Bo nearly jumped out of his seat. “It’s going good, ladies. But I seem to be a little tired.”
Clarissa cocked a hip, and that taloned hand of hers rode it. “What do you mean, you’re tired? It’s not even ten o’clock. We’re supposed to head out to Angel’s party.”
Angel. He’d forgotten about that. Angel threw some wild parties that lasted for days. He had to work tomorrow. He’d promised his brother he would come in and meet the new foreman and pick up a feed order.
“You know I have to work in the morning. I think I’m going to call it a night.”
Clarissa’s mouth turned down into a pout that would do a two-year-old proud. “Tomorrow is Saturday.”
“Yeah, the cows don’t care. They don’t stop eating because it’s the weekend.” Ranching was a twenty-four-seven job. And it was a great excuse to get out of something he never should have gotten into.
“He’s gotta work hard because that brother of his is way too busy fucking his boyfriend to do real man’s work.” Brian belched.
Bo’d had just about enough of Brian. And he’d had just about enough of all of this. “Shut your fucking mouth. You don’t know my brother. My brother damn near gave up his legs for this country. You will treat him with some respect.”
Jimmy stood, his hands waving. “Hey, guys, there’s no reason for this to get ugly. We’re all just joking around.”
That was the excuse for everything. Bo had said the same words a thousand times. Don’t fight. It’s not worth fighting over. Just laugh it off and let the good times roll.
Maybe some things were worth fighting over.
“I think I would like an apology.” Bo stared at Brian.
Brian stood up. He towered over Bo. “Maybe you’re a faggot, too. Everyone saw you sitting with Trev McNamara. Did big-city living give him a taste for boys, too?”
“Trev ain’t doing Bo. Bo’s not gay. And Trev’s not either, though his taste in women sure has gone down.” Clarissa’s lips curved up like she had a secret she was dying to tell.
The music from the jukebox seemed to pulse through the bar. Bo could feel it in his boots. The place was just too damn loud, and he didn’t like the company. It was definitely time to leave. It was time to fucking change. He’d made too many decisions based on keeping his place in a group of people he didn’t even like anymore.
“Now that we’ve got my sexual orientation out of the way, I think I’ll head on home.” He wouldn’t. He was going to make a beeline for Mouse’s place. Right after he stopped for some flowers. Could he get flowers at this time of night? He wanted to apologize to her.
Damn, he wanted to treat her right. She was the only person in the world who ever stuck by him. It was past time to start treating her the way she should be treated.
“I don’t know if I want this discussion to be over.” Brian stood in his way. “I think it’s about time the good citizens of Deer Run got together and forced your brother out. We don’t need his kind around here.”
Bo just about laughed. Aidan and the company he was invested in, Barnes-Fleetwood, had poured more money into Deer Run’s coffers than the town had ever seen. There might be a large group of assholes who talked bad about his brother’s way of life, but ninety-nine percent of them had profited from his business. If Brian wanted to show up at the O’Malley Ranch with torches and pitchforks, he would most likely do it alone.
And then Aidan would find a nice place to bury Brian.
“You do that, buddy.” He wasn’t getting into a brawl with some dickhead whose mind was way too small.
“You can’t leave. I told everyone we’re going to that party.” Clarissa and Melody had formed a hair-sprayed phalanx in front of him.
He didn’t want to fight with them, either. “I appreciate the offer, ladies, but I have to pass tonight.”
“Hey, I was talking to you.” Brian’s meaty finger poked him in the back.
“Maybe you should sit down, Brian. I’ll get you another drink.” Jimmy tried getting in between them.
“Back off, asshole.” Bo could feel the whole bar starting to watch the scene playing out. He could hear the bartender on the phone, already calling the cops. Fights at The Rusty Spur were legendary.
“Are you planning on going to that pathetic little whore?” Clarissa asked.
Bo turned to her, Brian utterly forgotten. He had a pretty good idea who she meant. Aidan could stick up for himself. Mouse couldn’t. “What did you say?”
Melody seemed to be smarter than her friend. She took a quick step back. “Nothing. She didn’t say nothing.”
“Yes, I did. I think you’re planning on dumping me for that sad-sack little mouse who follows you around. Damn, I always thought she was a dried-up old prude, but she must be doing something right. Have you been fucking her all these years? She must have learned something from you since she’s sleeping with Trev now.”
Damn it. The story about the diner had gotten all over town, but it hadn’t gone down the way Bo had hoped. “We had dinner with the man. Don’t you go around trashing her reputation.”
“I don’t have to. She did that all on her own. Melody saw it, too. Old Mouse Hobbes left here with Trev McNamara wrapped around her. I guess he knows the real women of this town won’t have anything to do with him.”
Brian laughed behind him. “Bo couldn’t even do Mouse Hobbes. Damn. Maybe I’ll give that girl a whirl. I like my women with a little cushion, and after Trev’s done with her, she should be experienced enough. Yeah, maybe I’ll see what she’s doing.”
The whole world took on a strange red sheen as though someone had put goggles with bloody lenses over his eyes. They were talking about Mouse. They were talking about his Mouse. The entire idea of that fuckhead Brian’s hands on his sweet Mouse sent his fist rearing back.
Bo attacked the other man, fists flying.
In the background, he could already hear the sirens wailing.
Mouse couldn’t breathe. Sitting on Trev McNamara’s lap was the most erotic thing that had ever happened to her. He wasn’t pawing at her or making any aggressive moves. His hand was on her waist, and the other cupped her knee through the material of her skirt.
“Put your arms around my neck, Beth.” He seemed calmer than before. His voice was a rich, dark blend of sensuality and command.
It was nothing like the times she’d been close to a man before. It hadn’t happened often, and they had really been boys, not men. She’d gotten into trouble the one time she’d gone to a party. Some drunk guy from two towns over had gotten her in a corner and put his hands all over her.
Bo had saved her.
But she wasn’t going to think about Bo tonight. She let her hands find Trev’s shoulders. Even through the cotton of his shirt, she could feel the supple muscles that covered his body. He seemed to be hard everywhere.
“Now, answer my question.” The hand on her knee came up to brush across her bottom lip. “How do you like to be kissed?”
“Soft. And I don’t like the tongue thing.” That boy who had molested her had put his tongue all over her. She remembered it surging into her mouth. She couldn’t stand it.
“Well, I’m going to have to fix that. Because I definitely want to put my tongue on you. But we can go slow.” His words seemed to do just that. They seemed slow and languid, like he had all night and intended to use it.
It was utterly different from what she’d expected from him. He’d seemed so close to the edge. She really thought he would throw her over the nearest surface and take her. A part of her wanted that. She would get it over with and know once and for all what it felt like.
Of course, she also hadn’t expected him to tell her he wanted more than one night.