“Amy said you went through a breakup. I’m sorry, I know it hurts. Been through a few myself,” Andrew said in a sympathetic voice. “I moved here from Houston hoping a change of scenery would cheer me up. Keeping busy helps.”
Hannah nodded, technically she only had one night with Ben but it did feel like a break-up. He had been embedded in her heart for so long that she wasn’t sure he would ever leave. “Yeah, it hurts but as they say, life goes on, right?”
“So they say.” Andrew smiled with a shrug to his shoulders. He twirled her around in a fancy move and made her laugh. He was a great dancer and very friendly.
After two dances Andrew walked her back to her table. He ordered her a fresh soda. Sam walked Grace back to the table and pulled out her chair for her to sit in. She looked up at him to thank him for the dance when she glanced toward the doorway and saw two angry looking men walking toward their table.
“Uh-oh, it didn’t even take an hour for someone to tattle on me. You just lost the bet, sis,” Grace told Hannah with a smile and Hannah giggled as she spotted Jackson and Ben walking their way at a fast pace. Neither man looked to be in a friendly or social mood.
“Thanks for the dance, boys, but you better get out of the line of fire,” Grace advised Sam and Andrew. The two men hurried away after catching a glimpse of Ben and Jackson’s grim expressions with a quick good-bye.
“Grace.” Jackson stopped and stood in front of Grace and frowned, his forehead lined with creases. He crossed his arms across his chest. “You didn’t tell me you were taking my sister to a bar.” He said the last word as if Grace had taken his sister to a truly disgraceful place.
Grace sipped on her beer casually, looking relaxed and totally unafraid. She thought for a moment, as if trying to remember her conversation with him. She gave Jackson a look of innocence, her red eyebrows crinkling over her brown eyes. “Are you sure? I didn’t think you listened to a word I said. If I remember correctly you just grunted and kept on working.”
Hannah laughed out loud at her brother’s grouchy expression, earning a glare from him. “That’s what you get, dear brother, for ignoring your girlfriend when she’s trying to have a conversation with you.”
Ben glared at Hannah then glanced over at the bar where Amy stood laughing with the men they had been dancing with. “Who were you dancing with, Hannah? I didn’t recognize those men. You shouldn’t be trusting strangers.”
“You’re not the only one who can have admirers, Ben,” Hannah said, keeping a bland expression on her face despite her senses coming back to life as soon as Ben stood next to her. She went from feeling lonely to feeling excited in two seconds flat, so much for being strong and independent. “I don’t have to answer to you, Sheriff Parker. I am young and single and allowed to have fun.”
Jackson sensed an argument brewing between his best friend and sister so he pulled Grace up from the table and led her to the dance floor, leaving Hannah and Ben alone to talk.
“I don’t like other men putting their hands on you, Hannah. I saw his face and I’m tempted to go pound it in for him,” Ben said, sitting in Grace’s empty chair and looking at Amy’s friends in a threatening manner. He looked at Hannah’s tight faded jeans, pink tank top that showed cleavage, and her white cowboy hat and boots. “Especially with you lookin
g like a sexy angel.”
“Well, Ben, I don’t like other women following you around and flirting with you. But you refuse to put a stop to it because I think it flatters you,” Hannah fired back quickly. “Andrew was nice to me so leave him be, he at least had the decency to leave us alone. If Dorothy was here she’d be all over you and you’d let her.”
Ben let out a heavy sigh, staying silent as if thinking about her words. “Okay, maybe you’re right. It does flatter me but I am honest when I say I made it clear to Dorothy that you are the only woman on my mind. She is just a lonely woman but I’m sure she’ll give up and find someone else soon and forget all about me.”
Ben pulled her out of her chair and led her to the dance floor where a slow song was playing. He pulled her close to his body, swaying to the music. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “If you let him hold you this close, I will take you home and spank that sweet ass of yours to remind you who you belong to. You are mine, Hannah Hawthorne. Your body and heart belongs to me, even when we’re fighting. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Hannah laid her head on his strong shoulder and closed her eyes, just enjoying the feel of Ben’s arms around her. She could feel his muscles underneath his shirt and smell his spicy cologne. She missed him. One night in his bed and she felt like she wasn’t complete without him. She had always known Ben would creep into her heart and embed himself there and never leave. Maybe that’s why she had avoided his advances for so long. She knew once she gave in to him, she’d never recover if they broke up. And that scared her more than when she faced Grace’s crazy ex-boyfriend pointing a gun on her.
“I don’t like fighting with you, Ben,” she said sadly.
“I don’t like it either, baby,” he agreed, kissing the top of her head. “So from now on just agree with whatever I say and there will be no more fights.”
Hannah snorted and bit his neck to let him know what she thought of that idea, but he only chuckled and whispered in her ear. “I’ve got my own wild Texas tornado in my arms and I like it, honey. Bite me again and I will find a dark corner and show you how much I like that.”
Hannah glanced around, ignoring his words until she spotted Grace and her brother. They were kissing in the middle of the dance floor and Hannah groaned in embarrassment when Jackson squeezed Grace’s butt and heard Grace giggling.
“Oh, brother,” she muttered, hiding her face in Ben’s shoulder. “My brother has no shame.”
Ben looked over to see what amused her and smiled devilishly when he saw his friend Jackson making out with Grace. He danced his way over to the kissing couple and bumped into them to get their attention.
“Public displays of affection are illegal in this town. I could arrest you two,” he said in a serious voice, trying hard to hide his laughter.
Jackson lifted his head away from Grace’s lips and gave Ben a smug smile. “Just put us in the same cell and you can throw away the key. I have plenty of ways to occupy our jail time.”
Grace blushed and swatted Jackson playfully. Jackson grabbed her hand, holding it close to his chest. “I’m taking my girlfriend home to remind her why I am the only man that is allowed to touch her body.”
Hannah plugged her ears and groaned. “I don’t want to hear about my brother’s sex life. Gross.”
Ben laughed, putting his arm around Hannah’s shoulder to make sure she stayed close to him. “I’ll take your sister home, Jack.”
Jackson looked at his sister and tapped her nose fondly with his finger. “Behave, brat, and listen to Ben. This is no place for you to be hanging out alone. Make sure Amy gets home, too.”