Chapter 5
Being at this bar tonight feels like the beginning of a fresh start. A new and exciting chapter in my life. I can’t remember when I last felt so calm in a room full of people.
The last time I felt so alive.
Kit is not happy that I rode with him tonight, but I didn’t want to risk bringing my truck into town too soon… to risk being found when I’d only just arrived. But for a man who acted like he wanted nothing to do with me, he sure did stare at me a lot.
Besides the fact that we had a staring contest, which I won, his body was constantly betraying him. He could try to hide the gleam in his eyes or the way his tongue darts out when I frustrate him, but it gave him away every damn time.
And I have to admit that tonight I’m staring at him, too.
Black ink covers his muscular left forearm—a mountainous scene displaying a river flowing through snowy mountains with dense pine trees and an elk woven into the design. Aspen Hollow, perhaps? I never would have guessed that boring and uptight Kit Harlow had tattoos.
But then again, I never would’ve guessed that he listened to hot rocker music, or that he would literally consider knocking out his cousin because he wanted the first dance. He’s a surprising man, to say the least. I wonder if he has tattoos anywhere else…
“Stop looking at me like that,” he snaps, breaking me out of my daze.
“Like what?” I smile sweetly.
“Like that. Stop it.”
My front teeth graze my bottom lip. “Why? What are you going to do about it?”
My pulse accelerates. Half-afraid that I’m pushing him too hard. That he’ll shove me away or say something cruel, but instead, his gaze softens, roaming to my mouth, catching me completely off guard. “Do you want me to do something about it?” he challenges.
I’m surprised my pulse hasn’t burst out of my veins. “Well, I—I…” Fuck. Yes. No. I cannot think of a clear answer with those striking blue eyes staring into mine. “What would you do exactly?”
The slightest of smiles crosses his face. “Look, let’s just talk about something else.”
I loose a breath, adjusting my arms around his neck. “So, you and your cousin are close,” I tease.
“Did you want to dance with Cash?” he fires back, narrowing his eyes, nearly hidden under his navy ballcap.
Okay, so he really doesn’t like him.
“Not particularly,” I smile innocently. There’s just something about him I couldn’t trust… especially after he tried to grab me and force me to dance.
“How’d you know who he was?” he asks, skeptical.
“I know lots of things about Lone Pine.”
He stares at me incredulously.
“I’m a massive fan.” A fan who may have a photo of you tucked away in her bedroom for certain occasions. The thought makes my smile turn into a smirk.
He snorts. “Well, whatever you’ve heard. Cash isn’t all that the media makes him out to be.”
Cash’s name hasn’t been in any of the newspapers I’ve seen in quite some time. The last article I read mentioning his name was years ago, which is interesting considering he’s next in line. You’d think there would be more about him.
“So… what about you and Alaska?” I ask a few moments later, unable to stop thinking about my first encounter with her. She was stunning, exotic in a way that unnerved me. And a vet? Beauty aside, she had to be wicked smart, too. Everything about her made me feel small.
But why didn’t she like me? I’ve never had many girlfriends, but her grip on my hand was way more threatening than it should’ve been.
And she did not like it when I touched him.
“What about me and Alaska?” He narrows his eyes.
“Did you guys… date?”
“No, we did not. And no, the child she’s carrying is not mine.”
Child? I glance at Alaska sitting next to Ryker, noticing her cradling a small bump. Why didn’t I notice it before?
“I’ve been here all ten minutes, and everyone seems to think I’m the asshole who knocked her up and left. I didn’t do that, and I would never fucking do that. Is that clear enough for you?”
Damn, he’s touchy about this particular subject.
“I didn’t even realize she was pregnant until you just told me,” I defend. The rigid lines in his face dissolve. “I’m only trying to figure you out.”
“Why?” He asks, softer than I thought he would.
“I want to get to know you,” I admit.
He pauses, tongue darting out to wet his lips. A softness lingers in his expression, but then his eyes darken. “There’s nothing to get to know.”
But I disagree with him. I reach for his ballcap, turning it around to be able to see him more clearly.
“Hey,” he protests. “What—”
“There. Now I can actually see you when you talk to me.”
The light from the rustic chandeliers reflects soft light into his eyes, making them look even bluer. Damn, does he realize how handsome he is? And I’m a total sucker for a backwards ballcap. I grin like a fiend at my handi-work.
His chest reverberates with a rough groan, but he leaves his hat alone. “Better?” he mutters.
“Much,” I smile brightly.
“You have trouble with boundaries, don’t you?”
“I’m what you call a wildflower.”
He huffs a laugh. “Is that what you call it?”
I shrug with a smirk. The whiff of pine and mint fills my nose as we sway side to side.
The strength of his shoulders feels good beneath my arms. Solid and warm.
He might be a grumpy pain in the ass, but there’s a steadiness that wraps around me as we dance.
As his hands gently cradle me. My lip between my teeth is like a tether to my self-control when all I want to do is lean in closer.
A feeling that both scares and excites me.
His breath starts to stagger, and I wonder if he feels the pull between us.
“Do you think…” I pause, collecting my words against my roaring pulse. “Do you think there’s maybe even a small part of you that wanted to dance with me tonight?” Hoping that he can just admit that he likes me, even a little bit.
“Not even a little.”
God, he can be such an ass. “Well then, why didn’t you just let me dance with Cash?” My nostrils flare.
“He’s bad news.”
“And you’re not?” I challenge.
He stares at me for a moment, darting from my eyes to my lips, sending my pulse racing. “I would never hurt you the way that he hurts women.”
My heart stumbles. A rush of warmth fills me, rushing to my cheeks.
“And besides, we had a deal. Remember?”
I nod, unable to speak, replaying his words in my head.
I would never hurt you the way that he hurts women.
There’s some part of me that believes him, although I’m not entirely convinced, or ready to trust that this man standing in front of me wouldn’t hurt me. Men normally started out nice, but after a while, they turned into something mean. The only man I could ever count on is my brother, Jaxson.
“Why’d you move to Aspen Hollow?” he asks softly, pulling me from my thoughts.
I move my hands down, resting them on his chest. “To start a new life.” To escape my past and leave all the horror behind. “I needed a fresh start,” I admit after a breath.
His face softens at my truth.
“I heard that you moved back here two years ago from California. Why?”
“Who told you that?” he asks with an edge to his voice.
“People talk on the ranch,” I shrug, not wanting to sell out Blake’s honesty with me. He’s the only friend I have here. “Why’d you come back?” I ask, pushing him to answer.
Kit sighs with a pause, drifting his steady gaze along my face. “To start a new life,” he murmurs, but that sad look in his eyes tells me there’s more to it.
“Well, it looks like we have something in common after all, Cowboy,” I smile.
“About the only thing it seems,” he frowns at me.
“Besides our mutual disdain towards one another.”
“There is that,” he agrees.
I glance at the sleeve on his left forearm. “And the fact that we both have tattoos.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” he says dryly. “Barbed wire? A tramp stamp that says rockstar?”
“That’s cute,” I glare at him. “But no.”
He stares at me for a moment, darting his gaze to my chest. “How many do you have?”
“How many do you have?” I turn the question back.
He rolls his tongue. “Three,” he says to my surprise. “Including my sleeve, which I’m counting as one.”
I smile. “One.”
“Only one?” He seems surprised.
I shrug. “Yup.” But he doesn’t seem convinced. “Do you want to know where it is, Cowboy?” I slyly smile at him.
Hot blush creeps into his cheeks. “No, I do not,” his voice catches in his throat.
“Yes, you do,” I challenge.
He sighs, looking annoyed. “Fine. Where?”
Well, he gave in easily. I’m starting to think that he can’t resist a challenge. It seems to be a soft point woven into the threads of his personality. I smirk at him, but I have no intention of answering his question. That’s a secret he’d be lucky to figure out.
“Forget it. I don’t want to know.”
I laugh, but he totally does. The spark in his eyes and the blush in his cheeks give him away every time.
“You wouldn’t change your mind,” he murmurs after a moment. “Dancing with me,” he clarifies.
“Is that what you’re thinking about?”
“I don’t have to think about it. I know it’s true.”
He’s trying so hard to be gruff and unfazed, but the emotion dancing in his eyes tells me otherwise. “Whatever you say, Cowboy.”
His rough sigh vibrates between us. “You’re really annoying, you know that?”
I throw my hair over my shoulder. “I’m a one of a kind.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Moments later, his strong body finally relaxes under my hands.
The lights around the room seem to dim as I lose myself in the song and the woman’s unique voice floating around the room.
I’m going to need to buy all of her albums after this.
Everything about the way she sings and plays the guitar speaks to my soul.
His hand around my waist tightens ever so slightly, and I lean in, following his gentle but firm touch. He smells like minty aftershave and something woodsy that warms me to my core. A smell I’d love to bury my face in. His breath staggers, and everything around us disappears.
Just for a moment, I wonder if maybe he doesn’t hate me as much as he lets on. Perhaps this hatred for me is something else entirely—heat. I wonder if his body is burning for me in the same way that mine aches for him...
But, of course, then the song ends.
The singer announces that she’s taking a short break, and everyone on the dance floor starts to disperse. Except Kit doesn’t immediately release me like I thought he would.
Does he realize that the song has ended?
“Thank you… for dancing,” I mumble.
He nods, slowly taking away the warmth of his arms, calloused fingers grazing along my hip. “Anything for some damn peace and quiet,” he smiles, whispering in my ear before he strides away, making quick distance with those long legs of his.
I laugh, biting my lip. Shamelessly watching him, gawking at how good his ass looks in his blue jeans… wait a damn minute. Did he just smile?
Kit smiled!
I replay the image over and over again, smiling at the vision of Kit Harlow’s genuine smile branded in my mind. Still standing on the dance floor like a dazed moron when a woman’s voice chimes from behind me.
“Hey, are you alright?”
I turn, finding the singer from the stage smiling at me. Silver glitter sparkles on her cheekbones, bringing attention to her eyes—the most beautiful shade of seafoam green.
“Yes, I’m good.” Just sexualizing my hard-ass neighbor.
“I’m Averie,” she offers her hand for mine.
“Sadie.” I take her delicate hand, feeling awestruck by this gorgeous woman standing in front of me. “I—I really enjoyed your singing. You have such a beautiful voice. I can’t wait to listen to more of your music.” Do I sound like an idiot? Because I feel like one.
“Aw, thank you. You’re so sweet.” Averie’s voice is soft and high, like a songbird.
Shiny light blonde hair cascades down to her pierced belly button, past a tight jean corset paired with a white skirt and thigh-high tan boots.
She’s probably the hottest girl I’ve ever met.
“I absolutely adore your boots,” she points at my pastel blue boots.
“Oh, thank you.” My cheeks fill with warmth. “They’re my favorite pair.” I point to her stomach. “I like your belly button piercing.”
“Thanks, it’s new,” she shimmies, showing off the sparkly disco ball attached to it. “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you new in town?” Averie asks.
“Yeah, I just moved here. I’m working at Lone Pine.”
“You’re a cowgirl?” she asks. I nod with a smile. She steps closer, bringing her voice to a whisper. “And, how’d you get Kit Harlow to dance with you?”
Is that why she approached me? Small town, so I’m not surprised she knows him. I’d make it a point to know him, too. “It’s a long story, but I’m his neighbor.”
“Oh?” She raises her brows in surprise. “I’ve known him for years and can’t say that I’ve ever seen him on the dance floor. He seems… cranky.”
A laugh breaks from my throat. “He is, but… there’s definitely more to him.” Despite his crankiness, there’s a soft side to Kit I discovered tonight.
The beautiful folk music we listened to on the way here, with the inner rocker in him woven in between.
The way he helped me out of his lifted truck, saying I won’t let go, melting the fear in my heart.
The way he gently cradled me when we danced, softening his gaze just for me.
The adorable blush that crept into his cheeks as his fingers grazed over my skin…
There’s much more to Kit than just the icy exterior he puts out. So much more that I want to discover.
She smiles, threading her arm through mine. “Come on, I’m ordering tequila shots.”
I think I found my new best friend, and I needed a girlfriend in this small town. This is turning out to be the best night I’ve had in a while.