Page 23 of Just Say When

Worse, I couldn’t even numb myself to her effect with whiskey because I was the designated driver. Instead, I was slowly sipping my way down a bottle of shitty beer, the only drink I was allowing myself for the night.

“You’re going to crack that bottle in half if you don’t lighten up.” Zack smirked at me across the high-top table and took a sip from his own shitty beer, eyes alight with speculation. “What the hell are you glaring at everyone for? We’re here to celebrate. I got you a shiny blue ribbon, man.”

I didn’t say anything as I rolled the bottle between my hands, letting the chilled glass cool me down. The room was overheated, packed with bodies, and every time I glanced at the bar where Essie and James were making each other laugh, another one of those bodies was standing too close to them, and usually that body was male. The girls seemed to have no trouble fending off unwanted advances. Neither one of them had signaled for help. That would likely continue for James, but I figured it was only a matter of time before Essie saw something she liked.

My gaze slid to the bar again just as Essie leaned forward across the counter to get the bar tender’s attention, giving me an excellent view of her ass in those fucking jeans. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one to get an eyeful. A guy tapped her shoulder. She turned, he said something I couldn’t hear over the hum of voices and country music, and at her nod, he flagged the bartender.

Fucking great.

I took another sip of my shitty beer. Unsurprisingly, it did not improve my mood.

“You’re coming to the rodeo tomorrow, right?” Zack asked, pulling my attention back to him. “I’m entered in the bronc riding.”

I shrugged. “Might as well.”

“Gee, thanks. Way to be a supportive big brother. It’s almost like you don’t care that I’m doing you a huge fucking favor right now.”

“With Pirate, you mean?” I raised my eyebrows. “Can we really call it a favor when you get to keep half the winnings?”

Zack grinned, his eyes flicking over my shoulder and then back to me again. “Nah, I’m not talking about Pirate. I’m talking about how I’m keeping you distracted while Essie is on that bull.”

“What?” I whipped around so fast I nearly tumbled off the stool.

Sure enough, Essie was astride the mechanical bull,her long legs wrapped tightly around the barrel. Christ. The bull was surrounded by foam mats to cushion her body when—notif—she fell. Falling was inevitable. No one was allowed to dismount on their own, because where was the fun in that?

A crowd had gathered around the low barrier around the bull. I could barely make out James’s short frame front and center. I would have missed her entirely if she hadn’t cupped her hands to her mouth like a foghorn and hollered, “Ride, you sexy thing!”

Fucking James.

Essie grinned widely in response. Zack let out a piercing whistle, which earned him a sharp glare from me. Essie looked up, her gaze searching until she found us, and she lifted her hand in a wave. Then she wrapped her hand around the grip, her top teeth digging into her bottom lip.

That fucking mouth.

I rubbed my chest. She looked so happy. She always did, when I wasn’t going out of my way to piss her off.

The bull started up and her hips immediately caught the rhythm. I should have looked away, saved myself from the torture, but my eyes refused to budge. My cock thickened with every rock of her hips.

“Damn, that girl can ride,” Zack said, admiration loud in his voice.

Of course she could ride. She was one of the top barrel racers in the country. Riding a horse, riding amechanical bull, riding a man…I had no doubt Essie Price knew what she was doing.

“She’s not for you,” I warned, in case Zack had similar thoughts.

“Yeah, you’ve made that abundantly clear. You’ve been pissing circles around that girl since you first laid eyes on her.” Zack snorted. “What I don’t get is why you think she’s not foryou.”

I shook my head. “It’s not like that with us. She was never for me.”

And that was the fucking truth. One I reminded myself of every damn day. Essie Price was meant for greatness. She didn’t need any man tying her to a small Colorado town. Like her dad, she craved freedom. But unlike her dad, she wasn’t willing to sever ties to have it. Her heart was too big and too loyal.

More than eight seconds had passed, but Essie hung on. The crowd started counting down, starting at ten. I had the feeling her ride would end when they got to one and, sure enough, the operator jerked her from one direction to the other, making her lose her seat. The crowd cheered good-naturedly.

I slid off my stool as Essie rolled over and pushed to her feet, laughing. She took a swaying step and then stopped and braced her hands on her knees, clearly dizzy. I sliced through the crowd, already halfway there when James climbed over the guardrail to help her. But tiny James was no match for Essie’s height,and they tumbled together into a pile, giggling hysterically.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered. I pushed aside two guys overeager to help and hauled James to her feet. “You good?”

She nodded, smiling widely. “I’m not the one who was spinning in circles.”

I didn’t need the reminder. I was already squatting low so I could scoop Essie into my arms. “I’ve got you.”

---