Page 102 of For Cowgirls and Kings

“My eyes are up here,” she quips. My face heats, my eyes snapping to hers, both expertly lined in black eyeliner and a thick layer of mascara, making the warm brown glitter darker.

“Are you sure? I’m pretty convinced I was having a full blown conversation down there.”

She snorts, that fucking sinful smirk twisting her lips again. “What does that have to do with my eyes?”

I have no fucking clue.

I blink at her, trying to string together any words that would be even close to resembling a sentence. But nothing comes, and I continue to stare at her, blinking like a fucking idiot.

She leans forward, her tits brushing against my grip on the bar. “Cat got your tongue, your highness?”

My dick throbs, and if a zipper could groan, it would be doing so right now. I’m so hard it hurts.

“Cowgirl,” I state, my tongue thick in my mouth.

“Hmm?” Her eyebrows pinch together in confusion.

“A cowgirl has my tongue. Not a cat.”

She bites her lip, turning away from me, but not before I see her neck splotching that pretty shade of pink. “Where’s that drink?”

Her foot runs along the inside seam of my jeans, and even though I’m desperate to see what happens next, I’m not ready to miss this opportunity. I want to know what’s going on in that beautiful head of hers.

“So what do you want for your future Dale?” I take another sip of my drink—the fourth one…I think. Mymind’s as hazy as my stomach is warm, with the alcohol. I’ll be paying for it tomorrow, or tonight if fate is it’s normal bitch, but I just can’t seem to care.

I’m having fun.

And more than that, Dale’s smiling at me, her cheeks rosy, like she too is having fun. She’s relaxed, and happy for the first time in weeks, and I can’t tear myself away from the moment. Not yet.

“Oh okay, we’re getting serious then,” she deadpans, forcing a stoic look to claim her features, taking another rather large gulp of the liquid. Maybe I should feel bad putting her on the spot, but it’s this or another risky game of truth or dare, and as much as I’d love to see where that goes this time, I do want a serious answer.

Just this once.

I want to know what she wants, what she dreams about, what she’s working towards. So that I can make sure it happens for her.

For us.

Even if that makes me fucking crazy.

I clear my throat, more for my own benefit than hers, but she takes it as a nudge regardless.

“Fine.” She sets her glass down, steepling her fingers over the rim. “I suppose I should go back to teaching in the very near future to start.”

I lean forward. “Do you want to go back to teaching?”

Her eyes glitter at me, a restrained smile making her lips twitch. “Honestly, yes. I miss the kids, I miss having a purpose, and I miss my horse. Chuck is technically the Agriculture program’s, we use him for all kinds of things. But I feel like he’s my baby most, and I miss him.”

I nod, slightly surprised by her answer. I never could tell if she loved teaching, she was always so drained. And after beingkidnapped, I don’t know, I thought she might be ready to give it up, not that I want her to.

“And it makes you happy?” I ask, her happiness the only thing truly important to me.

“Yes and no.” She shrugs her shoulders. “For so long I let the program run me. The kids, the parents, the donors, the schedule, the expectations—they’re incredible pressures. But I don’t know. Somehow I think it’ll be different. I think I’m different.” She pauses, nibbling on her lip, and I wait. “I want to see how much better I can be for the program if I’m actually setting boundaries, showing up with my cup full instead of relying on it to both drain and fill it, saying no when I need to, doing only the things that feel right instead of pleasing everyone. It feels like a challenge, and I’m surprisingly excited for it.”

Hearing her talk about teaching, about her excitement for the challenge of not just going back, but doing itbetterbecause she wants it to be better, it brings me a modicum of peace. I feel better, knowing she’s doing it for her and no one else.

If only I could embrace my own life the same way.

“What about you? Do you want to continue to be a Mob boss?”