“She just drank that beer that was sitting on the table this whole time, and you didn’t even stop her,” I say, shaking my head. “Someone could have switched it, and you wouldn’t even know it until she hit the floor.”
“I had eyes on it the whole time.” He then leans in. “She’s my sister after all.”
“Yeah, except your back was to the table for three minutes,” I point out, “while you watched your woman dance.” The music changes, and I look over at Kallie and see a guy walk up to her and ask her to dance. Savannah hands Casey his beer and then tells him the waitress will bring the shots to him. He nods at her and turns to walk back to the table and stops when he spots Kallie walking to the dance floor. He looks over at me, and I’m standing now. Beau must sense it next to me when he gets up, and I walk to the side of the dance floor.
The guy who I’ve never seen before must tell her his name, and I want to close down the fucking bar. They hold hands, and he twirls her while other men hoot from the side. The dance lasts longer than I like, and when the song is over, she smiles at him and walks back to the table. I see Casey say something to her, and she just shakes her head. The guy, on the other hand, walks off the dance floor, and his friends are there to high-five him. “What the fuck? Is this high school?”
“It’s called getting the hot girl to two-step,” Beau says. “They are here every Friday and Saturday.” He motions to the group of guys on the side. “Usually leaving with a different girl each time.”
“I don’t know how you do this every single weekend.” I shake my head, and then I look over at the bar and see Savannah dancing. “Okay, fine, I get it now.”
“I leave with her to make sure she’s safe every single time,” Beau says, bringing the beer to his lips. The band gets on the stage, and the lights change, and everyone cheers when they play the first verse of “Body Like a Back Road.”
Kallie puts her hands up, taking a shot from the tray. Grabbing Olivia, she leads them to the dance floor that is full now as they dance with each other. The both of them are oblivious of how much attention they are getting. “Fifty bucks someone asks her to leave with them.” Beau leans over, and I side-eye him. “I’m not saying she’ll go with them. I’m just saying …”
“You can stop talking about now,” I say, and for the next fucking hour, she doesn’t stop dancing and neither does Olivia. And when one of the guys from the side moves up to Olivia and puts his hands on her hips, I know Casey’s going to lose his shit.
“Shit,” Beau says from beside me. Grady is already halfway to the scene when Casey says something to the guy. He turns around, and you can see he’s drunk as he sways and then attempts to punch Casey. “Get Kallie. I’ll take care of this,” Grady says and I nod at him as we make our way closer.
Casey ducks and then punches the man in the jaw, making his friends jump in. Grady gets into it with a couple of them as I make eye contact with Casey who nods at me. He grabs Olivia by the hand and drags her out at the same time I get to Kallie’s side and grab her around her waist, pulling her out right before the guy from before tries to grab her.
She looks over her shoulder in fear until she sees it’s me as the brawl continues. I think someone throws a chair before we make it to the parking lot. “You can let me go now,” Kallie says, trying to push herself away from me. “Jacob, you can let go.”
“I knew this was a bad idea.” I don’t let her go, and if I could toss her over my shoulder and run to my truck, I would. I see Casey’s truck take off, and he looks at me and nods. “Told him it was a bad idea.”
“What the hell, Jacob?” she says, and with my hand on her skin, I don’t see anything else.
“You could have gotten hurt in there,” I say when I stop beside my truck and open the door, finally letting her go, “but did you stop and think of that?”
“It’s none of your business,” she hisses.
“Get in the truck, Kallie.” I don’t give her enough room to do anything but get in the truck.
“No fucking way,” she says and looks around.
“Fine by me,” I say. Picking her up, I put her in the truck so fast she is in shock. “I dare you to run,” I say, getting so close I can feel her breath on my face. “I didn’t catch you eight years ago,” I say, my eyes going to her parted lips as her chest rises and falls, “but I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kallie
It all happened so fast it’s a whirlwind, even thinking about it now. For the first time, I didn’t care that I was back in my old town. I didn’t care that people were probably sitting there just to see how I would react. I didn’t care that tomorrow my mother’s phone would be ringing off the hook with stories about tonight.
I got on that dance floor and left all my problems at the door. I kicked up my cowboy boots and loved every single minute of it. Knowing deep inside I was pushing things, but I didn’t think anything of it. Nothing happens in this town, but oh, how I was wrong.
The whole night, Casey was right there beside us, making sure we were okay, his jaw clenching each time Olivia would swing her hips. His eyes were glaring when someone would get too close. I snickered to myself more than once and then all hell broke loose.
I was almost pushed to the side, but then suddenly I felt hands around my waist, and for the first time tonight, fear set in. That is, until I looked over my shoulder and saw Jacob.
My heart sped up, and it wasn’t because I heard a brawl right behind me. No, it was speeding up because Jacob was touching me, and there was nothing I could do about it. My head hated him, yet my heart loved him. The warm air hit me right away when we got outside, and I thought for sure he would let me go. I was banking on it, but he didn’t. All he did was mumble to himself.
“What the hell, Jacob?” Words finally come out, and I curse at him.
“You could have gotten hurt in there.” Stopping, he puts me down right next to his truck and opens the door. In the darkness of the night, the lights from the stars and full moon shine on his face, and I see the anger. Anger and a mix of something else. Something I’m not sure I want to know. “But did you stop and think of that?”
“It’s none of your business,” I hiss; the nerve of him.
Apparently, in the eight years I’ve been away, Jacob’s patience was cut thin. “Get in the truck, Kallie.” He advances on me, not giving me enough room to do anything but get in the truck. I try to waste time, thinking Casey is going to come out any minute now with Olivia over his shoulder, and he’ll save me.
“No fucking way.” Shaking my head, I look around.
“Fine by me,” he says, and then I know he isn’t joking. His tone made it clear he was done having a discussion with me. One second, I’m standing here, and the next, his hands are around my waist and picking me up like I’m light as a feather and putting me in the passenger seat. All I can do is look at him in shock that he just did that. He gets so close to me that I have to hold my breath. “I dare you to run.” His tone is fierce and menacing. “I didn’t catch you eight years ago,” he finally says, and my mouth opens at that. “But I’m not going to make that mistake again.”