Page 15 of Freeing the Wild
“Asher,” Haden calls the big burly bartender over without breaking his gaze from mine.
Asher glances over with steely gray eyes, placing another patron’s drink in front of them before making his way to us.
“He’s not as scary as he looks,” Haden jokes.
I look up at Asher as he waits for our order.I beg to differ.
“She’ll have another sangria, and for me …” He drums his fingers on the bar.“What’s the most expensive bourbon you’ve got in this place?”
Asher smirks, and it almost feels wrong.He’s a mountain of a man, and there isn’t a patch of skin that isn’t covered in ink.His hair is jet black and his beard is thick.He looks over his shoulder and eyes up the liquor shelf behind him.
“Kentucky Owl.Twenty-five bucks a shot.”
Haden smirks, replacing his cowboy hat on his head as he answers.
“That’ll do.”He hikes a thumb over his shoulder at me.“After all, she’s buying.”
Something about this cocky cowboy’s grin has my clarity punching through, and I decide he wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t just as interested in me as I am in him.I lean forward, placing my hand on his jean-clad knee.
“I’ve got a better idea.I’ll play you for it,” I offer, giving his thigh a pat and nodding my head toward the pool table at the back.
Asher places our drinks in front of us as Haden reaches down and places his hand over mine.The way we fit together as he tugs me gently off the barstool to stand makes my skin break out in goosebumps.
He swipes his expensive bourbon off the bar and knocks it back.
“You’re on,Princess.”He raises a hand to signal to Asher for another drink.Asher pulls a bottle out and fills his glass.Another shot, another twenty-five bucks.
“Raising the stakes, are you?”I ask with one eyebrow raised.
“Just get ready to put your money where that smart little mouth is.”
He passes by me on his way to the pool table and I can’t help but glance down at his ass again in those damn jeans.
“And stop looking at me like that.I told you, no falling in love with me.”
“Keep dreaming,” I retort as I follow him.I get a good view of his ass in his jeans as he leads me through the crowd to the back of the bar, and I have to remind myself that nothing is happening here.That I amnotattracted to this cowboy.Maybe if I keep telling myself, I’ll actually start to believe it.
CHAPTER NINE
Haden
After almost two games of pool, there isn’t a set of eyes in this place that aren’t on this little firecracker in front of me.Including mine.She’s got the kind of attitude that makes me almost desperate to put her in her place, and I still don’t even know her real name.She bends over now in front of me, lining up her last shot before the eight.Her perfect ass is on display in a pair of light blue cutoff jean shorts.The little frayed threads that hang from the hem graze her curvy tanned thighs, begging me to slide my hands under them, Her fucking incredible shoulders call for my lips and teeth every time she swipes her wavy blonde hair off her back.
“So what you’re telling me is, if I sink this little orange ball, and then knock the eight in, you’re paying for our drinks?”she asks over her shoulder.She kicked my ass the first time even though I was going to let her win anyway.There’s not a chance I’d let her pay for our drinks but, fuck, I did not expect her to be this good.Now, I watch in annoyance as the cue slides between her slender fingers and she narrows her icy blue eyes in focus.
“How’s that shot looking, Trusty Dusty?”She winks atDusty beside me.He’s made his way over for a beer and to watch this woman thoroughly kick my ass.
“Fucking Christ,” Dusty whispers from beside me as he watches her hips rock a little.I cuff him in the chest with the back of my hand and turn my gaze to him, shaking my head once to let him know she’s off-limits.She may not be going home with me, but she isn’t going home with anyone else in here either.
“Come on, Princess, we don’t have all night,” I tell her, watching her eyes narrow even further as she strikes the ball with perfect execution.Dusty and I watch as it sinks into the corner pocket.It’s dawned on me after watching her reaction to the only name I have for her that she doesn’t like being called “princess.”Which means I’ll be calling her that for the rest of the night.
“Looks like that pesky ball found its home,” she muses.The feel of her shoulder grazing my chest and the sweet peach scent of her skin when she walks in front of me is distracting as fuck.Though I’m pretty sure she did it on purpose as she makes her way to the other side of the table to take her last shot.
“Hell, I think I need another drink,” Dusty says, patting me on the shoulder.
I’m aware of the eyes on her.She’s a fucking knockout, and the way the whole bar is looking at her makes me want to peel my t-shirt off and pull it over her head.It would hang down to her mid-thighs and cover up those gorgeous curves, which might suit me just fine.She knocks the eight ball into the side pocket with ease and smiles wide.Christ almighty.It’s breathtaking.
“Ouch.Tough loss, Cowboy.”She straightens and stalks toward me, singing along with the Carrie Underwood song pumping through the sound system with a damn pretty voice.Everything about this woman oozes sexiness and confidence, but I know there’s more to her than her facade and tough exterior.There’s something deeper that calls to me.Maybe it’s because Iknow a mask when I see one.Hell, I wear one every fucking day.But whatever she’s covering up, I want to see what’s underneath.
