Dolly barely suppresses her smile. “You want to tell me what’s got you so hot and bothered under the collar you’re prepared to wipe it from your temporal lobe with a shot of white lightning?”
“You saw how he spoke to me, Dolly,” I say through another wheeze.
“I did.”
“He thinks I’m a kid.”
“You are a kid, honey. Why you in such a rush to grow up?”
“I’m not rushing anywhere. I’m twenty-five.” I let out another cough. But the moment it passes, the magic of the white lightning hits me, and it hits me real hard.
It’s what King’s Pride moonshine is known for—the ball of fire that sets your insides aflame but leaves you feeling amazing afterward. And I’m not going to lie, it feels fucking amazing. It’s like warm sunshine oozing into every nook and cranny of my body.
A goofy grin spreads across my face. “You know what this night needs?” I slap my palms against the top of the bar again, feeling my spirits rise. “Music, Dolly. It needs music.”
Forgetting about the cab that’s on its way, I walk over to the jukebox, more than aware of Jack’s eyes on me as I cross the room.
Good. Let him watch me. Let him see that I’m not a kid anymore.
Spurred on by the magic of King’s Pride moonshine, I lean against the jukebox suggestively as I skim the song list. Finding one I like, I hit play, and SayGrace’s “You Don’t Own Me” fills the room. Immediately, the music washes over me like warm water, and feeling good, I begin to sway my hips in time to the slow beat. I know Jack is looking, and it feels good because I want him to see me. I want him to see my body swaying seductively to the music. I want him to see the body that no longer belongs to a girl but to a grown woman with real wants and needs. A body that’s aching with hunger to be touched. By him.
Slowly, I dance back to the bar, throwing in a few sexy hip sways along the way, and nod to Dolly to poor me another shot. But before the glass reaches my lips, Jack storms across the room, his energy like a fucking tornado as he lifts me off the floor and throws me over his shoulder.
I struggle against him, but he is too damn strong.
“Put me down,” I demand.
“You’ve had enough,” he growls. “I’m taking you home.”
“Like hell you are!”
He ignores me, of course, and carries me out of the clubhouse and across the graveled parking lot to his truck.
When he puts me down, I bash his ridiculously hard chest with my fist. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
He yanks open the truck door. “I’m the guy who’s making sure you get home safe. Now get the fuck in.” The look on his face sends a thrill through me. It’s thunderous. His eyes are dark and stormy. His jaw is tense. His beautiful lips are snapped closed over gritted teeth.
I climb in the truck, and he slams the door closed.
With a skid of tires, Jack tears out of the clubhouse, kicking up a plume of dust and gravel in his wake, and we drive home in silence.
The moment his truck pulls to a stop, I’m out of the truck’s cab and storming toward the front door. But Jack is at my heels, stomping up the front steps behind me, and once we’re inside, he swings me around.
“What the hell was that all about? You got something you want to prove, little girl?”
“I’m not a goddamn little girl.”
“Then stop behaving like a brat.”
“Only if you stop acting like an overprotective jerk!” My hands fist at my sides.
“You came to the clubhouse looking for trouble.”
“No, I came to the clubhouse looking for you. And what I found was you getting a lap dance from a hot blonde with big boobs.” I hate that my lips quiver at the memory, so I cling to my anger to stop me from crying. “Fuck you, Jack.”
I turn away from him.
Hating him.
“Nothing happened.”
Jack grabs my hand to stop me from turning away, but I yank it back. “But it would’ve.”
“No, it wouldn’t have.”
“Why?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Tell me why, Jack?”
“Who I’m with or not with is none of your concern. And it shouldn’t be because I’m no good for you. You got that, kid. I’m too old and jaded for you.”
“No, you’re not. You’re exactly who and what I want. But you’re too goddamn stubborn to see it. You say nothing was going to happen with Lulu… tell. Me. Why?”
“I said no.”
“Tell. Me!”
“Because I fucking want you!” he suddenly blurts out, his eyes wild.
I stare up at him, wide-eyed, wondering if I’ve heard him right. But in the next breath, he takes me by surprise and slams his lips to mine, kissing me with the hunger of a starved man.