Page 99 of One Reckless Moment

Maeve queued up a playlist on her little speaker and we settled in for a calm and relaxing beach day.

A few hours later, I was back at my apartment to start getting ready for the night. Maeve invited me out with some of her work friends. When I tried to decline, she gave me a speech about seizing the day. I agreed just so she would stop lecturing me in inspirational quotes.

I showered off the greasy sunscreen before standing in front of my closet, struggling to pick out an outfit.

I was renting a tiny one-bedroom apartment and I loved it. The finishes were simple and the walls needed a fresh coat of paint, but it was my own space. The small decorations I added made it feel homey and safe.

I sifted through my closet until I landed on a little two-piece set I bought when Maeve and I went shopping last weekend. It was a simple black skirt with a wrap-style top that tied on the side.

Once my hair was curled and my makeup looked presentable, I changed and added some simple black heels. I looked in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize myself. Gone were the bell bottom jeans and flat brim hats, and in their place were heels and sophisticated gold hoops.

I might have felt like a different version of myself, but damn, did I look hot. Cash wouldn’t have been able to keep his hands off me in this outfit.

Cash.

My face dropped as I let my mind wander to the man who still held my heart. I hadn’t spoken to him since we hung up the phone two months ago. I checked in with Lottie once in a while, but honestly, hearing about him was too much to bear.

I knew he had finished the rodeos and was back home in Ashton Creek now, but I didn’t know how he was spending his time.

Was he sleeping around?

Did he realize he didn’t actually love me?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked back at myself in the mirror. These questions hurt, but I didn’t regret leaving. If Cash and I were meant to be, then we would find our way back.

In the few months I’d been on my own, I learned more about myself than I ever did on the ranch. I had time to make new friends, and have new experiences. No one controlled what I was doing or had any expectations of me.

I was free.

There was a time where I was afraid to make the wrong move because someone else in my family would be impacted or upset. I lived my life tip toeing around everyone else like a fly on the wall that was afraid to live life.

I never wanted to be her again.

My phone dinged with a notification that my rideshare had arrived to take me to the club. I took a deep breath and pushed all thoughts of Cash Leonard back into their little locked box where they had lived for twelve years.

When the vehicle pulled up in front of the club, my nerves started to take over. No matter how many times I came out here, it still felt a little like an out of body experience. I was not a girl who went clubbing, yet here I was waiting in line and handing my ID to a bouncer who checked my identity by staring at my tits.

I pushed through the crowd and up to the second story balcony where I spotted Maeve sitting at a booth with a group of unfamiliar faces.

This club looked exactly like the other ones we’d been to. The space resembled a warehouse with multiple levels of balconies that looked over at an expansive dance floor. There were neon lights shining into the darkness in every direction, and waitresses in skimpy outfits carrying bottles lit up by flares.

I slid into the booth next to Maeve as she handed me a drink. She introduced me to her coworkers, and I hugged her husband Colin, who had a possessive arm draped around his wife’s shoulders.

The moment the alcohol touched my lips, I started to feel at ease. We drifted into casual conversation before Maeve shot to her feet demanding we dance. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me down onto the dance floor with Colin in tow. We started dancing and I got lost in the music—as I always did—when I felt a set of hands slink around my waist.

I smiled and looked up at the stranger who pulled me closer. Thoughts of Cash came rushing back and the nervous energy returned even more amplified than before. He leaned down to place a kiss on my jawline and my body stiffened.

This was wrong.

He didn’t have the same masculine scent that Cash had—leather with a faint note of horses. His hands didn’t grip me in the same possessive way. I didn’t feel at home in his arms.

I stepped out of his hold and bolted off the dance floor. I kept running until I burst through the front door of the club, gasping for air.

“Paige? Are you okay?” Maeve came running up behind me.

I shook my head subtly. My hands were on my hips as I tried to slow my breathing. “I just freaked out a little. I think maybe I should just go home.”

I pulled my phone out and ordered a car without waiting for Maeve to comment. Maeve stayed outside with me until the dark sedan pulled up. I turned to hug her goodbye and she wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tight.