Page 66 of Out of Bounds
I am, however, following the others through the loud and sweaty crowd – the latter thanks to the city’s humidity – to find our seats inside.
I take another shove from a passerby, which is fine, people are excited and I’m a big girl, I can stick out my elbows as good as anyone, but my boot gets caught under me and I stumble, managing to save myself before I fall. Regardless, a firm, warm hand clamps around mine and tugs me close to its owner.
“Are you doing okay there, Annie Quinn?”
“Just peachy, Tanner Pace,” I say, watching his chest bob up and down beneath that sweetly tight-fitted button down as he chuckles, though not lightening his grip as he continues to move us inside.
It feels so natural for my hand to be in his that I don’t even balk at the fact we’re touching, skin connected. I put the heat down to the air temperature and my racing heart down to the excitement I’ve felt all day, since Tanner turned up to the ranch this morning.
But I can’t help feeling as if there’s something quietly fizzing between us, a secret that’s turning me on.
Simultaneously, I remember being forced to keep my relationship with Auston hidden from everyone I loved.
The contrast is discombobulating.
Our seats are amazing, which is a perk of Tanner being the brother of the current world number one. I’d say I’m not jealous but screw that, I am totally green-eyed that Tanner is Darcy’s sibling. I want a sister like Darcy and I haven’t even met her yet.
The stockyard smells like spilled bourbon, stale beer, musty men and manure, with a subtle edge of rotting timber. In all, it has the effect of making me feel right at home.
The riders and trainers are milling around in and out of the shoots before the start of roping, which means we’ll get to see Darcy in the first event. Sas and Colton go to find food and drinks for us all and I’m sitting in my seat trying not to pee my panties over this whole darn thing when Darcy appears in the shoot.
I know it’s her from her signature auburn. Her thick hair is glossy and sort of swishes as she moves – ethereal. She’s rocking the cowgirl look and I am 100 percent girl crushing.
Darcy spots Tanner and he walks down steps to hang over the side rail and knock his fist against hers. He turns and points my way, so I hold up a hand, twinkling my fingers like a schoolgirl meeting a unicorn in her dreams. I have no idea what the siblings are talking about, but my guess is that Tanner is forewarning her about how hard I’ll fangirl when we meet later.
As soon as Tanner returns to the seat next to mine, I’m so busy squealing “I’m going to meet Darcy Pace tonight” that I almost miss the way his thigh presses against mine. It’s unintentional, I’m sure, due to the width of the seats and his thickset legs, but I like it. Like the pressure, the contact, and the way it makes me feel as if it’s Christmas morning and I’m seeing all my gifts in front of me.
“Corn dogs and beer?” Sas asks, coming into our row as the venue lights dim, then multi-colored spotlights shine around the center of the arena as a singer takes focal point and a backing track begins to play.
“Hell, yeah,” I say, reaching out to relieve her of one of four corn dogs she’s holding.
“Tanner?” she asks.
“A corn dog?” He looks to me. “If you breathe a word of this to Aaron…”
I take the food from Sas and hand it to Tanner. “I won’t if you won’t.”
“Aaron?” Sas asks, coming to sit next to me. “Don’t tell me he’s got you on an athlete’s diet, too?”
I nod around my first big bite of food. “He’s helping me move the last of my baby weight.”
I see Tanner shake his head from the corner of my eye. “Have you seen yourself tonight? You don’t need to lose weight, Annie.”
“How about neither of you tell Aaron anything and we all have fun?” Sas asks as Colton hands me a beer around the front of Sas.
I hold up my drink to her. “Everything tastes better than skinny feels.”
She knocks her beer against mine, right as Tanner says, “In that case, hand me a beer,” and Colton simultaneously passes a can of club soda down the row for his captain.
“We’re six and oh,” my brother says. “If we go six and one after our offense gets spotting drinking on a night out, you know fingers will point.”
With a petulant huff, Tanner pops the ring on his drink and takes an angry bite of corn dog.
I shuffle to the edge of my seat as the first rider comes out to get the events underway.
29
ANNIE – LATE OCTOBER
