Gone Country (Rough Riders #14)(95)

Sierra Daniels had arrived.


Her transformation had started during Christmas break, when her mom had lifted her curfew, handed her the keys to her Escalade and told her to have fun. Wasn’t it proof of how awesome she was that so many people from her old school wanted to hang out with her?


Amazing how many friends you have when you’ve got wheels and booze, isn’t it?


She shoved that bullshit thought aside. People liked her. And she liked herself.


Her dad hadn’t wanted her to go out tonight, but that was too bad. After all the times she’d sat at home by herself since they’d moved to Wyoming, it served him right to spend a night or two alone. Besides, if Rielle had been around this weekend, he wouldn’t have even noticed she was gone.


“Sierra!” Kara yelled from across the room. “Come here, there’s someone I want you to meet.”


Sierra weaved through the crowd, saying hi to some people, hugging others. She’d heard the buzz around school after she’d started going to parties that she wasn’t the stuck-up rich girl that people thought.


“This is the one I was telling you about,” Kara said to the guy sitting next to her, who was probably five or six years older than her. “Sierra, Tyler. Tyler goes to Vo-Tech in Gillette.”


A college guy. A cute college guy. Although he did appear a little rough around the edges. “Hey.”


“You were right, Kara. She is hot.” Tyler lifted a bottle and drank.


“Sierra just moved here from Arizona,” Kara added.


“No shit. A buddy of mine is working construction down there.”


“Really? Is that what you’re going to school for?”


“Nope. I’m in auto mechanics.” He cocked his head and his brown-eyed gaze flicked over her, from her boots to her eyes. “I like things that go fast.”


Cheesy line, but he was obviously interested. She’d flirt. No harm in that.


Kara mouthed, “Later,” and ditched her.


“So, ah, Tyler, how’d you hear about the party?”


“Around.” He eyed her cup. “Whatcha drinkin’?”


“Beer. Why?”


He waggled a bottle of Jack Daniels. “I’m willing to share.”


“Yeah? What’s the catch?”


Tyler grinned. “Smart girl. Why don’t you do a couple shots with me and we’ll figure something out.”


“Sure.” Sierra drained her beer and tossed the cup aside. She snatched the bottle from him and drank. Somehow she withheld a shudder. Jesus. That stuff tasted like shit. The Crown XR her dad drank was way better.


He laughed and grabbed the bottle back. “Eager. I like that.” He tipped the bottle, somehow keeping his gaze on her chest while he guzzled. “I haven’t seen you here before.”


“Really? I was here last weekend.”


“I wasn’t. I had to work.”


“That sucks. It was a great party. Been a lot of great parties lately.”


“And you’ve been to all of them?”


She grinned. “Yep.”


“So you don’t got a job?”


“No.”


“Must be nice.” He knocked back another slug. “So if you ain’t workin’, what do you do for fun?”


“I’ve been stuck at home for a few months without wheels, so it’s been a long time since I’ve had any fun.”



“Then you’re in luck, ’cause I can think of a whole lotta ways we can have fun together tonight.” He passed the bottle back to her. “Drink up.”


Sierra held her breath and managed to swallow another mouthful. But she didn’t stop the shudder this time.


“Gets better by about the fifth shot. After that, you won’t know what you’re swallowing.”


Her warning bells went off. Especially when he wrapped his fingers in the necklace she wore and tugged. “I’ve been watching you all night.”


Crap.


“Heard some things about you. You’ve got a nice ass, pretty face too.” He kept putting pressure on her necklace chain, giving her no choice but to move closer to him.


Her brain warned her to tell him that he was choking her, even as she feared he was fully aware of what he was doing.


“Now. How about we talk about payment?”


Two shots in a row made her head spin.


Stupid, Sierra. What is wrong with you?


But she couldn’t make her legs or arms work.


“Wanna hear your options?”


No. I want you to let me go. “I could just pay you.”


“Nah. I’m wantin’ something else. Your money is no good.”


“But mine is. I figure she drank maybe five bucks worth of Jack.” A hand waved a five dollar bill between her face and Tyler’s. “So consider this payment in full.”


Boone.


Oh God, Boone was here. She didn’t know whether to be happy or embarrassed.