouldn’t get him any closer to her—that much was true. So he gazed down at her instead, soaking in her smile.
“I haven’t felt this lighthearted in years.” She reached up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thanks for bringing me out tonight. I needed this more than you know.”
Her eyes were soft and sincere, and Justin tilted his head forward. “Blythe, I…” He was cut off by a petite blonde waving and hollering his name from across the room. Blythe let go of his neck and stepped back as the woman ran up to him, her drink spilling over the side of her glass and onto the floor as she moved.
“Justin! It’s been such a long time, how have you been?” She practically crooned the words, reaching out and placing her palm on his chest as she smiled ear to ear.
“Hey, Honey… I’ve been doing just fine. Work is always busy, you know how that is. Life of a farrier, always on the go.” He gave her a courtesy chuckle, then turned to introduce Blythe, so they could get past the pleasantries and get the hell away from her. But as he shifted to where he thought she was standing, she was gone.
He looked around the room trying to find her, finally spotting her at a bar stool with a short glass in front of her. She wasn’t old enough to drink, was she?
“Nice to see you again, Honey, but the gorgeous redhead I came with has moved over there, and I need to join her.” He nodded and wished her a good night. A million thoughts went through his mind as he walked over to the bar. He didn’t know what to say. She was an adult—just not one who could partake in adult beverages yet.
He slid onto the stool next to her, placing his hand at the small of her back. “I didn’t think you were twenty-one, yet?”
“I’m not. It's water, Justin.” Her tone was annoyed. “But I turn twenty-one in November, and I have had alcohol before. I’m not a child.” She paused. “And why were you calling the blonde Honey ?”
Justin used his other hand, spinning her to face him. “Her name is Honey, and I’m sorry—I personally don’t drink, and when I saw the glass in front of you, I just assumed. My dad turned into a monster when he did it, and I’ve never touched the stuff.”
“Shit. No, I am the one who’s sorry.” She cupped his bearded cheek with the palm of her hand. “I didn’t mean to be so short with you…”
“Honey is an old acquaintance, nothing more. We went out one time, and that was the end of it. You’re the only woman I’ve ever cooked for, remember?” A faint chuckle left his chest. “You’re the first woman I’ve wanted more than a single date with.” He brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He paused a moment before reaching down, wrapping his fingers around each leg of her bar stool, and jerking it between his knees. It was time.
“I’m done messing around. I’ve been wanting to do this for weeks. The first time was to prove a point, but this time—I’m doing it right. I’m gonna kiss you, the way a first kiss is supposed to be. And I don’t care if we’re in a crowded room full of people.” One side of his mouth grinned, knowing, without a doubt, the look on her face was screaming for him to do it—egging him on, even more.
Justin moved forward, his lips brushing softly against hers. They parted, and he grabbed her bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth as she let out a quiet moan. He willed himself not to growl because—fuck—that moan. It was innocent and involuntary. He’d never been drunk before, but, hell, kissing Blythe was probably what it felt like.
Their kiss deepened as he let his tongue slip in to graze hers. She tasted so damn good . He hadn’t been able to savor her the last time, and this was better than he could’ve imagined. For all that he was, he wished he could drown in her. His strong hands brushed their way up her arms, over her shoulders, and stopped under her curls at the back of her neck—his thumbs resting at her jaw.
He told himself, even if he didn’t care who was watching, they were in public, and he’d kissed her long enough. But she was like water to him, and it was damn near impossible to stop when he was so thirsty. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? The strength he was using to remain calm and gentle with her? He pulled her in closer, giving himself a moment to muster one final ounce of strength to let go. He willed himself to pull back and gazed into her dusty green eyes for what felt like the millionth time since he’d picked her up that night.
“When I gave you that nickname, I didn’t know you’d taste like sugar, too…” He grinned, his tongue gliding over his bottom lip, then he winked. “Wanna dance to a slow song?”