Page 34 of A Taste of Whiskey
Bobbie scoffed. “In your dreams. I don’t want one of you, much less both of you.”
“Wait, does he mean…?” Birdie’s eyes widened, moving between Hyde and Taz. “You twoandBobbie? A threesome?”
“Or a foursome, if you want to take us for a ride, too,” Taz suggested.
“Watch yourselves,” Ezra warned gruffly.
Sasha liked his protectiveness over Birdie far more than she probably should, but she didn’t need him fighting their battles. “Unless you want Cowboy to rip your heads off, Dare to shove them up your asses, and Doc to hide your bodies. I suggest you shut your mouths.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t cool,” Flame said.
“Chill out,” Taz said. “I’d never take Birdie into my bedroom.”
“Why not? I’m hot,” Birdie insisted.
“Birdie,” Sasha chided her, but she knew it would do no good. Birdie was as fierce as she was petite, and she never let anyone dismiss her.
Birdie planted a hand on her hip, eyes narrowing. “What? Iamhot.”
“You’re smokin’ hot, babe,” Hyde said.
“See?” Birdie said defiantly, and turned a curious gaze on Hyde. “So, do you and Taz…?” She made kissing noises. “And…you know?” She waggled her brows.
“Birdie.”Sasha grabbed her by the arm. “Time to ride the mechanical bull.” She heard Ezra and Flame giving the guys a hard time as she dragged Birdie away. “What were you thinking, egging them on like that?”
“I’m curious. Aren’t you? I mean, HydeandTaz?”
“No, I’m not curious, and stop thinking about them like that.”
“Wait up!” Quinn hurried after them. “Why’d you drag her away? I wanted to know the answer.”
“You guys are going to drive me nuts,” Sasha said, exasperated. “They’re into shit you don’t need to know about.” She’d heard things, and while she believed to each his own, she wasn’t about to get into it with Birdie and Quinn.
“How do you know?” Quinn asked coyly.
Birdie gasped. “Have you been with them?”
“No.In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a little preoccupied withoneman, not two.” Sasha and Birdie got into line for the mechanical bull, and Quinn stood off to the side. She never rode the bull. Sasha wasn’t as good as Birdie, but she could hold her own, and right then, she’d take any reason to get out from under Ezra’s watchful eyes.
“Maybe twoisbetter,” Birdie whispered. “If one isn’t into you, the other might be.”
“No more tequila for you.” Sasha tried to divert Birdie’s attention to the people around them. “Which one of these guys do you think will beat your time?”
Birdie eyed the men and women in line in front of them. “These city folks have no clue what they’re in for. I feel sorry for their butts tomorrow.” A clean-cut guy wearing a dress shirt, jeans, and shiny black shoes climbed onto the bull, and Birdie hollered, “Woo-hoo!You’ve got this.” She lowered her voice. “He totally doesn’t have it.”
They cheered everyone on as men and women tried to one-up one another, each lasting only a few seconds before tumbling off, cracking up, or cursing. When it was Sasha’s turn, Birdie and Quinn cheered her on as she mounted the bull.
Sasha couldn’t resist scanning the crowd for Ezra. She spotted Flame walking over. He cupped his hands around his mouth, hollering, “Ride ’em, Sasha!” That’s when she saw Ezra standing at the edge of the crowd, eyes trained on her, jaw tight as a vise. Something inside her snapped, twisting all that hurt and guilt into anger.Why should I feel bad about having fun? He’s the one who drew the line in the sand.
She sat up taller, meeting his gaze.Eat your heart out. I could have been yours.
As she tightened her thighs on the sides of the mechanical bull, an errant thought about doing the same to Ezra flitted through her mind. Refusing to let it take hold, she shoved that thought away, slid her left hand under the leather strap, and wrapped her fingers around it—hating that her mind went straight to doing the same with a certain body part of Ezra’s. It was definitely time to end that fantasy. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, doing her best to clear her mind and relax her upper body. Opening her eyes, she lifted her right hand for balance and gave Hardy, the bull operator, a nod, praying he wouldn’t go too hard on her, and proceeded to put her all into showing Ezra what he was missing out on.
The crowd cheered as the ride started, slow and easy, giving Sasha time to get acclimated.Thank you, Hardy.It had been a while since she’d ridden the bull, but riding horses, some of whom liked to try to throw her off, gave her an advantage. As the speed increased and the violence of the bull’s movements became more erratic, the crowd went wild. Sasha rode their high, adrenaline surging through her as the bull bucked and spun. She moved with it, earning more whoops, cheers, and whistles. She was vaguely aware of Flame’s voice rising above the others and furiously aware of wishing it was Ezra’s. She struggled against that thought, holding on for all she was worth as the speed increased even more. She didn’t lose her balance or her concentration, and it felt fucking fantastic. She was elated, giddy with delight, as the crowd exploded into shouts and whistles. The bull spun faster, and that giddiness tripped her up. She keeled to one side and tumbled to the padded floor. Applause thundered around her, giving her another adrenaline rush as Birdie hollered, “Woo-hoo! That’s my sister!”
Sasha was laughing as she came off the padded floor. Birdie and Quinn hugged her, and then Flame lifted her off her feet. “You were fucking awesome!”
Shefeltawesome. “I was, wasn’t I?”
