by Piper Frost
Dammit!
"Guy loves me," Chase says, chuckling and walking over to the stove.
"Shut it, Chase." I sigh.
"Seriously. You see how happy he is that I’m here? Practically shitting glitter over there." He leans against the counter and grabs a roll from the basket I was about to bring to the table. "This shit's delicious," he says around a mouthful.
I raise my eyebrows and watch him shove the rest of it into his mouth. "Can you at least try to be okay with whatever Bo and I have going on? Y’all used to be inseparable. Start acting like adults and stop acting like..." I wave my hand, annoyed that he stopped the kiss I so badly wanted.
"Like?" He pauses then shrugs. "Not sure what you're so worried about, Kinlee. Bo and I are just fine." I watch him roll his eyes as he walks out of the room.
Time. Maybe it'll take more time than I thought to get these two on the same page.
I grab the bowl of biscuits and the tub of butter, walking them over to the table just as Bo and Will come in the back door. Wendy's already at the table, clicking away on her cellphone and Chase takes his seat, watching me until he notices Will and Bo.
"Will!" he blurts, walking over to him before ruffling his hair. I pause and watch in confusion. This is ridiculous.
Will ducks away from him, shoving his hand away. "What the hell?" he grumbles and before I can reprimand the miniscule curse, Bo does.
"Will, have some respect in your sister's kitchen. Wash your hands and sit down." Bo looks at Chase who's grinning before he turns to me to quietly ask, "What can I do to help?"
"Just gotta grab the chicken and salad. Then I think we're all set." I head back to the counter and Bo follows closely. I can't help but grin to myself. As small as this kitchen is, I love that he's sticking close and wants to help. "Can you grab my beer?" I ask, grabbing the pan of chicken from the oven.
His hand skims across my lower back as he walks around me and chills run through my body. It's these touches that will be the end of me. He's too attentive. And his skin on mine feels way too good.
"Wendy, what'll you have to drink?" he asks her.
"Beer?"
I about choke on my own spit. "No," I blurt but Chase is already laughing at her childish suggestion.
"You drank when you were younger!" she whines, setting her phone down.
"Yeah. When our parents weren't lookin'." Chase winks at her then grins stupidly at me. I push my brows together and shake my head as I set the chicken on the table.
"You're not drinking at sixteen, Wendy. Drop it and answer Bo, please."
"Water," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Water it is," Bo mutters. He brings her a glass then turns to Chase. "Chase? Drink?"
"Am I allowed a beer?"
I glare at him then take a swig of my own. "No."
With a chuckle he shakes his head and pulls out a chair for me, right next to him. "Water's good. Come on, Kinlee, have a seat." He throws a smile my way, the one I've seen him use on girls in the past, and roll my eyes as I sit. Chase's water glass is set in front of him and Bo turns to Will but Chase says, "This better not have spit in it."
Bo looks at him like he's crazy, because he is. He's acting like a complete ass. Putting his attention on Will as he walks back over to the sink, Bo asks, "Water, Will?"
"Uh, yeah. Whatever we got." Will sits down, setting his phone next to his plate.
When Bo gets to the table, he holds out his hand. "Phones." He looks at Wendy then Will. Wendy sighs, but hands it over. "Will," he says, not reaching for it, and to my surprise, Will hands it over. "They'll be right here." He walks them to the counter and sets them down.
I'm smiling like an absolute idiot right now because I've never been able to separate them from their phones for dinnertime. "Nice." I blink a few times, unable to wipe the smile off my face and let out a small laugh. "You two are still alive and your phones are more than two feet from you. Thank you, Bo."
"Family dinners ain't with our friends over texts." He sits and smiles at me.
I glance at Chase, who hasn't said much since I sat down, and realize he's texting on his phone, setting a great example. "Everyone, Chase. You included." I reach over and grab for his phone but his hand takes mine.
"I mean, if you wanted to hold my hand all ya had to do was ask, Kin." He smirks and I yank my hand back, my eyes darting to Bo.
"Just put your phone away, please," I mutter, embarrassed and kind of pissed he's acting like this. "And don't call me that. I hate that name."
"You didn't mind the other night." He winks and my eyes go wide.
"What?" I snap. "Chase, you've never called me that before." I force out a nervous laugh and glance over at Bo. "Um... Guys, let's eat!"
Bo clears his throat then grabs the bowl of potatoes and hands it to me first. "Let your sisters serve themselves first," he tells Will and Will doesn't argue. He actually hands Wendy the salad bowl.
"So how's school going, guys?" I ask once everyone has their plate full. "Wendy, didn't you have a presentation due this week?"
"Sure." She giggles, watching Chase inspecting the piece of chicken on his fork.
"This shit's cooked right, right?" he asks, trying to get a rise out of the kids.
"It's fine, Chase." I'm starting to regret allowing him over tonight, and that makes me sad because he's never acted like this before.
"Everything's very good," Bo says and nods at me with a smile. "Thank you for having me."
"Thank you for coming," I respond with a smile and Chase chokes on the food he's chewing. I nudge him hard and he stops as quick as he started, but he can't stop grinning. "Eat up, guys. Dessert tonight looks amazing." I smile over at Bo and his eyes are locked on mine.
"I'll admit Donna made it, so it'll be good." He chuckles.
Will snorts a laugh. "No offense, but I'm glad you didn't make it. Donna makes the best dessert."
I nod, grinning to myself, and go back to eating. I was really hoping this evening wouldn't be so awkward, but Chase has somehow turned into an annoying teenager at the age of twenty-five. I can tell Bo isn't happy with the fact he's here and that makes all this worse. I wanted time with Bo and my family. Chase is part of my family, but at this rate, he's gonna end up more like a distant cousin. I need to talk to him and see what the hell his problem is, but doing it in front of the kids and Bo isn't the place for that conversation.
Finally serving up dessert, I'm ready for this night to be over. "Whipped cream anyone?"
"I'll take some please," Wendy says.
"Sure. Thank you." Will grabs his fork and dives right in as soon as I spray some on his plate.
"Maybe later," Chase says then winks at me. "Save a little of that, will ya?"
"Chase," I huff, shaking my head.
"What?" He chuckles. "All I'm saying is whipped cream in the bedroom really amps up the foreplay!"
"Oh god," Wendy groans and pushes her plate forward in disgust.
"Oh my god," I mutter, but Will cuts me off and pushes me away from Chase.
"What the fuck's your problem, man!" Will grabs Chase's shirt and before he can swing, Bo wraps his arm around him and yanks him back.
"Cool off." Bo's deep voice carries as he pulls Will away and shoves Chase into his chair. "You should take off, Haring." Bo's threatening voice matches the scowl on his face but he doesn't stick around, instead he pulls Will out the back door.
When the old screen door slams behind them, I jump.
"Gross, Chase," Wendy grumbles, snatching her phone and walking away.
"Jesus, y'all can't take a joke." Chase shakes his head, still grinning like an idiot.
My fists are tight at my sides and I shake my head when he looks at me like I'm being an asshole. "I think you should go, Chase."
"Fine, yeah." He huffs, walking out of the kitchen, stopping before he makes it through the doorway. "Great dinner, Kinlee. We should definitely do this again." His tone's dripping in sarcasm and I roll my eyes at him.
"Just go, Chase."
Jesus, he's done enough damage tonight. What the hell's gotten into him lately?
He nods and salutes me before heading out of the house, his footfalls loud and clear up until the door slams behind him.
"God," I huff, falling into a chair.
"So that wasn't awkward at all," Wendy mutters, walking back into the kitchen.
"Don't you have homework or something to be doing?" I raise an eyebrow at her and she shakes her head.
"Nope," she says, shrugging as Bo walks back into the house.
He clears his throat and starts collecting plates from the table. "Let me help clean up."
Wendy conveniently takes the opportunity to slip away again.
"You don't have to do that," I say, standing and stretching across the table to get to work. His hand rests on my arm and I meet his gaze. There's so much he's holding back right now. "I'm sorry," I whisper, shaking my head. "He's not like that. I promise."
"I've known Chase a long time, Kinlee. I know he can be an asshole. But the kids don't need to be around that. Whatever you and Chase have going on shouldn't be brought to their attention that way." He walks to the sink.
"We don't have anything going on!" I follow him, bringing my tone down a bit. "Nothing, Bo. He was just trying to be a punk tonight and get under your skin for some reason. And I guess it worked."
"Seemed more like he wanted to piss your brother off." He clears his throat like he does every time he's annoyed. "Haring and I won't see eye to eye on anything. He's got beef with me over some teenage drama from years ago. I respect he's your friend, but don't try and force the guy into accepting me being in your life." His hands grab my hips and he pulls me toward him. "I want to be in your life. All three of your lives." Tucking hair behind my ear he smiles and leans down for the kiss I've been waiting over two weeks for. God, he smells good and if I had any less self-control I'd take him upstairs right now. My skin prickles where his fingers trace right above my jeans and my breath hitches. My eyes flutter closed and just when our lips are about to connect I hear the back screen door fly open.
"Bo, do you know where I put—" Will stops when he sees what he walked in on, but that also means I don't get my kiss.
I feel Bo's body go tense next to mine and I sigh. My eyes roll behind closed lids before I open them and take a step back, glancing back at Will.
"What're you lookin' for?" Bo asks, heading toward him, following him outside and rubbing the back of his neck on his way.
I watch him head out with my brother and can't stop the smile from spreading on my lips. He's too good with these kids. Way better than I am. Way better than I ever thought a guy like him would be.
I wanted that kiss more than I've wanted much lately, but seeing how good he is with my kid brother, strangely, means even more to me…
I can wait for that second kiss.
"Y’all gonna be out here all night?" I ask, leaning against the garage as I watch Bo and Will work on...something greasy.
This is the third night this week they've been out here but I'm not complaining. I like watching him work. I feel like Bo and I have fallen into this rhythm that's strangely comfortable. Without really knowing what to call us, he acts more like family than I feel like I do sometimes. I'm burning both ends while he's teaching my kid siblings about…life. Important shit, like how not to get yourself arrested. It's endearing to watch. It's hot as hell to see him this greasy and sweaty working with his hands. His muscles bulging…sweat dripping off his brow…
My god, I need to get laid. Not just laid. I want Bo.
A lot.
"Another hour maybe. I have an early morning." Bo smiles at me while trying to loosen something on whatever engine thing they're working on and all I see is how much he's radiating sex right now. And he's not even damn trying!
He grunts and it comes loose, making Will cheer excitedly. "Finally!"
I laugh, because seeing Will this excited about something that's not vandalism is a win in my book. Bo's actually starting to turn my kid brother around.
"So then you want dinner on paper plates out here?" I ask, my eyes trailing the muscles in Bo's arm.
"I ate at the Kenshaw's, darlin', thank you though." Bo's voice is muffled while his head's buried in car parts.
"Cool. Will, yours will be inside when you're hungry," I say, turning to head back inside so my kid brother doesn't see me eyein' Bo like he's my next meal. I freeze when I see Chase's truck coming down the drive. "God," I mumble, shaking my head. The last time Chase and Bo were in the same spot was my brilliant dinner idea a few nights ago. I don't need anymore of that shit going on. I walk over when he parks and throw on a smile, though I'm not certain it's a real one. "Hey, Chase, what's up?"
"Forgot my mom's bowl," he says, hopping out of the truck. "And I missed you." He gives me a brief hug but I pull away and cock my head at him.
"You've been acting so strange," I mumble but he's not even paying attention because his eyes are on the garage. "I washed your bowl. I'll grab it." I run inside the house to grab the bowl. The less time he's here, the less of a chance we have for him to see Bo and piss him off again.
I really need to figure this shit out with Chase. He's too good of a friend to push away but he's being a dick lately and I'm not going to risk whatever Bo and I have because Chase feels left out.
When I walk outside, my stomach drops because he's already over at the garage, arms crossed in front of him and that shit eatin' grin on his face. I slow my roll when I hear Bo's voice. Not that I want to eavesdrop, but I'm curious if these two are even capable of a civil conversation when I'm not around.
"No, we can cut the rusted line and solder in a new one. There's no gas in the lines right now," Bo says.
"Why don't you just buy a new one? You've got enough money to buy a few new ones, right, Hart?" Chase snickers and Bo falls silent.
I push closer to the garage, staying out of sight but I want to be able to break this up if Chase starts any bullshit.
"Will, hand me the snips." Bo doesn't bother entertaining Chase's snide comment then chuckles. "You wanna stick around and help out, Haring?"
"Maybe I'll take over. Wouldn't want the great Bo hart to injure those hands. Your career would be over if you couldn't grip the reins, right?" He pauses. "Oh... That was pretty insensitive, wasn't it? Your career's already over because of your back."
I make a move to stop this, but Bo can stick up for himself so I pause.
"Guess that's why you're not out there buying brand new cars to fuck up. Saving all that winning money since it looks like your fame's come to an end." Chase chuckles.
"He's still famous, Chase. More than you ever done with your sorry life," Will defends Bo.
"Will, it's okay. What do you want, Chase?" Bo huffs, wiping his hands on a rag and starts walking toward him, leaving Will in the garage. "There a reason you're out here harassing me? There a reason you're here tonight?"
"I didn't realize I needed a reason," Chase says, shoving his hands in his pockets and wearing that smartass look on his face. "Do I need a reason, Bo?"
"Not my business why you're here, just leave me the hell alone when you do come around. You haven't squashed that beef from when we were kids, and you obviously ain't going to. Stay away from me," Bo's voice is quiet but his point is delivered clearly.
"That your signature line, Hart? Ain't that what you told my sister after you knocked her up?"
"I never touched your sister," Bo quietly snarls and steps closer to Chase, looking like one of the bulls he used to ride.
"According to Fi, you did more than just touch her. And had she not had that miscarriage, you'd be the father to her kid." Chase's fists are tight at his sides. "Friends don't screw other friends sisters then not own up to it, Hart."
"I didn't have sex with your sister. I didn't get her knocked up. You know she made all that shit up to make Brandt jealous. Stop acting like you don't know the games your sister played."
Bo's shoulders are heaving but he's keeping his voice down, probably for Will's sake.
"You always joked about sleeping with my sister—"
"We all did! We joked about sleeping with Donna too. It was a joke, Haring. She's the one that started the lie."
"Whatever, Hart." He chuckles then shoves Bo's shoulder back a bit. "How about you stop coming 'round me, huh? Kinlee owns this place, not you. Who're you to tell me to stop comin' 'round?"
"Chase, leave," Will's voice cracks as he steps out of the garage. "We don't want you 'round here." When he tries to walk toward Chase, Bo grabs his arm and turns him toward the garage.
"Come on, let's get this finished up for the night." Bo's calm demeanor is back as he walks into the garage and closes the door in Chase's face.
I take that as my cue to walk around the corner and stare at Chase. Hurt. Confused.
Bo didn't fuck Fiona...
"Maybe you should come inside," I whisper, the words they just exchanged rolling through my head.
He bitches under his breath and kicks the dirt but I've already turned around and stormed back inside my house. He better fucking follow me.
"I gotta be headin' out Kinlee, can this wai—"
"Bo fucked your sister?" I blurt, pacing the kitchen. I have a very hard time believing that. A very fucking hard time, since the day before he left he was still a virgin and I remember Fiona's miscarriage claims. That was before Bo and me... "Y'all were so close in high school. And now... Now you hate him because apparently you heard through the grapevine that he fucked your sister?"
"Sorry you had to hear that, but Hart needs his boots knocked down a few levels."
"For what?" I snap, letting out an annoyed growl. He honestly can't believe that about Bo. "Chase, there's nothing wrong with Bo. And... I mean, I'm sorry, but your sister screwed half this town. And her and Bo did not fuck." Chase isn't a stranger to Fiona whoring around. He's been in one too many fights because of her. Not to mention, Chase has probably got more notches on his belt than his sister in this small ass town. He watches me pace, not saying anything. "I just don't get it, Chase," I say, starting to ramble. "You used to be so fun to be around. Now though? Now all you seem to want to do is stir shit. What the hell happened?"
