by K. C. Crowne
I wouldn’t be able to think straight until Emily was mine.
“I think we have all the roles sorted out now,” Emily announced, her eyes flicking back to me, bringing me out of my brazen revelry.
“That’s great, but how can I be of assistance to you?” I asked, grinning at her and hoping she picked up on the hidden meaning behind the words.
A damn fool I was.
I couldn’t help myself. The beauty had me in a trance that made it hard to notice anything or anyone else.
“Just show up and be ready to ride,” she said.
I nodded as my brain went into overdrive.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
She had no idea how her innocent words sent all sorts of filthy thoughts into my head.
Her sweetness and innocence all but drove me nuts. She had to be mine.
“Meetin’ over then?” Chance, the youngest brother, asked. “’Cause I sure could use a beer.”
“Yeah, meeting’s over,” Emily said. “I reckon we’re as ready as we can be for the event.”
“I think it sounds perfect,” I offered.
“You don’t even know that much about it,” she accused with an adorable eye roll.
“Well, if you planned it, it’s gonna be perfect, darlin’.”
“Watch it Cowboy. No flirting. You’ll have us three to go through first,” Chance said with a grin.
I knew he was pulling my let, but he had zero clue what was going on in my head.
Emily’s cheeks turned pink.
So damned sweet and innocent.
I knew Emily was one of the good ones. She was raised well, had a good family and an amazing upbringing. She always had a huge heart too. I admired that about her.
No doubt I’ve had my fair share of horrible relationships.
In my earlier years, I wasn’t great at reading woman and their true motivations for being with me. I ended up disappointed time after time.
Heart break after heart break.
At my age, I was finally at a time in my life when I was done with messing around and wasting my time.
I was beyond ready for the real thing. There was no telling if love was something I’d be lucky enough to find in my life, but I sure as hell was willing to try.
The guys pushed back their chairs, talking amongst themselves as they rose to their feet. Chance tried to grab me, but I pushed past him. I only had eyes for Emily, who was now turned away from me.
But it was her wishes I was concerned about.
She was too good for a guy like myself.
“Hey, darlin’,” I said, stepping up beside her.
Emily jumped as if I’d startled her. “Oh, hey, Logan.”
“So I was wonderin’ if you’d like to grab a drink or something and catch up?”
Emily looked around, and suddenly, all four brothers were beside us. They’d always been an overprotective bunch.
Maybe they’d noticed the way I looked at her? Or maybe just nearby. It was a small room.
“Sounds great!” Silas elated, his exuberant cheer contagious as he slapped my back. “Great suggestion! Let’s all go grab a drink and catch up. It’s been a while, Logan. His hand clinched my shoulder. “Oh, I bet you got some stories to tell, cowboy!”
My smile faltered a bit. I couldn’t blame them for wanting to tag along. It had been a while, and we were like a family. I had neglected them for too long.
It would have been a dick move not to spend time with them, and truthfully speaking, I’d honestly missed the rowdy bunch.
Though the disappointment of not having a one on one with Emily was very much present.
I had an idea.
“Sure,” I agreed. “But Emily, I’ve got a ton of questions for you still. You can come ridin’ with me if you like. I wanna pick your brain about the competition, so it’ll be easier this way.” When she nodded, I took the lead and opened the door for her.
“Meet you guys there,” she called with a wave to her brothers as we exited the room.
I walked up behind her, taking note that her ass was everything I had imagined it to be: absolutely delectable.
She couldn’t get any more perfect.
I might have to marry this one, I thought to myself.
Mostly joking.
Mostly.
Emily
“Still drivin’ an old pickup truck, huh? Pleased to see that bein’ rich hasn’t changed your country style much,” I joked, as he led me by the hand to his truck.
The car was high off the ground, and I was a short little thing.
A big guy like Logan would have no problem getting in, but me on the other hand, that was a different story.
I paused for a second, questioning if I’d look pretty unladylike climbing in.
Luckily, I didn’t have to worry for long, because as soon as the passenger side door was open, Logan’s hands were on my waist, ready to hoist me up.
It was a wild feeling being touched by him.
I liked it.
I also felt like I might pass out.
Somehow he lifted me as if I weighed nothing at all. Which, considering I was a healthy curvy girl, that said a lot.
“There you go, darlin’,” he said. “Buckle up, cow girl.”
He hurried around to the driver’s side and climbed up into his seat before I could finish clasping my seat belt. Without saying a word, he reached over and took the belt from me. His warm arm brushed against my chest, his other hand near my thighs.
I pressed my legs together, hoping he wouldn’t be able to tell how turned on I was by his touch. I’d dreamt of Logan’s embrace many times over, but never had I imagined how exhilarating it would feel.
Who was I kidding though? He probably just wanted to avoid seeing me struggle. It probably didn’t mean anything, but still, my nerves were all over the place.
Everything was happening so fast.
He clicked the belt into the buckle.
“There you are. Wow, Emily…I can’t believe the mature woman you’ve grown up to be. How old are you now?”
“Twenty-nine,” I managed to say.
“Damn. I remember my twenties,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “Good times.”
“I’ve heard about your twenties,” I laughed. “I think the whole world has.”
“I was a different man back then,” he defended good-naturedly. “Young, dumb and—well, you know what they say. I did some stupid shit. You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders. Puts a man like me to shame.”
“Thank you,” I said, speaking softly, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.
Then there was some silence. Not the awkward kind. The kind of peaceful silence that only two old souls could share.
It was…nice.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking Logan, but, are we going to talk about the competition or did you just plan to suck up to the judge and win some brownie points,” I asked jokingly. I was partially serious.
“Well, since we’re cutting to the chase, I’ll be honest with you Emily I didn’t expect to be so taken back by you today. As I said earlier, I came in to help your family and I still intend to. You know how I feel about you guys. There’s no question I wouldn’t do anything for the family that took me in years ago. But, next thing I know I run into YOU and… well… I know it sounds strange but I couldn’t help but want to get you alone and talk”
“Talk?”
“Yah, you know catch up. Maybe even ask if you have a lucky guy in your life?”
Did he really just ask me if I’m taken?
“No actually. I’m too busy with work, and well, the pickin’s are pretty slim in this town. No one really stood out like that.”
“So what you’re saying is you’d be interested in a relationship if the right guy came along?”
I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that.
Was Logan coming onto me?
All I could do was sit there in shock.
“Sorry, I’m jus
t surprised by all this,” I said, nodding toward his hand, which at this point was still sitting closely next to my thigh.
“Ah I’m such a fool. I’m coming on too hard I’m sorry,” he chuckled.
“Maybe a bit,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I guess I’ll push the brakes a bit.” He gave me a flirtatious wink.
Everything about the last hour had my heart pounding.
I was as type A as they came.
Deliberate in my actions and less like a giddy school girl around guys.
Something about Logan, though, made me feel safe.
Safe enough to let go of my need to control everything around me.
That was a first.
After all, for as long as I could remember Logan he was always a gentleman around women. Truthfully, he was an authentic southern gentleman if there ever was one. It was another reason I’d always grown jealous of his girlfriends over the years. I guess I never thought any of them were good enough for a guy like Login. They were either super self-centred or overly materialistic.
As much as Logan had his positives, picking the right girl was never quite his strength. Every prediction I had about a horrible ex-girlfriend turned out to be true. Their true colors always came out eventually.
We pulled into the parking lot of the bar. Silas and Wyatt were waiting out front, and Chance pulled in right behind us with Travis riding in the passenger side.
Our alone time would be coming to an end very soon. That made me sad but at least I could let my heart beat slowly return to its normal pace.
Logan moved his hand away from near my thigh, though I felt his warm touch still.
My insides were warmer, and I felt like a puddle of slime.
I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to walk.
Logan hopped out of the truck and was at the passenger side in a flash. He reached for my hand and put the other on my waist to help me down. To the outside world it could be seen as simply helping me get down. But his eyes locked on mine, and I saw the passion in them.
I saw the heat.
I felt it in my core.
And I knew my eyes probably mirrored his. His lips formed a devilish grin.
I just hoped my brothers hadn’t noticed. I wasn’t sure they’d take too kindly to the older Logan hitting on their baby sister. Silas especially might be upset, seeing as they were best friends.
“Come on, slow pokes,” Silas called out. “It’s a Friday night. If we wanna get one of the large booths, we’d best hurry.”
Logan’s eyes flicked to Silas. “Seriously? This shithole gets packed?”
“It’s the only bar in town. People have to get their drink on somewhere.”
Logan shrugged, and we all headed for the door.
I felt out of my element in the bar. I wasn’t much of a drinker, and I didn’t go out much. I could count the handful of times that I’d been in the place. I usually spent my evenings after work cooking or baking up a storm with mama and then catching up on my reading. Typically, the boys couldn’t have dragged me out of the house for a night out like this, but Logan was a different story.
Tonight was difference.
Everything about seeing Logan again brought a rush of excitement to my body.
It was the kind of excitement I hadn’t felt for a very long time.
Country music blasted on the stereo. A bulletin board with old missing dog posters hung right inside the door.
My flyer for the competition was up as well. I’d needed to update those, to add Logan’s name and take advantage of his notoriety.
It was still early enough that many working-class folks weren’t off work yet, but they would be soon. A couple of guys sat at the bar. A couple sat in a corner booth. But otherwise, we had the place to ourselves.
Logan slipped into the first large booth and patted the seat beside him, looking me in the eyes. I took the seat he’d offered, leaving some space between us, and low and behold he scotched up right next to me.
I wasn’t imagining it anymore. Logan had a thing for me and it was clear as day.
But, at the same time, he was a lady’s man so this sort of thing was probably no big deal for him. Me on the other hand, I was inexperienced and awkward.
The table covered us, but I blushed, imagining my brother’s reactions if they saw.
Crapola.
I didn’t want to risk any drama with my brothers, so I scooted to my right almost indiscernibly away. It was enough for Logan to get the hint because he didn’t budge. I instantly missed the warmth of his body next to me, but I was much more comfortable not causing a scene with my family around the table with us, and by the look on this face he seemed to agree with my logic.
But as I drew out a long breath, my brother Silas said something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Shit, is that who I think it is? Nicki Hamilton.”
Logan
“Shit, it is her,” Silas muttered.
“Huh??” All my attention had been on Emily, so I didn’t notice anyone entering the bar.
“Shit, it’s your ex, man,” Travis said, looking toward the door.
“My ex?” I tried to think back through the long list of women I’d had over the years. Most of them were from towns far from here. That could only mean one person. “Nicki? She’s still around?”
“Oh yeah. She peaked in high school and is the local town celebrity,” Silas cackled. “No way she’s going anywhere else, where she’s a nobody.”
I stared at him blankly for a bit. Nicki Hamilton and I had dated in high school and for a bit afterward as I was struggling to break into the rodeo circuit. I hardly remembered much about her, except that she’d dumped me for a man named Richard something. A businessman who had money when I didn’t.
“Please excuse me. I need to head to the lady’s room,” Emily said. She was clearly not comfortable. I couldn’t blame her. She never liked Nicki when we were dating. Back then, Emily wasn’t shy about telling her brothers and me that something about Nicki never sat well with her. I should have listened to Emily because her intuition about women I dated was always spot on. I was too much a fool back then to listen or care.
Emily took off toward the bathrooms, and without making it obvious, I watched that hot ass of hers until she disappeared behind the doors.
“That Nicki girl has had a stick up her rear end ever since the pageants, man,” Silas said, bringing me out of my reverie of Emily’s fine behind.
“Oh, yah is that so?” I muttered trying to stay focused.
Nicki had been a pageant girl and had won Miss Teen Texas, which made her think that she was some hot shit and gave her an attitude a mile high.
Frankly, I refused to even move or turn my head to look at her.
She no longer meant anything to me. After being together so long though, it had hurt like hell when she’d dumped me, and that sent me into a spiral of drinking and sleeping around for a few years. Now, that had been so long ago. I couldn’t even remember what I saw in her. I supposed she had been pretty, being a pageant girl and all, but I couldn’t explain what exactly made her pretty.
To my dismay, Nicki Hamilton walked over to our booth and stopped as soon as she saw me.
“Well, lookee what the cat dragged back into town finally,” she cackled. Her voice was high-pitched and had a fake sing-song quality that was like nails on a chalkboard.
“Hey, Nicki. If you’ll excuse me, we need more beer,” I muttered, glancing around. I poured the last of the pitcher into my glass and motioned for Silas to let me out. “Next one’s on me.”
I slipped out of the booth, forgetting about Nicki as I headed for the bar. I placed the pitcher on the counter along with the cash, just as a hand grabbed at my ass. I turned around, praying for it to be Emily.
“Hey big boy, I missed you.”
I stared into the blue eyes of my ex. Her blonde hair was piled high on her head with curly tendrils falling around her face, and
it all came back to me. She was just as tall and thin as she had been back then - likely considered by many to still be beautiful.
Not to me, though. Not, anymore.
“Sorry, not interested,” I said, grabbing the now full pitcher and pushing away from her. “Don’t touch me like that again, ya hear?”
She pouted. “Why? I’m single now, haven’t ya heard?”
“I don’t give a shit,” I muttered.
“I know you’re still mad at me for breakin’ up with you back after graduation,” Nicki started, still at my heels.
I sighed, turning to face her. “That’s water under the bridge, Nicki. I couldn’t care less about what happened when we were kids, and I’m still not interested.”
“I was so enamoured with Richard’s money, and we started a business together - a fashion line, my own fashion line, Logan,” she squealed. “You know I always wanted that.”
“And where’s that fashion line now?”
Her mouth snapped shut and she frowned. I had my answer. It went belly up.
“You don’t have to be an asshole,” she said.
I returned to the booth, where Emily was now seated. All eyes were on me. Or rather, us. Nicki had followed me. I set the pitcher down and glanced around the table.
“I’m leavin’. Sorry guys.” I stared directly at Emily. “I can give you a ride home.”
Her eyes moved between Nicki and me. Nicki snorted and looked Emily up and down with a nasty smirk on her face. “Wow, Logan. I didn’t know you liked the um, big girls now. You don’t have to be that hard up, ya know. I’m still right here for ya big boy.”
I caught the look of surprise on Emily’s face and for the first time in my life considered raising my hand to a woman.
“Nicki, you need to leave. NOW,” I growled, my blood boiling.
“What?” she said, feigning innocence.
I turned to face her full on, barely holding my rage in check. “You haven’t changed at all have you? Always putting everyone else down to hide how ugly you are on the inside. Emily is one hundred times more beautiful than you’ll ever be. Now if you don’t mind, Nicki, get the fuck out of my face before I really get pissed.”
Her eyes widened and she stepped back, finally getting the point. I turned back to the table where five surprised gazes were levelled at me. “Honestly I don’t know what I ever saw in her,” I mumbled as Nicki huffed and walked away.