Page 27 of Any Cowboy of Mine
“Honestly, I did, too. Thanks for being there for me, Sophie. Steve was supposed to be my defensive lineman here.” Brad had been pissed about Steve’s dismissal of them in the beginning, but now he sort of felt like he owed the guy a debt of gratitude for giving him an in with Sophie.
“Did you see Steve at the ceremony at all?”
Brad shook his head. “Not even at the reception. Which means you owe me five dollars,” he said. He was unnerved when she didn’t even smile at his lame joke.
There was a very pregnant pause from Sophie, and he knew what was coming before the words were out of her mouth. Oddly enough, he didn’t worry about having a potentially tough conversation with her—she’d weathered the ceremony just fine and that was just shy of Chernobyl status.
“On that note, are you okay? I saw you dancing with Julia, and you looked upset.”
“I’m good, thanks. It wasn’t pleasant, but then, the last four years together weren’t either. I’m not sure why I expected any different. I just wish you didn’t have to see it.” He especially meant that last part.
“I didn’t mind. I just felt like I wanted to save you, crazy as that might sound. I’m guessing you wouldn’t have had to go through that at all if Steve had held his end of your deal?”
“Nope. You think they’re even still at the bar?” Brad changed the subject, otherwise he’d have a pretty hard time hiding his excitement at her admission that she wanted to save him. He understood exactly what she meant because he felt the same about her. The realization sent shockwaves of lust straight to his stomach.
“I have no idea. It wouldn’t surprise me if she’d left with him and was already back at the bar talking to someone else. She’s a serial dater at best.”
“Steve, too. I hope we didn’t completely blow it by leaving them alone together. This could be bad.”
“It could be. But let’s not forget they ditched us and get whatever is coming to them.”
“That’s some lawyer reasoning right there, Counselor.”
“Damn straight it is. Jackie is on the hot seat with me. Tonight didn’t have to go as well as it did for us, and they never bothered to even check in. Screw them.”
Brad pulled Sophie in. Just before the bar, he turned and pinned her up against the wall, raising her hands above her head. He dipped in close and whispered in her ear, “Let’s not worry about them anymore tonight. I want to spend the night with you, not them.”
Her dress hitched up to an unhealthily sexy height when her hands were above her head. It would only take a finger along the hemline to send them both into uncharted territory. Brad was at half-mast under his suit pants, thankful for the jacket that gave him at least some modicum of privacy. Still, he imagined his hand sliding up under the silky black fabric, hoped he would find her wet and inviting. Just to test the waters, he nibbled on her perfectly shaped earlobe, a fleshy teardrop meant only for him, and rubbed one thumb along the top of her taut thigh, his other hand holding both hers hostage above her head.
When she shuddered under him, the hair on his arms rose. She nodded, not looking away, her sultry gaze urging him on. Her irises were almost black with lust, a look that reflected his own desire, hot and urgent. This was a third iteration of her personality, one he liked more than just a little.
He kissed her gently on the lips, his tongue tickling her bottom lip, teasing her mouth until it opened for him. She moved her hips closer to him, ground her pelvis against his, and he groaned. So much for half-mast. He was hard as stone now, his whole body buzzing with electricity. He pulled away and she exhaled, a soft release of air that turned him on even more, if that was possible.
“Come with me,” he told her, his voice a low growl but still intimate, meant only for her. He released her hands, but wrapped his arm around her waist tightly, a sense of ownership implied. By now, Julia was all but a distant memory. Sophie walked alongside him until they got to the bar doorway where she stopped short.
He started to ask if everything was okay but stopped himself as soon as he saw what made her freeze in her tracks.
“No way,” she whispered.
“No way,” he echoed. Brad didn’t know what to think as he looked through the small window in the door. “They’re adults,” he argued, mostly to himself. “They can handle themselves, can’t they?”
The way Sophie looked at him said otherwise, and she was right. His pants loosened around his waist as he forced his brain to put the ideas of what he wanted to do to Sophie on hold for the time being. So much for skipping the bar and taking Sophie upstairs. He put his hand on Sophie’s hip and led her through the western doors. Their whole night was going to play out a little different than they’d both thought.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Should we go somewhere else? We can always handle them in the morning.” The mood had changed, not just between them, but in him as well, and that made him furious. He was so close to getting everything he’d wanted, everything he’d needed for who knew how long. Leave it to Steve to fuck it all up for him.
Wingman, his ass.
“No. Let’s just get this over with. We’ve got to find out what the hell happened to lead to this,” she said, nodding in towards the center of the bar.
Brad nodded in tacit agreement and led Sophie to a high top next to the bar.
“Two shots, please,” he told Sam, who was still behind the bar, looking exhausted. “We’re gonna need them.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dreams Come True
The bourbon burnedas it slipped down Sophie’s throat, and she fought the urge to cough it back up. Brad laughed at her; she tried to scowl at him, but it didn’t come close to working. He had some sort of spell on her, and she couldn’t help but be happy around him. She still had half her shot but didn’t know how she was going to force it down. Maybe she’d add some Diet Coke.
