Friday afternoon after finals. Kate and Melanie and I want to do something wild… so we drive out of Folsom towards El Dorado…
I shake my head as I take a sip of the strong coffee.
We wanted to meet some country boys…
The bar we found was a bit hokey, but a better choice than some of the rougher-looking ones. It was clearly more for tourists than locals, and we didn’t mind that at all, because it’s technically what we were. Even though the place was fairly boring, it wasn’t after an hour or so of slamming cocktails and hitting the dance floor.
The three of us got hit on a few times, but it didn’t tempt us away from our girls' night… not until he walked in.
My fingers tighten on the cup. Instead of shying away from the memory, I let myself fall straight into it.
It was like I felt it the second he entered the room. When I turned around, his liquid gold eyes were fixed on me, shimmering in the shadows like a predator stalking through the grass at dusk, sighting his prey. I remember thinking that if he thought I’d be that easy to catch, I’d make him choke.
The mysterious, tall man with the mane of black hair and incredible gold eyes didn’t approach us with his friends. We shared a long look, then they went to the bar, and the girls and I kept dancing.
But I felt those eyes on me… like I was marked. Like I really was his prey.
As the night went on, the sense of gravity only increased. If I’d been in my right mind, it might have frightened me, but the only thing I could feel after simmering in a few hours’ worth of strong cocktails was curiosity.
And I went up to him. It was me who did it. I can’t blame him at all.
I remember telling the girls I was going to go for it, and they pulled back, giggling. I walked over to where he was sitting at the bar and leaned across it, forcing him to look up at me.
“Are you going to buy me a drink, or just stare at me from across the room all night?”
The way his lips curved in a devilish smirk… the way his gold eyes darkened, slowly trailing down my body…
“I don’t know,” he replied. “The view is pretty damn good.”
“You can still keep looking while we drink,” I purred, taking the seat next to him.
He bought me a cocktail, but I can’t remember what it was. I asked about his job, and when he said he was a mechanic,I thought it was cute. He told me about his Viper in great detail, that it wasn’t running right yet, but when it was, it would be the meanest beast on the road.
When he asked what I did, and I said “I’m reverse-engineering money” or something like that…
Trying too hard to be witty, then explaining for twenty minutes that I wanted a full economics degree so I could work as a consultant across multiple industries.
Then, finding out that the boy likes to read. I couldn’t have been more shocked that a country boy mechanic who didn’t go to college enjoyed classic poets.
After that, my memories of the night blur. We quoted poetry to each other and had a few more drinks. My girls left, so did his friends, and we stayed at the bar, our banter flowing from poetry to film, pop culture, and finally philosophy.
As the bar emptied out, I could tell that he didn’t want to leave, but I also didn’t want to make a move. The chemistry was so intense, and our connection so deep, it honestly surprised me that he never once made a direct pass.
A perfect gentleman. Imagine that. Like tripping over a unicorn.
I remember covering his hand with mine, and the intense thrill that spread through me as I touched his skin. Heat like nothing I’d ever known raced in my blood, completely clearing my mind and leaving me only aware of throbbing, overpowering lust.
I was surprised to see him fighting it, and I made some stupid joke about “literally getting a room”…
All at once, it was like he gave in. Rhys grabbed my hand and almost dragged me out the door. We found a small motel nearby without any trouble.
I tried to tell him I’m really not this kind of girl. He said, “I’m not this kind of guy, either.”
I wrap my hands firmly around the coffee cup, letting the heat burn me to bring me back to the present moment. Even if parts of that night are blurry, every single second with Rhys after we shut that door behind us is still crystal clear.
And I don’t want to think about it!
“Mommy?” Cassie shuffles through the door, and I put my cup down to hurry over and pick her up, stroking her hair back from her face.
