by Gemma Weir
She hands it back and I pass her the receipt and her bag, smiling widely as she practically struts out the door. Mrs. Biggs is in her seventies, and a larger lady who usually drowns her curves behind long skirts and baggy shirts. Last time I saw her at the diner, I promised her I’d find her something that made her look and feel beautiful if she came into the shop. This is what I love about my job.
“Are you okay, darling? You look tired,” Mom says, sashaying up to the counter and cupping my cheek.
I fight to stop the blush from filling my cheeks as I remember what I was doing last night that wore me out. “I’m fine, Mom, just hungry,” I assure her.
“Okay, well scoot then, go home, eat, relax,” she says, shooing me away like she’s been doing since I was a child.
Grabbing my stuff from the back, I blow a kiss at my mom before pushing out the door onto the bright sidewalk. The street is busy with tourists and locals milling around, exploring the town, planning adventures, meeting friends and generally just living their best lives.
Glancing through the window in the coffee shop, I spot Bonnie’s boss behind the counter and keep walking, as I pull my cell from my purse and quickly dial her number. She answers on the second ring.
“Hi.”
“Hi sweetie, what you up to or does that big ass fiancé have you tied to the bed?”
Her giggle bursts through the line and I fight a smile.
“Holy shit he does, doesn’t he?”
“No, not at the minute…” she trails off.
“Oh my god, you dirty bitch. I love it,” I shriek, smiling widely at the people who have turned to stare at me.
“Are you working?” she asks.
“Just finished, want to do something or are you working on the ranch today?”
“Daddy’s put his foot down and said that I can’t work all my days off on the ranch. Him and Beau are ganging up on me, apparently I work too hard.” I can practically hear her rolling her eyes.
“Let’s go out tonight, dinner or something,” I suggest.
“Yes! Beau will lose his shit then maybe he’ll spank me later,” she giggles.
“Awesome, I’m craving tacos, so how about Bodega and then Barney’s for karaoke. Think he’ll let you crash at mine?”
“God no!” she laughs, “But I’ll get him to come pick me up, he wouldn’t let me get a cab up the mountain anyway. Overprotective caveman.”
“You love it,” I scoff.
“Yes, I do. What time at Bodega?”
“Seven thirty? I need a nap and to clean my bathroom, and you probably need to sex up your man so he doesn’t lose his shit about you leaving the house without him.”
“See you later,” she says, then ends the call.
I’m yawning as I type in the code on my new door lock and push into my apartment. I got plenty of sleep last night, I basically passed out after Huck and I fucked, but my body is exhausted and I strip my clothes off the moment the front door is closed behind me. Crawling beneath the sheets on my bed I inhale, filling my lungs with the fresh pine smell that I instinctually know is Huck. He wasn’t in my bed for very long but somehow, he’s left his scent behind and my body surges to life just from the smell that’s clinging to my sheets.
Flinging myself to my side, I pull a pillow to my chest, inhale deeply and then force myself to relax, until all the muscles that were tired only seconds ago gradually melt into the mattress. I set an alarm for two hours’ time and close my eyes, willing myself to sleep.
Scowling at my alarm, I roll to my back and reach for my cell, silencing the alarm that I deliberately made as infuriating as possible. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I lift my arms above my head and stretch, groaning in pleasure.
I don’t want to get up, it’s warm beneath my comforter and even though I only just woke up, my body feels heavy and ready to be pulled back under into sleep. If I don’t get up now, I’ll end up dozing for another hour and I’ll feel awful. Throwing back the covers I force myself to move, dragging my legs over the side of the bed until my feet touch the cold floor and I’m sitting upright.
Yawning, I stand up, stretching my arms above my head again before I pad into the bathroom. After peeing and washing my hands, I pull out the cleaning supplies and get to work. I clean the bathroom, then vacuum the floors and tidy up. Living alone and working fulltime, means my apartment never really gets dirty, but after working in a shop, the need to keep everything clean and tidy is instinctual.
Finished, I pad into my bedroom and stare at my bed. I need to change the sheets, but they smell like Huck and even though I shouldn’t care, I still have to force myself to strip the linens and change them for the fresh ones that only smell of my detergent and softener.
Refusing to acknowledge how sad I am that my bed won’t smell like him anymore, I go into the bathroom, strip out of my underwear and shower away the day. Drying my hair, I tease it into loose waves, then add some light makeup and slide on my favourite high waisted mom jeans, a simple plain white cropped t-shirt, and my favourite sandals to complete my outfit.
Shoving my cell into my pocket, I grab my leather biker jacket and head for the door. Like everything else in Rockhead Point, Bodega is only a short walk from my apartment and I’m early by the time I reach the restaurant.
I debate going inside or waiting here for Bonnie, when a big truck pulls to a stop at the curb with a familiar face at the wheel. Waving to Beau, he winds down the window and smiles widely at me. “Hi Cora, you trying to steal my baby girl again?”
“You’re gonna have to learn to share, big guy, I gotta have my bestie time.”
Beau chuckles softly, then scowls. “Did you walk over here?”
“Yeah, my apartment’s just round the corner.”
“In future I’ll pick you up too, I don’t want you walking around at night, it’s not safe.”
“It’s Rockhead Point, big guy, it’s safe,” I laugh.
“I’m serious, Cora, you’re important to Bonnie so you’re important to me. In future I’ll pick you up, and if you need to go somewhere at night, you call, and either me or one of my brothers will come get you.”
“Oh, you’re just a big marshmallow behind that grizzly façade aren’t you,” I coo.
“He really is,” Bonnie says appearing at my side. “Love you,” she whispers, leaning into Beau’s open window and pressing a kiss to his mouth. His hand tangles in the back of her hair and he holds her to him, devouring her while I try not to stare.
“Come get me about eleven from Barney’s?” she asks.
“Sure, behave yourself. Love you.”
“Love you too,” she calls, turning to me and hooking her arm through mine as we walk towards the restaurant doors.
The hostess shows us to a table and we order margaritas. “So how are the wedding plans coming? How has your dad taken it?” I ask.
“Dad is over the moon; he loves Beau and because he was so much older than my mom, he’s been really cool about the whole age difference thing. Caleb’s being an asshole still, we had a massive blow out the other day and honestly, I’ve given up. He resents me and it doesn’t matter how much I prove I’m an adult, he will always treat me like a burden.”
“That sucks, babe,” I say sympathetically.
“It’s okay, I’ve lost one brother, but I gained six more, the guys are so sweet and they’ve treated me like family since the first time Beau dragged me to his house.”
Swallowing thickly, I push all thoughts of one particular brother out of my mind. “That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you.”
“Enough about me, tell me what’s going on with you?” she asks a moment before the waitress arrives with our drinks and a huge bowl of nachos for us to share.
“Thanks,” I tell her.
“Are you ladies ready to order?” she asks.
We give her our orders and she leaves. Bonnie looks at me expectantly. “So…”
“So what? I’m fine, nothing much has happened since I saw
you last,” I say, hoping she can’t tell that I’m lying.
“Has Mitchell stopped hassling you?”
Sighing, I take a long sip of my margarita. “My stupid brother brought him to dinner at my parents’ house on Saturday night.”
“He what!” Bonnie gasps.
“Yep, just showed up with him like I’d be overjoyed to see him.”
“Did you kick him out?”
“Dad and Cam were treating him like he was the fucking prodigal son, talking about when we get married and what cars they could borrow from his dad’s dealership to drive to the wedding.”
“Are you serious?”
“Totally serious, and Mitchell was lapping it up, he really doesn’t get that I’m not interested,” I say wearily.
“I’m sorry, babe, did you have to sit through an entire evening with him?”
“No, Mom knows how I feel, she helped me sneak out after desert. He’s just not getting the hint that I’m not interested, and without being super blatant and just telling him it’s because he’s really bad in bed I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to be a total bitch, but he’s giving me no choice.”
“Maybe if you stopped hooking up with him, that might help him get the hint,” she says, smirking over her margarita glass.
“I was horny and he’s so pretty,” I wince.
“Get a vibrator.”
“I have a vibrator,” I protest, blushing as I remember the last time I used it was when Huck was listening.
“Then use it, and tell your fucking brother that you have no intentions of marrying your ex.”
Laughing, I lift my glass up and she taps hers against mine. “To vibrators.”
“To vibrators,” she giggles.
For the next hour, we eat, drink yummy blender drinks and chat. It’s nice to see my best friend so happy, but again a hint of jealousy wiggles its way to the surface. I’d like to have a guy be as obsessed with me as Beau is with Bonnie.
Slightly buzzed, I hook my arm through Bonnie’s as we step out onto the sidewalk outside the restaurant. “Karaoke,” I singsong. “I’m gonna sing save a horse ride a cowboy,” I laugh.
“Did I tell you we’ve got a new vet up at the ranch, his name is Darren Collins and he’s hot. He’s been away at vet school and just got back into town to work at Doc Harris’s practice.”
“Oh shit, is he a redhead?”
“Yes, a hot redhead.”
“He moved into my apartment block, I met him in the elevator yesterday,” I giggle.
“You should ask him out,” she says enthusiastically.
“Maybe,” I say noncommittally. Darren is hot, but I’d almost forgotten about meeting him after seeing Huck yesterday.
The sound of offkey singing assaults our ears the moment we reach Barney’s. Something about karaoke makes people think they’re auditioning for American Idol, and so the balding guy on stage is on his knees playing the air guitar with the microphone while moshing his way through the instrumental of sweet child of mine.
Instead of heading to the bar, we make our way to a table with high stools and slide onto them, waving to the waitress who is milling around.
“Hey ladies, what can I get you? We have a new special tonight, it’s two for one on blow pop martinis,” Brenda, our server, says.
“Oh yum, can we get two of those please, Brenda,” Bonnie says.
“Awesome, be back with your drinks in a minute, I’ll bring you a karaoke sign-up sheet too,” she says as she pushes her order pad into the pocket of the small apron she’s wearing and leaves.
A terrible rendition of Katy Perry starts and I turn to look at the stage, then back to Bonnie, widening my eyes in horror at the young girl wearing practically nothing, grinding against the mic stand. Her eyes are equally as horrified and we burst into laughter just as Brenda arrives with our drinks.
“Here you go, girls,” she says, placing a pastel masterpiece in a glass in front of each of us. The martini glass is filled with layers of pink, then blue, then purple and topped with a puff of cotton candy. Placing a handful of karaoke signup forms on the edge of the table, she smiles then leaves.
Lifting my glass into the air, I wait for Bonnie to follow suit. “To blow pop martinis and terrible karaoke.”
8
Huck
It’s like déjà vu. I’m sitting in the same booth as the last time we were at Barney’s, drinking beer with Beau as he stalks his fiancé while she spends time her best friend, only this time I’m not even pretending not to be staring at Cora.
I know this is a bad idea, I should have sent Teddy down here to make sure my brother didn’t lose his shit again, but when I found out Bonnie was having dinner with Cora, I couldn’t stop myself from offering to play babysitter and keep Beau in check.
He’s too possessive of his girl to allow her to be at a bar alone where guys could hit on her, but at least this time he’s not acting like a caged beast. At least not yet, but the girls have only just got here.
My eyes stay fixed on Cora, she’s sitting opposite Bonnie, sipping a multi-colored cocktail that looks like it’s so sweet I can almost feel the cavities forming just from looking at it. Her hair is down, and she looks relaxed in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, the band of skin I can see between the end of her shirt and the top of her pants tantalizing me.
Fucking her last night was a mistake. A huge mistake, but hell if I don’t want to do it again. Touching her, tasting her, feeling her come around my cock was unbelievable. She’s the best bad idea I’ve ever had and now I’ve had her once, I have no idea how the fuck I’m going to stay away from her.
I expected a call, or at least a text from her today, even the girls I fuck on the regular always want to talk the next day, see when I’m coming around again, but not her. No, Cora’s been radio silence, she didn’t even ask me to stay the night. I wouldn’t have, but she didn’t even offer, she just crawled under the covers and said bye without even a glance in my direction.
If I was slightly less confident in my abilities, I’d think maybe she didn’t enjoy last night, but I know she did. So why isn’t she chasing, being clingy and generally annoying me?
My dick hardens as she throws back her head and laughs at something Bonnie says. Her tits are pushing against the fabric of her shirt and I can remember the way her nipples tasted. Mouth watering, I adjust my hard dick in my pants, take a long pull of my beer and try to banish all thoughts of her naked from my mind.
For the next hour, Beau and I sit in the booth out of the girls’ line of sight and just watch them. Beau and I make small talk, but all of his attention is on Bonnie and even though I try to disguise it, all of mine is firmly fixed on Cora.
The moment I spot Mitchell Holstead, my entire body goes on high alert. Cora said he was her ex, her brother said he was her fiancé, or soon would be. The fact that Cora and I fucked last night says her brother is probably full of shit. I should keep my ass in this booth and mind my own business, but the moment he saunters over to the girls’ table, I’m out of my seat and moving towards them before Beau even has a chance to growl.
Bonnie laughs outright when she sees me and her overbearing future husband striding towards them. “I should have known you wouldn’t be able to resist,” she laughs, hopping out of her chair and throwing herself into Beau’s arms.
“You know who I am,” my brother growls as he kisses her possessively.
“Hey Peaches,” I drawl, draping an arm across her shoulder before I turn to look at her ex.
Glancing up at me, her eyes heat, then flash with something that could be anger. By the looks of it, she’s not exactly pleased to see me, but right now I could care less. Every instinct inside of me is warning me to keep this asshole away from her, even though I refuse to question why right now.
“Hi,” she says, her tone not quite frosty, but definitely not warm.
“Baby?” Mitchell questions, his eyes flitting between her and me.
“Did you need some
thing, Mitchell?” she asks wearily.
“To talk, we need to sort things out,” he coaxes.
Cora shakes her head. “There’s nothing to sort out, we broke up, it’s over and I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Don’t be like that, baby, come on, let me take you home. You know you want to,” he coos, dropping his voice in what I imagine he thinks is a sexy tone.
Instead of disagreeing with him, I let my hand curl further around Cora’s shoulder until it’s hanging by the side of her breast, then I let my thumb stroke over the side of her shirt, grazing her tit back and forth as I do it, looking straight at him the whole time. I feel her tense beneath me, but she doesn’t protest and she doesn’t shove me away.
What I’m doing is territorial and arrogant as fuck but I don’t care, I need this guy to get the message, he needs to stay the fuck away. He needs to know he had his chance and fucked it up, he needs to know she’s not available anymore, that she belongs to me.
Refusing to consider where my thoughts just took me, I ignore them, pushing them down as I glare at this fucker, all the time staking my claim on Cora and making sure he sees. His eyes drop to where I’m now running my thumb over her obviously pebbled nipple and his breathing shallows, his jaw clenching as he presses his lips together in an unhappy line.
“I’ll call you later, babe, we have wedding plans to make,” he says, a smirk and a triumphant gleam taunting me as leans in, placing his hand on her thigh and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Jesus, Mitch, enough, we broke up, we’re not getting married,” she hisses, pushing him away from her. “Look, I’ve tried to be nice about this, but it’s over and I’m not interested, you need to take a hint. Go home and stop calling, stop texting and stop using my family to try to get to me.”
Puffing his chest out, he straightens, disregarding her brush off. “We’re made for each other, Cora, your family love me and they want us to get married just as much as I do. You’re obviously emotional, so I’ll speak to you tomorrow when you’ve calmed down.”
