Say When Read Online Free PDF Page A

tooth. Bar fight, no doubt. Somehow, I suspect Little Big Hat Dude was the instigator.
    “You know what they say, fourth time’s the charm.” He winks hard before grabbing my wrist.
    “That’s not how the saying goes.” I shake off his grip and reach for my beer bottle, preparing to smash it across his face and bust some more teeth.
    He shrugs, totally indifferent to the fact that I clearly don’t want him near me. “I can say it however I want.” Then he has the nerve to hold out his hand. “Do you want to dance, or what?”
    “Fifth time.” I groan. “No.”
    His lip turns up in a snarl, and I’m reminded of Grace’s vicious little Chihuahua who growls at me whenever I sit too close to her.
    “Stuck up bitch.” He storms away and goes on to the next girl, who doesn’t waste time in turning her back on him.
    I sip my beer and sigh into my drink. What am I thinking expecting Andrés to meet me here? Images of Karri offering him sex for service swirl through my head and almost blur my vision. If she fucks him, that is it. I will be through with her for good. Not just a few months like the last time she pissed me off. I absently check the time on my phone. Grace brought me here an hour ago. Yeah, Karri is fucking him. Damn.
    In vain, I scan the dance floor for Grace. After buying me two rounds of drinks and begging me to dance with her, she finally left me to sulk on my barstool and ran off with some rodeo chick. I haven’t seen a sign of her since.
    Another tap on my shoulder. I’m so aggravated by this point, I seriously prepare to unleash my fury on Little Big Hat Dude as I clutch my beer bottle and spin around. My breath stills, and then I breathe out his name. “Andrés.”
    The dim lights overhead do nothing to diminish his masculine beauty. He fills those tight jeans to perfection. The top button of his shirt is undone, revealing the slightest bit of chest hair. His cropped hair is now covered by a black Stetson, but even beneath the brim of his hat, I can see the sparkle in those dark eyes. I never thought a man could be so beautiful, but he’s like a Spanish Adonis.
    “Hey, birthday girl.” He flashes that devastating smile. “Sorry I’m late. It took a while to get your friend’s car out of there.”
    I swallow a knot which wedges itself in my throat, as I slowly lower the beer bottle. My hands are shaking. “You were really nice to help her,” I say, pretending as if I give a shit about Karri, which I still kind of do, even if I’m aggravated with her.
    I know while Andrés was helping her, Karri was probably flirting with him big time. She can’t help being a slut. It comes as naturally to her as breathing. Or doing drugs.
    “I couldn’t leave her stranded,” he says as he waves down a waitress. “That boyfriend of hers doesn’t have a clue.”
    “Karri has lousy taste in guys,” I say, heaving a sigh. The sigh is meant to show my exasperation with my friend, but really, I’m trying to release some nervous energy, even as the smell of his spicy cologne snakes around my senses and threatens to turn me into a limp puddle of goo. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.”
    He arches a brow. Just one. It dips beneath the shadow of his Stetson, and I think it’s the sexiest look ever. “She been your friend for long?”
    “Ever since we were kids,” I say. “We took different paths after high school, and we’re two totally different people now.” I try to make that point clear to him. I’m not like Karri. I don’t want him to think I’m stupid enough to never change the oil in my car. More than anything, I want Andrés to respect me. I don’t want him to treat me the way Jackson treats me, the way my dad treated me.
    A tall blonde waitress walks up to him. She’s got a tray full of Coronas with lime wedges attached to their tops. My mouth waters.
    “She’s lucky to have you as a friend,” Andrés says as he hands the waitress a twenty and takes two beers off