drunk, of course.
Julian had lines he wouldn't cross and taking advantage of a drunken woman was one of them.
Delightfully tipsy, now, that was another matter entirely.
Just then she giggled and whispered something that sounded like, "Thank you, Se?or Patron."
Julian smiled. That was as good an opportunity as any. "What was that, darlin'?" He swung around in his chair so he could face her, smile in place. When she turned and blinked, her sweet eyes wide and innocent-looking, he thought she just might have stolen a tiny piece of his heart right then and there. "You having a good time?" he asked her.
"Yesirreee, I am." She nodded in emphasis, and then looked as if that action made her just a bit woozy. Her mouth smirked, and he thought she just barely captured another giggle before it escaped. She gave him a very pretty smile. "And how is your evening so far, cowboy?"
Julian angled his chair just a bit closer so he could be better able to meet her gaze. "So far...so good. I'm visiting from out of town."
Before he could ask the lady her name, a familiar-looking cowboy approached. Julian realized it was one of the men he'd met earlier at the Divine Creek Ranch.
"Jayney! How're you doin', sweet cheeks?"
The cowboy reached out his hand. Julian shook it and nodded in greeting even as his mind went off on its own little tangent. Her name is Jayney. Jayne. A pretty name for a pretty woman.
"Good to see you again, Alvarez. You enjoying some of the nightlife while you're in town?"
Julian had to wonder if the man was warning him away from the pretty young woman. Not being from the area, Julian thought it prudent to step back, mentally, for a moment. He reached for his bottle, and took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, gotta head back in the morning. Chase and Brian Benedict should be here in a little while with Angel, Joaquin, and Teresa. I'm liking the nightlife so far."
The woman next to him gave a high-pitched squeal as she finally seemed to recognize the other man.
"Buck! Hi! I'm so happy to see you! How have you and Chad been?"
Julian almost raised his eyebrow. Buck and Chad? Maybe the cowboy wasn't warning him off, then.
Buck gave Jayne a big smile. "Wonderful. Want to come and join us? He's sitting right over there." Then Buck turned his attention to Julian. "If you don't mind, Mister Alvarez?"
Julian had the sense then that over and above whoever Buck might be to Jayne, he was a man interested in her well-being.
Buck didn't know him from Adam and couldn't know he wouldn't take undue advantage of her. Can't blame the man for looking out for a friend. "Not at all," Julian said to Buck. Then he switched his gaze to Jayne. "But save me a dance, darlin'?"
"Sure!" She reached out and laid her hand on his chest, and Julian had to work at keeping his cock from standing at attention. When she petted him, he damn near lost that battle. He liked the feel of her hand, a lot.
"I sure will, cowboy," Jayne said.
He tipped his hat to Jayne and grinned. Damn, but that woman made him want to smile. Then he nodded to Buck.
Jayne giggled as Buck put his arm around her waist and escorted her over to a table in the corner.
Julian turned back to his beer, but figured he could keep an eye on them, using the mirror behind the bar. If it looked as if either of the two men were interested in sweet little Jayne, he'd stay where he was. He didn't poach, which was another of his do-not-cross lines. If, however, neither of them exerted a claim, why, then, he had every intention of collecting that dance.
Whether he tried for anything more than a dance would just depend on whether or not Jayne was only a little tipsy, or a lot.
The music played, more people came in, and it seemed to Julian that the trio at that table in the back might be friends, but they weren't, any of them, intimate.
When a man was with a woman who'd been his lover, it showed. He'd noticed it time and again as he'd watched people in the Big Apple, and then again as he'd traveled the rodeo circuit.
Julian blinked as he assimilated that little bit of information. Good, then, they're not any of them now, nor have they ever been lovers. Julian smiled. There was at least a dance in