AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Surveying the saloon again, she saw several tables and chairs with various people playing poker or drinking. The tinny-sounding player piano in the corner belted out an upbeat tune. Several women dressed as old-timey saloon girls circulated through the tables or rested their crossed arms on the upstairs rail. And there were even a few men dressed as cowboys playing cards by the front entryway.
Her gaze had been focused in the direction of the swinging doors for at least the past ten minutes, searching for Gabriel, when another man entered and promptly took her breath away. Thick dark hair, cut fairly short, but looking like it needed a trim, surrounded his rugged, handsome face. She was too far away to see the color of his eyes but expected they’d also be dark. He was powerfully built, like perhaps he swung a sledgehammer for a living. In fact, this man looked exactly like a cowboy of yore. And he was very tall. Even taller than Gabriel.
Suzanna stared at him like he was a celebrity come to visit and she was his biggest fan. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from his muscular body. Sleeves rolled halfway up his arms haphazardly, with dark pants and boots, he looked like the old Western version of a bodyguard. This was exactly the type of man she’d dreamed of hiring to fend off the unfortunate man in her past. But she’d never had the wherewithal or the funds to employ anyone. And truthfully, the real reason she hadn’t sought private protection was that she didn’t want to put anyone’s life at risk.
He walked slowly into the bar, nodding once at Cooper as he passed by. He made it almost three quarters of the length of the wooden counter before noticing she was staring at him like she’d never seen a man before. He frowned, and stared back. This did not deter her. It should have, but her fascination was compulsive.
Suzanna still couldn’t tear her gaze away, even though she’d gone well past impolite and was bordering on offensive with her unwavering stare. Looking like he was about to seat himself, he suddenly hesitated and then kept walking. He moved toward her.
She sat riveted and watched unblinkingly as he approached. Helpless to stop herself, Suzanna kept her gaze on his every move. She thought he would sit next to her and ask her what her problem was, but instead, he walked all the way into her. He wrapped an arm around the top edge of the barstool back where she sat. He didn’t touch her, but he was so close that she felt the warmth from his large body. He casually draped his other arm on the counter between her and her drink. She was trapped by a huge gorgeous man on three sides. And she liked it.
His legs pushed into her. The feel of his muscular thighs pressing against her legs sent a thrill down her spine. If she’d been facing to one side instead of the bar, his hips would now be wedged between her thighs. Her heart sped at the very intimate mental image. She was being totally inappropriate but found this man so fascinating, she couldn’t seem to be anything but stupid around him.
“Can I help you with something, darlin’?” he asked in a low, gravelly tone.
Juice shot out of her pussy and into her panties so fast, she made a little noise of distress. “I’m…sorry. You just…and I thought…but then…you probably don’t…” she babbled incoherently, unable to think of a way to explain or apparently finish a sentence. It wasn’t like she could say, “I’m waiting for someone that makes me crazy hot for sex, but looking at you just makes me want to spread my legs and beg for it.” She shook her head slightly in an attempt to knock the inappropriate thoughts from her mind.
He moved closer still. Legs solidly locked against her thigh, his face pressed within inches of hers. He paused as if considering how far she’d let him go. Was he about to kiss her? His lips were as tempting as Gabriel’s. Even thinking about Gabriel didn’t keep her from wanting this man, too.
She leaned forward, wanting to press her mouth to his to see if he tasted as good as he looked. Would he taste as amazing as Gabriel had? She closed the short distance between them. She felt his breath brush a light caress against her sensitive lips.
“Here’s your whiskey, Nathan.” His name is Nathan.
His focus turned toward Cooper, and her trance was also broken. She straightened and pulled away, turning to put her attention back on her drink where it belonged. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. She couldn’t see her face in the mirror of the bar but expected the color was now flaming cherry red. How could she have gotten so distracted by this man?
