Texas Pride. Gerry Bartlett

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СКАЧАТЬ make a big deal out of this. What’s the matter with having a few drinks to relax?”

      “I guess we’re really going to do this in the parking lot.” He wanted to touch her, needed to touch her. But maybe that wasn’t fair. Billy kept his hands fisted by his sides. The memories were always with him, nights when he’d poured his own mom into bed, sloppy drunk. There’d been a couple of those with Shannon too and it had made him sick to his stomach, bringing it all back.

      “Let’s go inside. Get a table. I won’t order a drink yet. We can have tea with our meal.” She must have seen something in his face because she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. “Billy, I don’t want to ruin this night. I’m not a total bitch.”

      “I never said you were.” He stopped and pulled her to him. “Drinking is my issue. I need to explain.”

      “Inside.” She smiled and ran her hand over his cheek. “Seriously, this dust and car exhaust is getting to me.” She sneezed. “It’s allergy season. Ragweed. Come on.” She pulled him toward the door again. “We’ll get this talked out. Finally.”

      Billy let her drag him inside. He should have picked a quieter place. This was one of those loud music, jumping joints, with the band about to tune up and a space for dancing. It had seemed like a good idea when he’d borrowed the hog. A wild night and his old persona would have loved it. And now he’d ruined the vibe by bringing up his own dark past and the big fat issue hanging between them.

      He wanted Shannon. He had since their first go-round. She was beautiful, a fairy princess come to life. She had all the things he’d dreamed of when he’d been working his ass off to become rich and famous. She’d be the best partner a man on the rise could have by his side. Except she loved her drinks. Which pushed a hot button of his so hard he couldn’t keep his mouth shut about it.

      He asked the hostess to find them a table as far away from the noise as possible, but it was still not easy to be heard over the roar of a happy crowd. They ordered spicy shrimp and hush puppies, iced tea, and a basket of the kind of greasy onion rings that Shannon usually refused to touch. This time she grabbed one immediately and dipped it into the spicy sauce the waitress brought with it.

      “Mmm. Delicious. I’ve never been here before. It’s fun. Are we going to dance later?” She tapped her fingers on the table to the tune that the band started. “I have no idea how to dance to that stuff but I figure we can watch and learn.”

      “You really are in a mood, aren’t you?” Billy was mesmerized. In a low-cut top that let him see just enough breast to make him want to slip a hand inside and tease her nipple, Shannon was breathtaking. He dropped a pile of paper napkins in his lap and picked up an onion ring. “Since when do you eat these things?”

      “Fried food? Why not? My future is uncertain; the Calhoun billions may be disappearing so I figure I’d better live for the day.” She took a bite and closed her eyes in bliss. “And now I’m working for a living. I can take a diet lunch every day if I need to. Which I guess I will.” She frowned. “My current wardrobe is going to have to last me a long time.”

      “Let’s hope we can salvage at least some millions for you after your year of working is up.” Billy took a sip of his tea. “About the drinking.”

      “Can we put the talk off until after we eat? Here comes our shrimp. I’m hungry. Sushi never sticks with me.” She smiled at the waitress. “Thanks, hon.”

      “The band will be playing for the next hour. You two should get up and dance after you finish eating.” The waitress smiled.

      “What if we don’t know how?” Shannon picked up a shrimp by its tail.

      “We’ll have Zydeco instructors on the floor in a little while. Jump up and join in as soon as you’re ready. You sure I can’t bring either of you a beer or a cocktail?” The waitress glanced at the tea glasses.

      “No, we’re fine. On the wagon tonight.” Billy smiled at Shannon. “And my lady underestimates me. I spent a summer working in New Orleans. I can show her how to dance to this. As soon as we’re finished eating.”

      “You’re kidding!” Shannon leaned across the table, kissed Billy on the mouth then sat back and dug into her dinner. “Hurry up and eat. I can’t wait to see your moves.”

      Billy leaned across the table this time. He touched her chin, holding it still just as she was about to take a bite. “Baby, you’ve seen my moves, remember?” He brushed her hand aside and kissed her then, tasting the spicy Cajun sauce on her tongue and the unique Shannon flavor that he’d never been able to forget. Finally, he rubbed a dot of pepper from her bottom lip with his thumb before settling into his seat again.

      “This looks good.” He grinned, satisfied with the way her eyes fixed on his face and her shrimp had drifted down to land on the plate again. “Shannon?”

      “Hmm?” She licked her lips.

      “Eat up. We’ve got some dancing to do and it’s pretty athletic. You’ll need your strength.” He popped a shrimp into his mouth.

      She sighed and looked him over. “And maybe you’ll need yours, Billy boy. Think on that.” Then she slipped that shrimp into her mouth, her lips caressing it in a way that made Billy painfully hard.

      “I’m thinking.” He ate with a grim determination. Dancing? He guessed he’d have to go through with it now, but he hoped there was a bigger surprise coming after that. She asked him about New Orleans and he told her about the case he’d helped with there. Laws were different in Louisiana and a client had gotten in trouble during Mardi Gras. It was a shame when good people got taken in by bad. It had been satisfying to help the New Orleans PD blow open a scam that targeted tourists.

      “You did a good thing there, Billy. I love New Orleans and have been to Mardi Gras many times. It’s pretty wild.” She ate her last shrimp and drained her glass of tea.

      Billy wiped his greasy fingers on a napkin. “You would love that. Which is why I’ve tried to forget you, Shan.”

      “Now that’s not a nice thing to say.” She looked at him through her long lashes. “But I understand. We keep hurting each other. You said I’ve followed your career. It’s true. You’ve done really well, Billy. Because you were focused. Serious. Business was all you wanted to think about. Of course, wild didn’t suit you then.” She reached across the table. “Does it now?

      “I’m willing to find out.” Billy got up then pulled her to her feet. He smiled at her. “You ready to dance?”

      “If you’ll show me how.” She touched his chest. “You wore a blue shirt. To match your eyes. For me?”

      “Everything I’ve done has been for you, Shannon.” Billy slid his arms around her. “You just didn’t know it.”

      “That sounds like the smooth talk of a lawyer.” She laughed up at him. “I’m not buying that line for a minute.”

      “Hey, it was worth a shot.” Billy pulled her to the dance floor. She thought he was kidding. Well, maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t. The Shannon Calhoun he’d known since college hadn’t been his dream girl. But he’d known that inside the wild party girl was a woman he could love forever.

      “You can really dance!” Shannon laughed as they finally collapsed into their seats again. СКАЧАТЬ