“At least I’m fun. But I think you’ll like who’s going after me.”
That was when I saw Dean climbing on.
I gasped. “No. You should have convinced him out of it!”
“Do you see those muscles? Watching him hang onto anything is a view for us all.”
“He could get hurt.”
“And then you get to kiss it better. This is foryou.”
I shook my head, tempted to go demand that he get off, but that was when the bull started.
Dean was more controlled than most of the people. He watched the mechanical bull’s movements carefully, even as he put his hat on his head.
He looked every part the cowboy as he rode the thing, even down to his muscles. I could have sworn I saw abs underneath his tight shirt.
And suddenly, the room felt ten degrees warmer.
I’d tried to put Dean in a box ever since I’d been with him. It would never be able to happen again.
But God, did I want it. Especially after seeing his forearms flex.
“Go, Dean!” Mark called.
Dean was in a risky mood because he only held onto the mechanical bull with one arm and waved his hat with the other.
“Fuck, he should be on a magazine,” I said.
“Are you drooling?” Jade asked with a laugh. I shook my head at her. I was watching Dean too closely to care about anything else.
Then his round ended without him getting thrown off. The entire bar cheered as if he’d won something. Just like that, he’d charmed the crowd. It was probably the abs.
No, it wasdefinitelythe abs.
Jade cheered too, and I joined in. I was physically attracted to him, yes, but as I watched him laugh, I could see how bright he could be. He was smiling wide, high-fiving people as hewalked by. I wondered if this was the kind of dad he would be. Fun. Energetic.
Everything a kid needed.
I hadn’t thought much about what parenting would be like with him, mostly because I was terrified it would be difficult to do with a near stranger.
But this eased some of my worries. Maybe it would be fine.
Maybe it would all work out.
“Uh, Grace?” Jade grabbed my arm. “You might wanna go watch that.”
She pointed to Brooke, who had a half-empty drink in her hand. She was heading right for Dean.
“Yep. Bye.” I made my way across the room and intercepted her. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Going after the eye candy,” she said. “He turned me down once, but I’m willing to try again. Even if he’s grumpy sometimes.”
Her words pierced me. “Brooke, come on. You know what he is to me.”
“You’re not together, though. And unlike you, I know how to use a condom and won’t get pregnant.”
“Shh!” I hissed. We were in the middle of town at the biggest party of the year. Why the hell would she say that?