Seducing Texas (So not Prince Charming #2)(24)

He takes off his hat and in a low whiskey-laden voice says, “Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

Fay cozies up to him, and for the first time amongst her litany of beaus, I think she really likes him, and it surprises me.

I get back to waiting on tables while Cyn rustles up drinks and mopes over Niki kissing Shane. Fay is a bit preoccupied with the cowboy, and the cameramen pick up on this. It’s nice that the focus isn’t on me.

By the time the TV crew stops filming; the three of us are exhausted. Shane finally sends Niki home, but I don’t think that’ll matter after he kissed her. Cyn’s boiling mad and has taken her anger out by burying herself into her work. She cut him off at the bar because he has drunk way too much. He’s probably worried about the almost-certain backlash he’ll receive back at the house.

Travis, I’d danced with earlier, keeps eyeing me. I clean up my station, so we can go home. Wyatt and Lynch said goodnight a while ago, and Cyn and I have no intention on closing the bar down.

Shane sends all his guys home in Uber taxis before coming over to a snarling Cyn.

“No you don’t.” She shoves him back with her palm and holds back tears. “You kissed her.”

“Cyn, you know why. Don’t give me a hard time. I don’t like this any more than you do.”

I don’t need to be in the middle of their argument. “I’ll see you two at the car.” My statistics book is in the car for me to study while I wait on them or maybe I’ll sleep. Tonight wore me out.

Fay kisses my cheek before Tanner walks her out. “See you soon, Willa. You’ll be seeing a lot more of him,” she whispers to me.

It’s good that she likes him. She dumped Trevor pretty quickly after she found out that Cyn dated him in high school, and I don’t blame her. He’s an *.

Fay needs a real man, like Tanner, instead of the wealthy *s she usually dates.

Aedan has packed up all his gear while swigging on a beer. Now that he’s off the clock he can drink. He doesn’t even notice me. He forgot the kiss, so no point stewing over it, even though I am.

I dig in my purse for my keys and walk out into the dirt parking lot. The night is desert cool, so I inhale the sagebrush. I love Austin. Mom used to sit under the stars with my sisters and me.

A sliver of the moon casts light onto the cars. It’s a beautiful night if only Mom were here to enjoy it with us.

When a hand taps my shoulder, I spin around. It’s Travis who had stepped on my toes while dancing and told me how to save a cowboy.

His beer breath about knocks me over. “You wanna go back to my place, little filly?” he asks, slurring his words.

“No, thank you.” I continue to my car, and this time, he roughly grabs my arm.

What the hell? “Let me go,” I demand, terror filling my throat and choking my words.

He tightens his hold. I circle my arm to escape his grasp and run back to the bar. He catches up to me, pulling me into him. I slug him in the gut, but his grip doesn’t loosen.

My lungs seize in my chest, and a weak whimper escapes. I finally find my voice to let out a terrified scream. I’m not going to be raped in the dirt.

The cowboy clasps my mouth, and I bite down hard.

He yells and before he can slap me, an Irish voice intones, “Let the lassie go.” Aedan puts his gear down and pulls out his cell phone.

“And you’re going to make me?” the cowboy asks, holding onto me tightly.

Aedan’s eyes narrow, and his fists clench at his sides. “I don’t need to kill yer. I’ll call the coppers and let them take care of yer.”

Travis looks at the phone that Aedan has perched in his hand. 9-1-1 glows on the screen.

Travis releases me, shoving me aside like I was used up.

He points a finger at Aedan. “This ain’t the end of this. I’ll see you, little filly, tomorrow.” He stalks off, kicking the bumper of a car. The alarm goes off, and Travis swears under his breath.

“What an arse?” Aedan grins. “I see yer got yerself into trouble, wee miss. Somehow that doesn’t surprise me, being a pretty lass.”

Why does he call me pretty when he can’t remember something as simple as a kiss that wasn’t so simple? “I saved you from sleeping in the graveyard. We’re even then.”

“That’s interesting. I think yer still owe me a kiss, seeing as how I cannot remember the first one.”

“You stole the first one.” Not that I minded.

He looks all innocent. “What kind of man do yer take me for? I saw yer flirting with the big man in the bar. Who the hell is he? He then made out with your sister and then another woman.”

He must be talking about Shane. Is Aedan jealous? “Shane’s my sister’s boyfriend,” I quickly explain. “And the other woman is a long story.”

“I’d like to hear that someday.” He waggles his brows. “Well, maybe a kiss another time. Wouldn’t want to get yer in trouble.”

The contract. No messing with the hired help. “That’s true. Your loss.” I try to remember a bad Irish term, and it comes to me. “Wanker.”

I turn away from him and before I take one step, Aedan grasps my arm and spins me back toward him and into his arms.

“Not so fast, wee little lassie.”

When his blue eyes peer into me, my knees buckle and he catches me before I fall. Could I be anymore spastic?