16. Mac

Chapter 16

Mac

The vibe inside the Watering Hole matched the rest of the town. It had a rustic, country feel with its all-wood interior—the floor matched the walls and tables—and the live music was a nice touch.

Aspen’s friend, Harper, spotted us the minute we walked through the door, pushing through the crowd to greet us. Following behind was a man, maybe a few years younger than me from what I could tell, with his cowboy hat casting a shadow over his face. Harper introduced him as her husband, Colt, primarily for my benefit since Aspen knew every one of Rust Canyon’s six hundred inhabitants by name.

I extended my hand to Colt in greeting, which he accepted before tilting his head toward the bar. “First round’s on us.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that wasn’t necessary, but I caught the slight shake of Aspen’s head from the corner of my eye—a silent warning not to turn down the offer. Deferring to her as the expert on social niceties in these parts, I kept my mouth shut, and we moved as a pack to the bar that ran the entire length of the back wall of the establishment to order drinks.

Electing for a beer since I had to drive, I bit back a smile when Harper talked Aspen into taking a shot of tequila. She’d been wound too tight this week and deserved a chance to let her hair down for a night and unwind.

The rest of those in attendance were ready to cut loose; the dance floor was packed, figures moving rapidly in coordinated moves.

“What do they call that?” I asked Colt while the girls ordered a second round.

He arched an eyebrow. “Never seen a two-step before?”

I didn’t know why he was surprised. My status as an outsider was obvious from my appearance. I was the only man here lacking what appeared to be the country boy starter pack: cowboy hat, flannel shirt tucked into jeans held up with a belt featuring a big buckle, and cowboy boots.

Tilting my beer toward the dancers, I joked, “Can’t say that I have. Guess I’ve been traveling to all the wrong places.”

Colt made a noise at the back of his throat. “Never understood the point of traveling. Why would anyone want to leave the place they love?”

Well, okay then.

Here I was, avoiding my “home” like the plague, and these people held theirs in such a high regard that they didn’t care to explore beyond it. Some might say their world was small, but maybe it was better that way. Sure, there were beautiful wonders to be seen, but the further you went, the more you realized how truly insignificant your existence was. The centuries-old monuments only served as a reminder that millions had come before you and millions more would come after you—your time on this Earth was barely a blip in time.

“Don’t recommend tryin’ to learn with a crowd as thick as this,” Colt advised. “Give it a few songs, and they’ll slow it down enough for you to take your girl for a spin.”

“Appreciate the heads-up.” I took a long pull from my beer.

Aspen’s giggles sounded nearby, and I turned to find her and Harper cozied up, whispering into each other’s ears. The smile that lit up Aspen’s face was so breathtaking that I would have given up my entire fortune to make it a permanent fixture.

“What’s so funny, ladies? Care to share with the class?”

Two sets of wide eyes peeked up as identical guilty expressions stared back at me. Even in the dimly lit room, I had the pleasure of watching Aspen’s cheeks pinken. That told me two things: they were talking about me, and the topic was naughty.

A corner of my lips twitched at the thought of Aspen telling her friend about our little encounter in the bathroom less than twenty-four hours ago. Had she shared the truth that she’d been caught peeping, thus blowing her cover? Or had she fudged the details enough to make it sound like it was a sexy shower playtime, the likes of which only existed in my fantasies?

Either way, she was still thinking about it. I’d take that as a win.

Instead of answering, the two of them burst out laughing, doubling over and gripping their stomachs.

Colt clapped me on the shoulder. “Better buckle up, city boy. Looks like you’re in for a wild ride tonight.”

Yeah, I wish.

As promised, the band switched from high-tempo songs to slower ones that had men drawing their women close as they swayed together, moving as one.

Aspen had only indulged in the two shots of tequila before switching to water, but I could tell she was feeling loose. Her head rested against my shoulder where she stood beside me, staring longingly at Harper and Colt on the edge of the dance floor, who were making no effort to conceal their love.

She was so close I could breathe in her scent, and that’s what finally gave me the courage to ask, “Wanna dance?”

A rush of air flew past her lips, and she peeked up at me shyly through her barely visible, strawberry-blonde eyelashes.

“Oh, that’s okay. We don’t have to.”

Turning so we were face-to-face, I bent at the knees to put myself at eye level with her. “Who said anything about have to ? I asked if you wanted to .”

Straight white teeth dug into her lower lip as her gaze darted over my shoulder. “But it’s a slow song.”

Everyone had seen right through me by this point—Meemaw, Rose, and hell, even her father—so how could she still be blind to the fact that I wanted her?

Deciding it was long past time to press my luck and come clean, I held my hand out to her. “Even better.”

Those plush lips parted in surprise, but she didn’t hesitate to slip her hand into mine, allowing me to lead her toward the dance floor.

When we reached the mass of bodies rocking in time with the rhythm of the music, Aspen looped her arms around my neck, keeping at least a foot of space between us.

That wasn’t gonna work for me.

Snaking a hand around her waist, I pulled her closer, relishing the sharp gasp she let out in response. Her fingers found their way into my hair, and I let out a groan.

If I was making my move tonight, then I was done concealing how she made me feel.

With only a six-inch height difference between us, it was easy to place my mouth right beside her ear. “Truth or dare, Aspen?”

“What?” Her head reared back, those beautiful blue eyes searching.

“Do you need me to explain the rules?” I kept my voice low enough that we wouldn’t be heard by the couples surrounding us. My grip on her was firm, keeping our motion steady as we danced.

Aspen’s brows drew down as she huffed, “No.” Then she let out a heavy breath. “I mean, why?”

I lifted one shoulder. “Thought it might be fun.”

“Yeah, maybe for a bunch of preteens at a sleepover,” she muttered under her breath.

Ignoring her snarky comment, I pressed, “So, what’ll it be? Truth or dare?”

With a roll of her eyes, she sighed. “Fine. Truth, I guess.”

That was all I needed to hear, and I flipped the script. “You know what? I’m gonna go first.”

She stiffened in my hold. “What are you playing at, Mac?”

“Truth,” I declared. But before she could ask me a question, I confessed, “I’ve only been here for four days, and this town has become a part of my soul.”

For a minute, Aspen stared up at me, stunned by my admission. Then she opened her mouth to protest. “That’s not how the game works. You don’t—”

“Truth,” I cut her off. “You think I’m teasing you about your freckles, but I fucking love them.” She sucked in a sharp breath, but I kept going. “I love how you never cover them up. I’m desperate to count every single one as I memorize your body, inch by inch.”

Short of blurting out “I’m into you,” I didn’t think I could have spelled it out any clearer.

She was trembling in my arms. The pulse point at the base of her throat fluttered wildly. Her pupils were blown so wide that only the tiniest blue rings remained visible around them.

“Mac, I—” Pausing, she swallowed, and I saw when the shift happened. Eyes blazing, she found her voice. “Truth.”

That one word nearly brought me to my knees.

“I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. Both of them, actually.”

Blood rushed south, my cock thickening to the point where my jeans felt too tight, and the urge to give her encore was overwhelming. As tempting as that was, the long game was more important.

“Truth.” I dipped my head so that my lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Those kisses were incredible, but that hug shook me to the core.”

Aspen’s hands slid from my hair to cup my cheeks, forcing me back enough that she could view my face. “Truth: I needed it too.”

“Truth. It was you I was thinking about in the shower.”

Her breathing hitched, her chest brushing against mine as it rose and fell rapidly.

“Truth. I’ve spent all day wondering what it might’ve been like if I had joined you.”

Jesus. We needed to get out of here. Right. Fucking. Now.

My hands that had remained respectfully anchored on her waist slid lower, gripping her ass and pulling her hips flush against the hard-on that threatened to burst through my fly. I needed her to feel what she did to me.

Eyes sliding closed, Aspen let out the sweetest moan as her fingers dug into my shoulders.

“Wanna get outta here?” I rasped.

Beyond words, she managed to nod.

It took everything in me not to throw her over my shoulder in my rush to get her alone.