“Anything else I can get you handsome?” A sultry smile crosses her face and my dick twitches behind my zipper just thinking about what those bee stung lips would feel like sucking me down. Damn, get a grip. This is the kind of shit that got you into trouble in the first place.
“No darlin’, I think we’re good for right now but thank you.”
“Well, if you change your mind. My name’s Anna and my break’s in about an hour.” With a turn of her shapely hip, she saunters away, her short shorts showing a glimpse of the sweet bottom curve of her ass cheeks with each step.
“I think Anna’s looking for more than just a big tip,” Wes chuckles.
“It’d be more than a big tip, little brother,” I smile before taking a drink.
“Jesus Christ,” he mumbles before a grin crosses his face. “Does that shit happen to you all the time?”
“What? The women?”
“Yeah. You didn’t even flirt with her or anything before she was ready to drop her panties.”
“Pretty much.”
“No wonder you’re such an arrogant bastard,” he states with a shake of his head.
“What the hell do you mean by that?”
“Dude, I may not have seen you but a handful of times when I’ve come up to Nashville, but I’ve seen your interviews and what they write in the magazines. You come off as an arrogant, know it all whose shit doesn’t stink. If this is how you get treated regularly, I can see how it all went to your head.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I mutter.
“At least coming from me you know it’s the damn truth.” He points his bottle toward me. “I have no ulterior motives. I’m not here to kiss your ass or use you as a stepping stone into the spotlight.”
“Thank God someone is on my side,” I agree. “It gets tiresome knowing that everyone wants a piece of me for one thing or another.”
“Then why do it? If it makes you as miserable as you sound, why?”
Music fills the void as the house and plays as I contemplate my answer. Am I miserable? I have everything I could possibly want. A soaring music career, a big house, too many cars to drive, women on demand. Too many nights away from home, waiting for someone to ask a favor of me to better themselves. I’m surrounded by people all the time but I’m lonely as hell.
“What else am I going to do, Wes?” I down the rest of my beer in a few gulps. “I sing, that’s it. I didn’t go to college or learn a trade. I just sing.”
“You’re damn good at it too. You’ve just gotten better with age.”
“That’s all I am, a voice with a pretty face.”
“You know you’re more than that.”
“But that’s how I’m treated. No one wants to listen to my ideas. The songs I’ve written get a cursory glance before a well-known writer throws one in my face. I mentioned once to my agent I wanted to help produce my next album and he laughed in my face.”
“That ain’t right, man,” Wes complains. “Why don’t you find a new agent? One who’ll put you first instead of the money.”
“When you find one, let me know,” I chuckle. “It’s unheard of. They’re all out for themselves and their bottom dollar.”
“There has to be someone out there. They can’t all be ruthless.”
“Like I said, if you find one let me know. I’ll sign up in a heartbeat.” The words no sooner leave my mouth before the next song starts up, the beat fast and furious. The crowd parts as the group in the middle begin to line dance, the intricate steps hard to follow as they turn in a wave of bodies. I set my empty bottle back on the table when I glimpse the most perfect ass I have ever seen in my life. Heart-shaped encased in tight denim, short enough to entice but not be slutty. My eyes travel up to the cascade of honey blonde hair falling to the middle of a lean back. The turquoise tank top revealing tanned, toned arms. I’m riveted as she shimmies to the beat, not just going through the motions but feeling the music. Right step. Clap. Left step. Clap. A swivel of her shapely hips as she turns to the left. Wes throws a paper napkin at me.
“Wipe up that drool, big brother,” he laughs.
“Who the hell is that?”
“Don’t you recognize an ex-girlfriend when you see one?” He throws his head back as throaty guffaws escape.
Ex-girlfriend? Wha…. All thought stops as her attention is drawn to our table. My gaze collides with the wide eyes blue-green eyes of the girl who once meant everything to me.
“Dani…” I breathe out. Well, fuck me.
Chapter Seven
Danielle
“Dani, what the hell?” Jessa grumbles from behind me when I become frozen in place.
“Jess, please tell me I’m seeing things,” I whisper, grabbing her hand.
“What?” she hollers over the music.
“I’m drunk, right? I’m hallucinating. I have to be,” I implore, ignoring the dark looks the other dancers are giving me since I stopped moving.
“I don’t think so. We’ve only had one margarita. You’re not that much of a lightweight,” she laughs until she glimpses my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Please tell me that’s not who I think it is sitting at that table.” I close my eyes, praying I’m seeing things.
“You mean that tall drink of, oh shit,” she barks out.
“I guess I’m not hallucinating, huh?” The laugh that escapes is anything but funny. Ironic? Maybe. Disgusted? Perhaps. Shocked to my core? Abso-fucking-lutley.
“That asshole has some nerve showing his face here.”
“It’s his home too, Jessa.”
“Not anymore. He abandoned everything when he left last time. Well, he can just pack his ass back up and hit the road again.” I snag her arm as she stomps in his direction.
“Jessa, stop,” I plead. “Let’s go get another drink. I have a feeling I’m going to need a few more tonight to deal with this.” I drag her back towards the table all the while she is probably flipping Zach off as I retreat.
Zachary Wade Marshall. Gahh. He’s the last thing I need happening right now. Damn it. I thought all the feelings had died a slow and painful death years ago. But the ache in my heart tells me otherwise.
“Shots. We need shots,” Jessa blurts signaling Anna, the waitress working tonight. She’s a sweetheart if not just a tiny bit of man-eater.
“Whatcha need, ladies?” she asks as she sidles up to the table, empty tray tucked under her arm. “Whoa, Dani you look like you’ve seen a ghost. I’m thinking y’all need a round of shots.”
“Tequila, lots of it.” I murmur. Nothing will get me drunker faster than tequila.
“Anna, bring us a couple of shots each of Patron,” Jessa looks over at me. “Make it a bottle. It’s gonna be one of those nights.”
“Damn, going for the good stuff. It must be bad. Which one of you drove?” Her brown eyes dart back and forth quizzically.
“Dani did.” Jessa’s dark green eyes swing toward me.
“I’ll let Cash know that y’all will need a ride home later.”
“Or you could just send his gorgeous ass over here and I can tell him myself,” Jessa waggles her brows at the mention of the bar owner. He and his two brothers made quite the splash when they rolled into town. Tall, brawny with dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes you could drown in. They could pass for triplets even though there are a few years in between them.
“Would you settle for me darlin’?,” a deep voice sounds from behind me as Jessa’s eyes bug out before a blush spreads across her cheeks. A chuckle escapes Anna before she steps away from the table weaving her way toward the bar.
“Carter, honey, it wouldn’t be settling at all. How you been doin’, sugar?” I ask looking back over my shoulder at him. His large hands land on my shoulders and he gives a squeeze.
“Good, Dani, really good. This season has been the best we’ve had since we opened,” his thumbs run up the side of my neck, the pressure releasing tension. “What brings y’all out tonight? Usually I only see y
’all in the morning when I need my caffeine and sugar fix.” Two shot glasses appear in front of me and Jessa. I wrap two fingers around the glass and pull it towards me. Instead of throwing back the shot, I twist it around on the wooden surface of the table, staring down into the clear.
“Mom’s got Lila for tonight and she insisted we come out to dance.”
“Night without the kiddo. I know that doesn’t happen often.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I murmur. Feeling the heat of someone’s stare I glance up and connect with Zach’s penetrating gaze. It’s too much and I quickly look back down. Screw this. I throw back the shots in rapid succession, the liquid burning my throat before landing like a fireball in my stomach.
“Whoa, slow down there,” Carter warns. “No wonder Anna said y’all would need a ride home.” He reaches around and moves the glasses toward the center of the table along with the bottle. “Come dance with me, Dani.” His warm hand envelopes mine as he helps me to stand. My boots touch the floor and I lock my knees to keep from sinking.
“Easy there,” Carter utters. “Those are going straight to your head.”
“I’m okay. Just give me a second.”
“It’s all right, darlin’,” he draws me closer wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “I got you.” We slowly make our way to the dance floor where he draws me close. The opening chords of The Band Perry’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely make my feet move as Carter takes the lead two stepping me around the floor. I lose myself in the lyrics. Lonely. Even surrounded by people I feel alone.
“What’s got you out of sorts, Dani?” His breath whispers over my ear as he speaks. Goose bumps erupt over my arms.
“Nothing.” He quirks a dark blond brow. “Everything.”
“Talk to me.”
“My mother wants me to date again.”
“You haven’t dated since your husband passed?” A quick shake of my head has him pulling away. “Why not?”
“I’ve been busy.” There goes that damn brow again. “I’m raising Lila on my own and I opened the bakery. Both take all my time.”
“What about you?” he sets me into a spin before pulling me back.
“What about me?” I ask, feeling off kilter.
“When do you have time for just you? When do you stop being Dani the mom or Dani the bakery owner? When does Dani the woman come out to play?” I duck my head at the last question. “She doesn’t, does she?”
He shakes his head. “Now that’s a damn shame right there.”
“I…”
“You don’t have to explain things to me. I’m kinda in that same boat. This place takes up a lot of my time, but I split it with my brothers. I’m raising my son and trying to keep his crazy ass mother out of our lives. Again, I have my brothers to help but I still find time for me. You’ll go crazy if you don’t. Don’t let the two other parts of you smother the third.”
“It’s just so damn hard.” My voice sounds watery, and it’s then I realize I’m crying.
“Oh darlin’, I know it is. It takes balance.” His hand cradles the back of my head as he draws me to his chest. “But something happened tonight didn’t it?” My head rubs on his chest when I nod. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the man sitting there with Wes would it?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because if looks could kill, I’d be dead on the floor,” he laughs. “Who is he?”
“You don’t recognize him?” I mumble.
“No. Should I?”
“He’s famous.” I shrug.
“He favors Wes quite a bit. Wait, is that his brother, the singer?”
“Yeah, that’s Zach.”.
“Holy shit. Zach Marshall is in my bar,” his voice fills with awe.
“And there it is.” I chuckle.
“Sorry,” he blushes.
“I’m sure he gets that reaction a lot,” I intone.
“So, what’s the deal with you two?”
“Why does there have to be anything?”
“Trust me, honey, he wouldn’t be glaring at me like that if there wasn’t history there.”
“Not much. We were high school sweethearts.”
“I see,” he murmurs.
“You see? What do you see?” I look up at him, expecting to see him smiling but his face is pensive.
“Love unrequited.”
“Bullshit,” I bark out.
“Trust me on this. Those feelings are still there. At least on his part. Yours too since he’s still having this much of an impact on you.”
“Yeah, he cared so much that he left me here and never came back,” I reply bitterly.
“He’s back now,” he prods.
“It’s water under the bridge. I moved on.”
“Have you?”
“Of course. I fell in love with James and married him.”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind you loved your husband with everything in that big ole heart of yours but sometimes…,” he drifts off.
“Sometimes what?”
“Your first love always has a piece of your heart.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Maybe,” he says with a wry grin.
“It’s all water under the bridge anyway. We’ve both led very different lives. There’s no place for him anymore.”
“What’s the saying?” he contemplates. “I think you’re protesting too much.”
“I’m not...”
“Can I cut in?” The voice I heard in dreams for years says from behind me as I close my eyes and I stiffen. What the hell is it with people sneaking up behind me tonight?
“I’m not sure,” Carter begins. “It’s really up to Dani.” He looks down at me, brown eyes alight with curiosity. “Here’s your chance to prove it to yourself. What’s it going to be?” His voice rings with challenge.
“Um,” I clear the frog in my throat. Damn my nerves. “Sure, why not?” Spinning on my heel, I find myself face to chest with a dark blue button-down shirt. His calloused hand wraps around mine. His arm slides around my hip until he reaches my lower back, drawing me closer to his chest. My nose fills with the scent of his cologne and I want to rub my body against him. Damn him for smelling so freaking good.
“Hello, Danielle,” he murmurs, his breath fanning across the top of my head as we move around the floor, steps in perfect harmony with each other as if we’ve been dancing together for a lifetime.
“Hello, Zachary.” Eternity seems to pass as we dance, bodies close, dragging me into my memories of the first time we danced together.
The bonfire blazed into the night sky as I sit on the tailgate of Jacob’s Ford truck drinking trash can punch out of a red plastic cup. Another truck down from us has its doors open as the music pours out of the tinny speakers. Every time Toby Keith sings out Red Solo Cup the crowd whoops and takes a drink. I never realized how many damn times it was in this song. My legs swing back and forth, the metal cold against the back of my bare legs, as I watch other couples slow dancing around the fire pit.
“This stuff is soo gooddd,” Jessa slurs from beside me, her head resting on my shoulder. Her cup is almost empty where I’ve been taking little sips of the potent liquid.
“Take it easy, Jess. That’s going to knock you on your ass,” I warn.
“Don’t you listen to her, Jessalyn,” Dustin shoots me a glare from her other side, pulling her back toward him. “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll take care of you,” he murmurs, the words barely audible over the music playing. An uneasy smile crosses my face at the way he leers at her. We’re only freshman and it’s a big deal to be asked to one of these get togethers, especially by a popular senior like Dustin. As he tries to sneak a look down Jessa’s shirt, I think I understand why we were invited.
“Wanna dance, beautiful?” Next to me with his arms resting on the bed of the truck is the cutest guy I’ve ever seen, a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers. Flames reflect in his eyes, drowning out the beauti
ful gray color I know that they are.
“Okay, I guess,” I say, placing my cup on the tailgate. He lips curl in a grin, the dimple in his left cheek popping. He holds his hand out and electricity zips through me when I place mine in his grasp. He pulls me closer to where we are almost touching.
“You’re Danielle, right?” he asks, placing his arm over my shoulder, the bottle resting on my upper back.
“Uh, yeah. Usually I go by Dani though,” I mumble. “I only get called Danielle when I’m in trouble.”
“I’m Zach. Zachary when I’m in trouble.”
“I know,” I blurt feeling heat rise in my cheeks.
“You know huh?” He chuckles.
“You’re kinda hard to miss. My friend Jessa told me your name.”
“Well, since you’re new, you’ve been the talk of the school. Benefits of a small town where everybody knows everybody.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Nothing is a secret in this town, and we don’t get new students that often.”
“It is a lot smaller than my last school. Not that it was huge or anything,” I clarify. I don’t want him thinking I’m talking bad about his school.
“Hard to be any smaller than here. Where did you move from?” He moves me around the fire pit, keeping us a safe distance from the popping embers of the log.
“Barton.”
“Never heard of it.”
“It’s about six hours north of here.”
“No offense or anything, but why did y’all move to Whiskey Bend? There’s not a hell of a lot here.”
“Dad got a new job with a trucking company in Lancaster.”
“What about your mom?”
“She’s working at a doctor’s office there.”
“If they both work in Lancaster, why didn’t y’all move there? Not that I’m complaining that you moved here.”
Pieces of a Broken Heart: Whiskey Bend Series Book One Page 5