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 interesting stories 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 carry myself 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.
“If you don’t two-step with her, son, I sure as hell will,” Big Tex cried as he got out of the car, he waited for us both to get out and led the way across the parking lot. Neither of us had a chance to respond before Big Tex grabbed his hat, tipped it, tilted his chin towards the sky and offered the whole place a very loud, “Yeehaw!”
When Drew turned to me, he rolled his eyes playfully and reached for my hand. “Here’s to us, darlin’,” he said quietly, tugging me to his side.
I was giddy as we made our way to the front. There was a long line of people waiting to get in, but as with most things, the rules were never the same for Drew Tucker, and he and Tex somehow managed to get us expedited inside with a few extra smiles from the bouncers as they greeted Tex with a warmth that came with familiarity.
Excitement bubbled inside of me as we entered. Darkness enveloped us at the same time as Brooks and Dunn’s Neon Moon swept over us. My smile grew, my heart pounded, and then the subtle lights of the large open space illuminated everything. The dance floor was a wide oval that surrounded a bar, and on the stage was a band setting up to play.
Tex guided us through the crowd that was packed into the ample space, everyone inside almost shoulder-to-shoulder. There were smaller bars set up in random spots. The floor was littered with napkins, which seemed really odd until I saw a server toss a stack into the air with a joy-filled laugh as she flirted with one of the security guys floating around the place. The people packing in around them let out a small cheer before going back to their conversations.
The place went on forever. As we finally made it to an area with a bit more breathing room, we stepped up into an elevated section tucked into the back that was filled with well-occupied pool tables. I also saw the mechanical bull to our right, and I couldn’t help my smile as a small blonde took her eight seconds like a boss, only to fall right off when she raised her arms in triumph.
The whole club reminded me of the Houston club Gilley’s from the movie Urban Cowboy. I’d watched that movie on repeat as a kid because that was where my parents had met. I’d had this crazy dream of going there when I was old enough, but the place had burned down a year after I’d been born… something that had made my six-year-old heart break. Now I watched the movie on my parents’ anniversary as my way of keeping them, and their story alive.
I turned to look at Drew, more than aware that he’d been watching me take in my surroundings, and I gave him a huge smile.
“You really do pay attention, don’t you?” I shouted over the song that was playing.
“You’re not always as subtle as you think you are.”
“No,” I said, stepping closer and giving him a look I knew he would translate easily. “I think you’re better at reading me than I realize. There’s no way you could have known about this.”
The look he gave me spoke of nothing but love and seduction. “I guess you’re the first person I’ve ever really wanted to listen to when they talk. Falling asleep together most nights, the shit we say.” He blew his cheeks out and released the air in one long stream. “I like it. I like you. I like the way we are together.”
I’d smiled so much since we’d arrived in Dallas that my cheeks were beginning to hurt. This moment between us, though—this meant more than I think even he could appreciate. I could feel my love for him growing inside my chest like a living being. It took me over, and everything else just faded to black. For one brief second, I was breathless because I knew that no matter what this man asked of me, I would do it. No questions asked. I knew I would never love anyone else the way I loved him, and all I could do was embrace it.
“Love isn’t a big enough word for the way I feel about you,” I declared, not really caring who heard me.
“Show me when you fuck me later.” He grinned.
“You bet your ass I will.”
Drew led me to one of the round bars and ordered our drinks, while I glanced around for our gracious guide. Big Tex must have wandered away from us as we’d been talking amongst ourselves. I eventually found him on one of the elevated seating areas, talking to a couple of the security guys like he belonged there. He seemed perfectly content, so I turned my attention back to the sensory overload that was the club, watching the napkins fly and the dancers spin in familiar steps, my own feet tapping to the beats now flowing from the speakers.
I welcomed the beer Drew handed me, and I ignored the looks he was receiving from every group of women who moved around the area. They seemed to circle like vultures, flying closer and closer with each pass, their eyes heated a
nd their chest expanding with every breath they took. If Drew noticed them, he didn’t let it show. His eyes were on me, taking in my reactions and responses to everything going on around us.
Planting an arm around my shoulder, he leaned into me and tipped his beer into his mouth just as the band flared to life in front of us. The strobe lights lit up the area, showing every enlivened body currently on the dance floor. More napkins were thrown in the air, and we watched as they fluttered down onto the people before eventually falling to the floor. Within seconds, the band had introduced themselves, and the whole vibe of the club changed.
Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy was the perfect song to get the Saturday night party started.
“Y’all ready for this?” Big Tex shouted over the music as he leaned into us. He pointed to the stage, his eyes alive with experience and knowledge. Tex knew the place, that much was clear, and he was excited to be the one to introduce us to this impressive hideaway.
“I’m ready if she’s ready,” Drew called back, tightening his arm around me.
“You need me to show her how it’s done?” Tex asked.
“Only if you can keep your hands to yourself while dancing, sir,” Drew mocked.
“If I wasn’t such a gent, I’d kick your ass for implying I would treat a lady any other way than a lady.”
Drew laughed—a laugh so free and almost youthful, it made my chest ache with happiness. “I trust you, Big Tex. Just be careful with her. She’s precious to me.”
Before I was really aware of what was happening, Drew was grabbing my beer from my hand, and Big Tex had my other hand in his, pulling me close, so he was two-stepping me toward the dance floor that was flowing like molten lava. The moment we stepped into the mix, he started leading us. Tex counted me in when I got lost, and in three beats we were in sync. He was spinning me, some of the moves he pushed me so far out, it was only our fingertips brushing together before he changed direction and swung me to the other side. He was always above board with his hands. One rested high on my waist, the other holding my hand gently but firmly enough to let me know where he was going.
We moved with the flow of the dance floor, weaving in and out of other dancers, sometimes dipping under their arms to avoid a collision. When the song came to a close, the moving crowd slowed until the opening fiddle of The Devil Went Down to Georgia started. Big Tex moved our grip to our shoulders and changed the dance in a three-step twist. He led us as best he could and talked me through the rest with ease. It was a more spirited dance, a higher tempo with more fancy footwork that had me counting in my head and messing up.
By the time we made it to the end of that song, Big Tex was puffing for breath, and his hair was damp around the edge of his hat.
“Ready for a break?” I asked, making a motion for a drink. I made out I was the one tired because I had a feeling he wouldn’t give up until I did. Big Tex had his gentleman genes down to a fine art.
Tex tipped his hat and bowed his head, a smile dancing on his lips. “I hope you’ll honor me with another dance before the end of the night. You ain’t bad at this.”
I smiled and linked my arm through his as we eased our way from the crowd on the dance floor.
We found Drew propping up a small table, his eyes on me as I headed back toward him. On either side of him were tables filled with women, giving him hopeful glances and lip bites as they tried to build the courage to talk to him. I almost felt bad I was about to crush their dreams.
“Well, now, I ain’t ever seen a woman of mine look so pretty in another man’s arms,” he said through a very Drew-like smirk as I approached him.
I gave him a smile and took the beer he was raising to his lips from his hand, stealing a large mouthful. “Flattery gets you everywhere.” I grinned, taking another mouthful before backing away and tipping my head to the bar. “Another beer?”
“Sur—” Drew didn’t get time to finish when a young cowboy in his early twenties came up behind me, touched my elbow and turned me his way.
“Care to dance?” he asked sweetly, looking anything but sweet when he eyed me in front of him.
My immediate reaction was to glance back at Drew. He was as possessive as a man could be on most occasions, but when I saw his brows rise and his sardonic smile grow, I knew he wasn’t even flinching inside. He was waiting for me to answer the guy for myself. Another sign that his trust and faith in me was growing, blooming into something so magnificent, neither one of us could fight it any longer.
Appeased, I turned my attention to the young man in front of me and smiled politely. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m good.”
I turned to the bar, only to find the stranger’s hand on my elbow again. I sensed Big Tex tensing on the other side of the table from Drew, but there was no way he could know I was more than capable of looking after myself.
I glanced over my shoulder at the young man, narrowing my eyes as I did with Tate when I was pissed at him. He let go of my arm and walked away immediately, the subtle swallow he made telling me he knew he’d overstepped the mark. He was young and stupid. I’d had a lot of experience with that lately.
“Big Tex, can I get you anything?” I asked.
His warm smile grew. “No, ma’am.”
Drew pushed himself up and began to follow me. I knew the look in his eyes, and I recognized that predatory walk he was walking as he closed in on me. I slowed and turned, walking backward as he neared, my eyes meeting his. “Change your mind?”
“About what? The dancing? The beer? Or the fact that I’m reconsidering my no sex in public pact for tonight after seeing you sashaying that fine ass all around this place?”
“Any or all of the above.” I shrugged casually trying to hide the fact that my heart was pounding in excitement. Only, he knew me too well for that.
It only took him a couple of seconds to close the gap between us, and in one swift move, he had my body in his hands, my back falling to rest in one while he lifted my leg to his hip with the other and tipped me backward. His mouth was only an inch away from me as my favorite blue-green eyes searched mine with their usual scrutiny.
“You look beautiful as fuck tonight. Happiness looks sexy on you. I could lick you up and down right here in front of everyone. Spread your legs and devour you. Take you over the bar. Do wild things in dark corners, and dance until the sun comes up,” he whispered roughly.
It suddenly felt like all the air had left the large open room. My heart wanted to beat its way out of my chest, and my God, my legs wanted to fall open at his command. At times like this, it felt as though we had some weird kind of spell over one another, possession and compulsion binding us together.
“How about we start with the dancing?” I asked, patting his shoulder and sliding my arm around his neck. “Then you can take me to the hotel and fuck me seven different ways until the sun comes up. After I suck your dick of course.” This time I smirked and managed it without a blush. I was proud of myself.
“On your knees, baby.” He winked, but something caught Drew’s eyes over my head, and he looked up suddenly, mischief shining out of him and his lips parting. “You get the whiskey in. Give me five minutes?”
He set me on my unsteady legs and headed toward the male restrooms, his gait filled with his usual confidence. He glanced over his shoulder once, his smile firmly in place before he faced forward again and disappeared inside. Shaking my head in wonder, I headed to the bar to order Drew’s requested whiskey.
I was halfway back to the table when I saw a couple of guys stumble out from the restroom doors, looking surprised as they glanced back over their shoulders. It was only a ten-second count before Drew strutted out, his shoulders back and the biggest and most satisfied smile on his face as he headed toward me.
“What did you just do?” I asked, hiding my humor as best as I could as he got closer.
“I took a piss.”
“Must have been quite a piss,” I teased, pressing my lips to his. Looking beyond him, I saw a guy st
umbling from the restrooms and heading in the opposite direction of where we were standing. I couldn’t help the small huff of laughter from escaping. “Oh, now it makes sense.”
Drew glanced backward, spotting the guy who was running from the scene, traumatized. The very same guy who’d asked me to dance only minutes earlier.
“Well, look at that,” Drew said casually. “I wonder what happened to him.” His charming smile broke free. “Looks like he got spooked in there or something. Poor guy.”
All I could do was shake my head and stare at him with a small smile tugging at my lips. “You owe me a dance.” I glanced down at the two whiskeys I was holding. “For making me wait.”
Drew took one from my hand, dropping a quick kiss to my forehead before he stood back and let his eyes rest on mine. “Drink up. I’m about to spin you real good. I want that dick sucking you’re going to give me later to be the best you’ve ever done. I’m willing to earn that gift.” And then he tipped his drink back, pouring it down his throat in one before he shook his head and copied the way Big Tex hollered into the crowd. “Yeehaw!”
I lifted the glass to my lips and waited for his eyes to meet mine again before shooting it back like I’d been doing it my whole life. The burn was immediate as it made a path from my throat to my stomach, but I blew out a stream of air and held out my arms. “Twirl me, Tucker. I do my best work after a good,” I paused, “long… twirl.”
He wasted no time in gathering me in his arms, just as the tempo of the music picked up and the crowd went wild. The whole place was bouncing, and for just one moment, one night, one perfect minute in our lives, Drew and I were nothing more than two people in love with no problems, no worries, and nobody trying to tear us down. We were allowed to bathe in our love and lust, and what mattered the most was knowing that this wasn't just for me. Tonight was all about Drew, too. He was freer than I’d ever seen him as he led me to the dance floor. There was no playing cool, no looking over his shoulder or having the weight of the world resting there. He was a young man holding a woman he loved in his arms, and as we began to flow with the tide of dancers around us, I wanted to always remember this… the way he was looking at me in the middle of Red River like I was the only woman he could and would ever see.
WITHOUT SHAME: Babylon MC Book 4 Page 22
