Page 21 of Wild and Unruly
I blink at the woman. “Excuse me?”
“I’m just saying, judging by the way he’s talked and the goofy grin he has on his face staring at you right now, I would say the ball is already rolling.”
Shaking my head, I take another sip and turn on a slight glare. “What did you say your name is?” What, is this some kind of ex-girlfriend protecting the boyfriend thing? Because if that is the case, I have no interest in getting involved in that kind of drama.
“I’m Annmarie, and I’m Stetson’s friend.” She levels me with a hard look. “Nothing more. Just friends.”
I retract my claws just a little, accepting her answer. For now.
What was I even talking about? Stetson and I were nothing.We weren’t about to start going at each other in the middle of the bar or anything. He was working for the people I was doing a story about. That was the extent of what we were to each other.
But I felt defensive still at the thought of this woman warning me off.
“Well, you don’t have anything to worry about,” I start, slamming the rest of my drink and sliding it over to her. “We’re not even friends. I’m here for work.”
Without a word but with a wary glance, she takes the glass and starts to make a fresh one, not even asking if I want another.
Which I do. And apparently, I need one if I’m going to get through my time here.
Suddenly, arms appear on either side of me, trapping me against the bar. I turn and am not surprised to see Stetson there, grinning down at me.
“Hey there,” I say, willing my arms to stay back. I rest my elbows on the bar and pretend to have a casual stance without being too awkward. He holds his arms out straight, giving me room to breathe. Damn, his arms are long.
“Hello, gorgeous Bo. What are you doing here?”
I chuckle a little and nod in the direction of his friends. “Dani invited me.”
“She did?” He looks behind me and nods. I turn and see Annmarie has left my drink there and walked away. Damn. I need to pay.
I half turn to Stetson, who has let an arm drop, moving so he can stand in front of me and look me in the eye. “She did,” I confirm.
“That was nice of her.” He rolls his neck, and I see his tongueslick over his teeth. “If I had invited you, would you have come?”
“Believe me.” I smirk, taking a sip from my drink. “It takes a good amount of effort to make me come.”
For a split second, I try to play that sentence off, but the beating pulse in my wrist and the heat spreading to my cheeks can’t be denied.
“Well, good thing I like a challenge then, isn’t it?” Stetson has leaned in so close that I can feel his breath on my face. I turn, and he gives me a cocky smirk, obviously loving that I put my foot in my mouth far too often.
“We’re just going to pretend you didn’t hear me say that.”
“I don’t know, I’ve got a pretty good memory.”
I take a healthy swallow of my drink. “Do you know where Dani is?”
“Out dancing, I assume.” He nods toward the dance floor, but it’s too crowded for me to see her.
I stand a little straighter, feeling the tequila really starting to warm up my blood and take one last sip before waving at Annmarie, who doesn’t notice me.
“What’s wrong? Need another?”
“No,” I answer, still trying to get her attention. “She didn’t let me pay.”
“I put it on my tab.”
I turn, surprised, and frown at Stetson, who’s still got that goofy grin on his face. “You did? Why?”
“I wanted to buy you a drink, and I didn’t think you’d let me.”
