My eyes drop before I can stop them.
Fuck.
She grabs a lime wedge and lifts a shot glass. Charli and Shelby grab one too.
“Cheers!” Shelby cries.
“Cheers,” Harleigh says.
They all tap their glasses together and knock the shots back.
Harleigh hisses softly as the tequila hits, squeezing her eyes shut while she bites down on the lime. When she opens them again, they land on me.
She studies me for a second. Then she tilts her head slightly. “I like this version of you.”
I lean back in my chair. “And what version is that?”
She gestures lazily in my direction with the spent lime wedge. “The laid-back version. With messy hair and cowboy boots.”
I glance down at myself like I’ve forgotten what I’m wearing. Definitely not my usual hotel attire. “Is that right?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she continues, tossing the peel on the table. “Mr. By-the-Book Sexy Suit is hot, too, but there’s just something about a man in a pair of well-worn jeans.”
Something about the way she says it makes my pulse kick.
I turn in my seat to face her fully.
Now we’re close.
Very close.
Her knees brush mine under the table.
I lean in just enough that we’re nearly nose to nose. “You think I’m hot?”
She doesn’t blink or look away. “You’re notnothot.”
Across the table, Charli snorts. “You’re hotter than we thought you were gonna be,” she says.
Harleigh groans. “Charli—”
But Charli’s already going.
“She described you more as an Abercrombie-model type than a sexy-cowboy type. Right, Shell?”
Shelby nods enthusiastically. “Definitely.”
I raise an eyebrow slowly and look back at Harleigh.
Her cheeks flush pink.
“How was I to know there was a hot cowboy hidden underneath?”
“What a sweet surprise,” Charli says.
I can’t help the grin tugging at my mouth.
“Are you always this candid when you drink?” I ask Harleigh.
