Heather Rainier (8 page)

Sip this one slowly like Ben said. You don’t want to get so bombed that you can’t function. You just needed to loosen up a bit.

“And how is
your
evening so far, cowboy?”

The dark stranger smiled at her, turned slightly in his chair, and gave her his undivided attention. “So far…so good. I’m visiting from out of town.”

Just then, another man sauntered up in her somewhat blurry peripheral vision and said, “Jayney! How’re you doin’, sweet cheeks?” He reached out and shook the cowboy’s hand. “Good to see you again, Alvarez. You enjoying some of the nightlife while you’re in town?”

Mr. Alvarez grinned and nodded his head as he took a sip from his beer. “Yeah, gotta head back in the morning. Chase and Brian Benedict should be here in a little while with Angel, Joaquin, and Teresa. I’m liking the nightlife so far.”

Jayne blinked and squeaked happily when Buck Turnsell’s face finally came into focus. “Buck! Hi! I’m so
happy
to see you!”
Wow, I didn’t mean to say that quite that loud. Shush, ninny!
“How have you and Chad been?”

“Wonderful. Want to come and join us? He’s sitting right over there. If you don’t mind, Mr. Alvarez?”

“Not at all, but save me a dance, darlin’?”

“Sure!” She patted the dark-headed cowboy’s shirtfront. He had a nice, hard, muscular chest. “I sure will, cowboy.”

He tipped his hat and grinned then nodded at Buck. She giggled as Buck put his arm around her waist and escorted her over to the table he shared with Chad in the corner, where it was quieter. Her feet seemed to be directionally challenged, and she was grateful for Buck’s navigational skills. Chad grinned as he pulled out a tall chair for her, and she hugged him then gracefully climbed into it and plopped down.

Chad shared a look with Buck and then said, “Are you out having some fun tonight?”

“I am.” She punctuated each word with a nod of her head, and the room bobbed up and down in a visual echo before steadying again.
That Señor Patrón is sneaky, sneaky!
“I’m celebrating and seizing the day.”

“What are you celebrating?” Buck asked as he took the seat on the other side of her and leaned toward her with his chin in his palm. He took another sip of his beer.

“Well, I’m glad you asked, Buck. I’m celebrating life.”

Nodding at her half-finished margarita, Chad said, “Well, it looks like you’re well on your way. Besides what’s in your margarita glass? How else are you celebrating? Having a star named after yourself?” He pointed toward the ceiling. “Can you see it, Buck? That’s Jayney Sheridan up there. She twinkles so pretty!”

She wondered if he was as snockered as she was, but thought the idea had merit. “Nah. I’m just gonna have sex.” She guffawed and slapped her palm over her mouth.

Shit! They might turn you down if you don’t use some finesse on them, girl!

Jayne took another sip of her margarita as her cheeks filled up with heat at her admission.

“You are?” Chad blurted, and Jayne nearly giggled because he acted like Santa had just brought him a real, live
Playboy
centerfold model. A split second later, Chad grunted and clutched his leg beneath the table.

“Why do you want to do that, sweet cheeks?” Buck asked in a far-too-serious tone. He glanced at Chad, and Jayne wondered if she’d missed something.

Jayne took a deep breath and loved how good it felt to breathe deep and just…be. “What? Oh, because I want to lose my virginity. You want my virginity?”
Oooh, I finally said it.
“You know how hard it is to write e–er–rotica when you’re a virgin?”

Chad gave Buck an intense look and echoed her as she took another long sip of her margarita. “She writes erotica, Buck.”

The men seemed to have a nonverbal discussion and then both turned to her. Buck tilted his head as if confused. “Sweet cheeks, why do you want this when you and I know you’re stuck on Seth? We thought the two of you were an item. What happened?”

“We was. I mean…we are. I mean I thought we was…were.” Pointing to the glass, she giggled and said, “Señor Patrón fuddles up my tenses.” She took another sip of her margarita, draining the glass. “When I asked Seth about it, he said
no
.” She waved her hands in a dramatic, cutting motion to emphasize Seth’s denial of her reasonable request. “Will you say yes, Buck? Chad? You’re such nice guys.” Jayne patted both their shoulders. “Help a girl out. I just need to get it over with. It’s not that big a deal.”

If deflowering a virgin was all that great, Seth would’ve taken her up on the offer.

Buck seemed to shift uncomfortably in his chair. “No, Jayney. We appreciate the offer, but it wouldn’t be right. Why do you want to go and do that? You barely know us.”

“Nah, you’re my friends.” She flapped a hand at them. “And no strings attached. It’s just this little teeny, tiny inconvenience.” She tried to scratch her nose and missed, whapping herself in the cheek. Buck waved at the waitress and asked for a glass of water. “Besides, it’s embarrassing to be a thirty-eight-year-old virgin. I’m anachronistic, and it’s time I got chronologically corrected.” It seemed that Señor Patrón also enabled her to have a brilliant vocabulary.

Buck patted her shoulder gently. “You don’t want to do that, sweet cheeks.” His tone was that of a big brother. Chad’s sad face mirrored Buck’s tone, and they both seemed to know something she didn’t know.

She sat up and looked from one to the other of them and hoped that her pouty lip might change one of their minds. “You don’t wanna?”

They both shook their heads regretfully. The waitress brought the glass of water, and Buck coaxed her to drink all of it and chatted with her about how life was treating her. Jayne welcomed the distraction, but chatting up Buck and Chad wasn’t going to get her what she came for.

Whoever heard of men who didn’t wanna get laid?

Her buzz settled into a less loopy, more comfortably numb place, and she figured it was time to do some more day-seizing. “Okay. I need to dance, then maybe another margarita, then finding someone and getting laid would be
awesome
—”

A warm, work-roughened hand stroked her upper arm, sending delightful little tingles all over her skin. She turned and made eye contact with the handsome, dark-headed cowboy from the bar. Ripcord lean and tall, with all kinds of secrets in his dark, dark eyes.

Now here is a likely prospect.
“Oh, hello!”
I need another margarita.

“Hello, darlin’. I’ve come to claim that dance from you, if you’re willing?”

Jayne patted Buck’s and Chad’s shoulders before rising from her chair with what felt like the fluid grace of a supermodel as Gloriana’s “Kissed You Good Night” began to play. “Ready, willing, and able, cowboy! No hard feelings, guys.”

Somewhere in the tiny part of her that had sobered just slightly, she had a feeling she’d look back on this moment with regret and embarrassment. For now, it was time for some day-seizing.

Jayne was grateful for the margarita, which had loosened her up enough to be able to dance with her partner, who’d finally introduced himself to her as Julián Alvarez, as he’d escorted her to the dance floor. Growing up, Grace and Charity had taught her all the dance moves they’d learned in the classes their mother had taken them to.

Julián twirled her around again and then drew her close and smiled down at her. “So, Julián, where are you from?”

“Originally, I’m from Virginia. Born and raised there, but I’ve been on the rodeo circuit for several years now. I’ve settled, at least temporarily, on a horse ranch in Lusty, up near Waco. I’m in Divine visiting some old friends from the rodeo. Maybe you know them? Angel and Joaquin Martinez? They head up the Andalusian breeding outfit out at the Divine Creek Ranch.”

“Yes, I do know them. My cousin Grace is married to the owners of the Divine Creek Ranch.”

Oops! Does Grace mind if I share with virtual strangers that she’s in a ménage marriage?

“Did you say she’s married to the owners? As in
plural
?” The expression on Julián’s face was a mixture of surprise and disbelief. “Divine has a lot in common with Lusty, I guess.”

Well, you let that horse right out of the barn, now didn’t you?

“Yes, sorry. I forgot that might not be common knowledge. Angel and Joaquin are nice guys, and they know all there is to know about horse porn—I mean horse breeding.” A giggle escaped her. Grace had used that expression a time or two around her, and it’d just slipped out.

“My employers, Brian and Chase Benedict, are interested in starting a breeding operation, and I told them about the breeding techniques Angel and Joaquin use there. They talked to the owners who extended the invitation to visit. So ménages are common here?”

“There’s quite a few of them, but they tend to stay under the radar. There’s a few judgmental people in town, but for the most part it’s a wonderful place to live. So, is that what you’re interested in? A ménage, I mean?”

“Right now, pretty lady, all I’m interested in is you.” The lusty intent in his sexy dark eyes was clear as her earlier words about needing to get laid, which he’d probably overheard, came to her mind.

Her buzz dampened as an image of Seth’s handsome face drifted through her hazy mind. What was she doing, flirting with another man, when Seth had already claimed such a big piece of her heart?

Honey, you’ve gone just a bit past flirting. You’ve kinda stuck a sign on it and lit up a flare.

Julián Alvarez didn’t strike her as the type to intentionally take advantage of a woman, but she’d been flirting pretty hard with him for the last few minutes.

Maybe I should just get it over with. He’s nice enough and certainly attractive.

Blue laser beam eyes, awash with arousal, flitted in her memory again. The night of her first tattoo session, Seth had wanted her. There had been no doubt about it, judging by the state of his cock and the way he’d gazed at her. He’d used self-restraint.

Maybe you should take a lesson in that virtue.

Seth’s voice crowded her jumbled, alcohol-muddled thoughts.
“I want you to be able to look back and smile at the memory of your first time and have no regrets.”

His cock had appeared bone hard at the time he’d said that, too.

Julián twirled her around, and this time the room didn’t keep spinning as he pulled her nearly full length against his body. He was an excellent dancer. She could feel the steely ridge of his erection against her abdomen as he gazed intently at her.

“What do you say we get you another drink, Jayne?”

I should just get it over with. I’m so confused. Seth wants me. But then again he doesn’t want me. I just need to get this behind me. It’s not that big a deal, really.

“That sounds great, Julián.” She thought it sexy and exotic that although he had a Virginia accent, he used the traditional Spanish pronunciation of the
J
so it sounded like an
H
.

They cozied up to the bar, and he ordered her another drink. She sipped at her margarita, noting this one was as strong as the first. She thought it was sweet of Ben to have watched out for her before by mixing her second one weaker, but she needed the liquid courage now.

They chatted about his days on the rodeo circuit, and she found more and more that Julián really was a nice, if horny, guy. Anxious to dance some more, she downed the last of the drink and said, “Come on, cowboy. Let’s get this over—I mean, let’s dance some more!” She needed to be careful of her words because her filter seemed to be all but nonexistent at the moment.

Pesky Señor Patrón.

A new, slower song started, and she almost changed her mind when she recognized “What Does He Have” by River City Gang. Even though the song made her wish for Seth’s arms to snuggle into, she allowed Julián to escort her to the dance floor.

Seth’s not here. Get over it.

She ignored the ache in her chest created by the soft piano chords and compelling tone of the vocals and tried to focus on Julián.

Jayne caught a glimpse of Buck and Chad as they watched her dance with Julián. Chad looked guilty, and Buck looked worried. She wondered why but was distracted by Julián as he asked, “So did it hurt?”

Because her mind was still muddled with thoughts of losing her virginity and she was worried that she’d been speaking indiscriminately earlier, she peered at him in confusion. “Huh?”

“When you fell from heaven, angel girl. Did it hurt?”

Jayne burst into giggles as the room swirled and the warmth of her earlier buzz returned. “That’s the cheesiest pickup line I’ve ever heard. Not that I’ve heard that many. But I’ll give you an A-plus for your effort.”

Julián chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Is my charm working on you?” He smiled, but then his attention was drawn away from her.

In a weird out-of-body experience, the memory of Seth’s gentle hands on her as he’d tattooed her telegraphed itself so she actually felt his hand instead of Julián’s. The spot where the tattoo now adorned her hip seemed to vibrate under his hand. Sadness and no small amount of guilt filled her as she gazed up at Julián. His face swam for a moment, and Seth’s visage appeared in its place.