Page 34 of When It Burns

By the time we pull up to Boot Scooters, I am ready to maul Theo in the parking lot. Margaret offered me the front seat when we left my apartment, but being in such close proximity for the last hour made me hyper-aware of the man sitting next to me.

Margaret and Hannah chattered and sang loudly the whole way, but no matter how hard I tried to concentrate, all I could think about was how damn good he smelled. How his hands felt on me last night. How his tongue would feel as it slid up my leg to my-

“Come on ladies! Let’s go find us a cowboy to saddle up tonight,” Hannah yells with a laugh as she jumps out of the truck loud enough to attract the gaze of a handful of guys standing around in the parking lot. I’d been so lost in my daydream that I hadn’t realized Theo already parked at the familiar dive bar.

As we make our way inside, I can’t help but smile. Boot Scooters had become one of our favorite places for a night out when we moved back from college. I love the rustic feel and dancing with my friends under the glow of the neon lights. The dive bar is covered in quirky neon signs with the lyrics to nineties country music, and there is always a cover band playing songs by Brooks and Dunn or Shania Twain.

The sound of “Alabama” by Cross Canadian Ragweed greets my ears as we scan the small assortment of booths towards the back of the bar. We’d agreed on the ride over to grab some appetizers first since we’d all skipped dinner. Plus Boot Scooters has the best loaded fries around.

“Over there,” Hannah screams, pointing at an empty booth tucked into the back corner before taking off in a full sprint. She barrels into a middle-aged man and I hear a “sorry” thrown out over her shoulder before she reaches the booth and dives in head first.

Margaret and I break out into a fit of giggles at her while Theo just scowls and shakes his head. “Come on, y’all,” I say to them, leading them over to Hannah. I slide into the booth across from her, and Theo slides in beside me while Magaret slides in beside Hannah.

A waitress comes over to take our order and before she can open her mouth to greet us Hannah bursts out, “Hey, I promised these ladies a drink so we need three Scooter shots and an order of loaded fries on my tab, please. And it’s been a hell of a week so can I get a Michelob Ultra too.”

The waitress just smiles at Hannah while I roll my eyes at her impatience. Once she’s finished writing Hannah’s order she turns to me. “Hey, can I get the same thing without the shots?” She nods and moves to Margaret who orders the same thing and then to Theo who asks for a water and an order of the famous fries.

As the waitress walks over to put our order in, Margaret asks, “So what exactly is a Scooters shot?”

Hannah and I laugh loudly before she responds, “Well they’re really a start for a great night, it’s pretty similar to an Alabama Slammer shot. But in addition to the sloe gin, amaretto, and peach Southern Comfort they add Everclear, and they only come in a double.”

Theo and Margaret’s eyes widen and I giggle. “Remember the story we told you about what happened the time Seth and Will placed bets when they were here? We ended up in that piercing place because they both had at least three of them,” I tell Margaret. “So just keep that in mind for tonight.”

Margaret opens her mouth to speak but Theo beats her to it. “Piercings? I didn’t notice either of them having their ears pierced.”

“They don’t. She’s talking about-” Hannah starts but Margaret throws her hand over Hannah’s mouth before she can finish. Her timing is perfect because at the same time, our waitress arrives with our beers and Theo’s water.

“Here you go. I will be right back with your shots and food,” she says without ever looking away from Theo before walking away. She isn’t overly flirty, but I can tell she’s admiring how sexy the man is. Considering she has perfect curves, and her dark hair is bouncy and shiny, I bet they’d make quite the couple. The thought makes me sad, but she is definitely beautiful and we have only shared a couple kisses.

I look over at him expecting him to be looking at her, but instead, he is looking at me. We make eye contact and he runs his hand along the hem of my shorts under the table while Hannah and Margaret continue chattering. I instantly feel warmth fill my body, and I reach for my beer to steady my nerves. He slides one finger closer to the inside of my thighs and I jump so high my leg knocks the leg of the table and shakes the beers.

“Damn Caroline, what has you over there feelin’ froggy?” Hannah asks with a knowing smirk. I shoot her an ugly look and she just laughs while the waitress sits our food and the large shot glasses on the table before walking away.

Hannah grabs her glass and says, “Cheers ladies. To Leroy, romance novels, and new friends.” We knock back our shots, and I try not to laugh at Margaret’s face as she sputters at the liquor. Hannah laughs loudly before saying, “Let the fun begin,” with a laugh.

With Theo’s hand trailing my thigh and the liquor now running through my system, I couldn’t agree more.

* * *

After scarfing down dinner,Hannah, Margaret, and I rush out onto the dance floor, dancing to the band and singing at the top of our lungs. Theo neglected to keep our table, but I can feel his eyes on me as I swing my hips to the music. His gaze makes me feel like my skin is on fire with desire. He sits on a barstool in the corner with his signature scowl, but every time our eyes lock, the corner of his mouth tips up at me.

We continue dancing and singing to music by George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, and Reba while laughing until our sides hurt. When the band plays “Any Man of Mine'' by Shania we scream the lyrics so loud I start to lose my voice, and Hannah and I work together to teach Margaret the line dances to “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Copperhead Road,” which the bar plays at the top of every hour. Between the music, laughter, and Theo’s gaze I feel like I am floating.

After an hour or two with my friends, Hannah leans over and whispers in my ear, “That man has been eye fucking you across the room since we got here. Do you intend to do anything about that?”

I smile sheepishly before responding, “I’m not sure yet. I was just enjoying the night with y’all.”

Hannah rolls her eyes at me. “Girlfriend, I love you more than anything but I am not the one that’s dying to explore your pussy. Plus I am pretty sure that if he sees you shake your ass again, the man is gonna explode. Go put him out of his misery!” she yells leaning over and kissing my cheek before pushing me hard towards where Theo is sitting. I hear her and Margaret cackling as I regain my balance and walk towards the man who has completely consumed me the last few weeks.

“Hey, Cowboy,” I say, walking over and running my hand down his shoulder. His eyes blaze and I can feel the desire rolling off of us in waves.

“Hey, Sunshine. You having fun?” Theo asks.

“Yeah, I am. You look lonely over here so I thought I’d come see if you wanted to dance with me. Wanna spin me around tonight?” I ask, smiling at him.

“Darlin’, I would like to do a whole lot more to you than that, but I guess we can start there for now. I am not much of a dancer, but if I don’t get my hands on you I am going to lose my goddamn mind,” he responds while he stands up. As he rises from the barstool, he reaches over and lightly skims his hand up from my hip to my face. My breath gets caught inside my chest and all I can think about is how desperately I want this man.

I lead him to the dance floor while the band starts playing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Toby Keith. I can’t help but giggle before saying, “They have really good timing.”

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