Page 56 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

“Geez, I thought I left the expensive car jerks back in Seattle,” I say.

Kieran shakes his head. “Probably a tourist or something. Come on. Let’s get inside. The music is due to start soon.”

We hop out and head inside. The smell of leather and wood hit my senses first, followed by undertones of beer, fried food, and cologne. Oddly, the combination is welcoming. We make our way over to the bar. My eyes roam the room, but I don’t see anyone from the ranch yet. We are about fifteen minutes early, so I guess we can get our drinks and find a table. Lachlan thought a pretty decent crowd should be coming, so the group of tables off to the right of the stage looks like the best choice.

Sylvie taps the mic twice to get our attention. A hush falls over the bar as all eyes turn to her. “Hey, everyone! We are goingto start in about five to ten minutes. Last week, I played a lot of Ed Sheeran songs. This week, I’m calling it a Luke Warm Night. We will be leading off tonight's set with ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’ by Luke Bryan, and then we will be playing covers of Luke Bryan and Luke Combs all night.”

She hops off the stage just as Paisley runs up to me with a bottle of water.

“This night is going to be epic! Luke songs all night!” She shimmies her shoulders before pulling me toward a chair. “We better get our seats situated so we can get ready to shake it like a Polaroid picture,” Paisley shouts over the din of the bar.

Leo is pulling Kieran toward the tables. “Let me guess, you would be more than willing to watch our things while we shake it on the dance floor?” I ask Kieran with a smirk.

I know full well he will not dance to a fast song.

Shaking his head, Kieran replies, “I prefer the slower songs. My feet and hips don’t move like that.”

We talk for a few more minutes, lost in conversation. Suddenly, the lights dim, and spotlights hit the dance floor.

Sylvie clears her throat. “Welcome, everyone! It’s fun to see a great crowd out here tonight. Sundays at Glaciers are becoming my favorite. Anyone who wants to start tonight off with me now's the time to get on the dance floor. Mark is on the guitar, and Rick is on the drums. Thanks for being here to party with us. We are the Buckshot Rebels.”

The three of us stride confidently into the center of the dance floor and take our V-shaped dance position. Mark starts strumming the first few notes as Rick provides the steady beat. Just before we start the forward strut, Sylvie’s bow glides across her violin. As we go to do the first hip roll, the front door to the bar opens, and Lachlan steps in, sucking all the air from my lungs. Seeing me rolling my hips and dropping down low in thecenter of the dance floor has him stopping dead in his tracks. Callum, Noah, and Trent don’t see him stop and barrel right into the back of him. He stumbles forward, catching himself on the bar top.

I wink and continue the line dance, crossing over to the left, and then to the right. At the next hip roll, I look over my shoulder, making eye contact with Lachlan again. His jaw ticks as his eyes stay locked on me.

The song finishes, and as Paisley, Leo, and I turn toward the table, strong arms swoop me into a firm chest. I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist and arms around his neck. I would know that cedar and leather scent anywhere.

“Happy to see me?” I ask coyly.

He growls, “Yes, and I’m glad I didn’t miss that performance. We were later arriving from the falls with our gear than I planned. The mountain lion was gone when Callum and I rode up, but we tried not to linger. All your stuff is back at my place.”

I hug him tight and kiss the shell of his ear. “Thank you for getting our stuff and for saving me today. I felt so helpless looking at the mountain lion. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there. I owe you my life, Lachlan. Then you carried me the whole way back. I—I adore you.”

I almost just spewed the words ‘I love you,’ in a crowded bar, to a man I met a week ago. I know this all feels right, but come on, Aislinn, don't scare him away.

He looks at me knowingly, with a glint in his eye. “I adore you too, Aislinn. I would save you time and time again. Will put your life ahead of my own. Lay down the world for you. That is, if you’ll let me. When I walked through that door, I felt like I'd been hit by a hurricane. And I was, by my Hurricane.” He kissesme softly. “I couldn’t take my eyes off your body as it moved across the floor.”

I plant a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth as he carries me over to our table.

My feet glide to the floor right next to two empty chairs. We sit down, and I unscrew the cap from my water bottle. I tilt my head back and begin to gulp down the cool water.

“So, Lachlan, I hear you were afraid of a pussy today. Does that mean you want to switch teams and sword fight?” Leo asks.

I choke on my drink as water flies from my mouth. Luckily, I don’t hit anyone as my mouth does an impression of a firehose.

“What?” I rasp. “I said a mountain lion, a huge male mountain lion!”

Leo rolls his index finger around the top edge of his glass and plasters a wicked smile on his face. “I know a few friends who would love to meet you.”

He winks before taking a sip. The smile he is hiding behind his glass is almost my undoing. Then I make the mistake of glancing at Lachlan and Callum. Their expressions are priceless. Both have paused mid-sip and are looking at me. I lose it then and there. My laugh triggers everyone at the table; even the stoic Trent joins in with us.

As I wipe the tears from under my eyes, I turn to Leo and deadpan, “He does just fine with my pussy, thank you very much.”

I don’t look up but hear Kieran pretending to dry-heave beside Leo, who simply smirks at me. He raises his glass ever so slightly in acknowledgment. Score one for Aislinn.

Kieran clears his throat or dislodges a bit of vomit, not sure which one. “Lachlan, as Aislinn’s older brother, I believeshe can do anything and be anything, but there are times when I’m thankful she has found a man like you to be her support in times of need. What you did today went above and beyond. I will be forever grateful for keeping her safe.”

Lachlan smiles and looks down at me.

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