She looks disappointed as she heads over to the bar, and I follow like the trusty safety net I’m supposed to be.
“It’s the best part of the night, folks, where the prettiest girls in the bar give us a little show. Winner gets free drinks for the rest of the night.” I glare at the poser cowboy and look at the other contestants. They are fine, but don’t hold a candle to Cami.
‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)’ by Big & Rich blasts through the sound system and I want to die. Just cremate me inside this hellhole so I don’t have to watch Cami grind on top of this bar top. A man can only handle so much in one night.
I’m never doing nice shit again. All it does is bring me torture.
Cami dances with one of the other more attractive women partaking in this contest. They touch each other’s hips as they grind against each other, belting out the lyrics.
The bartender hands Cami and her new friend each a shot and they both laugh while they sling them back.
I have a feeling I will be carrying her out of this establishment tonight.
“Everyone’s drinks are on me tonight!” Cami screams at the top of her lungs and everyone cheers as she attempts to do a twirl, which just leads her to slip on a mystery puddle on the bar top. Thankfully, she lands in my arms. She isn’t even alarmed, she just cackles like a crazy person in my grip.
“Someone give Billy Bob here a shot. He needs to loosen up,” she says to the bartender. He pours her two shots. Jesus, Cami is tiny, and this is what, shot five, six?
“Ca—Hallie Mae, I think you need to slow down.”
“No way, big guy,” she says as she smacks my chest, and I put her down.
“You’re going to regret this tomorrow.”
“What’s one more regret?” she asks, arching her eyebrow at me. She takes the shot in her fingertips and throws it back defiantly.
Douchebag cowboy interrupts and touches Cami’s elbow. “Hallie Mae, do you know how to line dance?”
“Why don’t you show me, cowboy?” she says. Taking her hat off, she puts it on my head as she takes his hand and goes to the dance floor.
Not yours.
She might smell like you, but she isn’t yours. My mind and body aren’t on the same page. With an intense amount of strength, I’m able to watch the Beta man dance with Cami without decking him. I can’t imagine what would have happened if he was an Alpha. I shake the thoughts away.
I need to clear my head. Maybe I can take a few days off and get a temporary assignment for Cami once I settle her in New York. The scent marking and her being so close to me all the time is messing with me.
You tried to make an Omega happy before and you weren’t enough. She’s no different.
Stupid cowboy spins her a few times, and she walks over to me. She’s sweaty and smells amazing, but she looks a little too drunk.
“I don’t feel good,” she says.
“Ready to go?”
She whines, but nods her head. “Let me just go pay the tab first.” I nod and follow her to the bartender. He does a double take at her credit card, now knowing she is, in fact, not Hallie Mae. Luckily, most people don’t know her legal name anyway, so he says nothing. She pays a ridiculous tab for the whole bar, who cheers her on as I keep a hand on her back and walk her out to Franklin’s car.
“You good?” I ask her as we slide into the backseat.
She beams. “I’m probably going to throw up at some point, but it was so worth it. I haven’t felt that free in I don’t know how long. You’re the best Alpha,” she says. Cami doesn’t even second guess what she just said as she leans her head on my shoulder. “You should really change your stance on Omegas. One would be so lucky to have you. You’re so big and sexy. Oh, and when you smile, I wanna die because it’s so cute. Then on top of that you do sweet shit like—” Mid-sentence, she grabs the bag next to her and proceeds to vomit.
I stroke her back and try not to throw up myself. You can’t trust drunk thoughts, so I don’t put much weight behind what she says, but I am only human. It ignites something inside me I haven’t felt in a long time and I don’t know how I’m going to extinguish it.
Chapter 12
ItwashardleavingAtlanta and saying goodbye to my mom, but after two days of nursing the most tremendous hangover of my life, it was time to go. New York is my next adventure and I’m excited and anxious at the same time.
Things between Smith and me have been tense. I know I was the most drunk I’d ever been in my life at Rita’s Rodeo. I hope I didn’t embarrass myself too much. The fact that he went out of his way to make me feel so special makes my heart flutter. I’m constantly trying to tamper those feelings down. Smith still gives me his shirts and shares his scent, but he made sure to establish a pillow barrier between us the rest of the nights in the pool house.
Liv helped me set up a service to order furniture to create the perfect apartment. All Smith and I had to do was unbox our personal items. Our bedrooms are right across the hall from each other. He’s been distant, and I hate it. Besides being my bodyguard, he has become a friend to me. I want that back.
