There he was. Or rather theretheywere.
His tall lanky legs and short spikey blonde hair stood out amongst the sea of cowboy hats facing the stage. His gangly arm was laced around the lower half of an equally tall and lanky brunette.
This had to be a joke.
Not only had he come back to Quincey Falls, but he’d brought a girl too?
In the midst of my internal spiral, I uncovered a sliver of relief. Not that he was here, but that maybe since he’d brought a girl, it was more acceptable for me to have moved on too.
The newfound news helped, but the sinking feeling was alive and well, making it hard to be in the same room as him.
I moved to face the rest of the group. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom.”
“Want me to go with you?” Maggie asked, clearly fishing.
“No, I’m good.”
Thankfully she didn’t push any further. Instead, she turned back to Booker, dropping her arms down onto his shoulders and continuing their own conversation.
My feet shuffled around my barstool, but not before Stetson’s fingertips just barely danced across the back of my hand. His eyes caught mine, his creased forehead and tightened jaw looking for confirmation that I was okay.
I blinked up behind my eyelashes, doing my best to give him something but finding it nearly impossible with the amount of anxiety barreling around inside me. I turned, keeping my headhung low—grateful I knew this bar like the back of my hand—and put one foot in front of the other until I rounded the corner and found a sense of shelter in the darkened bathroom hallway.
I forced my back to the brick wall, feeling the rough scratch snag my jacket.
“Holy shit” snuck right through my lips. The pounding music synced with the pounding in my chest. I hated that this bothered me so much, that I felt like I needed to shrink myself in Zane’s presence, especially because it was crystal clear that he was completely unfazed by all of it.
The echo of footsteps pulled my head from the wall, forcing me to find a hiding spot somewhere else. I reached for the bathroom door, attempting to bring it toward me, but it suddenly slammed shut.
My head swiveled, peering over my shoulder to see Stetson’s neon blue gaze staring back. His mouth descended to my ear, compelling my shoulders to shudder from the warmth on my skin.
“Be mine,” he breathed, the gravel in his throat humming through me.
I rotated my body around, backing up and bracing myself with the strength of the door. “But—” I started.
“Shh,” he demanded, lightly pinning my lips closed. “Even if it’s just for tonight.”
It was clear what he was doing, and the gesture itself was enough to convince me to agree to his terms, but I stayed silent for now, sending him an open invitation to persuade me further.
Even though the thought of beinghiswould now be permanently stamped into my brain.
“I’ve seen the way you fidget that ruby ring on your finger when you’re around me in an attempt to distract yourself. You feel it too. The constant pull that draws us together, the undeniable connection that we’ve both tried to ignore—youhaving been much more successful than me—but tonight, let’s just go with it. Let’s let it happen.”
He wasn’t wrong.
And the idea of having this man asmine, even if it was only for a few hours, had me light-headed. I know there was much that needed to be addressed, but right now, the only thing on my mind was him.
What did Maggie say?A future Scarlett problem.
I lifted my chin, finding his attention, his mouth only breaths away from mine.
“Tonight,” I whispered.
The word barely slipped through the opening of my mouth before I plunged into his, gripping his face with my palms. One of his hands supported my chin while the other explored my waist, drawing me in closer until our bodies were fused together.
Similar to before, the world went blurry, but this time, in a euphoric way. Music whirled around us like a storm, the neon lights giving the illusion that they were dancing too, and for the first time, I could enjoy this moment, revel in this kiss and not feel anything besides content.
I didn’t want it to end, but just as I feared, it had to.
