Page 68 of All This Time

“I appreciate it, but my vagina is just fine.”

Glenn dry heaves. “Can we stop with all of the vagina talk, ladies? Please?”

“If you’re hanging out with the girls, you know vaginas are a topic of discussion, Glenn. Don’t act offended,” Dilynne says as Yvonne and Claudia approach us.

“How many drinks have you had, Laney?” Yvonne asks as she tips her beer bottle to her lips.

I hold up my half-empty glass. “This is my second.”

“Good. Let’s dance then.” Yanking on my free hand, she pulls me to the dance floor in the center of the bar. High-top tables are situated all around the hardwood floor full of people swaying their hips, and on the next level up are pool tables, dart boards, and neon signs all over the walls.

“Don’t You Worry Child” pulses through the bar as we move into the crowd. Yvonne pulls me to the middle of the dance floor, onlyreleasing me to put her hands in the air as she shakes her ass to the beat of the song.

Knowing there’s no way she’ll let me sneak away, I give in and let the music overtake me. I sip on my drink, feeling my body get warm as the tequila does its job, and after a few minutes, the tightness in my chest starts to loosen up.

Maybe Dilynne was right. Maybe I just needed a night out to take the edge off. That doesn’t mean that I have to go home with anyone, and honestly, I’ve already decided that I’m not. But, being out instead of alone on my couch watching reruns of Friends is exactly what I needed to shake things up.

I’m so busy dancing that I fail to notice a man approaching me from behind.

“Hey, darlin’,” he says in my ear before stepping in front of me. “Name’s Easton.”

“Laney,” I say while staring up at him, his face etched from stone and his dark hair covered by a cowboy hat.

I bet this man knows how to ride that mechanical bull.

“Mind if I join you?” he says as his feet start moving to the beat of the next song.

“Uh, sure.”

He moves closer to me, planting his hands gently on my hips. My eyes land on his chest, admiring how broad it is. The flannel he’s wearing is almost bursting at the seams as his arms move. When I look back up to his face, I lock eyes with his.

“How come I haven’t seen you around here?” he asks, his voice deep and gravelly.

“Oh, uh… I don’t go out very often.”

“Shame.” He grins and I admire the dark stubble dusting his cheeks and his green eyes that are framed by dark, thick lashes.

God, he really is handsome.

Maybe Dilynne and Ginny are onto something. Suddenly, I have sparked an interest in cowboys, which is a far cry from football players, am I right?

“Easton!” One of his friends calls out to him from the side of the dance floor, gaining our attention.

“What?”

“Come here!”

As my eyes volley back and forth, I realize that Easton and his friends are the group of men that Ginny was scouting earlier, as indicated by their similar attire and cowboy hats.

“I’m busy!” he calls back before looking down at me again. “Sorry about them, sugar.”

“It’s okay. You can go over there if you need to.”

His grip on my hip tightens, pulling me closer. “I’d rather stay right here.”

“I think you should go over there,” a deep voice says from behind me, making my entire body tense up.

“Do you?” Easton challenges as he looks directly over my shoulder. I don’t have to turn around to know who he’s talking to.