She wrinkles her nose, her fingers toying absently with the fabric of my shirt. “Don’t get too excited. You were just looking very cowboy-esque in your Stetson with your arms crossed, all broody and homicidal while staring down my ex." Her gaze flickers over my face before she reaches up and scrapes her thumb across my short beard. "Plus the new whiskers." She gives me a devious grin. "The title can always be rescinded.”
“Is that so?” I ask, giving her waist a teasing pinch.
She hums in confirmation, eyes dancing with mischief. “Mm-hmm. Don’t trim the beard.”
Was she flirting with me?
Something in my chest clenches at the thought, and I don’t bother fighting the grin that tugs at my lips. "Alright," I reply easily, already deciding I won’t be shaving it anytime soon. I let a breath of a laugh escape me at how she’s wrapped me around her finger without even trying.
Her fingers play with the hair at the nape of my neck that needs a trim, sending a slow burn down my spine. Her eyes hold mine, her sultry stare suffocating me with an intensity that makes me hot under the collar. She leans in and her lips ghost over my ear as she whispers, “And don’t stop making me dirty promises.”
I’m struck breathless by the untamed look in her eyes. It’s just a hint at the wildness I know is in there, and I’m dying to find out exactly how wild this woman can be.
“There’s plenty more where that came from, Red.” My hand spreads wide over her lower back and for a little while longer we stay like this, dancing in our own little bubble, while the rest of the bar fades into the background.
A new song starts playing and Sawyer's expression shifts—her frown aimed at something over my shoulder. Curious, I follow her gaze.
Allie is deep in conversation with some guy who looks vaguely familiar. Connor? Carter? Something with a C, I think. He’s younger than me and Tripp, so we never ran in the same circles during my summers here, but I’ve seen him around. I’m pretty sure he and Allie dated in high school.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Sawyer’s gaze snaps back to mine. “Oh, it’s nothing," she says, but there's an edge to her voice. "Just Allie getting caught up in her shitty ex again.”
“Hey, Wes.” Tripp grips my shoulder. “I need a favor.” He gives a subtle nod toward Allie and…Chip? “Will you go ask Allie to dance? She doesn’t listen to sense, and I’m tired of watching Chase eye her up and down all night when I know he’s got another girl on standby in his phone.”
Chase! That’sit!
I grunt as I watch them from across the dance floor. Allie looks at him like he’s hung the moon, and he whispers something in her ear that has her smiling and her cheeks turning pink. The song ends, and a jauntier tune plays.
I eye Sawyer and she waves me off. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to go grab a water.”
I nod, scratching at the scruff of my beard before I stalk over toward Allie. I clear my throat, and Allie looks up at me with bright eyes and a sweet smile. “Hey, Wes.”
“Come dance with me,” I say. It’s a command, not a question, so she takes my extended hand with a confused tilt to her brow.
Chase scowls at me, but I don’t pay him any mind as I pull a laughing Allie out on the dance floor.
We two-step our way around the floor. My hand dwarfing hers. She barely clears 5’1, so I tower over her.
“You and Sawyer are cute together,” she shouts over the music.
I fix her with a flat stare. “We aren't together.”
“Yet,” she adds with a little smirk.
I’m about to agree when a loud shout cuts through the music, followed by the harsh scrape of chairs dragging across the floor. A woman shrieks, and the unmistakable sounds of a good old-fashioned Herds brawl erupt. I immediately scan the crowd for Sawyer and find her leaning against the bar, watching the chaos unfold with a look of pure resignation, like she’s seen this a hundred times before.
“Oh my God, what the hell is he doing?” Allie gasps, grabbing my arm and tugging me toward the commotion.
As the crowd shifts, people scrambling to get out of the way, the scene becomes clear. At the center of it all, Tripp and Chase are going at it. Tripp is scrappy, and he gets a few good shots in, but Chase has a goodone hundred pounds on him and brute strength is a hell of an advantage in a fight like this. There’s no way this will end well for Tripp if someone doesn’t put a stop to it soon.
“That idiot. Wes, do something before Tripp gets himself hurt,” Allie begs.
I mutter a curse under my breath and march into the mayhem to save Tripp from being worse off than the bloody nose that’s already dripping onto his shirt. I place myself between the two of them, a stupid place to be.
“Tripp. Knock it the fuck off.” He ducks around me and nails Chase again.
“Hey buddy, back off,” I shout at Chase. “Fight’s over.” I’m welcomed with a fist to the gut and the air whooshes out of my lungs.
