“So you have a brother?” I watch the shutters come down over her eyes and her spine straighten. She didn’t mean to let anything that personal slip out and any detail about her brother is not welcome. I suppose they aren’t close anymore. Conversation that heavy isn’t something I want to ruin the easy banter we’ve been enjoying so I smooth it over and change the subject.
“It’s okay,” I say softly. She’s spooked, and I don’t want her to run. I’ve come this far. “No family talk. I get it. Let’s start over.”
“Again?” she asks, softening again. “How many times are we going to start over tonight?”
“As many as it takes.” My words are as honest as it gets, and I can see that register on her beautiful face. I want her badly enough that I will keep going again and again. I want to know her in a way that shows that I think she’s not only worth the effort, but I would also go to great lengths for the honor to do so. She’s different from other women I’ve met before and I can already tell that she’s special.
This is obviously the correct answer, because both of her friends give me appraising looks and, finally, they look like what they see is all right with them. It’s a small victory in the battle to win my Mack.
“Well,” Hooter says, “it looks like you’ve got everything handled here, and that redhead is calling my name.”
“Same,” Cinco adds as he pushes off his stool and heads to where Tube is standing in the middle of the group of girls.
“They’re going to make fun of your callsign over there,” she says when we’re finally alone.
“I know,” I say with a smile.
“And you’re okay with that?” Mack asks, eyeing me as if she’s weighing the veracity of my statement.
“Of course,” I reply. “I can’t change other people, only my reaction to them, and really a little teasing isn’t a big deal. I can take it. Besides, I’m here with a beautiful woman. Do you see me complaining?”
“No, I guess I don’t,” she replies thoughtfully, and she looks like she’s just now seeing me for the first time. The attraction snaps and crackles between us again like dry lightning.
“Can I get you another beer or something else?” I ask, even though the bottle is still more than halfway full and sweating all over the tabletop. I don’t want her to drink warm beer on account of my inattentiveness. This woman deserves more than that. She deserves a lot more than that.
“Lone Star,” she blurts out, and her bright green eyes widen in surprise. They’re bigger than most and definitely a prominent feature of hers, but now they look huge.
“What?” I ask, not sure what her comment has to do with anything or why she looks so startled by the information that she’s freely given. But I do know that now I want to know more than ever.
“My callsign,” she replies quietly. “It’s Lone Star.”
“You’re lucky.” I laugh. “You could be saddled with Tarzan.”
“This is true.” She laughs, and I watch as some of the tension seeps out of her body.
“So, would you like something else to drink?”
“No, I think I’d like to get out of here,” she says quietly as she stands. “Are you coming?”
“Yes,” I say immediately. I’m surprised. She didn’t seem like she would give me a chance to redeem myself after my blunder about being a pilot, and yet, here we are. She also doesn’t seem like the type to take a man home from a bar either, but I can’t help being more than glad she’s decided to take a walk on the wild side tonight.
I look over my shoulder, put my fingers to my mouth, and whistle when I spot Sean in a sea of people. He has his arm around a dark-haired woman, and I have a feeling he’s good for the night, but still, I should make sure he’s not going to end up in a bathtub full of ice and missing a kidney.
He waves me off. “I’m good,” he shouts as he spots Mack beside me. “Make good choices!”
I flip him off but smile doing it, because he’s an asshole but also my best friend.
Mack’s two friends look our way and offer chin lifts. I still can’t get a read on them, but they seem okay. And besides, I’ll probably never see them again. It’s not often that my buddies and I end up this far north, and we’re frequently gone on a mission, so my time is limited.
I turn back to Mack, but she’s already making her way through the bar toward the heavy front door. Her round ass sways ever so slightly with each step she takes on long, slim legs that seem to go on for miles encased in her well-washed denim.
I don’t waste a second more getting to her. I know that Sean will give me shit later tomorrow about how I ran panting from a bar after a good-looking woman, but with the promise of a night with her looming in front of me, I just don’t care. It’ll be totally worth it.
I catch up to her just in time to reach around her slim body and pull the heavy door open for her. She looks back at me, surprise flitting across her face for a moment, and then it’s gone. Almost like she didn’t think I would really follow her out of the bar. She has to know she’s beautiful, right? And smart and witty. It all adds up to one hell of a package that I can’t resist. One that I don’t want to resist.
“Thank you,” she drawls in her low, husky voice. Her Texas twang is thick and sweet like honey, and as I look into her green eyes, I know without a doubt I’ll get her to say my name just like that while I’m buried deep inside her. Or I’ll die trying.
She passes under my arm, and she’s just tall enough that she has to duck a little to get by. I follow her outside and let the door swing closed behind us, muting the noise from the bar. She starts off toward the north end of the parking lot, but I grab her slim hand in mine and turn her in the direction of the south end.
