Page 59 of Untamed
“I’d sure as shit hope so.” He tries to fix my hair with his fingers. “But I’m tellin’ you, the second we walk in there, everyone is gonna know what we’ve been up to. Between your poor knees and how red your lips are.”
I shrug.
“That’s all part of the fun, isn’t it?”
He shakes his head and grins.
“Where’d you come from, firefly?”
“Been here this whole time, handsome.” I reach around and smack his ass. “Now, go play some damn guitar.”
The gig went really well. There was a relatively big turnout. Granted, a decent number of those people turned out to be women that I used to be involved with…but whatever. It still felt good to be up in front of people doin’ something I enjoy again. And getting to do it for the first time in front of River? Priceless.
I kept finding her throughout my whole set, and each time, she was watching me with a big smile on her face. It’s pretty incredible what lookin’ at her does for my confidence. Her smile just makes me soar.
And makes me hard. Because when her pretty pink lips stretch into a big ole smile, I can’t help but think about what that mouth was doing before the show. Christ, how did I get so lucky? My girl dropped to her knees and took me deep into her throat without a second thought and looked damn good doing it.
That’s what I’m thinking about when I step off the small, raised stage. I’m ready to get back to my usual spot at the bar, where I can keep an eye on her for the rest of her shift. But I’m stopped and bombarded by a flock of women, all smiling too sweetly and smelling of sickly perfume. God, it’s like they all bathed in it to make sure it would burn through my nose hair.
My most recent ex, Ashley, speaks first, her red hair twirled around her finger.
“You were great!”
“Thank you.” I give her a polite smile and then glance back up toward the bar. River is staring her down like she’s hoping her gaze can light her on fire.
And then, like a well-oiled machine, they all take turns complimenting me and trying to make small talk. But I can’t focus on anything except the jealous look in River’s eyes. It’s doin’ something for me.
“Haven’t really seen you around much,” Ashley says, stepping a bit closer and nudging the other girls out of the way. They take the hint, I guess, and slowly dissipate, leaving Ashley and me alone.
“Been right here.”
“Well, I haven’t seen you.” She puts on a pout. “And I’ve wanted to. I think it’s a shame the way we ended things.”
“With you throwin’ a full cup of coffee across your kitchen at my head?”
She shrugs and tries to smile seductively at me. It just makes me grimace.
“I have a little bit of a temper.” Her voice gets lower, and she steps even closer. I feel like I can barely breathe; the scent of her is cloying. “But if I remember correctly, you seemed to like that when it came to the bedroom.”
I throw my head back with a loud laugh.
“Not gonna happen,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Never going to happen, ever again.”
“Oh, come on, Hayes.” Her hand comes out and runs down the front of my shirt. “Why not?”
“Ashley,” I say, grabbing her hand and removing it from my body. “I won’t hit a woman. But you see that pretty lady back there?”
I point over her shoulder at River, who is staring daggers at us as she dries a glass.
“She will.”
As if River heard me, she sets the glass down, throws the towel on the bar, and starts marching over toward us. My woman is on a mission, making it across the bar in record time. I just lean back against the wall and smile at her.
River fists my shirt, completely ignoring Ashley, and yanks me down to her height as she kisses me hard. There’s the fire I was waitin’ for. My hands immediately sink into her hair as our tongues dance together. This little act of her claiming me in public, just like I did to her in the restaurant, is making me hard as stone.
“You ever let another woman touch you again, Hayes Black, and I will use my teeth before your next gig.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grin down at her.