Page 10 of Cowboy Crush
“You have no idea, do you?”
He lets out a chuckle and it’s the first time I’ve seen him smile. It makes my heart freeze in my chest for a moment before jumping into a sprint. “Not in the slightest.” He shakes his head.
“What do you do Jameson?” I ask, tilting my body toward him slightly.
“I’m a ranch hand. I work up on a ranch in the mountains.”
“Oh, that’s cool. Me and my friends are staying up on the mountain this summer.”
“I know. You did your oversharing thing with me last night,” he reminds me.
“Ahhh, that’s right,” I reply, pointing at him. “Well, did you ever think that I was telling you where to find me so that maybe you’d tell me where to find you?” I didn’t mean to say that. I wish I thought these things through.
His brows lift. “Who knew some whiskey would make you even more friendly,” he jokes.
I snort. “I think I can say the same,” I tell him, looking up at him from beneath my lashes.
I see his jaw tighten and flex. He looks like he wants to say something but he manages to hold it back as he tips back his beer for another drink. “I think your friends are missing you over there,” he motions toward them.
I don’t bother looking. “I’m fine right where I’m at,” I tell him.
He turns away from me, his eyes going back to the TV behind the bar.
“Are you from here, Jameson?”
He nods without looking at me.
“I’m from Denver, but I’ll be moving to New York after this summer.”
He glances over at me so I lean in. “So whatever you do,” I whisper. “Don’t fall in love with me.”
He laughs and it steals the air from my lungs. His laugh is deep, sexy. And that smile is enough to have me squeezing my thighs together.
“Don’t fall in love with you, huh?” he shakes his head. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem there,” he tells me.
I shrug. “Glad there won’t be any problems then. How about another shot?”
He looks at me with surprise evident on his face.
I flag down the bartender and order two more shots. We get them pretty quickly and we both toss them back. Somehow, while he’s been standing next to my barstool, he’s managed to move even closer to me. His scent washes over me and he smells like sunshine, freshly mowed grass, sunbaked earth, with the hint of smoke. He smells like summer, a strange mixture that I’ve never smelled on a person before. I guess that’s what you get when you spend all day outside. It’s the sexiest smell that’s ever graced my nose and I have to resist from letting my eyes fall closed to enjoy it that much more.
There’s silence between us and it feels like the air has grown thick. He looks down at me and I look up at him. My entire body erupts in tingles as a wave of need washes through me. His tongue comes out and it glides across his bottom lip, wetting it. I tilt my head slightly to the side, giving him easier access to my mouth. I give him the look I give to all the guys I want. It’s a look that has never failed me. And just like I knew it would, it works. He begins to lean in so slowly that if I wasn’t paying extremely close attention, I’d never notice. I don’t move, knowing his type and how skittish he can be. If I so much as blink, it could be enough to break the spell for him. The alcohol is running through my body, making it buzz like electricity. That electricity causes every nerve ending in my body to come alive and with tingles that spark. Come close enough and those sparks will set fire.
We’re only a few inches apart. Everything else has fallen away. I’m not in a crowded bar. Right now, it’s only him and me and every emotion between us. I wet my lips as he moves closer and then…
“Hannah! We have to go. Chloe is sick,” Summer says, rushing between us and making him jerk away.
I feel let down. My entire body feels like it’s had all of the energy sucked out of it. I have to shake it off quickly as I turn to look at Summer who’s holding Chloe up. Chloe almost looks green.
I nod and take a deep breath. “Okay,” I hand her the keys. “Take her out to the car. I’ll be right there.”
She takes the keys and the two of them go walking off. I look at Jameson. His back is stick straight and he’s taking a long drink from his beer. I stand, putting me even closer to him. I look up and he turns to face me.
“Another time then?” I say, giving him a hint of a smile.
“I guess we’ll see,” he replies.
I nod and slide back him, my chest brushing against his as I go. My nipples tingle and come alive with the sensation. As I walk toward the door, my legs feel like they could give out at any minute. My ankles are wobbly and it has nothing to do with what I’ve had to drink. My heart is racing from his closeness, my lungs are working overtime, trying to get the oxygen they need, the oxygen he stole from them the moment he smiled my way.
