Chapter 15
15
ZARA
“E xactly, look at where it got you”—he winks at me—“here with me.” I look down at him with his cocky grin and sexy-ass fucking face, and I’m torn between kissing the shit out of him or sitting on it.
“That might not be a good thing,” I admit to him. He just glares at me and doesn’t say anything else because the sound of car doors has us looking over.
“Come on, get down,” he tells me, holding out his hand for me. “Time to meet the girls.”
“Meet the girls?” I repeat his words, but he grabs my hand and helps me down.
“Whatever they say about me,” he mumbles, “it’s half true. There are always three sides to the story.” I can’t help but laugh at how nervous he is.
“Hey.” I see three girls coming into the fenced arena. Two blondes and one with black hair, just like Gabriel. “Finally, she is out of the house.” She smiles at me, and I see she has green eyes. “I’m Aubrey,” she says, “this lunkhead’s sister.” She motions with her head toward Gabriel.
“Hi,” I reply, reaching in to hug her, “I take it Sofia called you.”
“She did,” she confirms, letting me go. “She called the three of us.”
“I’m Talia,” one of the blondes says to me. “My mother is Amelia.”
“Oh, I can see the resemblance now,” I say.
“I’m Kasey Leigh,” the other blonde says. “Chelsea is my mother. We’ve come to save you from the beast.” She points at Gabriel.
“Oh, here we go,” he huffs, and I try not to laugh at him as he rolls his eyes and looks away.
“Before these two start bickering, as always,” Talia remarks, “we are here to invite you out.”
“Invite me out?” I reply at the same time Gabriel groans. “Does that mean the same thing it means in the city?”
“It does,” Kasey Leigh confirms. “We are hitting the town tonight.”
“No fucking way,” Gabriel snaps. “You go out tonight. You do it at my bar.”
I turn to look at him as if to say oh no you did not . “Excuse me?”
“Ohhh,” Kasey Leigh chirps, “I love her.”
“You guys go out, you do it at the bar or not at all.” Gabriel leaves zero room for anyone to say anything. “I’m going to put Fireball away, and then I’ll take you home.”
“Fine by me,” Aubrey states. “Means I don’t have to pay for anything.”
“We’ll take her home,” Talia counters. “Give you a break.”
I see Gabriel wants to say something, but he just lifts his chin. “See you guys tonight,” he says, looking straight at me. “Don’t fuck around. I find out you guys went somewhere else, I’ll come and get you.” He turns on his heel and walks back to the barn, and I feel bad I didn’t say goodbye to Fireball.
“Will you guys give me a minute?” I hold up one finger before running back into the barn and watching Gabriel or, better yet, watching his ass as he walks. “Hey,” I say as he looks over his shoulder, “I didn’t say goodbye.” His mouth goes into a big smile as he takes off his cowboy hat, leaning down to give me a kiss. “I mean to Fireball.” I move past him toward her. “Thank you for today, Fireball.” I rub her neck. “I will never, ever forget it.” She nudges my hand with her muzzle. “I’ll see if I can come back and see you soon.” I swear I think she smiles at me. “Now, I’m going.” I turn to walk away from him when he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me back to him.
“I wasn’t kidding,” he whispers, or maybe it’s a growl, in my ear. “Your ass is in my bar tonight.”
His tone leaves me pissed and wet at the same time. “Actually, let me come and find you.” He chuckles, but the sound gives me goose bumps. “I haven’t turned your ass red yet.”
“My gut is telling me to let you find me.” I look back over my shoulder at him.
“Your gut also is telling you to let me drag you into the back room and fuck you until you forget your own name.” It’s like he can read my thoughts. “But my sister is out there, and you don’t want them to know about this thing between us, so I’m going to let you go.” He lets me go, but not before adding the last two words. “For now.”
I turn to face him. “See you tonight, Cowboy.” I wink at him and turn on my way but stop. “Or maybe not.” Holding up my hand, I wiggle my fingers. “Byeee,” I sing and walk out of the barn, listening to him growl.
I don’t have to go far because the girls have moved their truck closer to the barn. “Thank you so much for waiting,” I tell them, getting into the truck. By the time they drop me off, I can’t wait for them to pick me up. Thankfully, we went out to eat before I got home since there is literally nothing left in my fridge. I really have to hit up the grocery store tomorrow.
I rummage through the clothes I brought, but nothing screams country bar, so I take out my black jeans—that I know I look fabulous in—and a black silk spaghetti-strap top that is tight and goes into a V, so you can’t wear a bra. It shows a bit of cleavage, but it’s tight enough that nothing is going to come out. I look through all my shoes, pulling out the pair of leopard sky-highs I threw in there last minute. I even laughed at myself when I did it.
I put the shoes on the bed, going to the bathroom and put on a touch of mascara, looking at the color on my face that I got from riding the horse today. If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be standing in this bathroom, excited about going to a country bar, I would have told you that you were nuts. Two weeks ago, I was engaged to a man who I thought I loved with everything I had, but walking away from him was so easy that I have to ask myself, did you really love him or were you just going with it? This past week has me question a lot of my life. It made me see, no matter what I did, there was nothing that was going to change what Daniel did. Fuck, he didn’t even stop fucking her when we were together. He asked me to marry him while he still fucked her. It was a hard pill to swallow, but I’m not beating myself up over it. It’s his cross to bear and not mine.
I apply my lip gloss before touching up my hair and heading back to the bedroom to grab my shoes and the black leather jacket I brought with me. I’m waiting downstairs when the phone rings, and I see it’s Zoey.
“Hey there,” I greet, putting the phone on speaker.
“Hey,” she says, “I was just shutting my computer for the night, and I thought I would call and see what you’ve been up to.”
“I’m getting ready to go out.” I proudly state that I’m not sitting alone in the dark, curled up in a ball, crying over the disaster that is my life.
“Going out for the night?” She’s as shocked as I am.
“I am. The girls came by while I was horseback riding.”
“Horseback riding?” she yells. “When did you start that?”
“Today, and I have to say, it was one of the best times I’ve ever had.” I go on to tell her all about Fireball and how I rode her without anyone, and I sound like I did when I started riding a two-wheel bike.
“You sound so happy,” she finally says. “Like I thought for sure you would, I don’t know.”
“Should I be this happy, though?” I ponder. “Maybe it’ll hit me once I get back to the city.”
“I don’t know.”
“I slept with that guy,” I admit to her, “again.”
“Excuse me, what? You went back to the bar?”
“No.” I laugh. “He sort of came here because he’s Sofia’s cousin.”
“Shut your face!” she gasps. “You’re fucking lying.”
“Nope.” I proceed to tell her the whole story about seeing him at the Christmas fair and then locking myself out and him showing up here.
“He’s got a child?” Of course, she picks up on that.
“He does. Colson,” I tell her. “I think he’s like eight, maybe. I have no idea.”
“And he’s not with the mom?”
“Not from what he said, and I’m sure when Sofia found out I slept with him, she would have said something.” My voice trails off. “Do you think it’s strange I’ve had sex with someone else two weeks after breaking off my engagement?” I ask her, and she bursts out laughing.
“I got married to a guy I barely knew two weeks after I broke up with Josh. Best thing I ever did.”
The sound of the horn makes me look toward the door. “Okay, well, I have to go. My ride is here.”
“I bet you’ll be riding something else tonight.”
“No way.” I shake my head. “That would not be good at all.”
“How’s the sex?” she asks. “And hurry up.”
“Sorry, I have to go,” I tease her, and she groans, “but he’s like a bat. Love you.” I disconnect before she asks me other things I don’t want to share with her right now. Which is sort of strange because we share everything.
There is a knock on the door as I slide my heels on, and I pull open the door. “Hey, I’m ready, just need my purse.” I turn to see Aubrey standing there dressed in blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a sweater.
“Oh my God,” she says, “you look like you are going to a biker bar and not a country bar.” I stop in my tracks and look down at my outfit.
“Should I change?” I really hope she says no, or else I’ll be going in tights.
“No.” She snickers. “It’s going to be a good night.” She grabs my hand and pulls me out.
“Can you even walk in those shoes?” Kasey Leigh asks me when I get into the back seat.
“I’m from New York,” I pfft, “I could run in these things.”
“I’m so happy I came out tonight,” Talia cheers, clapping her hands. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
They sing along to the song on the radio, and we pull up to the bar. I notice the parking lot is full. “I’m going to drop you guys off at the front and park in the back,” Aubrey says. “I’ll come in the back door. I have the key.”
“Are you sure?” I ask her as I open the door to step out.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll meet you at the bar, and we can do shots.”
“How are you getting home?” I ask her. “If you want, I can be the DD.”
“Nah.” She shakes her head. “Worst case, I can get Gabriel to drive us home.” Just his name gives me butterflies, but I ignore them and nod.
I walk around the truck seeing Kasey Leigh and Talia wearing the same thing Aubrey is wearing, “Okay, you go in first.” They point at me.
“Fine.” I take a deep inhale. “It’s not like people aren’t going to know I’m not from here.” I pull open the same door I pulled when I came here the first time, but when I step inside, it’s totally different.
This time, it’s jam-packed. The pool tables have people all around them. All the tables are taken, and people are standing around. Every barstool is full, and there are people between them lining up at the bar. I spot Gabriel right away; he’s leaning on the bar with one hand, listening to whatever the person is ordering when his eyes turn to look at the door.
He literally checks me out from top to toe. His eyes light up, and his jaw looks like it gets tight. “Let’s go to the bar,” Talia says, walking in front of me, and eyes and heads are turning as we make our way over to the bar. Talia goes around to the empty side of the bar and pulls out three barstools. “These are for family only.”
“Did you guys get the drinks?” Aubrey asks when she joins us.
“We just sat down,” Kasey Leigh says and then groans. “My brother is here.”
“Great,” Talia says. “Charlie must be right by him with his friends.” I look around to see who they’re talking about when I see a group of guys making their way over to me.
“What can I get you guys?” The bartender comes over, and I’m a little disappointed it’s not Gabriel, who is working the other side of the bar.
“We’re doing shots,” Aubrey announces. “Give us eight lemon drops.” I see she’s standing, so I offer her my stool, standing beside her, leaning into the bar.
“We’ll take some too,” a man’s voice says, and I turn my head.
“JB, go away,” Talia says.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” JB says, coming to lean on the bar beside me. “I saw you earlier before Gabriel took you away from us.” He smirks at me. “I’m JB.” He holds out his hand for me, so I turn to shake it.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Zara,” I tell him, and I look into his brown eyes.
“Let me buy you a drink.” He pushes up, and when I turn to the side, I’m taken aback by Gabriel being there, looking at us. “Can I get a drink for the lady?”
“No,” he snaps while the other bartender puts the shots down for us. The girls clap their hands.
“Here you go,” Aubrey says, handing me a shot, and I want to laugh when Gabriel glares at JB, then turns his glare on Aubrey and then me.
“Cheers.” I hold up the shot. “To making friends.” The other girls all cheer with me, and I take the shot while I look into Gabriel’s eyes. I shrug the jacket off me and fold it, putting it on the bar.
“Sooo, how long are you here for?” JB asks me but then looks behind him when someone comes, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Hey,” the guy says, then turns to smile at me. He’s got brown hair and light eyes. “You’re Zara. My sister is married to Caine. Zoey just married his brother, Nash.”
“Oh, I love her. We had so much fun with her on the family vacation last year,” I reply, grabbing a drink that is put in my hand. “She’s so sweet.”
“Grace, sweet?” He shakes his head. “She almost shot me in the foot one time because I told her pink was not a real color.”
I take a sip of the drink and can feel his eyes on me, so I turn my head his way and see him rushing to get drinks but keeping one eye on me.
“Well, she was sweet as pie to me,” I counter, and both of them laugh at me. I look over to see the girls talking to a couple of people they know. I turn my head to see Gabriel moving back and forth, serving drinks. He somehow swapped with the other guy because now he’s near us.
“You going to be in town long?” JB asks, getting a touch closer to me. “If you are, I’d love to show you around.”
I’m about to tell him I’m not really in the headspace to date, but thank you when I feel a hand grip my wrist, and I look up into Gabriel’s eyes.
“If you’ll excuse us.” He doesn’t even give JB a chance to say anything or me, for that matter.
He zigzags his way to the back, where he opens the door and pulls me in, before shutting the door and pressing my back into it. “What in the hell are you wearing?” He steps into me, and my hands go to his hips. The smell of his woodsy musk makes my mouth water.
“Is that how you say hello, Cowboy?” I move my hands up to his chest, feeling the soft cotton under my fingers. “I thought you Southerners were more polite than that.” I put my head back, egging him on. “And to answer your question, I’m wearing jeans and a top.”
“The top doesn’t cover anything,” he accuses me, his finger going under the strap and moving it down my arm. “One move and this can happen.” He pushes it down so my breast is out, and before I can say anything, he bends his head and pulls my nipple into his mouth. Then he moves his head up and kisses the ever-loving shit out of me. The sound of people coming and going from the bathroom right outside the office sounds like it’s far, far away. “Fuck,” he groans when he lets my mouth go. “If I slide my hand in your pants, how wet will you be for me?”
He licks his lips, and I lean forward, taking his bottom lip between my teeth. “You should check that for yourself.” Who even am I right now? I’ve never, ever been this carried away when it came to someone else. He unbuttons the top of my jeans with one hand while he puts the other hand over my head against the door. The sound of our breathing drowns out all the noise from outside. He quickly slides the zipper down, and when he does, he puts his palm on the hem of my shirt, bunching it up, before he places it flat on my stomach for a second before sliding into my pants.
My legs open so he can have access to me. “You are fucking soaking.” His finger slides into me. “Tell me, Sweetheart, who are you wet for?” His hand is constricted, so he can’t pull out like he wants to. He growls before pulling his finger out of me and gripping my pants at my hips to pull them down just under my ass. “That’s better.” He moves my panties to the side before sliding his finger back into me. “Yeah,” he breathes in. “Fucking tight,” he notes as he slides another finger into me. “Was thinking about you all night.” He pulls out and then rams back in. “Watching the door every fucking second, waiting for you to arrive.” He bites my chin. “My whole body was on alert, waiting to see you walk in the door.” He fucks me with two fingers while his thumb plays with my clit. “Then when you did, I felt like my cock was going to fucking choke. All I could think of was bending you over that fucking stool and slamming my cock into you over and fucking over again.” His tongue slides into my mouth as he finger-fucks me in his office when there is a whole bar full of people, and I couldn’t care fucking less.
“Gabriel,” I moan, and he chuckles.
“Be quiet, Sweetheart.” He nips my earlobe. “No one gets to hear you moan my name but me.” I move my hips to meet his thrusts, wishing I could open my legs more. “You are dripping down my hand. Tell me who you're wet for,” he growls. “Say who makes you this wet.”
“You,” I pant. “Only you.” I close my eyes as my pussy comes all over his fingers.
“That’s right, Sweetheart, only me,” he says, moving in and out so fast that I have to bite down on my bottom lip or I’ll fucking scream. That’s how good this is. By the time he lets me go, I swear I’m panting as if I just finished an hour of spin class. He slides his fingers out of me, bringing his hand up. “Taste yourself on me.” He rubs his wet fingers that were just inside me on my lower lip. “Taste how good you taste.” I take his fingers between my teeth before sucking them both into my mouth. I suck his fingers like I would suck his cock, my tongue twirling over them until there is nothing left. “Not fair,” he says before he takes his fingers out of my mouth and kisses me, sucking my tongue into his mouth. “You are going to be on my tongue all night long.” I try to focus on his words, but my eyes are on his lips. “When you look down the bar tonight and see me licking my lips, it’ll be me licking your taste off my lips.” He moves my panties back in place before pulling my pants back up and buttoning them. I tuck my shirt back in. “Don’t make plans tomorrow,” he tells me. “I’m taking you out.”
“Is that so?” I retort. “I’ll agree to that under one condition.” He looks at me while my hand comes up to cup his cock, which is harder than ever, rubbing my palm over it up and down. “Come home with me tonight.”