Page 45 of Love Me Reckless

He shoots me a warning look. “Who knows? The workings of the super-rich are beyond our comprehension.”

“It’s not hard to see she’s going to be miserable.”

“We don’t exactly have a say, though, do we?” He tilts his head.

I rub the back of my neck. “Right. I’m not going to pretend I like it, though.”

Zach and I are waiting at the hostess stand when we hear the girls coming down the hallway.

Kirilee rounds the corner, her cheeks rosy and her lips a soft shade of pink. Her long hair falls in loose curls about her gorgeous face, and her green Western shirt with pearl buttons is a perfect match for her eyes. The faded jeans that hug her curves tucked into cowboy boots is enough to make my breath hitch in my throat.

Zach gives a groan as Sofie comes into view dressed in a similar getup.

“You wanna stay behind tonight, I’ll take good care of Ava and Kirilee at the bar.”

“Shit, don’t tempt me.” His face tenses with emotion. “I love Sofie so much. I cannot get enough of her.”

At that moment, Sofie’s eyes lock with Zach’s, and a look of pure heat fires between them.

“Looks like you’re not alone.” I slap him on the back, and he laughs.

After a quick dinner in the dining room, Zach and I drive the girls into town. Darby is more urban than Finn River but still hasthat Western feel. There’s a rodeo grounds, a bronze elk sculpture in the city’s main square, wooden boardwalks lining both sides of main street, and a lot of cowboy hats for sale in the shops.

After we park Kirilee’s BMW, Ava and Sofie whip out a pair of pink light-up cowgirl hats for her and Ava, and a white one, veil included, for Kirilee.

“You guys are too much!” Kirilee says through her laughter.

Ava sets the hat on her head and claps. “It looks so good on you!”

“Come on, bride-to-be, time to kick up some dust,” Sofie says, and slings her arm through Kirilee’s.

Zach and I fall in behind them. “You ready for this?” he asks with a smirk.

“Born ready.”

He laughs.

Inside the Sweetwater Saloon, it’s loud and busy. The booths along the left side and the long bar on the right are packed with people. A country rock band plays in the back, in front of a small dance floor crowded with people dancing. Patrons stare at the girls in their light-up hats as we squeeze into a spot at the bar. I scan the room for anyone looking a little too long. I want it known from the start that our girls are off-limits.

One of the bartenders heads our way. While the girls order, I use the mirror to finish my sweep, but I don’t find any lingering gazes.

“Okay, before the night is over, you have to accomplish at least five of these,” Ava says over the din, whipping out her phone. I peer over her shoulder as she reads the list.

“Kiss a bald guy’s head. Do a shot. Dance on the bar. Make a song request. Photo bomb a random group shot. Selfie in the men’s bathroom. Get an article of clothing from a stranger. Flash someone. Selfie with a guy with a mullet. Make a speech in a foreign language. Do aCharlie’s Angelspose. Get a guy to give you a condom.”

Kirilee puts her face in her hands. “Can I change my mind and we can go back to the hotel for a quiet night instead?”

Sofie puts her arm around Kirilee. “If that’s what you want, say the word.”

The bartender arrives with three shots of tequila.

Kirilee bites her lip as she glances at each of us, as if drawing courage from her posse. “Promise you won’t let me get too crazy?”

Sofie lifts her shot glass. “We promise.”

Ava raises hers. “To Kirilee, the sweetest bride-to-be.”

They clink glasses, and like the lightweights they are, each of them takes a dainty sip.

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