“I don’t think I’ll ever stop being surprised by the things you do.” She sighed contentedly, allowing the silence to settle around us for a moment before glancing up at me again. “Can I ask you why we’re here? It’s not that I’m not grateful for the night alone with you, but...” She trailed off. “I’m curious.”
I lifted her chin with a finger and smiled. “That shit kills, Ayda.”
“Shut up,” she said on a laugh, her hand slapping my shoulder lightly.
“We’re in Dallas together for two reasons. Reason number one: I need you and your sympathetic personality, nurturing nature, and calm voice to be by my side when we visit Clint’s family tomorrow.”
“Clint? As in…?”
I inhaled slowly, narrowing my eyes and swallowing. “The guy who shared a cell with Harry in Huntsville. The man who took down Jon Taylor for Harry, for the club, and for anyone who’d ever been hurt by that son of a bitch. Clint was the last best friend Harry ever had, and he’s laid up in hospital, pissing through tubes and eating soup for the next however many years because he took a beating to let Harry die the way he wanted to die.”
Ayda reached up, her palm cupping my cheek. “I’m there. No more answers needed. What’s the second thing?”
Twisting my lips before I smiled flatly, I looked at herwith sad eyes and dropped my forehead to hers. “The second reason we’re here is because I really, really wanted to get laid.”
Ayda’s laughter came easily, but it didn’t stop her from pushing to her toes and getting her lips as close to my ear as possible. The smile was in the tone of her voice as she whispered, “Fuck her like you’re Tucker.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
AYDA
The word fuck whispered from my mouth always seemed to get me what I wanted from Drew, although he was definitely getting his own way, too. There was no losing when it came to our sex. The king bed had been so comfortable, it was close to pulling us both to sleep once we’d exhausted ourselves, but with a slap to my naked ass, Drew sent me to get ready for an impromptu date.
The water pressure in the hotel room was divine, and my skin was still tingling when I’d finished my makeup and dried my hair. I was standing in front of the large mirror, staring at myself in the only dress I’d brought with me. Pulling on my leather jacket and boots, I rushed from the room to meet Drew in the lobby where he had left to greet the Uber he’d ordered for us. I slipped out the sliding doors into the odd city glow and found him holding open the door to a small minivan. He was deep in conversation with a tall gentleman who was wearing a leather vest and a cowboy hat. I would have paid more attention to that man if it hadn’t been for Drew himself. He looked amazing in his jeans and white button up, he always did, but the Texas girl in me fell apart in absolute lust when I noticed the boots he was wearing. Lucchese cowboy boots. I didn’t have to look closer to know the brand. It was all in thequality.
As though he felt my sudden sweep of need, Drew glanced my way and smiled that smile I considered mine and mine alone. I responded with a twirl and a small, almost shy shrug.
His heated eyes swept over me, his smile growing before he found my face again and winked, tilting his head in the direction of the man beside him and holding his hand out.
As easily as that, I made my way to him, my hand slipping into his and stepping to his side to face the gentleman he was talking to. The man had one of those faces you instantly liked, his smile warm and genuine, his eyes filled with stories as a paternal smile lit them up.
“You must be, Ayda,” he said kindly, offering me his hand.
I offered a smile back. “It’s nice to meet you...” I left the end of the sentence open on purpose, dangling it and waiting for someone to pick it up.
“My friends call me Big Tex,” he said. “As Drew hired me as y’all’s driver for the night, I figure we’re friends now, Miss Ayda.”
“Just don’t try and touch his hat. Looks like a teddy bear, stings like a bee.” Drew smirked.
I turned my gaze to the large man and smiled. “Well, you never touch a cowboy’s hat. I learned that the hard way when I was about seven.”
Big Tex chuckled and tipped the brim of his hat to me before stepping aside, allowing Drew to help me into the first row of seats. Drew spoke quietly with the cowboy for a moment before he followed me in.
Both of us listened as Big Tex told us some interestingstories of prior fares, including a foursome of ladies who had kept him entertained for an evening. He segued effortlessly into his family, and he didn’t think twice about sharing stories of his beautiful grandchildren with us.
I listened intently—my body pressed against Drew’s while his fingers gently stroked my bare knee, a bemused smile curling his lips. He was content to let me do all the questioning. Along with his interesting stories, Big Tex seemed happy to point out some of Dallas’s more prevalent landmarks as we passed, even managing to squeeze in a few I didn’t know about, along with the rich history of the city.
I was so invested in our conversation that I barely noticed our exit from the freeway or the big neon cowboy boot that rolled out like a welcome wagon as we turned into an already full parking lot. Outside of the Houston Rodeo, I’d never seen so many pickup trucks in one place before.
“Cowboy Red River,” I read aloud and glanced over at Drew, who was just smiling at me like a cat that definitely got the cream. “You’re taking me dancing?”
“I’m taking my girl dancing.” He squeezed my hand, which was already in his, a side of him shining through I’d never seen before. I thought I’d seen every side he had to give me already. “We don’t talk about our first real date anymore. I wanted to give you a new memory of us. One you can keep, no matter what the future holds for us, or for the club.”
I couldn’t stop my smile, even with the uncertainty at the end of his statement. “Well, this may be our first real date from now on, but it’s far from the last now that I know you can dance. I don’t think you understand how appealing that really is.”
“Oh, whoa. Wait.” He raised both brows. “I can carrymyself across a dance floor without killing anyone. Don’t you be having me down as some kind of expert over here.”
“Too late. You and me, we have a date on a dance floor.” I gave a tug on his arm and grinned at Big Tex who was chuckling at our exchange.