“Ah, dating advice from the famous ladies’ man, Rhett Eaton!” He holds his beer bottle up to me in cheers and I ignore it, opting to just take another swig. I’m not so sure my past behavior is to be celebrated.
I sneak a peek over at Summer again. I can’t keep my eyes or mind from wandering to her. If she leaves with Emmett, I might combust.
He slings his arm over the back of her chair like he has a right to.
“Speaking of girls...” Theo waggles his eyebrows and points his chin over at Summer.
“What?” I bite out. “My babysitter?”
“I wouldn’t judge. Fucking the babysitter is a thing for a reason.”
“I thought I told you not to be a pig?” I have to remind myself he’s only twenty-two—and walking around with a constant boner—before I bite his head off.
“Whatever, man. Just saying. You can’t take your eyes off her. It’s almost like you’re jealous.”
I resolve, right here and now, to not look over there again.
“Of Emmett Bush?” I snort. “That’ll be the day. I’ll start highlighting my hair and going for facials to get his Ken-doll glow just so I can be more like him.”
“You definitely don’t sound jealous at all,” Theo mocks.
I take another aggravated swig. “Good. Cause I’m not.”
“I can see why you would be though. She looks damn good on that bull.”
“What?” I whip around so fast that I knock my bottle in the process, righting it just before it creates more than a small puddle of beer on the table.
But when I glance back up, sure enough, Summer has climbed onto the mechanical bull. It’s surrounded by foam mats, and a crowd has gathered around the low barrier around the circle.
Her small hand is wrapped around the grip, and her pale jeans are so tight that I can see the fold where her thigh meets her hip.
She’s grinning widely, and when she looks at Emmett, her top teeth dig into her bottom lip.
Those fucking lips.
She gives a small nod and giggles as she does it. Looking so carefree. So young. So much happier than she usually does in my company.
The guy operating the machine starts it up, and her hips rock with the motion.
I have to look away. My brain is fried, and my cock is thickening. I want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here. Put my mark on her.
It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
But she doesn’t want that. She doesn’t need that, and I keep reminding myself to be a gentleman. I told Theo not to be a pig, and I need to make sure I’m not being one either.
I swivel on my stool to face Theo and chug the rest of my beer before waving at the server to bring me another.
I need it.
“Hey, guys.” Cindy walks up, looking at Theo like he’s a cake and it’s her birthday. “How’s it going?”
“Great.” Theo smiles and pats the stool beside himself.
I don’t say anything. The pheromones between them do nothing but annoy me. I wish the only thing keeping Summer and me apart was that we were both too stupid to just talk to each other.
Instead, she has to be all smart, and responsible, and career driven. Making us a problem, when in any other setting we’d be a no-brainer.
“Your girl can ride, Rhett,” Cindy says, nodding over at Summer.