Page 63 of Wildest Dreams

“Ohyeah,” I say, biting into my smile as I twist around in his arms. It’s so busy in here tonight what with it being a Friday, that there isn’t one inch of my body that isn’t being bumped into right now.

Tanner notices, frowns, and tugs me closer in the cage of his biceps.

“What?” he rumbles, not seeming to mind the fact that I’m plastered against him.

“Connell told me about our little swap.” I give him a sideways glance. “He said that I’m staying in your cabin tonight, because of the no-lock situation and all.”

Tanner quickly looks away. “Yeah. Means that your brother will only be a few doors down, so you’ll be safer. I’ll stay in the lake house while you’re… while you’re in my cabin.” After a moment he gruffly adds, “And you’re sleepin’ in my bed.”

“After what I caught you doing this morning?” I tease. “Are we trying for the world’s first miraculous cabin conception?”

“Jesus Christ,” he rasps, avoiding my eyes and flushing crimson.

“Yes, that is His name,” I concur, pressing one hand against my forehead as I try to maintain the calibre of my taunting, although it’s a little distracting when a six-foot-four hockey player is secreting his warmth directly into your back.

But before Tanner can react one of my stilettos is slipping in a puddle of spilled beer and Tanner’s arms become a vise, hoisting me upright against his chest.

And in the next second a crowd of cowboys barge through the front doors.

Two of them knock straight into me, their eyes as wide with surprise as mine, and I feel the heat of Tanner’s testosterone as it becomes instantly more possessive – stronger and darker.

“Well, howdy,” one of them smiles, looking at me with slightly bloodshot eyes. Then he sees the giant forearm compressed against my chest and his gaze travels over my head so that he can give Tanner an impressed nod.

I glance over my shoulder and find Tanner tipping his chin at me. “You okay?”

An accidental whiskey giggle leaves my throat. “Of course I’m okay, I’m in cowboy heaven,” I say teasingly, and something like amusement almost tugs at the corner of his mouth.

Wow, that was almost a smile. FromTanner.

The guys in front of us chuckle as we go to move past them, some of them tipping their hats because they areliterally cowboysbut one of the ones at the back – maybe too tipsy to have even realised the hold-up – trips over my stiletto and something drops out of his jacket pocket.

“Oh, here, let me!” I say, leaning over to pick it up while flashing him an apologetic smile. “I think that you dropped your–”

Suddenly my eyes flash down to my hand and I stumble straight back into Tanner.

I hold the heavy object out as far away from my body as possible.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” I whisper, my eyes wide and unblinking with fear. The cowboy tucks his hands into his jeans and grins like this is all perfectly normal.

I feel Tanner immediately tense behind me, arms locking me tightly against his chest. In a deadly calm voice he instructs, “Aisling, it’s okay. Just hand it over to me.”

My whole arm is tingling with adrenaline.

Am I having, like, a super country hallucination because of the three shots of whiskey?

“Is that agun?”I squeal as I try to work out where to definitelynotput my fingers.

“Never held one of those before, huh, Sugar?” one of the cowboys burrs gruffly, a pleased curve to his handsome mouth.

I swallow hard, my hand shaking as I try to slowly angle the weapon toward the ground, away from any patrons.

“Aisling.” Tanner’s large open palm appears beside my trembling hand. “Pass it over, right now.”

“I can’t move,” I whisper, blinking back tears because I’m tipsy, emotional, and overwhelmed right now. The cowboys don’t seem to notice, but Tanner definitely does.

“It’s okay. I’ve got it now, you can let go.”

Tanner’s hands grip around the handle of the heavy black weapon and it takes me a good ten seconds before I fully pull my arm away from it, worried that any move I make might set it off.

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