Page 38 of Untamed

Too late now. Time to commit.

Before she can make it out of the booth, I’m walking up to their table. God, she looks beautiful. She’s let her hair be a little wavy, and her makeup is all done, making her blue eyes shine…with anger. She’s madder than a wet settin’ hen.

And I’m hard.

“What are you doing here?” she growls out, her mouth barely opening. She’s lookin’ around like she’s terrified I’m about to make a scene.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I say to both of them as I slip into the booth next to River, pushing her over a bit as I fight to make room for my tall frame. “But I couldn’t let this go on without sayin’ my piece.”

“Hayes, excuse yourself from my date.” River’s cheeks are a bright pink. “Or I will shove you out of this seat onto your ass.”

“That’s a bit rude, don’t ya think, darlin’?” I smile over at her and then steal a fry from her plate. “Sorry about this, Sawyer,” I say, looking over at him. “But a guy’s gotta do what he’s gotta do for his woman.”

Sawyer grins and leans back in his chair, gesturing for me to continue.

“I am not your woman.”

“Not yet.” I wink at her. “But once I carry your ass outta here, you will be.”

“Hayes,” she says in a warning tone. “Don’t you dare.”

“Look, River.” I turn toward her, getting serious. “You’re my girl. I fucked it up back in high school, and I don’t want to fuck it up again.”

She sighs and leans her face into her hands.

“Please don’t do this here.” She’s whispering now, and it sounds like she’s holding back tears. But it’s too late now. I have to keep going.

“Nowhere else for me to do it, darlin’. I couldn’t wait any longer. I want you — I need you, River.”

“You want to fuck me, you mean.” Some of that spark is coming back now as her eyes find mine again. She’s got some fire in her belly now. “I refuse to be another notch in your bedpost, Hayes Black. I know what you were like back then, jumping from girl to girl and bed to bed. That’s not what I want. I’m almost thirty, and I’d like to actually date someone.”

“You don’t know me now. You have no clue what I’m like now. Have you seen me with a single woman since you’ve been in town?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe you’re in a dry spell.”

Sawyer chokes on his drink, trying to cover up his laughter. Not a fan of having an audience for this, but I guess that’s my own damn fault.

“If I am, it’s been a pretty long one.” I play with the ends of her hair. “It’s been years, River. I got my act together, realized I needed to grow up. And while I may have never realized it back then, I realize it now. You’re mine. I don’t want anyone else. Just you, firefly.”

Her eyes tear up at the old nickname I had for her when we were little. She used to run barefoot around the ranch in the evenings, catching fireflies in her hands and bringing them to Addie, who couldn’t run around. And then they’d both watch them fly away before River went on the hunt for more.

“That’s unfair,” she says, her voice cracking.

“Never said I fight fair.”

“Great timing, Hayes,” Sawyer quips from his side of the table, heavy on the sarcasm. He doesn’t look too annoyed. If anything, he seems to find it all entertaining.

“Come on,” I tell her. “We’re going home.”

“Excuse me?” She watches me stand and hold out my hand. She just stares at it like I’ve asked her to run away with me. Which, I kind of have.

“I said, come on. We’re going home. And you can either take my hand and excuse yourself from this date. Or…”

“Or?” she asks, her eyes going hard with determination.

“Or I’ll throw your ass over my shoulder and carry you out kickin’ and screamin’.”

“You wouldn’t.”

---