Page 17 of Destry

I turned slightly, finding him too damn close with that damn smirk still in place.

“What now?” I asked, trying to sound unbothered.

Destry leaned close. “You gonna let me buy you another drink or you still tryin’ to prove a point?”

I narrowed my eyes. “What point?”

“That you don’t fuck with me.”

“I never said I did.”

“You don’t have to say it, Savvy. I can see it all over you.”

I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, I grabbed the fresh glass of bourbon the bartender set down for me, threw it back in one gulp, and slammed the empty glass on the counter.

Destry chuckled, shaking his head. “Damn. You trying to impress me?”

I licked the last bit of bourbon from my lips, meeting his gaze head-on. “Not even a little.”

He laughed and… shit, his amusement was sexy too. The sound hit me somewhere deep. This was a game, a push andpull, and I wasn’t sure which one of us was winning. I pushed off the bar, brushing past him with my shoulder barely grazing his chest.

“Where you going, Rebel?”

I glanced over my shoulder. “To remind myself that I don’t like you.”

Destry grinned, tilting his hat back as he watched me go but we both knew I wasn’t convincing anyone. Not even my damn self. I needed air.

The second I stepped into the bathroom, I gripped the edge of the sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My pulse was still too damn fast, my skin too damn warm, and I hated that he had this kind of effect on me.

Destry Callahan was a problem.

One I wasn’t sure I wanted to solve.

I turned on the faucet, letting the cold water run over my hands before pressing them to my face. I just needed a minute. Just enough time to pull myself together and remind myself exactly who I was dealing with.

The man was cocky as hell, impossible to ignore, and worst of all—he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

I took one last steadying breath, adjusted my hat, and walked back out into the bar, ready to face whatever this night had left for me. I found Destry still at the bar, sipping his beer, watching me like he’d been waiting the whole time.

He didn’t comment on my little escape and didn’t tease me like I expected. Instead, he just gestured toward the empty stool beside him.

“Sit with me, Savvy.”

For some reason, I did without arguing and the tension settled. We talked for hours about nothing and everything.

He told me about growing up on the Callahan ranch, about his first ride at fifteen, the first time he got thrown hard enoughto knock the wind out of him. I told him about working on ranches all over town, about how I used to sneak into rodeo stands just to watch the barrel racers, dreaming of the day I’d be out there myself, and how my parents supported my dream but couldn’t financially help me get there.

He listened, really listened, and I found myself relaxing, laughing, letting my guard down more than I should have. Somewhere between my third bourbon and his third beer, I forgot I was supposed to be keeping my distance. It was too easy to let the walls drop with him and that was scary. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten until the bar started thinning out, the once lively crowd began moving toward the door.

Destry stretched, rolling his shoulders back before tossing a few bills on the counter. Then he looked at me, easy and unhurried.

“Come on,” he said, tipping his head toward the door. “I’ll walk you to your Jeep.”

I hesitated because as much as I fought him about being here I’d actually enjoyed myself and wasn’t in a rush to leave. Still, I didn’t argue. I just slid off the stool and followed him out into the warm night air. The fairgrounds were quieter now and the sounds of the bar faded behind us as we stepped into the parking lot.

I reached my Jeep, pulling my keys from my pocket, but before I could open the door, I felt him move. Destry stepped right into my space, lightly pressing me against the side of the Jeep. I looked up at him, but he didn’t say anything.

He just watched me. His hands rested lightly on either side of me. His body was close but not touching and his eyes swept over my face like he was memorizing something important.

---