CHAPTER EIGHT
G irls’ night at the Tipsy Cow was, surprisingly, a good time. Bella hadn’t known what to expect, but she’d had a feeling there would at least be a few Luke questions. But so far, nothing. No interrogation.
The only time Luke had come up in conversation was when Rachel weirdly asked her if he called her anything unusual. When Bella had shared that on occasion he called her angel , Rachel had simply smiled. Other than a few exchanged looks between the women, that had been that. End of conversation. And Bella had to admit, she was relieved.
It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed a night out and even longer since she’d been surrounded by women. Nice ones at that. Libby, Cat, and Rachel were her brand of crazy. They were friendly, funny, and smart. And they also just so happened to like whiskey and dancing almost as much as her.
“Okay, ladies, I hope you’re thirsty.” A tray of shots clattered down on the table, a mischievous glint in Cat’s bright blue eyes as she unloaded the tray and placed shot glasses in front of each of them. “Remember ... lick it, slam it, suck it.”
Cat and Bella giggled while Rachel and Libby pushed at their friends’ arms.
“If you start talking about you and Cody’s sex life again, I’m leaving,” Rachel declared.
Cat evidently had no filter. Combine that with her love of shocking the hell out of people, and you find out way more about a woman you only met three hours ago than you were expecting. Or prepared for.
“Oh please.” Cat flicked her sleek black hair over one shoulder. “Like you and Hunter aren’t going at it like rabbits twenty-four-seven. Besides, one of the perks of girls’ night is when the guys have to come pick us up ... literally. Both of you would be lying if you said the whole ‘caveman carrying you out of here’ thing wasn’t a huge turn-on.”
Bella was saying nothing. It probably wasn’t the best idea to mention that Luke had already carried her out of the Tipsy Cow once, and Cat was right, it was a huge turn-on.
She totally saw the smug smirks on Rachel and Libby’s faces though. They loved it.
“Don’t worry, Bella,” Cat went on. “If you need to be carried outta here too, we’ve totally got you covered.”
“Yeah, with Hunter being the resident Hulk, he’d totally be able to carry you and Rachel at the same time.” Libby informed her while Rachel nodded enthusiastically.
“I think Luke mentioned he might pick me up.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Especially when she got a look at the women’s faces.
Damnit. Why did I say that?
Whiskey was making her lips loose.
“Really?” Rachel’s eyes widened.
“Uh, yeah, I think so.”
Too late for nonchalance now!
No one said anything after that. It was so quiet, Bella started to fidget on her stool. Just one look at their faces and she knew they were holding back, biting their lips and not saying what they wanted to say. Not asking what they wanted to ask. Of course Cat was the one who looked like she was in the most pain.
Bella rolled her eyes. “Okay, go on, you can say it. If only for Cat’s health. She looks like she’s one second away from exploding all over the place.”
Surprisingly, Rachel was the one to crack first, grabbing hold of Bella’s arm and shaking her as she spoke. “I’m sorry, sugar, it’s just that we don’t wanna scare you off with our excitement.”
She was pretty damn excited all right. “And why exactly are you all so excited?”
“Because it’s Luke,” Cat said before downing her shot.
“He’s never, like ever , introduced us or any of the guys to a woman. Let alone publicly shown any sort of affection for one,” Libby added.
“And we’re not just talking about that kiss he laid on you the other day.” Rachel grinned. “I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
“Let’s not forget when he went full-on Neanderthal and carried her out of here too.” Cat smirked. “Cody pulled that shit on me as well when I went on a date with Wade. He stormed into Casalingo, threw me over his shoulder, and stormed back out. It was kinda hot.”
“You dated Wade?” Bella cocked her head in question. It was hard to imagine. Also, does everyone know about the bar thing?
“Nope.” She popped her lips. “Didn’t make it past the breadsticks portion of date number one.”
Poor Wade.
“Anyway,” Rachel brought them back to the topic at hand, “we can all tell he likes you, that’s all. And now that we’ve had a chance to get to know you, we can all see why. Just don’t hurt him, okay? He may come across as tough and like he doesn’t give a shit about anyone or anything ... but it’s all an act. Deep down, he’s a teddy bear.”
Cat and Libby nodded in agreement while Bella found herself smiling. Luke really wasn’t fooling anyone with the giant wall he’d erected around himself. Wade wasn’t even friends with him, and he knew the man was, in his words, “soft as shit,” and here these women were too, referring to him as a teddy bear.
“You don’t have to worry about me hurting him. If anything, I think I’m the only one in danger of getting hurt.” When she noticed the concern marring their faces, Bella was quick to explain. “Look, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I don’t like Luke. I do. But I’ve only known him a week, and as you guys seem to be all too aware ... the man doesn’t do relationships. So ... whatever happens between us, it’s not going to go anywhere. And I need to remember that. Maybe tattoo it on my face.”
Only Cat seemed to enjoy Bella’s sarcasm. The others looked like they’d just found out Santa Claus wasn’t real.
“Okay, I think I need to dance now,” Bella declared, downing her shot and pushing up from the tall wooden top table.
“Yes!” Cat concurred and followed her to the dance floor.
Bella couldn’t take any more sad looks. She’d had enough sad to last her a lifetime. She needed to forget. That’s what whiskey was for. And dancing. No more sad. No more pain. Just music and distant memories.
***
B ella felt Luke’s presence before she’d even seen him. Like the last time she’d been on this very dance floor, she felt his eyes on her. Tonight was no different. When she finally decided to look up, her feelings were confirmed.
Luke was leaning against the bar. Big arms crossed. Giving her a look so intense that she was surprised she hadn’t yet burst into flames.
Maybe drinking all night wasn’t the best idea.
Granted, her control around this man when she was sober wasn’t the greatest, but with half a bottle of whiskey in her system, what hope did she have?
Her first test came when those muscley arms uncrossed and he began stalking toward her. A massive gulp that followed didn’t exactly fill her with confidence for what was to come. She needed a distraction. If only to get these damn heart palpitations under control.
As usual, he stepped into her space, dipped his head, and breathed her in, his brown eyes melting to black as he ran them down her dress. But she wasn’t going to get lost in him this time. Not yet. She had an idea. Picking up one of his hands, she placed it on her waist. She then proceeded to do the same with his other hand. Once she was done, she dared a glance up. He looked no less wild.
“Dance with me?” She ignored the liquid heat filling her belly.
“Is that what you want, angel, just a dance?” His deep rumble was enough to cause a goosebump breakout along her arms.
That can’t be good.
Letting her palms rest on his hard chest, she began to move her hips. They were going to dance. She was not going to flirt with him. And she definitely wasn’t going to kiss him.
It only took one minute for her to realize that this was not a very good idea after all. Actually, it was a terrible idea.
Dumb, drunken brain.
Not only were they now touching, but they were so close that other body parts were too. Body parts that had no business being in close contact together. And with nowhere to look but into his dark eyes, back were the palpitations.
“If you keep looking at me like that, sweetheart, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to continue being a gentleman.”
“This is you being a gentleman?” she teased.
“This is me not tearing that sexy as fuck dress off with my teeth, so yeah, like a said ... gentleman.” His eyes never left hers. He must have noticed her quiver. There was no chance she would be able to hide anything from him right now.
“You want to tear my dress off with your teeth?”
Shut up. Stop talking. What the hell are you saying?
A devilish smile graced his lips. “You like that idea, huh?”
She couldn’t look at him anymore. Dropping her head, she chose to focus on their feet instead. It was the perfect time to remind herself of her plan. No flirting. No kissing. Platonic dancing only.
Yes, because all platonic dance partners tell you they want to tear your dress off with their teeth.
He wasn’t having any of it. Lifting one hand, she found it under her chin a second later, one big knuckle nudging her up until she was facing him again.
“Don’t hide from me, angel. Never hide from me.” The vehemence in his voice only made her damn uncooperative body more excited. “You want me to stop talking, you tell me, okay? And I’ll always stop. I swear. You need to know that I would never purposely do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable. Ever.”
That’s why he thinks I’m hiding?
“That’s not ... I’m not uncomfortable. That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” She couldn’t stand the look of uncertainty creasing his brow.
“I-I ...” Her voice had gone quiet. “I like what you’re saying to me.”
His crooked smile stretched so wide she was worried for a moment it would hit his ears. “Yeah?”
She nodded. His ego had received enough words for today.
“Goddamnit, woman, if you weren’t so full of whiskey right now, I’d show you that there was a whole hell of a lot more of where that came from.”
Wait. Something clicked. She didn’t have to worry about succumbing to his seduction tonight. A man like Luke would never take advantage of her inebriated state. He probably wouldn’t even kiss her. Suddenly, she felt more relaxed.
“Take me home, Luke,” she beamed, wrapping her hands around his neck and clinging on.
With a bend of his knees, she was airborne in no time, folding her legs around Luke’s waist and drowning in deep brown.
***
W hen she asked Luke to take her home, what she meant was her home. The guest cabin at the Evans ranch. What she didn’t mean was “Luke, take me back to your house and lay me in your bed,” which was exactly where she woke up. Not that she protested last night. As a matter of fact, despite the haze and the slight pounding of her head, she was beginning to remember that she was the one who got into his bed. And possibly insisted he get into it too. There may have even been begging.
It was a memory that was only getting clearer and more horrifying as she groaned into the pillow.
Why would whiskey betray me like that?!
Thank God she was alone. She was embarrassed enough. The last thing she needed was Luke having a front-row seat to smudged eye makeup and bad breath.
Just the thought of what a hot mess she probably was, was enough to drag her face from the pillow. She immediately saw a note on the nightstand, next to a tall glass of water and what looked to be a pack of painkillers.
Congratulations, you really outdid yourself this time, Bella.
She tutted to herself as she reached for the note, not bothering to sit up. She needed the covers to hide her shame for just a little bit longer.
Went to grab us breakfast, angel, be back soon.
Shit. She needed to make herself human before he returned. Which could be any moment. The thought was enough to propel her out of bed and into his bathroom.
I wonder if Luke will mind if I use his shower. And his shower products. Maybe steal a T-shirt?
There was only one way to find out.