Losing her virginity back behind the old Mills’ farm, hidden away beneath a giant maple that hung out over the water, on a tiny little boat meant for one, had been, well, interesting, to say the least. But Charlie was the kind of guy who lit up a room, made every situation fun. And sex—as awkward as the circumstances had been—had been no exception. She’d loved Charlie once, in her own way, as much as a girl could love the boy who didn’t hold the key to her heart.
Charlie rubbed her upper arms. “You married off yet, Tammy?”
Tamryn snorted. “Yeah right.”
Charlie tipped his head back on a laugh, then scanned the room. “Yeah, I guess your pickins’ are slim around this old town.” He winked. “It’s my lucky day.”
She blushed again—couldn’t help it; Charlie had always been a charmer.
“What time do you get off tonight?”
Tamryn glanced to her right, movement catching her eye as Jake strolled toward them, shoulders back and head high. After two weeks of barely a glimpse of him, her pulse sped at his sudden and surprising appearance, but her stomach sank from the way he approached them. Was he going to punch Charlie like he’d hit Reed?
She shot him a glare that she hoped said “back off”, then looked back up at Charlie. “Eleven. Why? I know you’re not trying to get me back out on Mills’ Lake, Charlie Morris; I’m not that girl anymore.”
“What’s this about Mills’ Lake?” Jake stood too close, practically maneuvering between them. He pinned Charlie with an icy stare. “And who are you?”
“Jake Johnson?” Charlie took a step back, running his hand over his brown, buzzed-cut hair. “Dang, man, you got huge. You runnin’ your dad’s place now?”
Jake tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “Do I know you?”
Tamryn sighed. “Jake, this is Charlie Morris. Remember? My old—”
“I’m Tammy’s ex-boyfriend. I used to come around her house a lot. You’d be gettin’ into shit with Colby, and…” Charlie’s words trailed off and he met Tamryn’s gaze, eyebrows drawn. “Man, I’m so sorry, Tammy. I heard about your brother. I wanted to come back for the funeral, really I did, but—”
“Why didn’t you?” Jake crossed his arms.
“Jake.” Tamryn placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, really. Charlie was stationed in the middle of the desert.”
“Nah, he’s right, Tammy. I shoulda called, done somethin’.”
Jake grunted. “I was here.”
She shot a glare at Jake—what was his problem?—then tried to guide Charlie away from Jake without being too obvious. “It’s really okay, Charlie. I got through it. And it’s Tamryn now. Not Tammy.” She glared at Jake—and not TB!—then quickly looked back at Charlie and smiled. “Anyway, enough about that. Let’s get you boys some drinks.” She pushed Charlie toward his table, then glanced over her shoulder at Jake. He didn’t have to be so damn rude.
He remained locked in place, stance rigid and arms crossed, his gaze boring into the back of Charlie’s head. Tamryn shook her head and focused on the boys at the table. “Hey, Steve, Roc. How are you guys? What can I get you, a pitcher? Shots?”
Some ex-boyfriend. Jake remembered him all right, always hanging around the Baker house and trying to shoot the shit with Colby’s friends. He’d been around TB for a number of years, yet didn’t even reach out to her when Colby died?
“Something wrong, pal?” Reed ran a cloth around the lip of a pint glass.
“What? Nah. Nothing.” Jake shrugged, fighting the urge to turn his head back to the table where TB still stood. Did she forget she had other customers? Maybe he should remind her of her other tables; she had responsibilities as his employee.
“So, Charlie Morris is back in town, eh?” Reed glanced over at the table of boys.
“Guess so. Can’t say I remember him, though.”
Reed chuckled. “Of course not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Reed shook his head. “Nothin’, bro. Just that you’ve had your head up your ass for as long as I can remember when it comes to that girl over there.”
Jake scoffed. “How do you figure? I’ve always watched out for TB.”
“Yeah. You’re right. What do I know?” Reed shook his head, then slipped into the back as Gennie returned.
“Hey, boys.” She patted Reed’s ass as he passed, winking at Jake. “Jake, doll, where’ve you been?”
“Around.” Jake looked away from Gennie, his thoughts too focused on TB and her table of douchebags. Had she dated those other two losers as well?
“Maybe I’ll just have to go home with Reed if you keep ignoring me like you’ve been doing, sugar.”
“What?” Jake watched Charlie, his blood boiling as the kid placed his hand on TB’s lower back.
TB threw a quick smile at Jake as she slid in beside her ex.
“A woman has needs.”
Jake shook his head. What the hell was Gennie rambling about?
“Oh my Lord, is that Megan Morris’ little brother?” Gennie sighed. “My my, all grown up, isn’t he? That’s one fine piece of—”
Jake turned to her, jaw clenched.
She smiled, then ran her fingertips over his beard stubble. “There’s my pretty baby blues. What’s eatin’ you, Jake? You’ve barely been around for weeks. And, in case you haven’t noticed—though I can’t see how you could have missed it—I’m wearing a corset that’s one size too small. My girls have been desperate to get out of it all night.”
Jake focused on the soft, freckled mounds of flesh spilling out of Gennie’s shirt, then nodded approval.
She leaned toward him, her floral perfume a bit too strong. “Maybe you can help me out of it later, hmm?”
Jake licked his lips, focusing on the woman before him, not the girl behind him. The girl he pledged to protect, care for. The girl who currently had some other guy’s hands all over her. Should he step in? Just how far did his promise to Colby reach? Surely, Colby wouldn’t sit back and let his little sister get groped all night.
He squeezed his eyes shut against the ludicrous thoughts. Who TB allowed to touch her was none of his damn business.
Unless that Charlie Morris kid hurt her. Then he’d make it his business. As a big brother should, of course.
Gennie’s lips brushed against his, and he opened his eyes.
“Whatever it is that’s buggin’ you, hon, I’ll help you forget after work tonight.” She winked, then turned away from him, putting a little extra oomph into her steps.
Even with the way her ass swayed with each step, Gennie was far from the distraction Jake needed to get his mind off Charlie Morris.
What had happened at Mills’ Lake, anyway?
Chapter
Nine
Tamryn leaned against the bar, watching Jake watch Charlie. Jake hadn’t relaxed in the two hours Charlie and his friends had been in that booth, but truth be told, Colby had never cared for Charlie either, so Tamryn couldn’t say she was surprised. Jake must have been going off of old opinions from Colby back when she’d dated Charlie.
But, damn, Jake was worse than Colby had ever been. Would she ever outgrow the protective older brother thing?
“Hey, beautiful, we’re headin’ out.” Charlie pressed up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and pinning her to the bar with his frame. “But I have something for you.”
“Get a load of you all grown up. Meg didn’t tell me you were back in town.” Gennie leaned over the bar, giving Charlie an eyeful of her double d’s as she dragged her gaze seductively from his feet to his head. “Mmm, all grown up.”
Charlie straightened his shoulders, his grin slightly more languorous than usual. “How are ya, Gen?”
“Not as good as my girl here’s about to be, I imagine.” Gennie winked at Tamryn, then moved to the other side of the bar, giving them privacy.
Shaking her head, Tamryn turned in Charlie’s arms to face him. Beer breath hit her hard, but she tried to ignore it. He foc
used on her lips.
“You better not try to kiss me with that breath.”
Charlie feigned shock. “I don’t have bad breath, I’m a gentleman.”
Tamryn raised an eyebrow. “Mhm. You said you have something to give me?”
“This.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a key on a twisted piece of leather.
“Charlie Morris, is that the key to your heart?”
He grinned, then gave a quick shrug. “Basically. It’s the key to our place. In case you ever need to get out from under your dad’s watchful eye.” He cocked his head toward Jake, who still watched them. “You know, or if you’re missin’ me real bad some night.”
“It’s a nice gesture, but I can’t say I’ll ever use it.” She pulled out of his arms, but he slid the key into her back pocket, then patted her ass.
“Keep it anyway. I really want you to use it.”
She met his gaze, curious at the sudden change in his playful tone. She tilted her head. “What’s up, Charlie?”
He frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Nothin’. I just shoulda been there for you before. We’ve been through a lot together, you and me, and, well, I’m here for you now. If you’ll have me.”
She pushed up on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You’ve always had a place in my life. I don’t need the key to your house to prove that.”
He winked, then stepped away from her, meeting up with Steve and Roc at the door. “Keep it in case I ever lock myself out!” He tripped over the small lip of the doorway, then grinned and waved as he stumbled out onto the wood landing.
Tamryn retrieved the key from her pocket, turning it over in her hand. She didn’t want or need the key to her ex-boyfriend’s house, but Charlie wasn’t in a state to argue with right now. She’d return it the next time she saw him.
Jake stepped up to the other side of the bar, peering into her hand. “Is that his house key?”
Tamryn closed her fist around the metal. “Yep.”
He scowled. “Why?”
Tamryn tilted her head. “Why not, Jake?”
Running a hand through his hair, Jake shook his head. “Um, maybe because you haven’t seen that guy in five years?”
“How do you know how long it’s been?” She crossed her arms. “Were you listening to our conversation?”
“It’s not like your friends were very quiet.” Jake mimicked her stance. “How many pitchers did you serve them, anyway?”
“They paid for every single one, if that’s what you’re worried about. I don’t give drinks away.”
“Good. It’d come out of your paycheck.”
“I just said that I don’t give free drinks away.” She picked her tips off her tray, untied her apron and set it down. “What’s with you lately, anyway?” She shook her head, then turned and strode toward the door.
“Hey, your shift ain’t over yet!” Jake called.
“Fire me.” She stepped past some late night customers just arriving, then ducked into the shop next door as quickly and quietly as she could, shutting the door behind her and standing in the darkness.
With her head leaned back against the door, she listened for Jake’s footsteps on the old wooden porch outside.
“TB!” He thundered to one end of the porch, then the other, stopping to peer inside the window of the old storefront, but she knew he couldn’t see anything with the curtains she’d hung. “Ah, hell,” he muttered, the sound of his footsteps walking away and disappearing when he reentered The Bar.
Tamryn slid down to the floor, resting her elbows on her knees. “What the hell,” she whispered.
Jake strode through the bar, ignoring his customers as they called out for him. Someone requested a show, but Jake couldn’t be bothered to sing tonight.
“Everything all right, sugar?”
Gennie’s voice cut through the haze of anger and he turned to face her. “Let’s go.”
Her eyes widened, and she looked at the clock on the wall.
Jake’s chest tightened. “It’s my bar, and I said let’s go.”
Gennie grinned as she shrugged out of her apron. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” She hurried out from behind the bar, sidling up next to Jake. “What’s eatin’ you?”
“Nothing,” he snapped. He didn’t actually know why he was so mad. So what if TB had a key to some dude’s house? Wasn’t like she’d ever use it. TB wasn’t that kind of girl. Jake pushed through the back door of the bar, the screen slamming against the outer wall.
“Jeez, Jake, what’s got you in such a hissy?”
“I said nothing was wrong, Gen.” He rounded on her and she took a step back. “Are we doing this thing or not?”
“This thing?” Gennie crossed her arms, staring up at him defiantly. “Not.”
Jake sucked in a breath. “What?” He needed to let off some steam, and sex was his favorite way of relaxing.
“I’m not fixin’ to fuck you tonight, Jake Johnson. You’re angry and I don’t like angry sex.”
“I’m not…” Jake shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair. “Ah, hell.”
“You’re shouting orders and acting like a real ass, and I’m the farthest from turned on I think I’ve ever been around you.” She turned on her heels and stepped back into the bar, leaving Jake standing in the dark.
He kicked at the dirt, then stomped inside his house. All the lights were off, and TB’s door was open, so she obviously hadn’t come home yet.
“Dammit,” he whispered into her empty bedroom. “What have you done to me, kid?”
Chapter
Ten
Tamryn slipped quietly into the house, tiptoeing to keep from waking Jake and Gennie. She fumbled with the kitchen light switch, nearly knocking down someone’s glass of water left precariously on the edge of the counter. She steadied it, then opened the fridge.
“Where have you been?”
She gasped, whipping around toward the living room and squinting into the shadows. “Jake?” She searched the darkness for him, then tilted her head. “What are you doing?”
“Were you with your ex?”
“No, Jake,” she said on a sigh. “I was with Reed.”
A small grunt sounded deep in his throat.
“God, not like that.” Tamryn stepped forward and reached into the living room, running her hand along the wall. She flipped up the light switch and bathed Jake in the amber glow from the lamp within the ceiling fan. “What are you doing?”
Jake pushed up off the couch, his muscles rigid.
Did he even own a shirt?
“What do you think I’m doing? Do you know what time it is?”
Tamryn took a step back, chuckling softly. “You’re kidding, right?” She turned and started back to the kitchen. He was obviously joking—
He stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Do I look like I’m kidding?” He peered down at her, his blue eyes intense.
Tamryn bit her lip, wary of his tone. He’d never acted like this before, so protective it bordered on possessive, which was off-putting and sexy all at the same time, but the fact that this sudden show of possessiveness had sprung up seemingly out of nowhere was borderline alarming.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, so she released her lip and sucked in a deep breath. Dammit, being this close to him was intoxicating. “Jake, I’m…I don’t understand. You’ve never cared about what time I came home before. Why now?”
He leaned closer, his lips just a few inches away from her face. “I…” He searched her face. “I was worried, that’s all.”
She raised an eyebrow, breathing through her mouth as subtly as possible so his scent wouldn’t knock her legs out from under her. “Where’s Gennie?”
“What?” He ran his hand through his hair. “How the fuck should I know?”
Tamryn took a step back, eyes narrowed. “You’re acting weird. I have baking to do.” Truthfully, she just needed to get away from Jake and keep her hands busy, lest she
jump on him and do things she’d only ever dreamed of. She turned her back and walked further into the kitchen, reaching for the pantry.
“Don’t you walk away from me,” he growled.
“Excuse me?” She spun to face him. “You think the sun rises each day just to hear you crow, don’t you?”
His lip twitched, but he remained silent.
She threw her hands up. “God, Jake, what is your problem? I was at the bar. With Reed. Like every other night after work on every other day.”
“You left the bar.”
“And then I came back,” she stated, slowly drawing out the words. “To finish my shift, because, unlike some people, I’m not an asshole.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Tamryn crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter. “I think you know exactly what that means.”
Jake’s eyes flicked to the microwave then back to her. “It’s almost four o’clock.”
“Yep.”
“What were you…?” Jake’s jaw clenched, and he straightened. “Did you and Reed…?” His bright eyes flicked back and forth between hers frantically.
Tamryn exhaled a breath and rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t fucking Reed. That was a drunken mistake and won’t happen again. And I wasn’t with Charlie.” She stepped toward him. “Although, I’m quite confused why it’s suddenly any of your business.”
Jealousy was a good sign, but she refused to get her hopes up.
Maybe it wasn’t even jealousy.
“It’s always been my business. I promised your brother I’d look out for you.”
Not jealousy then. Obligation. Tamryn’s shoulders fell and she shook her head. She turned back to the pantry and gathered the dry ingredients in her arms. “My sex life was never Colby’s business, Jake, and it’s definitely not yours.” The sack of flour teetered on her forearm. She reached for it, the other ingredients wobbling with the motion.
“Whoa, let me help you—”
The flour crashed to the flour, spilling out across the linoleum in a white wave.
Tamryn laughed. “Too late.” She plopped down to her knees and righted the flour sack to prevent any more from spilling out, though most of it was already coating the floor.
Whiskey Burned (Flawed Heroes Book 2) Page 6
