instincts. He had the sudden urge to scoop her into his arms and hold her safe from the rowdy crowd.
Her shoulders were squared, her chin up. She wore a barely there sheath of emerald green and matching four-inch stilettos. A gold choker glistened at her slender throat, and she carried a small gold clutch purse.
Bennett could not take his eyes from her.
The redhead scouted them a table and hustled her friends into place. The blonde took a seat with her back to him. She laughed at something the brunette said. It was a sweet, melodious sound.
A man in a cowboy hat came over to talk to them. He leaned down to whisper in the blonde’s ear. She raised her neck. The action caused her pale hair to swish against her ivory cheek, and she tugged gently at her earlobe.
The gesture was so subtly seductive, Bennett had to give her credit. In nightclubs, most women were pretty obvious with their sexuality. Like the blonde’s red-haired friend, but not this one. She exuded an elegant, old-world grace that took his breath away.
He wanted to know her.
No, wanted was too mild a word. He felt compelled to make her acquaintance. Something inexplicable was pushing him forward, urging him to get her phone number.
Wrapping his fingers around his beer bottle, Bennett got up and strolled around the bar, hoping to get a better glimpse of her face.
But before he could reach a vantage point across from their table, she took the cowboy’s hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. She cast a tentative glance over her shoulder, and her red-haired friend gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up sign. Apparently, she approved the blonde’s choice.
For some reason it bugged him that the blonde had selected the cowboy. If that’s what she was looking for, then he was out of the running. Bennett was as far away from cowboy as one could get and still be standing on Texas soil.
Bennett went to stand in the archway leading to the dance floor. Several other men were holding up the wall, observing the dancers and waiting their turn to waltz with the ladies of their choice. Crossing his arms over his chest, he casually grasped the long-necked bottle between his thumb and index finger.
The disc jockey had put on a country and western tune Bennett didn’t recognize. He watched while the cowboy two-stepped the blonde around the dance floor, her feet barely touching the ground. She was uncertain in her movements, as if she didn’t two-step very often, but still graceful, nonetheless.
She reminded him of someone. Whom, he couldn’t quite say. For no reason whatsoever he found himself wondering if her eyes were whirlpool blue.
Who was she? He had to know. As soon as the cowboy relinquished her, he’d find out.
Her hair swirled as she danced. Bennett found himself mesmerized, and he wasn’t the only one. He caught many covetous glances angling her way from the men lined against the wall.
You’re jealous, he thought, then immediately dismissed the idea. How could he be jealous of a woman he didn’t even know?
What was this unpleasant squeezing he experienced deep in his gut as he watched the cowboy slowly slide his hand lower and lower until he was almost touching her firm buttocks encased so seductively in that snug-fitting dress?
The blonde didn’t seem to mind that the cowboy was getting his fill. She didn’t move his hand away or slap his face. She might enjoy being fondled in public. Had she come here intent on lassoing herself a cowboy for the night?
Bennett gritted his teeth and taste jealousy. This is completely irrational, Sheridan. Get over the woman.
Shaking his head, he turned away, unable to bear another moment of watching the cowboy grope the soft flesh he yearned to nuzzle. It had been much too long since he’d had the pleasure of a woman’s company if he was letting something like this upset him.
“How you doing, buddy?” Grant clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Having a good time?”
Bennett shrugged and wondered why he had come.
“I saw you eyeing that pretty little blonde. Very cute.”
“You know her?” Bennett perked up.
“No, but she sure does catch the eye, doesn’t she?”
“Yes,” he agreed, disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to wrangle an introduction from Grant. “How about her friends? Do you know them?” Bennett cocked his head toward the table where the brunette and redhead were surrounded by men.
“I know CeeCee, the redhead, everyone does.”
CeeCee was very attractive, Bennett had to