On.
My.
Fingertip.
Jesus fucking Lord.
Trying to retain some sense of my good name, I pulled my hand back, but she didn't let go. Nope, just casually maneuvered her fingers through mine til they were clasped together, danglin' between us.
I mustered up all the stern, alpha-asshole bravado I could find. "Friends don't kiss friend's fingers, Calvin."
She just batted her pretty, black-painted lashes at me. She may have been sittin' on the bar stool, a whole foot below my eye level, but she might as well have been the tallest one in the room for all the attitude she packed in that tight-as-fuck body.
"Can't ya let a girl have a little fun, boy scout? It's been a long week and I'm feelin' a little tense." Hank set her tequila shots down gently without so much as a muttered curse. "How 'bout you loosen up a little with me, huh?"
Oh, for fuck's sake.
"Let's dance," she said, followed by a grin before she tossed back a shot of tequila then handed me another.
This was 'bout to be a long fuckin' night.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
"Don't look now,"I said in Brody's ear after I rose from my stool.
The moment I watched Rhett slide off his bar stool and stalk toward where Sassy and I were dancing, I knew this night was about to devolve into a shit show.
Sass and I were each already three shots and two beers deep.
Rhett had left behind a befuddled-looking Brody at the bar. Some unwanted but not unpleasant sense of protectiveness washed over me when Brody'd sent his best friend after his ex-fiancée with a simple hand on his shoulder. I had an inkling his confusion would turn to discomfort the moment he saw Rhett's hands on Sassy's waist as they slow danced to"I Cross My Heart"by George Strait. Best I could do for him was to control the situation, give him a distraction.
"Your best friend and your ex are getting cozy on the dance floor."
He tipped his head up from where he'd bent it to listen to my whisper-shout, giving them a quick glance. Couldn't place the look that crossed his handsome face.
Then he smiled. "Good. How it was supposed to be all along."
You could've knocked me over with a feather. Sure, I knew Brody was attracted to me. But he'd been nursing a broken heart, rebounding when he met me. Yet he looked so at peace seeing Rhett and Sassy together.
It was hard not to admire him for it.
"You are a strong man, Brody Lancaster." I ran my fingers across his cheek and through the hair peeking out of his hat. He leaned into my touch, then turned and kissed my palm. He reached up, gripping my hand in his, dropping them between us and squeezing. "A good man," I added.
A self-deprecating laugh rumbled through his chest. The music swelled around us, but I caught every word despite the noise from the crowded bar.
"Eh, I don't know about all that. Big fuckin' fool of a man, sure. But everyone's got their part to play, I reckon."
The resignation in his voice lit a fierce spark in my chest. This man who'd walked away from his own wedding because he loved his best friends enough to step aside—calling himself a fool.
"No. You're no fool."
My fingers tightened against his, forcing him to meet my gaze. Those green eyes held too much pain for someone in his thirties. Too much self-doubt for a man who'd shown more integrity in one moment than most people managed in a lifetime.
"Lies. Pretty lies, viper."
The way that nickname rolled off his tongue made me want to slap him and fuck him at the same time. Who the hell did he think he was, making me feel things? I didn't do this. Didn't get invested or attached. But like hell would I walk out of this bar tonight with this boy scout thinking I was feeding him sweet nothings, playing some game. Didn't he realize I'd already seen through that charming smile to the raw honesty underneath?
"Honey, I tell no lies."
