Page 21 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
She felt like that should register...something. Her body began to cool, her mind slowly filling with thoughts that she had officially lost her mind, until the chill wasn’t only in her body, it was deep in her soul. What was she doing?
Her chest suddenly felt like a vice under the swell of confusion. She’d only just broken things off with her fiancé—the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with—ten weeks ago. Sure, he cheated, but she had never been intimate with someone without love before. She had always needed a connection to let her guards down enough for someone to see her naked. She’d only had two sexual relationships. Her first boyfriend who she only got to second base with, and Marcel.
I need to get out of here...
As the long minutes ticked by, she pretended she was sleeping and waited until Jaxon’s long day hit him and his breathing became steady, indicating he was sleeping soundly, before carefully sliding out of his arms. Gathering all the clothes scattered around their makeshift bed, she glanced back one last time. For a moment, she thought of snuggling back up to him, basking in the warmth of his hold...the strength of it.
But reality brought her crashing down—she didn’t need a man’s comfort right now; she needed to focus on her dreams, and she hadn’t even begun healing from Marcel’s betrayal. The last thing she wanted was to get so caught up in Jaxon that she decided to change the barforhim and not because she thought it was best for the bar. She’d been there and done that before. And there just wasn’t enough room for a relationship in her life.
When she had finished her escape around to the side of the house, she put on her shoes and was startled by a loud snort. She looked to see a big brown horse with a white mark shaped like a star on its head. “Oh, don’t you dare judge me,” she told the horse.
It gave another snort, and she realized that even the horse knew how bad an idea this night had been.
She hurried forward, opened the Uber app on her cell and ordered a car, hoping that Jaxon wouldn’t wake up within the ten minutes it took for the car to arrive. As she made her way down the long driveway, she sent a message to Willow and Aubrey in their group chat:I’m on my way home.
Willow replied instantly:Is that all you’re going to say?! How’d it go?
Charly texted back:I officially hate cowboys!
Aubrey’s response came quickly:Why because that cowboy charmed you right into his bed?
There was no point trying to keep this secret from her best friends. They would know immediately when she got home, and they never kept secrets from each other.
Charly cursed and replied:I think it’s time for professional help.
Willow sent a stream of emojis that indicated shock, admiration and surprise.
Aubrey replied:Stop! Nothing wrong with a rebound. Especially one that’s way hotter than you’re ex.
Charly sighed, an incredibly long sigh, heading down the driveway toward the road. Maybe there was a good therapist in town...
Seven
Charly was up bright and early the next morning and headed for the bar, even though it wasn’t scheduled to open for another four hours. She threw herself into cleaning, stocking shelves and working furiously to avoid thinking about last night with Jaxon. The conversation between her and her friends when she’d come home continued to weigh heavily on her mind.
“Do you like him?” Willow questioned while tucked into the corner of Charly’s bed.
Charly plopped down on her mattress and snuggled up in her blankets. “Probably more than I want to.”
On the bed beside them, Aubrey stared at Charly for a moment before asking, “Why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing to like an obviously good guy from the looks of it?”
“Because I’ve done this before,” Charly said. “I’m not repeating my old mistakes. Yes, he’s a nice guy, but there’s some obvious commitment red flags there. Besides, we have a dream to make happen here. Finding a guy isn’t part of that dream. Hell, I’m still not over the last guy.” Or the future she thought she’d have with Marcel. That was the hardest part in all of this. She needed to stay focused on creating a new future that she could find pride in.
Willow replied, “So then why did you let last night happen?”
Charly hesitated, but then spilled her heart in the one place she wouldn’t get judged. “His attention felt...good. He started talking about a spark he felt between us and looking at me all sexy, and I just...kissed him.”
Aubrey burst out laughing. “Couldn’t help yourself, huh?”
Charly shook her head but couldn’t find any amusement. “Have I lost it?” she asked seriously. “Do you think I’m going through some crisis? I have never done anything like that before. I legit grabbed him and kissed him.”
Aubrey snorted. “I’m pretty sure you got exactly what you needed tonight. Stop feeling bad about it.”
Charly looked to Willow. She’d tell her the truth.
Willow just shrugged. “Maybe a little sexy fun is exactly what you need. From what we heard that cowboy is very good at that.”
“Oh, hell no,” Charly countered, “Last night will never, and I mean, never happen again.”
