Giant thanks to my betas, Sherry and Paige. Seriously, this story would totally suck without them.
I just wanted to say, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful day! I'm so thankful to anyone who's reading this. You guys are incredible and make me want to post every single day. I'm so thankful that you guys take the time out of your busy days to read my stories and I really hope that they give you as much joy as they give me. Okay, enough with me being sappy, here's the updating you have been waiting for! Enjoy!
BPOV:
There's nothing interesting playing at the local movie theater, so we end up at a dive bar close to our hotel. It's packed with people, but we manage to find a table in one of the dark corners, away from all the flat screen TVs. It's so loud, I can barely hear Edward speak, so he slides out of his seat across from me and drags his chair to my side of the table, before sitting down and throwing his arm around my shoulder.
"This wasn't the quiet evening I had in mind," he says with a laugh.
I shrug, enjoying the change of pace in our adventure. "It's okay. I'm definitely enjoying myself." How could I not, with Edward sitting inches away from me. I inhale his musky, perfect scent and sigh, placing my head on his shoulder and relishing his embrace.
Despite the string of beautiful women in the bar, wearing clothes that are so tight I can see their religion, Edward seems to only have eyes for me. Not that he doesn't glance their way now and then - because, really, who could blame him since they have their goods on show - but his gaze always returns to me and he smiles every time. He makes me feel like the most important girl in the room. As we wait for a server to come over to our table, I gaze around the room, noticing Edward isn't the only man who's paying attention to me. I can't say I'm not used to the attention, but in the past my dates have never been the jealous type. Edward stiffens at my side and holds me more firmly against him.
His eyes drift down to my tits before he asks, "Are you cold, you could wear my jacket if you need to?"
I look at the leather jacket he's wearing and smirk. "Edward, we're in a hot bar filled to the brim with people, the last thing I could be is cold." I know why he's asking, he wants me to cover up, but why should I? Every other girl in this place is wearing less than I am, so I can't see a single thing wrong with my outfit. Since I won't wear his jacket he tightens the arm he has draped around my shoulder and strategically places his hand right over my cleavage. My head shoots up to look at him and I find he's staring at someone across the room with a mirthless smirk on his face.
Rolling my eyes, I sarcastically ask, "What is this, Edward? A pissing contest?"
He doesn't answer. Instead, he simply shrugs and smiles at me.
Before I can say anything else, a waitress bops over to take our drink order. We order two beers and she leaves after casting a bright smile in Edward's direction. I don't blame her for being captivated by him. He does look incredible tonight. Heavens, who am I kidding, he looks incredible every night. And every day too. While I haven't made a move on him, that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to the way he makes me feel. When he's around, nothing else matters. It wouldn't matter where we were or what we were doing, I'd be ecstatic just because this man was with me. The ache I have for him is so intense; I wonder how I've lasted this long without touching him… kissing him. My willpower is definitely stronger than I imagined. I'm sure any other girl in my position would've fucked him by now, and maybe I would've too if I hadn't just ran away from a horrible relationship.
"Well, look at that," Edward muses, pulling me away from my thoughts. "I'd love to see you ride that."
Huh? If I was going to ride anything it would be him. I follow his gaze across the bar where I see a mechanical bull. Edward watches as three drunken girls attempt to ride it all at once. I can't help but giggle at the sight as one by one, they're bucked off. I'm sure after a beer or two I'll be in the mood to take a chance with that ridiculously, amusing thing.
"Let me drink my beer first," I giggle as I headbutt him in the shoulder.
As if on cue, the waitress arrives with our beers and two glasses of water. I turn to Edward, feeling playful and suggest, "Let's see who can finish off this first round the fastest."
Edward gives me an incredulous look and grins. "You really want to play that game, Bells? I'm a lot bigger than you are, I think I've got you beat already."
"Really? Well, then you should have no problem competing against me." I sit up straighter in my seat, turn to him with my beer in hand, and give him a confident and challenging smile.
He rolls his eyes before smirking at me, "Okay, princess. Whatever you want. We'll go on 'three' okay?" I give him an eager nod and a determined look as he counts down. On 'three' I tilt my head back and let the amber liquid pour down my throat. With my eyes closed, I don't stop until the last drop is gone and then slam my pint glass down on the table.
My eyes burst open and I find Edward's pint glass slamming down a nanosecond after mine. I smile at him and say, "We should've bet for something because it looks like I've won."
"I let you win," Edward says as he rubs across his five o'clock shadow with his hand and smiles at me. "Let's get another round and play again." He flags down our waitress and orders two more beers before giving me his signature, cocky grin.
"Men," I comment with a shake of my head and laugh, "You never want to be shown up by a girl."
"Please, Bells. I was hardly 'shown up' by you. I finished right after you did and that's because I was trying to go slow for your sake."
I shrug, making it obvious that I'm not convinced. Our waitress returns with another round; and I quickly order an appetizer, knowing I'll need some food in my stomach if I'm going to keep drinking like this. Edward gives me a once-over, his eyes lingering on my cleavage, before he picks up his drink and gestures for me to do the same.
With our beers in hand, he asks, "Are you ready, Bells? You sure you can do this again?"
I roll my eyes and nod. I've played this game before and I know how to hold my alcohol. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I answer, before I do the honor of counting down this time. Before I can say "three" Edward stops me.
"Wait, let's make this round interesting." I raise my brow at him and he continues. "If I win, you have to ride that mechanical bull."
"And if I win?"
"If you win… I dance like a complete asshole to whatever the next song is," Edward answers with a crooked smile.
"Deal," I easily agree, knowing I'll immensely enjoy watching Edward make a fool out of himself when I win. That's the wonderful thing about road trips, when you're just passing through a town you can make as big of a fool out of yourself as you want. Even if people judge you, you don't have to worry about ever seeing them again.
I begin counting again and when I get to three we immediately chug our drinks. In a few seconds, Edward beats me and crosses his arms over his chest and smirks at me while he waits for me to finish up. I don't lose by much, but frown as I realize what my loss means.
I pout, and ask, "Do I have to ride the bull right now? I just ordered some garlic bread."
"I don't know if you'll want to fill your stomach before riding that thing," Edward comments, unable to wipe the smirk off of his face. "Look, don't be shy. I'll be standing right next to you with my cell phone in hand."
"So you can call 9-1-1 if I injure myself?" I ask, helpfully.
"No," he chuckles, "so I can snap a few pictures when you fall on your sexy ass."
I roll my eyes and Edward stands up, holding out his hand for me to take. "Let's get a move on while no one is on it," he says with a smile before helping me up and leading me through the crowded bar over to the bull.
I can't help but feel a little nervous when we approach that thing. It can't be safe. Heavens, it looks like it's been a staple in this bar for decades. I'm expecting it to malfunction as soon as I get on it. I try to hide my nerves from Edward, but I know he wouldn't care even if he did notice them. I'm getting on this mechanical bull whether I like it or not.
"Come on, Bells. I know you can do this," Edward says with a wink before he helps me onto the padded flooring and grabs me around the hips. He hoisted me onto the thing and smiles. "I like seeing you up there. Remember, use your quads, and I'll just be outside the corral watching." Edward winks at me again and walks away.
The music starts, and I hold onto the straps for dear life as it slowly revs up. It's not so bad at first, but soon its movements become erratic and for crying out loud, I'm bucking against the damn thing trying desperately to hold on. I do not want to fall off and embarrass myself before it's even been a minute. The music is blaring, but a loud buzz signals I've lasted a minute on this monster. I can't help but grin, and as it tries to buck me off, I start giggling uncontrollably. I search the crowd for Edward, and find he's laughing too. Feeling adventurous, I raise my right hand in the air and try to balance, before getting immediately bucked off. I fall to the mats laughing. Edward rushes to me with a huge grin on his handsome face and helps me stand up off the padded flooring, then pulls me out of the corral.
"Awesome ride, Bells. You could do that with the best of them."
I wipe the sweat off my forehead and smile at him. In the middle of the dance floor, people bump into us since we're not moving along with the music, but I don't care. All I care about is the man in front of me. Perhaps it's the country music blaring through the speakers that inspires me; maybe it's the adrenaline coursing through my veins; or even the liquid courage from the two drinks I've had; or maybe I've just been around Edward for far too long without really touching him. Regardless of the reason, and without a thought in mind, I throw my arms around his neck and press my lips against his.
His lips taste salty sweet, and like the IPAs we just chugged. They're gentle at first, but it doesn't take long for him to grab me around the waist and press me against his hard frame before deepening the kiss. People bump into us while they dance around the bar, but I just don't care enough to move. All I want is him. I open my mouth and allow him to slip his tongue inside, teasing mine while his hands caress my curves. I can't believe I've been resisting this for so long, because now that I've had a taste, I don't think I'll ever be able to resist him again.
When a few more couples rudely bump into us, he lifts me up and carries me until my back is pressed against a wall. He presses against me to keep me in place as he drops his mouth down to mine and thoroughly kisses me with more passion than I've ever experienced. I can feel him hard against my lower belly, and I wonder how far we'll take things tonight. I feel intoxicated from his kiss and that sensation mixed with the music and people surrounding us, makes me feel wild and free. I don't want to overthink things, not anymore, because all I want is him.
A/N: Finally! I'll be posting a teaser for the next chapter in my FB group tomorrow night, so stay tuned! Have a great Thanksgiving! Eat as much food as you can stomach ;).