Page 16 of That Kiss

I don’t deny the heart flutters I get every time his name pops up on my screen, but everything quickly morphs into nervousness at the thought of him coming to my birthday celebration. I’m not exactly a girl who doesn’t like to have fun, and I don’t know if I have it in me to resist another kiss from him.

“Bottoms up!” the guy to my right shouts in my ear as we all lift our shot glasses in the air, then slam them on the bar top. I shake my head, my right eye watering at the burn of the cheap cinnamon whiskey.

“You want another one?” the guy’s friend asks with a lopsided grin.

“I’m good.” I wave my hands, indicating I’ve had enough.

“Come on, one more.”

“She’s good.” I feel a warm arm wrap around my shoulders and turn to see Milly leading me away from the two guys at the bar.

“Hey, thank you.” I say, laughing as I embrace her in a hug.

“Are you having fun?” she asks, a questioning look on her face.

“Yeah, yeah, totally,” I assure her, taking the opportunity to glance past her to see if Decker has shown up yet. We’ve been here for nearly three hours, and by the look of things, most of my friends are ready to head home. Can’t say I blame them, even on a Saturday night. The two shots and one drink I’ve had are enough for me.

“I think we might head out. Need to drive back to Denver first thing tomorrow,” she tells me.

We say our goodbyes and I duck into the bathroom to check my phone. I lock the door, slipping my phone out of the back pocket of my black denim shorts, but there are no missed texts or calls from Decker. I put it back in my pocket, fluffing my curls in the mirror and readjusting my matching black cowboy hat. The denim vest I paired with my shorts is decked out with rhinestones and gives me a healthy amount of cleavage. I smile at myself, unlocking the door and swinging it open to see Amelia, who’s married to Decker’s cousin Trent.

“Hey,” she smiles, her eyes a little glassy from the cocktail she was sipping on earlier, “Deck just got here. He was looking for you.” She thumbs over her shoulder, and I look past her to see him towering over the bar. His thick thighs strain against his jeans as he takes a seat on one of the barstools next to Trent.

“Oh great, I’ll go grab him.” I nervously smooth down my outfit before casually walking back over to where my friends are gathered, not bothering to look over at Deck. I can feel his eyes on me as I put a little extra swivel in my hips, my cowboy boots thudding on the hardwood floor. “Hey, guys, I think it’s about time we take this party up a notch. Time for some line dancing, y’all!” I say as I walk over to the jukebox and scan my card. I hit the buttons and the music starts to thump throughout the room.

“Hell yeah!” says one of the guys who bought me a shot. He joins me on the dance floor and grabs my hand, swinging me out then back in a few times, clearly unsure of what he’s doing, but making me laugh.

“You think you’ve got what it takes?” Trent walks toward Amelia, a grin on her face as she holds her hands out against his chest.

“You know I still can’t line dance.” She giggles just as his arm wraps around her and he pulls her in for a kiss. Her long hair flows around her thin, elegant shoulders. Everything about Amelia is feminine and romantic, something I often find myself wishing I was. But then I go and yell at a bar and turn up the music while I shake my ass.

Before long, Tyler and Brooklyn have followed Trent and Amelia to the dance floor, followed shortly by Dahlia and Ranger and a few of the cowboys. The entire dance floor moves in unison as we shimmy and shake our way through another song.

I’m laughing, having a blast teaching the two guys from earlier how to dance. The taller one who bought me the shot comes up behind me, his hands resting on my hips as I guide him through the next sequence of movements. He stumbles, making me laugh again as we almost fall to the floor. When I right myself, I glance to my left, where Decker’s eyes catch mine as he sits at the edge of the bar. My laugh falters and I keep my eyes on his as I slowly make my way toward him.

“Not in a dancing mood tonight?” I lean against the bar, reaching for the bottle of beer that he lets slip through his fingers. I bring it to my lips and take a sip.

“Not exactly,” he says, his eyes dropping down my body, “but I’m enjoying the view.”

“Don’t act like that’s anything new,” I tease, knowing full well he’s looked at me like this many nights before.

“Someone’s feisty tonight.” He snatches the beer back from me.

“Come on,” I poke his side, “come dance with me.”

His elbow jerks to cover his ribs. “Looks like you were just fine with those two; I’d only be in the way.”

“Oh, come on,” I absentmindedly place my hand on his upper thigh, “don’t pout. Come have fun.” His eyes immediately drop down to where my hand feels like it’s seconds away from burning through his jeans.

“Weren’t you just talking about denial?” he asks in a throaty whisper. My eyes are fixed on the hard line of his cock that extends down his inner thigh. “Don’t play coy, Juniper,” his voice drops, “we both know what would happen if I had my hands on you like that in the middle of the floor.”

I keep my hand on his thigh, my head swimming in the tension that’s growing between us. “What would happen?” I finally ask, my throat dry.

Decker finishes his beer, placing the bottle on the bar top before leaning in an inch closer to me. “You have two options right now, Juniper: You can take your hand off my thigh and get back out on that dance floor, or you can?—”

“Or I can what?” I ask, hanging on the edge of the sentence he doesn’t finish.

“Actually, that’s it.” He shakes his head. “Get back out there and have fun. It’s your birthday.”

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