Pour Judgment

Vinney’s is a quaint restaurant, a little neglected on the outside with cracked paint and whatnot, but the inside is charming, with vintage wood tables and chairs. The chandeliers dangling over said tables are designed in the shape of wine bottles and cheese graters.

  Like I said, adorable.

  Small it may be, but the place is packed, a true testament to how good the food must be. But the huge crowd instantly has me on guard, hoping like hell no one recognizes me.

  “Right this way,” the hostess says, when she spots Abby Jane.

  I’m relieved not to have to announce our party aloud. One person catching wind of Rhett’s name could turn this evening into complete chaos.

  She leads us down a little hall, past the bathrooms, to a closed off area. “Make yourselves comfortable. We’ve laid out some chips and salsa and cheese sticks with marinara to get you started while waiting for the rest of your party to arrive. A server will be with you all shortly.”

  “Thanks so much, Trudy,” AJ says, giving the pretty redhead a hug. “We really appreciate it.”

  We aren’t there long when Rhett and the guys are brought in through a back entrance, completely bypassing the throngs of people out front. My heartrate escalates the minute he steps into the room, my body instantly aware of his presence.

  Heavenly mother of all that is holy, he looks divine, clad in a pair of dark, distressed jeans and two-toned blue plaid button down, cuffed at the elbows. Just the front of his shirt is tucked in behind a thick brown leather belt. The toes of his matching cowboy boots are visible sticking out from beneath the hem of his jeans.

  “Stick?” He shields his eyes with a hand, like he’s searching for someone…me. “Is that you?” His eyes widen then trail up and down my body. “I’m sorry,” he says dropping his arm to his side. “I must’ve come to the wrong place.” He turns on his heels like he’s about to walk back out to the parking lot.

  “Haha, really funny.” I grip his shoulder then pull him around to face me.

  Arms held up in a show of surrender, he slowly backs away. “I’m sorry, miss. Hands off...I’m engaged.”

  “You’re such a dick.”

  “Oh my God!” he shouts, cupping his mouth in feigned surprise. “It is you!”

  “Are you trying to embarrass me?” I grit, while attempting to shimmy the bottom of my skirt down a bit. “AJ and Raven dressed me in Anika’s clothes.”

  “I’m just fuckin’ with ya, babe. You look amazing.” He slinks his arms around my waist, pulling me close. My hormones are firing on all synapses. “You always look amazing.”

  I quickly discover the one good thing about these monstrous heels—the close proximity they provide to his heart-shaped lips, lips that swiftly descend upon mine, fusing our mouths together. Our tongues meet in tentative strokes before settling into a sensual rhythm.

  Forget food. All I want in this moment is to nourish myself on the taste of his kiss.

  Catcalls from our friends break through the haze of desire we’ve become lost in. A rumble of laughter vibrates against my lips. It’s part embarrassment, part resignation.

  “To be continued…” he whispers, giving the tip of my nose a lick before pulling away.

  Rhett clears his throat, placing a hand at the small of my back. He guides me to the table, where everyone else has already claimed their seats and begun diving into appetizers.

  I’m seated between Rhett and my mother. Oh, this won’t be awkward at all, I think to myself as my boyfriend’s hand grips my thigh and slowly inches higher.

  “I’d like to make a toast,” Raven announces, distracting Rhett just as I catch myself about to whimper.

  We each take a champagne flute from the server’s tray. She waits patiently until everyone has a glass before tapping a spoon to the top of hers to grab everyone’s attention.

  “To Rhett and Korie, who haven’t had a chance to celebrate their engagement yet. To true love, fairytale romances, and happily ever afters. I’ve never known a couple more deserving.” She holds up her glass, and I want to crawl under the table and kick her in the shin for carrying on like this, being one of the only people in the room in on the charade.

  I feel the heat of my mother’s glare and concentrate hard on a bunch of plastic grapes wound into a light fixture as we all bring our glasses to the center of the table, clinking them together with a resounding, “Cheers!”

  “My turn,” Rhett says, pushing back from the table. “To going after what you want and not accepting no for an answer.” He glances my way with a subtle wink, and I’m fully aware of the double entendre. Everyone else assumes he’s referencing my dream to skate in the games, but I know he’s also referring to his own persistence in getting me to date him despite the many times I thwarted his advances.

  Chapter 36

  Rhett

  “Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.” She comes out of the bathroom of my suite in skintight jeans and a camouflage tank. She’s got knee-length black rubber boots like the shit you see on Swamp People. Her wavy blonde hair is in a ponytail, pulled through the back of a ballcap.

  “You taking me fishing?” I ask, raking my eyes over her body. It doesn’t matter if she’s in a dress or jeans, hair styled or ratty as fuck. Every damn time I see her, she makes my heart skip a beat and my dick stand at attention. I want to strip her down and take her again on the rumpled bed taunting me across the room, but AJ and Brock’ll be here any minute.

  “Nope,” she says popping the P. “For real. Don’t wear that shirt. It’ll get ruined.” She’s having a little too much fun turning the tables on me with this mystery date.

  “I’m only here for two days. It’s all I brought.”

  “Ah, well…” She shrugs. “You can always go shirtless.” She waggles her brows.

  “Paintball?” I ask, still trying to guess where she’s taking me. I can’t help but smile at the fond memories of the last time. You know, minus the whole bullet to the balls part.

  “Nuh-uhn.” Her ass sways side to side as she goes to answer the knock at the door. “Aren’t surprises so much fun?” she asks sarcastically.

  “Y’all ready?” AJ steps into the room, glances at me, and snorts. “Where’s he think he’s going?” Her rainbow hair is knotted on top of her head, and she’s dressed similarly to Korie.

  “He has no idea.” Stick takes the plastic shopping bags from her hands. “It’s a surprise.”

  “These are for you, country boy. Catch!” AJ tosses me a pair of white rubber boots. “Brock’s making a delivery to the guys in the other room.”

  I slide my designer jean clad legs into the shit-kickers, examining myself in the full-length mirror.

  Anika would die. She’d never let me out in public like this.

  “Here. Put this on.” Korie pulls a plain white tee from the packaging.

  “An undershirt?” I’m laughing inside, anticipating my manager’s reaction when she sees the pictures on my Instagram tomorrow.

  “Or ruin yours. Makes no difference to me…just figured you might want to blend in with the crowd. You’re not in Hollywood anymore, Toto.”

  “Oooh,” Abby Jane hoots when I shrug out of my shirt. “You done real nice, cousin.” She rolls her tongue over her lips. “I approve…”

  The two of them stand there ogling my chest while I pop my head through the neck of the cheap Hanes tee and roll it down my abs. “I’m feeling a little objectified.”

  “Good.” Korie stalks over, rubbing her hands through my hair. “Then you should feel right at home.”

  An hour later, after driving out to the middle of nowhere, we park our caravan of pickups in a gravel lot. My boots crunch on the rocks when I jump down from Brock’s jacked-up truck. Off in the distance is a wood sign that says, “Cottonwood Creek Off-Road.”

  “Ever been mud riding?” Stick asks, her eyes glowing with excitement.

  I swear to Jesus, I have the best fake fiancée that ever existed.

  Ethan, one of the owners an
d a good friend of Brock’s, meets us at a covered pavilion that we’ve apparently rented for the day. It’s closed on three sides, with a built-in kitchen and bathroom. It’s about as fancy as what you’d find at an old campground, with doors barely hanging on the hinges and cracked Formica countertops. Its simplicity is a breath of fresh air.

  We fill out the mandatory waivers then snap a few pictures with Ethan. He assures us he won’t post them until we’re long gone, as to not reveal our whereabouts.

  “We have six ATVs,” Brock says, leading us down to where the rented quads are lined up at the start of a trail. “AJ and I will ride together. Korie and Rhett.” His eyes move to Nick. “You and Raven can share one.” Then he turns to the singles, Lyle and Aiden. “You two get your own.”

  “What’s with the snorkels?” I’ve ridden four-wheelers back when I was in high school plenty of times, but never with PVC pipes sticking out of the hood.

  “Stops it from flooding out in the water,” Brock answers. “Motor’s got to breathe.”

  “Hop on,” Stick orders, taking control of the handle bars. “You can drive on the way back.”

  “You just love choppin’ off my balls, don’t you?”

  Her shoulders lift and fall in an unapologetic shrug. Without even waiting until I’ve sat all the way on the seat, she takes off flying down the path. “Eat my dust,” she yells as she passes the rest of our group, who are still mounting their rides.

  The scent of gas and mud fills the air as we soar over the bumpy terrain leading to a creek. Without slowing down, she dives in. The thick brown water, tire deep, splashes our bodies. Her carefree laughter causes my chest to swell. My adrenaline is at an all-time high from the rush of the wind in my face and having this girl back in my arms.

  The deeper we get, the slower our four-wheeler moves. Now waist deep, AJ and Brock speed by, hugging the water’s edge. When they’ve made it a good distance ahead, they pull their souped-up ATV in front of ours. Brock leans back, riding a wheelie with AJ clinging to his waist for dear life.

  “Oh, fuck no,” I hear, just before Stick floors the gas. “Showoff,” she mutters.

  “Don’t even think a—Shit!” I shout, gripping her waist with one hand and reaching around to clutch the front of the seat with the other as she climbs back on two wheels.

  “Whooo!” she screams, pumping a fist in the air. She glances over her shoulder briefly, her eyes connecting with mine. I feel the ATV jerk back with her movement, but don’t even have time to react before it flips, submerging us both. Thankfully the water is deep enough in this spot that we can slide out from under it without being crushed by its weight.

  Korie slips a little, trying to get to her feet. She’s laughing hysterically as she wipes the thick sludge from her face with the back of her hand. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I nod, spitting the grime from my tongue. I pull her to my chest, running my hands over her body, assessing for damages. My damn heart is in my throat. If anything had happened to her…

  “I’m fine.” Her wet hands cup my face and she leans in close. My pulse leaps. Just before her lips connect with mine, she takes advantage of my distracted state pushing me head first back under.

  I come up choking and laughing so hard I can’t catch my breath. Her playful nature is such a turn on. “That was dirty,” I say, wading toward her retreating form.

  “Literally…” She’s backing away, hands out in a show of surrender, when lucky for her, Aiden pulls up beside us, cutting his engine.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “Stick, here,” I say, motioning her direction, “thought she was Evel Knievel for a second there and flipped us.”

  He hisses, assessing the situation. “Lucky y’all didn’t get killed.” He chuckles to himself. “Wait till Anika finds out.”

  “I mean, you don’t like…have to tell her about this part, right?” She steeples her hands, giving him puppy dog eyes.

  “You’re lucky I like you.” Aiden points at her, shaking his head. “Cuz watching her chew his ass out would have been the highlight of my week.”

  He and I flip the ATV back on its tires. Korie’s able to start it up without issue, but when she tries to climb out of the water, the damn thing won’t budge. She jumps on top of the seat, leaning over, with her ass in the air. Rocking side to side, she gives it gas, trying to dislodge it.

  “Think y’all could maybe give me a push?” she asks, looking back at us over her shoulder. Her eyes roll and she lets out a frustrated breath when she finds us both just standing there, arms crossed on our chests, watching her little show.

  “I don’t know…I think maybe if you shake that ass just a little harder, you’ll get it.” I pinch my chin, looking to Aiden for confirmation.

  “Definitely,” he agrees. “Twerk a little harder.” He turns around facing his backside toward Stick. Bent over with his hands on his knees, he starts popping it. “Shake whatcha mama gave ya!”

  “You can do it,” I sing. “Put dat ass into it.”

  “Ha. Ha.” She drops down, straddling the seat. “Come on before they send a search party out for us.”

  Aiden and I relent, each taking a side.

  “Give it some gas,” he shouts, slapping the back of the seat like it’s the ass of a horse. She nods, the engine revs and the tires spin, once again coating our faces in mud. The cackle coming from her thrown-back head tells me she did that shit on purpose.

  By the time we get the damn vehicle out of the water, I swear I’ve got an inch of sludge covering my eyelids. Korie rushes over, scooping it away with her fingertips.

  Once Aiden’s rinsed himself off in the creek, he hauls off to catch up with the rest of the pack.

  “My turn,” I say, straddling the seat before she can claim the wheel a second time.

  My throat swells, right along with something else, when she clutches the hem of her shirt and her arms rise into the air, leaving her in a black bikini top, jeans, and boots.

  She’s a redneck’s wet dream.

  Korie rinses her top in the water before wringing it out, then climbs on in front of me, with her face toward mine. Her dirt-covered legs wrap around my waist, and with her wadded-up shirt, she scrubs my face clean.

  I barely hear the thud when the wet fabric lands on the seat behind me. As her lips meld to mine, I slip the hat from her head, then the elastic from her hair. I cup the sides of her face, my thumbs stroking her temples as our tongues grapple with each other for control.

  “I’m so happy you showed up,” she pants into my mouth, her chest heaving. “I’ve missed this.”

  “Missed you too.” I nip at her lips when she smirks at my response. “So much.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to leave already in the morning.”

  “Me too,” I say, gripping her chin in my thumb and forefinger and placing a tender kiss at the corner of her mouth. “You’ll be so busy competing that you won’t even have time to miss me.” I drag my lips across hers to kiss the other corner, then clear my throat. “We’ll be together in Nashville before you know it.”

  Her eyes glisten in the setting sun as she leans back against the handlebars, trying to catch her breath.

  “Come on,” I say, gripping her around the waist. “Let’s go find the others. We can pick this back up in the shower at the hotel.”

  Chapter 37

  Rhett

  “Dayum.”

  Stick’s lips quirk at the hissed expletive as she descends the winding staircase. Her honey-colored locks are a mass of curls cascading down her bare back. My breathing halts somewhere between ogling the plunging neckline that dips between her perky breasts, stopping just above her bellybutton, and the slit in the black-sequined number that is bordering on scandalous.

  “Ohh.” An embarrassed laugh pushes past her ruby red lips when she loses footing in the heels Anika chose to compliment her dress. With a firm grip on the railing, she rights herself. “This isn’t going to end well.”

 
; With the swipe of a finger, I loosen the bow tie that’s suddenly suffocating me. “Oh, I’ll see to it that this night ends really, really well.” I give her a thorough onceover, starting with the crown of her head all the way to the tips of her red-painted toes. I don’t even attempt to hide the effect she’s having on me. That smoky eye paired with her barely-there dress has transformed my gorgeous, no fuss girl into a seductress. I’d love nothing more than to carry her sexy ass right back up those stairs and keep her all to myself, but I’m already on shaky ground with the label. They, along with the rest of the band, would have my head if I didn’t show up to perform tonight.

  “Not if I trip over my own feet trying to walk in these things on the red carpet.” She takes my offered hand, concentrating hard to make it safely down the last five steps. “Is it really that big of a deal for me to just wear flats?”

  “Absolutely not.” Anika barges in from the living area of our Airbnb, where she’s been busying herself with setting the scene for pre-show publicity photos. “No one with any class attends a red-carpet event in anything other than a sexy pair of heels. You’ll be fine.”

  With the back of my hand, I brush the hair from her shoulder and lean in close. I allow myself a moment to breathe in the scent of her feminine perfume. “You look incredible.”

  She shivers when the heat of my breath brushes the bend of her neck, where I press a tender kiss. “If it’ll make you more comfortable to change into flats—or hell, even chucks—go for it. You’ll still be the hottest woman in that building.”

  She clutches the lapels of my jacket, pulling me closer. I watch as she chews her lip for a moment before her mossy eyes drift back to where Anika’s still looming. “Just don’t let go of me, okay?” Her grip tightens. “Don’t let me fall.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Nick bursts our bubble with an outraged huff. “We’re gonna discuss adding a jacket to that sorry excuse of an outfit just as soon as—” Nick ends his rant when Raven appears near the top of the staircase in a sapphire two-piece that leaves her midriff bare.