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"Oh, honey, go for it!" Kym encourages me, her voice brimming with excitement. "Life's too short to let the guys be in charge all the time. You go get what you want and break some hearts for me while you're at it."
Spurred on by my friends' encouragement and the buzz of alcohol, I make my way across the crowded bar toward the handsome cowboy. He's lining up another dart, focused intently on the board. I take a moment just to admire him—the way his jeans hug his muscular thighs, the bunching of his bicep as he pulls back to throw.
Before I can lose my nerve, I sashay up next to him—not missing the way his companions smirk and give each other knowing looks. I clear my throat, suddenly aware of how loud the music is blaring in the background.
"Hey there," I say, trying my best to sound confident and sexy without getting drowned out by the sound.
The cowboy doesn't even notice, and I fight the urge to turn tail and run, instead lifting my hand and tapping him on the shoulder.
As the cowboy turns to face me, his piercing blue eyes meet mine, and for a split second, I forget how to breathe. A mischievous grin spreads across his rugged face, and my heart skips a beat.
"Well, hello there," he says, his voice deep and gravelly. His gaze lingers on me for a moment longer than necessary, causing my cheeks to flush even deeper. "What can I do for you, darlin'?"
Summoning every ounce of courage I have left in me, I meet his gaze with a flirtatious smile. "I couldn't help but notice your incredible dart-throwing skills," I say, trying to project confidence, but faltering when his friends snicker and start complimenting his skills with me.
"Let her speak, guys," the cowboy says, holding a hand up to silence his friends. "I wanna hear where this is goin'."
The cowboy's friends quiet down, their eyes fixed on me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. I take a deep breath, determined to hold my ground. "Well, I was thinking maybe you could teach me a thing or two. Show me your dart-throwing secrets," I say, raising an eyebrow playfully.
The cowboy chuckles, his dimples deepening. "Well, darlin', I'd be more than happy to show such a beautiful woman a thing or two," he says, his voice tinged with a hint of seduction as his eyes drift appreciatively over me, and I'm instantly relieved he enjoys a woman with some mean on her bones. His friends exchange knowing glances, clearly entertained by the turn of events. "But fair warning, my dart-throwing secrets are closely guarded." He winks and steps closer, handing me a dart. When his fingers brush against mine, my knees weaken a little, his presence now towering over me, his proximity sending a shiver down my spine.
"First you hold it like so. Then you wanna line up your shot," he practically purrs in my ear as he helps me with my grip and aim.
I'm finding it hard to focus with his overwhelming charm and closeness. Tucking in my elbow, I pull back and release the dart.
But my aim is off—wayoff. Like, not even in the vicinity of the board. I suck in my breath as the dart sails across the crowded bar...and directly into the left butt cheek of a burly man playing pool.Kill me now.
"Yeeoow!" he bellows, slapping a hand to his rear. The cowboy’s friends let out a collectiveohhhh!And I gasp, horrified, as the man whips around, glaring in our direction.Please ground. Open up and swallow me whole.
"All right, who's the wise guy?"
My cheeks burn with the fire of a thousand suns. The cowboy chuckles, though I detect a note of nervousness. "Sorry friend, the lady here is just learnin'."
The man stalks over, beefy arms crossed. His eyes narrow when he sees me. "My ass might be big, but it ain’t no dart board."
I shrink back, but the cowboy quickly puts himself between me and the beefy gentleman. “Now, now. No need to go scarin’ the poor girl. It was an accident that I can assure you we won’t let her repeat. Right, boys?”
As his friends make agreeable noises, the man pulls back, his eyes moving from me to my cowboy, to my cowboy’s group of friends. It takes about three seconds before he realizes he’s out-muscled and outnumbered, so he quickly backs down.
“All right then. Just keep those darts where they belong and we won’t have a problem.”
“Understood,” the cowboy says with a nod as the man turns away.
"I'm so sorry,” I say, both to his retreating back and to the group of cowboys at large. “I didn't mean to..."
The cowboy breaks into a grin. "Don’t stress it, darlin’. But remind me not to turn my backside to you in the future." His friends all laugh at that, and my shoulders relax with a sigh.
"You better watch yourself with this spitfire, Clark, stickin' fellas in their behinds!" one of his friends calls out.
"Fits right in with that red hair of hers!” Another pipes up. “We oughta call her the bun sticker from here on."
Soon the whole group is chortling and I can't help but join in, laughter dissolving my embarrassment. The cowboy—Clark—winks at me. "Don't you worry none. I plan on watchin' those buns of hers very closely."
Heat floods my cheeks, but his teasing sets me at ease. As we continue our flirtatious dart lesson, ‘Bun Sticker’ becomes my new nickname, and I even manage to hit the board a few times, too. With one of my darts getting excitingly close to the bullseye.
"How about you and I share a dance after that impressive display?” Clark says after the final toss. “I reckon I've gotta get you away from this board before you embarrass me by beatin' my ass in front of my friends."
“More like she’ll stick you in the ass,” his friend says. We both roll her eyes. But still, I let out a chuckle. This cowboy's charm has me completely under his spell, and the prospect of dancing with him sends a thrill through my body that a silly nickname couldn't possibly take away.
