“See you later, Beau.”
“Later, honey.” My eyes never leave her figure until she’s out of my sight. This is going to be one hell of a fake relationship.
Chapter Two
Lily
I left the Tipsy Cow and Beau with the biggest smile plastered on my face. The way he stood behind the bar, with a grin on his face when I brought up my proposition. I also saw his brown eyes turn darker, as if he was thinking of something entirely different, a five o’clock shadow covering his jaw, and I’m not ashamed to say I would love the feel of that scruff rubbing against my skin. His black Tipsy Cow shirt was glued to his broad shoulders and muscular chest, showing off arms that you know will keep you safe and secure, as well as his tapered waist, and even though I was sitting on a barstool, I still got the perfect view of his bottom half that was covered in dark denim jeans that were slightly molded to his legs, and I’m not ashamed to say I looked at the entirety of his body. Much like he did mine. There’s a reason no one tries to start a fight here—one look at Beau, and they probably run the other way. Add his no-bullshit attitude, and most people would. But not me.
It took entirely too long to drive to Vince’s job. No lie, I hit every traffic light, every construction project that was going on before finally getting to Cherry Bomb Tattoo Parlor. It’s one hell of a name, I will say that.
Usually, the best part about living in a smallish town is that everyone knows everyone. Okay, fine. Sometimes, it’s not a good thing. Especially right now. I’m sure Vince will find out if I don’t get to his shop, which kind of sucks because he’s in Cherry Falls and Beau’s place is in Rosewood Ranch Lands.
“Hey, is Vince available?” I ask Duke, who co-owns the tattoo shop with Ozzie.
“Yeah, Lil, he just finished up. Head on back.” Everyone thinks Duke is the big badass, but he’s a teddy bear and gave Vince a job when he needed it. In my book, that’s more than the black sheep label he was given.
“Thanks.” I wave and head toward Vince, already gearing up for the dressing down he’ll give me, but one thing’s for sure. I’m older than him, curvy, and if I have to, I’ll do what I did when we were growing up—I’ll pinch him until he begs for mercy.
“Well, this is a surprise. No treats?” is how Vince greets me. I roll my eyes. I swear every man around town is there for something sweet.
“Hi, how are you, baby brother?” I ignore his question.
“Shit, don’t bust my chops. You usually bring me something if you’re on this side of town. Come on, I don’t have a client for the next thirty minutes.” I pinch his side for good measure as I walk past him into his work area.
“I’m your older sister. You know I’ll always do that. I’ll bring you some tomorrow. I promised Beau I would too,” I ease into the conversation.
“Alright, and why are you bringing him anything? He’s too old for you, and he owns a bar, for Christ sake,” he grumbles. This is going to be a nightmare, and I’m going to regret giving him a heads-up, I can feel it now.
“And you’re a hothead who works at a tattoo shop and likes the ladies. Let’s not go comparing apples to oranges. Besides, we’re dating, so get over it.”
“The fuck you are!” I roll my eyes, cross my arms over my chest, and let him have his little tirade. Vince paces back and forth, muttering nothing but nonsense.
“Are you done with your shit fit?” I ask.
“Are you done dating Beau Byrd?” he fires off.
“Nope. Don’t make me go to Momma and Poppa with this,” I bring out the big guns.
“Fine, whatever, but be warmed—he hurts you, he’ll be hurting worse.” That went over entirely too easily. I wonder if he’s already on our parents’ shit list right now, because that’s what really shut him up.
“Good, now that the hard part is over, when will you do a tattoo for me?” I ask to lighten the mood. I don’t really want one, but I do love to rile Vince up.
“As if. Don’t even joke. When you’re ready and you know what you want, come back. Now get out of here. I’m going to need a cigarette after your news.” My brother, the proverbial drama queen of the family.
“Fine, love you too, brat,” I toss out but am already heading out of his area.
“Love you too, Lily Belle,” he uses my childhood nickname. I smile softly because he took that entirely too easily, which means I should probably call our parents.