Page 7 of Wild Hearts

Yep, that is definitely how he’s getting those lines.

The overly handsy man shakes Wes off and retreats without a word. Probably because Wes is double his size and looks mad enough to draw blood. Unlike me, who clearly looked like an easy target.

“Thanks.” My voice is barely above a whisper as I bend to pick up the broken glass.

“Leave it.” He stops me with a hand on my shoulder, and I immediately move away, causing his arm to fall back to his side.

I know he’s not trying anything, but I’m not used to being touched.

Let alone going from a stranger harassing me to the tingly spark Wes’s rough palm on my skin elicited.

“You could cut yourself. Jules or somebody will sweep it up safely.” His broad shoulders shrug in explanation as he continues to study me. He’s wearing another black tee like the first time I saw him, and his beard is a little fuller like he’s gone a few extra days without a shave.

Can’t say it’s a bad look.

Ignoring the electricity his undivided attention evokes, I focus on wiping the tequila off my arms. It’s a sticky mess.

Twenty minutes into my first attempt at a new me, and I’m ready to head home, shower, and forget this night even happened. Kayla and I aren’t on the fast track to becoming best buds. The agonizing I did over what to wear was for nothing since I’m soaked in alcohol. And to top it all off, the only attention I grabbed belonged to a pervert.

And Wes.

But really it wasn’t me personally that drew him to step in. He probably would have defended any woman being bothered by a touchy creep.

“Look, Austin, the bar owner, has a room in the back with a sink and paper towels, so you can clean up.” He gestures to a hallway where a sign for restrooms hangs overhead.

“Um… no, thanks… I’m g-good.” I brush off the offer, too wired to be alone with him. My nerves are a frayed mess, and Wes coming to my rescue like a tattooed knight in shining armor already has me feeling tongue-tied.

“Seriously? I can see the drops of tequila on your skin, and unless you’re planning on letting me take shots off you…” His voice trails off suggestively, his sable gaze a palpable caress over my body before zeroing in on my chest—specifically, the tight nipples poking through the cold fabric of my tank.

Flustered, I quickly cross my arms to hide them as my mind shuts off—fried from overload—and I squeak out something about needing to get back to my friends, whipping around to escape like the true mouse I am.

Wes was flirting with me.

That’s what that was, right? But why?

I definitely don’t seem like his type.

In a fitted shirt outlining his hard muscles, tattoos galore, and a don’t fuck with me attitude, he fits in with The Ole Aces crowd.

I don’t.

I’m too quiet, too strait-laced, even if I’m trying to be more outgoing. Even if his—interested?—gaze made my thighs clench in instant arousal.

“Hey, you forgot something.”

“Hmm…?” Distracted by thoughts of Wes, I didn’t realize I arrived back to our table—empty handed. Someone else is going to have to buy the next round of drinks, though, because I’m not braving the floor again.

A quick explanation of what went down tumbles out in one breathless go.

“You were right to refuse him. Wes Gallagher has a reputation around here,” Kayla pauses knowingly. “Sleeps around. Gets in fights. He’s even spent time in jail.”

“Same as in high school,” Brittany adds.

“You guys went to school together?” That answers my age question. Sneaking a peek towards the bar, I do the math to figure out he’s only a few years older than me.

“Yep, and he’s even worse now. I mean, look at him. We have our fair share of unkempt mountain men around here, but Wes looks like a fucking grizzly bear with the beard and long hair. Plus, he’s friends with the Reaper’s Wolves MC—a legitimate gang.” Kayla leans back with a raised brow as if to say she rests her case.

A couple of bikers have cruised through town with leather cuts proclaiming their MC, so it doesn’t surprise me that Wes knows them. He owns a body shop. They own motorcycles that require maintenance. It’s not exactly a leap to connect the two.

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