Her bubblegum hair falls beneath her hat in loose waves against her plump cheeks, her heart-shaped face completely free of makeup. I can see the freckles scattered across her nose from here. She’s got a beat-up, oversized Motley Crüe T-shirt on, tied into a knot above her pierced bellybutton. Frayed cut-off denim shorts hug every inch of her curves so perfectly. Her thighs slightly bulge from beneath the figure-hugging denim – what is it about this woman and her thigh-eating shorts? She’skillingme. I mean it. All I can focus on now is how good it would feel to hike those legs over my shoulders and suffocate between them.
I notice trails of ink rolling up to her hip, peeking out from the studded belt looped through her waistband. I’ll be damned if I don’t want to unbuckle that damn belt, rip those shorts right off her body, and trace every inch of whatever that tattoo is with my tongue.Jesus fuck, Dallas. Knock it off.
I trail my eyes further down her legs until they meet the leather of her well-worn Ariats. Scuff marks line the dark brown boots, and there’s a trace of half-washed off mud on the heels with dust coating the toe. They’re different boots than the ones she wore last night. For some reason, I decide at that moment that I’m going to start playing a game to tally the pairs of boots she owns.
“Oi, Cowboy, you comin’?” she asks, folding her arms across her ample chest. Her brow creases and she flashes me a fake pissed-off look. She’s fuckingteasingme.
With a dramatic eyeroll I shake my head, crank the door open, and peel myself out of my seat. As I rise to stand, towering over her, I see the corners of her plump lips creep into a devilish smile.Mission accomplished.I kick the door shut with the heel of my boot and close the gap between us, offering my elbow to her and gesturing for her to loop her arm with mine.
“Only if you behave yourself,” I tell her. She visibly squirms so briefly I can almost guarantee she thinks I didn’t notice. But I did. I know that line hit a nerve, because goose-flesh lines her skin as she links her arm into the crook of my elbow. An instant rush of heat ripples through my body at her delicate touch.Get your shit together, Dallas.I have to mentally will my dick to stay put.
“Thought you’d never ask,” she replies with a wink.
And just like that, here I am – seemingly out of fucking nowhere – walking into Maverick’s with a beautiful woman on my arm. Never mind that she’s half my age, or that she’s my daughter's music teacher, or that I haven’t so much as looked at a woman since Sam.Nah, Dallas, this is a great idea.
Well, here goes nothin’, I guess…
Twelve
Annabeth
Asmile creeps across my face as Dallas and I walk arm in arm together into Maverick’s. He smells sogood. The faint scent of tobacco mixes with the cologne he’s wearing, and a lingering essence of diesel – a combination you wouldn’t think would be sexy. I’m slowly becoming more and more feral for this cowboy. God help me.
“Morning, A.B.,” comes Hannah’s sweet, southern twang. Her trademark blonde hair is piled high on her head in a messy bun, tied with a polka-dot ribbon. She may own Mav’s, but that doesn’t stop her from manning the floor. Not only is Hannah one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, but she’s also hardworking, and makes a damn good coffee. “And Dallas freakin’ Northlane, do my eyes deceive me?” she questions. I stifle a laugh as I picture her grilling me about Dallas a few days ago. In hindsight, rocking up to her diner arm in arm with the manmaybe adding fuel to a fire that I unintentionally started, but here we are.
Dallas’s cheeks flush crimson at her observation, and I feel him slightly tense against me.It’s okay, you’re safe.I tap his arm three times, gently, as if to comfort him. It seems to do the trick because his stance softens slightly, but I still feel the tension in his frame. I don’t know what’s got him so on edge, but I’m determined tomake sure he’s alright.
“No, they do not, Hannah,” he replies, leaning in to kiss her plump cheek, arm still firmly linked to mine. “Thought it was about time I came and got a feed. Been too long since I have had the honour of devouring one of your burritos,” he continues before flashing her a wholesome smile.God he’s sexy.
“Well, you two better grab a booth and I’ll get started on something special. Nice to see you out and about, and with aladyno less,” she teases, gesturing to one of the booths at the back of the diner. I know as soon as the words leave her lips that I’ll be hearing about this later, and the image of the trio of chaos, Hannah, River, and Ella, prying information out of me has me stifling both a laugh and a scowl.
Dallas leads the way and casually releases me, allowing me to take my seat at the booth. He slides in next to me, tension still coursing through him.
What’s gotten him so on edge?
Is it me? Is this too much?
Maybe I should set some boundaries…
Do I even have boundaries?
Does he?
Fuck my life.
“I’m sorry,” he offers. He’s fidgeting with the skin around his fingernails, twiddling his thumbs around the cuticle. His gaze darts everywhere but on me, and I can’t help but feel slightly self-conscious.
“Sorry? What for?”
“I… uhh… I haven’t really been out much in a while…” he begins.
Sensing that he needs time to gather the thoughts that seem to be running around in his head like a starved racehorse, I nod slowly inacknowledgement but remain silent. Whatever he’s wanting to say is something he needs to get out, and I don’t want to risk the potential of interrupting him.
“I should probably elaborate. I haven’t been out with awomanin a while.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think this was anything serious. Shit, no, that’s not what I meant. I... I jus—” I stammer.
“Don’t. I know. It’s okay.” His hand finds its way to mine, his rough palm encasing my hand like an incredibly textured glove, yet, somehow, it’s comforting. The sensation of skin on skin is soothing. The thumb that was picking at his cuticle now draws lazy circles around my own. I give him a sheepish smile, feeling my cheeks burn red as the embarrassment of my mangled words sets in. “Annabeth?”