Page 21 of Rough Ride

Then tonight, while listening to a guy who sounded a lot like Morgan Wallen strum his guitar, three different women hit on me. I didn’t have to do anything; I just stood there nursing my liquor and nodding my head with the music, and they came over and started dancing near me. Smiling, making eye contact. Inviting me in with the way they swayed their hips. One of them had curves so fine I felt my mouth watering just at thethoughtof tasting her.

But my cock wasn’t interested. Not even a flicker of excitement when she ground her ass against my thigh and gazed over her shoulder with a sultry promise in her eyes.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

The only time I felt anything was when I glanced over at the bar, where Sophie was matching Johnny and Elijah shot-for-shot. I chuckled to myself. I’d tended bar before, and knew she was using a trick bottle with fake liquor. Of course those two fools would fall for it. They were caught up in her spell even worse than I was.

The way she handled them, and all the other harassing customers, made me want her even more. Fuck damsels in distress. I liked a woman who could take care of herself.

Speaking of taking care of themselves…

Elijah had an arm around Johnny and was leading him through the crowd. He was in rough shape after trying to outdrink Sophie, head rolling around on his neck like a ragdoll.Johnny leaned on Elijah more with every step, and after twenty feet it was clear they wouldn’t make it out of the bar without help.

I glanced toward the bar, and my gaze collided with Sophie’s. The overhead lights caught her eyes just right, making them shine like polished sapphires. She seemed surprised that I was still here.

Fuck. Now she was going to think I was hanging around because of her.

I turned and put an arm around Johnny from the other side. “Thought you could outdrink a bartender, did you?” I asked.

“She’s like a buck-twenty,” Elijah argued. “I knew she might cheat, but I thought I could keep up.”

I blinked at him. “You knew she was pouring herself fake liquor?”

“Probably, yeah.”

“Then why’d you go shot-for-shot with her?”

Elijah looked at me like it was obvious. “For a girl like her? It was worth trying.”

I glanced over my shoulder, catching one final glimpse of Sophie grabbing a liquor bottle from the top shelf.

Elijah was kind of an idiot, but he was right. Sophie was worth trying.

Fuck.

10

Sophie

I was mixing a drink behind the bar, but it wasn’t a busy night. Rather than having customers crowding around three-deep, there were only two men waiting for drinks.

Johnny and Eli.

They smiled at me while I added an orange garnish to the Old Fashioned. Normally I hated when men looked at me like that, full of lust, but these two were different. Their gazes excited me, the base of my stomach warming every time I turned their way.

I could feel a third set of eyes watching, but didn’t look around for them. I was happy serving these two.

“Anything else?” I asked, sliding the two drinks across the bar.

“We’ve got our drinks,” Johnny said smoothly. “What else could we possible need?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Anything you want.”

I blinked, and suddenly the drinks were empty and the two men were behind the bar with me. Leaning against the shelves of liquor. Distinctly in my space.

But I didn’t mind it. Their closeness thrilled me.

“Anything?” Eli asked with that easy smile.

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