CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Haden
The last damn place I ever expected to end up at tonight was ladies’ night—Sangria Sunday—at the Horse and Barrel.
But when Cassie’s words started coming through with some drunken mistakes, and she was firing off banter about finding some prick with a motorcycle to go home with, I decided to text Cole and feel him out.
We made small talk for a few minutes about his upcoming wedding on the ranch and last night’s hockey game before he let it slip that he was picking up Ginger at the bar.
I told him I had to head to town anyway and would meet him there for a beer.
He thought nothing of it—it’s something we used to do before he attached himself at the hip to Ginger Danforth.
But now that I’m here, watching the drunken little princess’ hips swaying on the dance floor while she sings every single lyric to every single song that’s played, I’m questioning whether I’m here to inflict torture on myself.
As I watch the way her jeans hug her heart-shaped ass and thighs, and the way her perfect tits fill out that white ribbed t-shirt, I know there’s not a chance in hell she’s going home with anyone but me.
“So, you gonna tell me what you’re really doing here?” Cole asks as he sips his beer with a grin. His eyes stay fixed on Ginger.
“Just felt like getting out. Cabin fever.”
“Uh-huh. And it has nothing to do with the blonde residing in the cabin next door who just happens to be here too?”
I shrug but say nothing.
“I’m not Wade. I don’t give a fuck what you do. Cassie seems like she’s going through something, but so long as your intentions are good, I say do what makes you happy.”
I turn to face him and a wide grin breaks out on my face.
“When did you get so whimsical?” I ask Cole as we watch the girls reach our table.
“Since he finally understood what pure bliss feels like,” Ginger says as she approaches, not missing a beat.
She sits down on Cole’s lap, and he places his hand on her thigh.
Olivia has stopped at another table to talk to a regular in here, and Cassie takes a seat right beside me.
She’s panting a little from dancing and a thin veil of sweat makes the column of her throat glisten.
Her scent fills my nose, and the feel of her thigh against me has my skin tingling like I’m a schoolboy.
“So you were in the neighborhood?” she asks me, picking up her drink and taking a sip while her gaze pins me in place.
“Just happened to be coming by,” I answer, raising my beer bottle to my lips.
She leans in closer to me, her juicy lips inches from mine. The sweet, torturous scent of peaches and sangria. She could fucking bottle that and make millions.
“You bring your black truck to take me home in, Cowboy?”
“Fuck sakes,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Looks like I got here just in time.”
“Is that a yes?” she asks, trying her best to be sexy. She’s drunk, so the way she exaggeratedly licks her lips shouldn’t be sexy, but somehow it still fucking is.
“Yeah, I’m gonna take you home. You live next door and I’m taking you to your home. You’re gonna get some sleep and tomorrow you’re gonna feel like shit.”
“What do you mean? We’re not going to have a redo of last fall?” Her pout almost makes me choke on my beer, I look over at Cole, who’s grinning like the smug prick he is. Fuck me.
Cassie makes a pfft sound. “Don’t worry, Ginger knows. Her and Olivia are my new best friends.”
“How much did she drink?” I ask Ginger, who just laughs at my grim expression.
“Oh come on, Cowboy, don’t be such a prude. It was just sex. Good sex.” She uses her first finger to tap me on the nose. She actually says “boop” as she does it.
“Chrissakes,” I mutter as Cole leans over.
“Good thing you were just in the neighborhood. I assume you’ve got her? I’m taking this one home.” He kisses Ginger on the lips. “Someone is gonna be hungover in homeroom tomorrow.”
“It’s fine,” Ginger slurs, waving Cole off. “We’re watching Romeo and Juliet tomorrow. I thought this through.” She points to her temple.
“That’s because you’re the queen of everything!
” Cassie tells her. They high-five each other and Cole and I catch each other’s eye.
I can’t help it when he cracks a smile; I start laughing.
These girls are pissed out of their trees and in serious need of some water and their beds.
Olivia saunters back over to the table and, when Cole and I tell them all the bar is about to close, all three of them boo at us.
We manage to get the girls outside and firmly planted in vehicles, despite their drunken ramblings and laughter. Cassie is in the front seat of my truck and Ginger and Olivia tell Cole they’ll only get into his if he promises to stop for french fries on the way home.
Cole and I shut the doors to our vehicles and turn to face each other.
“At least you only have one of them,” he says with a chuckle. He claps me on the shoulder. “Have fun getting that one into bed. And try not to fall into it with her,” he adds as I turn to see Cassie dancing wildly to the radio she just turned up.
Fucking hell. This should be fun.
“You’re in dad mode,” Cassie giggles as we start cruising.
“You have to be careful,” I bite out, keeping my eyes fixed on the dark country road back to the ranch.
“Calm down, Daddy, I won’t dance myself to death.”
“I don’t mean the dancing. I mean the trying to get me to take you home with me. Not all the men around here will make sure you get home safe, if you know what I mean.”
Cassie adjusts her seatbelt so she can turn to me.
“Awww, are you jealous, Cowboy?”
I side-eye her. She’s got her arms folded across her chest and she’s leaning back against the glass of the passenger-side door with a fuck me look on her face.
“Like I said, I was making sure you were safe.”
“Bullshit,” she says, her tone coaxing. “You weren’t just in the area. You came to see me. You wanted to come see me.”
I turn down the driveway to the ranch and, when I don’t answer, she keeps on pushing.
“I think you think about that night just like I do.”
“It’s a memory, so yeah I’ve thought about it,” I offer, doing my best to just placate her until I can get her into her cabin and close the door safely behind her.
“I think about it a lot.” She snickers as she turns up the radio. “You are really good at sex, you know. Where did you learn?”
I let out a deep chuckle as I pull up to her cabin. “Fucking alcohol.”
“You must have studied somewhere. Either that, or you had way too much of it before me.”
“Right. Well, you’re clearly good and drunk. Let’s get you inside.”
I hop out of the truck and make my way to the other side to let her out.
“I am drunk.” She starts laughing as she moves to get out. “Just ignore everything I say tonight, okay, baby?” There’s a newfound twang in her voice, and she tweaks my chin as her boots hit the snowy ground. The moment they do, she stumbles and almost completely eats it.
I don’t hesitate, because it’s freezing and she’s in a t-shirt. I pick her up like I’m about to carry her over the damn threshold as I make the short walk from the truck to her door. She snuggles right into me and sighs as I climb the old wooden steps.
“Haden?” she whispers, her long hair trailing over my forearm.
“Yeah?” I ask, looking down at her as we reach her door.
“This is how we met.” She looks up at me with a soft, pretty smile. Time stands still as I take in the moonlight on her face, and the way her pulse thrums in her throat. She’s so fucking close it physically hurts not to close the space between us and claim her lips with my own.
“You want to kiss me, don’t ya?” she asks in a tone that snaps me right out of my trance.
As much as I want to kiss her, the only reason she wants to kiss me is because she’s had way too much sangria.
She starts to laugh as I grunt but say nothing, pushing her door open and setting her gently down on the sofa.
I need to get away from her, but there’s no way I can leave her like this.
Cassie pulls her boots off, making throaty little moans as she does, and kicks them to the corner.
She stands with ease now and stalks toward me, and I remain frozen to the floor as she approaches with that same fuck me look from earlier.
Only this time she pulls her t-shirt right off over her head.
“This isn’t happening, Cassie,” I warn, averting my gaze. I pick up her shirt and attempt to cover her.
“I know.” She smirks. “Relax. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before. I’m going to get my pajamas on, so you can leave.”
“Like hell. If I leave now, you’re likely to end up going for an evening stroll and landing yourself in the creek.”
“Well then, if you’re staying, you can keep me company.”
She’s backing up and unbuckling her jeans as she turns and saunters down the hall, and I realize this is the universe testing me.
Testing me and punishing me for all the one-night stands I’ve had over the years.
All the times I was with a woman just once when she wanted more.
Now the only woman I’ve wanted in months, I can’t have.
Even when she’s tearing off every piece of clothing right in front of me.