32. Holden
HOLDEN
The second Sage walks into Silver Pony, I swear every man’s head turns.
Not subtly either. Actual heads lifting over beer bottles and pool cues.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter as Taryn and I follow her in.
Considering the amount of time we’ve spent together over the past few weeks, I would’ve expected my self-control around her to be better by now.
But apparently, all the late nights on my porch, early mornings in my bed, and increasingly frequent family dinners where she chats and laughs with my dad and siblings have only made things worse.
And now every idiot in this bar who’s looking at her suddenly feels like a personal problem.
Taryn glances sideways at me. “What?”
“Nothing.”
But hell, maybe agreeing to another night out was a mistake.
Sage’s dark hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, catching the low amber light from the bar as it cascades down her spine. Her denim shorts cup her ass and leave way too much bare skin on display, while her little lace-up top stops just above the waistband.
I’m starting to think she dressed that way to test my self-control.
At the bar, Allie points at me. “Look who came back voluntarily.”
I force a smile and dip my chin.
She shakes her head with a little grin, then turns to Sage. “Nice to see another repeat customer.”
“Your mojitos are convincing,” Sage says.
Allie laughs. “Damn right they are.”
A couple of guys squeeze in next to Sage, and instinct takes over before I can stop it, my hand finding its way to the small of her back, guiding her closer to me. The sliver of warm skin against my palm tempts me to glide my fingers beneath the hem of her top.
She goes still for half a second, lips parting, eyes flicking to mine.
My pulse kicks up, and I drop my hand before anybody catches it lingering there.
“So mojitos for you ladies,” Allie says, then points at the rest of us. “Beer?”
Chance leans against the bar beside me. “Whatever’s on tap.”
With a nod, she’s gone.
River wanders toward the pool tables to say hello to friends while Quinn dives into a conversation with a guy from the feed store. I shift closer to Sage while we wait for drinks, mostly because the bar’s crowded.
At least that’s what I tell myself.
She glances up at me. “Are you okay?”
“You’re wearing that outfit in public,” I murmur. “So not really.”
She laughs softly.
Allie slides the mojitos over, making sure Taryn gets the virgin one. As Sage takes a sip of hers, I can’t focus on anything but her pink lips. If I were to kiss her now, she’d taste of mint and lime.
Fucking intoxicating.
Once we’ve all been served, the girls follow my brothers to a booth at the back.
Before long, the place is even busier and louder, and I’m glad we claimed the booth when we did. Country music rolls out of the jukebox as pool balls crack behind us and hoots and hollers ring out from the dance floor.
Sage sits beside me, sipping her second mojito. Under the table, her bare thigh presses against mine, and I breathe in her honeysuckle scent every time she shifts closer. And she keeps shifting closer, even with everyone around us. Like she can’t help it either.
She laughs at River as he tells a story, but as soon as he moves on, she drops her attention to her lap, her smile slipping.
She’s been off for the last week. Not pulling back, just quieter at times. Distracted. As if she’s got something on her mind. Every time I notice it, tension builds at the base of my neck. I don’t like not knowing what’s going on with her. But I’ve asked, and she always smiles and brushes it off.
Half the time, the conversation ends with us tangled up in bed or making out behind the barn like damn teenagers.
Sage glances sideways, catching me watching her. “What?”
I take another drink and shake my head. Now I’m the one pretending I’m perfectly fine. But here and now, surrounded by my family, isn’t the time to push for answers.
Her eyes narrow slightly. “You’re doing the forehead thing again.”
“What forehead thing?”
“The broody cowboy forehead thing.”
I frown at her. “I don’t have a broody forehead.”
River snorts into his beer. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
The corners of my mouth twitch, even though I’m doing my best to glare at him.
He holds up one hand. “Man, you walked into that one all by yourself.”
Sage bites her lip, smiling down at her drink. And hell, if that little smirk doesn’t make me want to take her somewhere to see if I can make her moan for me instead.
Before I can figure out how to do that, a new song plays from the jukebox, and Taryn leaps to her feet, eyes sparkling and finger pointed at Sage. “This is my favorite. Come dance with me?”
Sage scrunches her nose and squints at the lines forming on the dance floor, then lets out a breath and nods. “Okay.”
After one more sip of her drink, she stands and squeezes past me. It takes effort to tear my gaze away from her barely concealed ass, and I have to clench my fists to keep from touching her.
Watching the woman I can’t seem to get enough of dance in front of me is its own brand of torture, especially when she’s surrounded by men and I can’t do a damn thing about it.
At least being with Taryn gives her a little bit of a buffer. No man here is stupid enough to get too close to the youngest McBride, particularly with four of her five brothers sitting right here.
Still, the guys surrounding her are a lot closer than I am.
I grip my beer bottle a little too tightly, transfixed by the way she moves. The flash of her bright smile as she spins and claps along with Taryn, occasionally throwing her head back in laughter, sets my heart slamming so hard in my chest I swear I get lightheaded.
This right here. This is it. The feeling of finally having something I never even knew I wanted. My family around me. My girl on the dance floor, having fun. The knowledge that later tonight, I’ll bury myself in her and make her cry out my name.
It’s all so damn real I can taste it.
The music changes again, the song slower this time. Not full country-ballad slow, but sedate enough to entice more couples to drift toward the dance floor.
Taryn glowers in the direction of the jukebox, then rolls her eyes and moves toward the edge of the dance floor.
Before Sage can follow her, a man I recognize as one of the Ashlands’ ranch hands steps into her path, grinning as he nods toward the couples gathering.
Taryn smiles and shrugs at Sage, as if encouraging her to stay and dance.
There’s only so much a man can take.
I’m out of my seat and striding toward them, past caring how it might look.
Behind me, Chance calls out, “About time.” But I ignore him.
The ranch hand doesn’t miss my approach; his brows shoot up as I close the distance. Sage follows his gaze over her shoulder, her lips parting and her eyes widening. “This dance is already taken,” I growl at the man.
He releases her, raising both hands. “All good, McBride.”
As he disappears into the crowd, my entire focus narrows on the woman in front of me. Her head is tilted, her hands on her hips, and she’s regarding me with arched brows.
“Don’t say anything.” My hands come to rest at her waist as I tug her to me.
She wets her lips, then nods, draping her arms over my shoulders, fingers curling lightly against the back of my neck as we start moving with the music. With her face tipped up to mine, she smiles. “I didn’t know you danced.”
“I don’t.”
“Oh.” Her teeth press into her bottom lip, even as the corners of her mouth curl up.
We’re too close for public, nowhere near close enough for me. But she’s letting me hold her like this, surrounded by the whole town. And fuck if I haven’t moved from not wanting to hide what we’re doing to wanting everyone here to know she’s mine.
“Sage…” But I can’t find the words.
For a heartbeat, her smile falters, the way it did before. “There it is again,” I mutter.
She tilts her head. “What?”
“That thing you keep doing.”
Her brows knit. “You’re going to need to be more specific.”
“You keep… going somewhere.”
She gives her head a slight shake. I wait for her to brush it off again, but she tightens her hold on my neck, and her throat bobs as she swallows.
“I’m fine, I promise.”
I study her, my hands sliding higher against her ribs. Protective, possessive. “You can tell me.”
Her eyes soften, and this time her smile doesn’t waver. “I know. But I’m okay.”
The knots in my muscles ease, though I don’t know whether I believe her or I’ve just accepted she doesn’t want to tell me. I tug her closer, and she lets out a soft sigh. And because I apparently have no self-control left when it comes to her, I lean in, my mouth brushing her ear.
“You know how badly I want to throw you over my shoulder and take you home right now?”
Her breath catches. “That’s not helping.”
“Wasn’t trying to help.”
She laughs, and over her head, I catch Gage Ashland watching us from the pool table. Should’ve known. If an Ashland ranch hand is here, at least one of the Ashlands probably is too. Now that I’ve seen him, it doesn’t take long to spot Levi and Tessa in the crowd nearby.
I narrow my eyes. But as long as they keep to themselves, there won’t be any trouble. It doesn’t always turn out that way, but it’s how we’ve been handling things for years.
After pinning Gage with a look until he turns away, I refocus on Sage, turning my back to anyone watching from the sidelines, including my family. Then I slip my thumbs under her top, brushing back and forth over her warm skin.
Her tongue darts out, wetting her lips. “What are you doing?”
Need coils in my gut, tight and hot. “Imagining how I’m gonna undo the laces on this flimsy little top later.”
She hums, eyes sweeping my face. “And what will you do after that?”
Fuck if she isn’t playing with me now. I dip my head and lower my voice. “I’ll strip those shorts off you, pull your panties to the side, and fuck you with my tongue.”
Pupils flaring, she breathes out a laugh. “I can get on board with that.”