Page 2 of Forever To Me

She kisses me passionately, her hands exploring my back like she’s hungry for more. I’ve never kissed a stranger before, and this is so hot.

Someone in the bar whistles, and at this point I don’t care who is watching us because all I can focus on is this beautiful woman in my arms, with my lips to hers, a current of electricity passing through us like we could light up the fucking world with our own power grid.

She pulls back and leans up to whisper, “Thanks, Cowboy.”

I pull her close, tucking her under my chin, and murmur, “They’re still watching.”

I don’t have the heart to tell her that I’m not a cowboy. But at this moment, I could be whoever she wants me to be.

She sighs heavily, almost like she carries the weight of the world in her body. Instinctively, I pull her tighter and cradle her to my chest. She stays in my arms, and she relaxes despite my heart racing. Out of the corner of my eye, the denim-shirt-wearing cowboy watches our every move. He shakes his head as he glares in defeat at the other guy with him. Cash passes between them.

They fucking bet on Red.

I don’t know this woman, but she wouldn’t have left with either of them tonight if I had to bet.

Because she’s leaving with me, I’ll ensure she gets home safely and nobody bothers her. I’m not sure where this urge to protect her is coming from, but I will make sure she’s safe.

Then she turns to me and shocks me when she says, “Want to get out of here, cowboy?” she asks with a tinge of vulnerability and confidence.

And just like that, my rules of never taking a woman home from my bar are out the window. I am under this beautiful woman's spell, and I would probably go anywhere with her.

Chapter 2

Violet

I’m takin’ you home.

The smoking hot bartender in the black cowboy hat gazes at me, sending goosebumps straight through my entire body. He has to feel this, too. If he doesn’t, then I must be crazy.

He's the kind of man who turns heads without trying. Tall and rugged, his lean, muscular build hints at years of hard work. Dark hair curls slightly at the edges beneath a well-worn black cowboy hat, the brim casting just enough shadow to make his warm hazel eyes even more striking. They hold a quiet intensity that could strip a person bare with just one look.

Dressed in faded jeans that cling just right and a black shirt that stretches across his broad shoulders, he has a raw, effortless confidence. The sleeves hug his biceps, the fabric shifting over his trim torso with each measured movement. When he tips his hat, a slow, knowing smile plays at his lips—just enough to make a woman wonder what secrets he keeps. I’ve never met anyone like him before.

Boots scuffed, the scent of leather and cedar lingering around him, he carries himself with the easy swagger of a man who knows exactly who he is. Dangerous in all the best ways,with a voice like smooth whiskey and a touch that could burn or soothe, depending on his mood.

I’m not much of a one-night stand kind of girl, but this feels like my one chance to live wild and on the edge for once. One kiss has never turned me on this much.

That was the hottest kiss. I can still feel the tingle of his close-cut stubble from his beard on my face, and I want to reach out and trace the small scar on his jaw with my fingertips. Kissing total strangers isn’t a habit, but something about this guy is familiar, even though I don’t know him and have never seen him before in my life. Somehow, he feels comfortable. Safe.

And hell yeah, I asked if he wanted to get out of here. If he booked a spaceship to the moon, I’d sign up to go with him right now.

My body still tingles where his hands held me, and my ear buzzes from when he murmured his sexy words and went along with my crazy plan to make the boys go away. Truth be told, I could’ve handled them. I heard their plans, and I was never interested. Another cowboy caught my eye. I’d say I won the bet.

I lean back and gaze into his eyes. My momma always told me you can trust a man who has good intentions by looking into his eyes when he speaks to you. The eyes don’t lie. People can talk a good game, but the eyes are the window to the soul. And that’s how you find out if they have a good one or not. And right now, I feel like this one is a good one. I’d be willing to put money on that fact if I were a betting woman. Which usually, I’m not.

And when I look into this sexy man’s eyes, they’re kind, warm, and reassuring. Very unlike what I’m used to from men. With only two long-term relationships under my belt, and the last one not ending so great, this is new for me.

But his eyes, and the way my body practically vibrates after he touches me, tell me that this is somehow the right course tobe on. None of it makes sense, and I don’t even know how I got to this moment, but here we are.

I tilt my head up and meet his gaze, a slow smile spreading across my lips. “So, what do you say, cowboy?” I ask, my voice low and hopeful.

He doesn’t answer right away, glancing over at the other bartender instead. They exchange a wordless look, a silent conversation that only friends working together for years could perfect. The other bartender gives a quick nod and returns to cleaning up the bar, though his gaze flicks back in our direction, full of curiosity. I don’t miss it, even as focused as I am on this man in front of me and the weight of anticipation settling between us on where we’re going with this.

“Wait right here for me, darlin’,” he says as his warm eyes lock onto mine before he strolls over to where I was sitting and grabs my purse off the table. He stops when one guy says something to him that I can’t hear. At first, they’d been harmless, but then one kept overstepping, and then when I told him I wasn’t interested, I changed it up and told him I was with the bartender. I figured it would get him off my back.

But I didn’t miss how the sexy bartender kept his eye on me all night. Not in a creepy way, but more in a protective way. The kind of guy you’d feel safe around. And then the way he kissed me? Hot as hell. I’ve never kissed like that before. Tonight is a night of many firsts, and I’m nervous and excited. I left Nashville on a mission to find myself again. A night with a hot, sexy cowboy might just be exactly what I need. And judging by the way he looks at me, it might be exactly what he needs, too.

I’ve been trying to figure out how old he is. I can’t tell for sure, but he seems older than me. His hazel eyes look like the color of whiskey I was drinking. And I can’t take my eyes off him.

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