“The bachelorette party over there. You’re the hottest man in this bar. You’ve got their attention.”
“They can take it back. I don’t want it.”
“But it’s so cute. See?”
He finally glanced over, and several of the women blushed and laughed, whispering to each other.
“You should dance with them. It’ll make their night.”
“Piper, I’m here withyou.”
“So?” I said with a laugh. “You should give the poor bride a thrill before she signs her whole life away.”
Before Grayden could keep arguing with me, I went over to the bachelorettes and held up my glass. “Congrats to the bride! Ladies, anyone want to dance with my friend over there? He’s available.”
Grayden was giving me an unamused look from the other side of the bar.
When several of the women jumped at the chance, he went ahead and got up with them. The heated glance he sent my way conveyed a very clear message.
He wasn’t happy about this, and he was going to pay me back for it later. But hey, I was having fun.
And if I felt a twinge of something like jealousy, seeing Grayden spin the bride around with a polite almost-smile on his face, that didn’t mean anything.
Sitting back on my stool, I crossed my legs and finished the last dregs of my mock-arita.
“Hey, beautiful. Want to dance?”
I looked up to find a guy around my age standing beside me, his elbow on the bar. He wore a cowboy hat and a confidentsmile.
“Sure,” I said. “Why not?”
A dance with a stranger didn’t mean anything. Just like this “date” with Grayden didn’t truly mean anything. It was just a fun night out. I hadn’t had one of those in too long. I should make the most of it.
The cowboy gently held my fingers and led me toward the dance floor. He gave the impression of being a nice guy. Didn’t hold me too close. His hand brushed the small of my back as he steered us around in circles, his pointed-toe boots moving gracefully to the music.
The song ended and flowed into the next. His grip on me loosened, but he didn’t let go. “What’s your name?” he asked.
A throat cleared, and a tall shadow appeared in our path. The cowboy had to jolt to a stop to avoid a collision.
“Sorry, she promised me the next dance,” Grayden said.
The cowboy stood taller, puffing up a bit. “You sure about that?”
“She’s my girlfriend, so yes.”
The other man backed off immediately, raising his hands. “Didn’t know.” He disappeared through the small group of dancers.
Meanwhile, my body was reacting to the wordgirlfriend. Terrified and elated and annoyed at the same time.
I turned to Grayden. “I don’t remember promising you any dances. Or agreeing to theGword.”
He put his arms on my hips, smoothly pulling me into a sway. “Can’t even say it, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “There’s no need to say it because it’s irrelevant. I’m nobody’s girlfriend.”
“Okay.”
A grumbling hum vibrated in my throat. But I let Grayden pull me further into the circle of his arms. It wasn’t such a bad place to be. My nerves lessened just from being close to him, my body ending its resistance and melting into his warmth.
