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Chapter 35

I downed the last of my drink, then pushed myself up from the table.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna head over to the shop. I need to talk to Zeke, and I need to try and catch Boe, or at least call. I owe him an explanation."

"You don't owe him shit." The moment he let the words slip, he took a deep breath in threw his nose, and a mask of calm fell over his face. "I thought you didn't want a man."

"I don't want a man." I groaned. "What is with you? Why is that so hard to comprehend? Me, Jessie Murphy, does not want, nor need, a man in her life! Is that so damn strange?"

"I got it, until you started hanging around with him." He made a show of pouring more Wild Turkey into his glass.

"We're friends, not that it's any damn business of your's. You know, friends? We could be friends if you'd just stop..."

His lip twitched. "Stop what?"

I growled at him. He knew exactly what. "What is it, Bard? You want to fuck me that bad? I mean, shit! I know I'm not ugly, but you act like I have a golden vagina hidden in here." I motioned towards my pants in an agitated wave.

That small twitch turned into a full smirk, and it was all I could do not to throw something at him.

"I'm going to the shop. I'm going to try and borrow Zeke's phone. Then, I'm going to call Boe and hopefully fix this fucking mess."

Bard stood. "You shouldn't do any of that."

His calm infuriated me.

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because, I want you to stay here with me." He moved slowly towards me, and I immediately made a beeline for the door.

I'd just grabbed the doorknob when, without making a sound, Bard filled the gap behind me and laid a hand across the surface.

It put him close to my back, caging me in. I could feel his body heat, smell the scent of Wild Turkey and Earth. He smelled masculine, felt masculine, and even though I hated it, would never have even thought it possible, he made me feel feminine.

"Do you?" he murmured into my ear. His breath tickled my neck, and a rush of heat coursed through me. It burned me up from the inside out and made it impossible to think straight.

"What?" The word came out hitched. Damn this man! Damn my stupid attraction to him! Damn him for being so drop-dead fucking sexy!

"Have a golden vagina?"

I whipped my head to look at him, and Bard was smiling that blinding smile at me. His eyes danced.

"Fuck you, Bard."

He let out a booming laugh, and the sound reverberated through me. So rare, like a fucking unicorn, majestic and magical as fuck. Damn him.

"I'll make you a deal," he stepped back, but didn't take his hand off the door. "You stay here, and I'll let you use my phone to call Boe."

"You have a phone?" My eyes widened, then narrowed. "And you'll let me use it? I thought you hated him?"

Bard's smile dulled, and his eyes got that intense look to them, searing me. "I barely know him, but what I do, I don't like."

My curiosity peaked. "Like what?"

Bard stepped away, pulled a phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Let's just say you don't need a golden vagina to get that man's attention."

I laughed. "You've got a lot of room to talk, Bard."

He didn't find it humorous. "I know what I stand for." He took his seat back at the table and grabbed the whiskey bottle. "Make your call." He wouldn't look at me. His gaze hit the wall as he took a long drink and stewed.

I stared at him a moment. "Bard?"

He cut a look over to me. "Yeah?"

"I don't know his number."

His jaw twitched. He turned and grabbed the phone from my hand, scrolling through until he found the right contact. "Here." He shoved it back into my hand and turned away.

"Thank you." I pressed the call button and walked... as far as I could without going outside.

Bard pretended indifference, but I could tell he was listening.

The phone rang twice before Boe answered. "Oh, so now you finally figured out how to use that phone Charlene got you. To what? Drive your point home? Rub it in? Fuck off, you cave dwelling, piece of shit! I don't give a fuck–"

"Boe?"

The line went quiet.

"Jessie? Ah shit." He paused. "I'm sorry. I-"

"It's okay. I just wanted to call and apologize." I cleared my throat. "Our not-date didn't exactly go how I planned it would." I tried to make my voice light, praying we could just go back to normal. I liked Boe. He was great, and I couldn't stand the thought of things being weird between us. I felt like a bitch, and selfishly, I needed him to help me feel better about how shitty I'd been.

"You don't need to apologize," he said. "Just... what the hell happened?"

I took a deep breath. I couldn't tell him, not everything. As much as I liked him, I just couldn't put that much faith into him yet. It was better for him, anyway. The less he knew, the safer he would be. "Listen. There are things about me you don't know. That baggage I was telling you about. Please don't ask me to get into detail about it, because I can't."

"Does Bard know?" He made the question sound so important, I didn't want to answer.

But I had to.

"Yes." I cringed as the line fell silent. "Boe?"

"What is he to you?"

"Who? Bard?" I looked over to see him sitting at the table, back to me, shoulders stiff. His right hand clenched the bottle so tight, I thought it might break.

"He's just a friend, Boe. The same as you. I'm not looking for anything more than that."

Boe fell silent.

Bard visibly relaxed.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean for you to have to deal with me freaking out, and I definitely didn't want you to get into a fight. I'm still not even sure what the fuck happened between you two."

"He wants you. Hell, I've seen him more since you showed up than I have the years I've been working here. You may say he's your friend, but that's not all it is to him."

"Yeah, well, he's wrong."

There was another lengthy silence, one that made me long to see his face. I hated phones. Facial expressions, body language. A phone left far too much unsaid, and I needed to hear it all.

"Don't worry about any of this, Jessie. I don't blame you." He seemed way less angry than he had when he left, but he still wasn't his normal self.

It wasn't good enough. I needed to make it right. Boe, whether I'd known it before or not, had become someone I relied on. A friend. A real one. Someone with enough baggage to not judge, and the unique ability to make me laugh. "So... I'm gonna see you again right?" I bit my lip.

"Do you want to see me again?" he asked, his voice teasing and more familiar.

I breathed a sigh. "Yeah." I smiled.

"Good. Because, otherwise, marrying you could get real awkward."

I laughed. "I'm not marrying you, Boe."

"You say that now, but-"

The phone was yanked from my hand.

Bard hit the screen and shoved it back into his pocket.

"What the fuck, Bard?"

"What? You said you were sorry. For what, I have no fucking idea."

"You're a dick." I glared at him. "Whatever. I'm going to bed, anyway."

"Tequila?"

I stopped, hands fisted, shoulders stiff. "What?"

"I need your help with something." He sat down sideways at the table and let his long legs stretch out across the floor in front of him.

I hesitated. "What is it?"

"I want a tattoo. I was hoping you'd do it for me."

My eyes widened. That definitely wasn't the question I'd been expecting. "Um... sure... of course. What were you wanting to get?"

"You are never lost," he said, voice low. He grabbed the bottle beside him. "Across my chest."

He wouldn't look at me anymore, and when he pressed the bottle to his lips, the drink he took was far heavier than any I'd seen him take before. I swear the man would end up with alcohol poisoning. I stepped forward and yanked it from his hand.

"Okay. Let me know when you're ready." I set the bottle back on the table. "We can do it tomorrow if you want."

Bard reached both arms behind his head, and before I could even register what was happening, he gripped his shirt and pulled it away.

I swallowed hard, stared, then swallowed again. Holy mother of God, sweet baby Jesus on a cracker. My brain dissolved into a puddle.

I'd seen him before, but he seemed more massive than I remembered. Bulk, lots of it, eight pack, a fucking eight pack, golden skin.

He's a fucking god...

"Can we do it now?"

I couldn't look away. "Hmmmm?"

"Can we do it now?" he repeated slower.

"Yes, please."

He chuckled, and I snapped my eyes to his face. Shit! "Um, I mean. Yeah. The tattoo. You um..." I stuggled to keep my eyes up. "I uh... I don't uh... have a gun or ink or anything."

"I borrowed the stuff from Zeke. It's in the bedroom."

"The um... bedroom?" The bedroom, the bedroom, the bed. My God! This is unfair.

"I'll go get it," Bard offered and stood. It gave me a better view. An amazing view. The temperature in the room rose at least twenty degrees. Why was it so hot? Sweat beaded along my forehead, across my chest. I shook out the collar of my shirt. I needed air.

"You alright, Tequila?" Bard stopped right in front of me. "You seem a little off."

His chest was eye level now. Way. Too. Close. "I'm good." I swallowed again.

"Hey." He tilted my chin upwards. "I'm sorry about earlier." Before I could stop it, his arms wrapped around me, and my face was pressed up against all of that glorious, glorious skin.

I'd never been so tempted. I laid my hands against his ribs. Just once. I could touch him once. It was just a hug. A friendly hug. God, a really nice friendly hug.

When the hair on his chest tickled my nose, I pulled my head back. Bard looked down at me, a small smirk on his face. Laughing. He knew exactly what he was doing. It helped to snap me out of my stupidity.

I glared at him. "You want a tattoo, or what?"

A laugh rumbled his chest, and he made no move to release me. Instead, he lifted a hand and gently ran the back of it along my cheek. "You're even more beautiful when you're angry. You know that?"

"I must look pretty damn good most of the time then, because you never fail to piss me off!" I pulled back and smacked his hand. "I'll get the stuff. You just sit in that fucking chair right there!" I jabbed a finger towards the booth and stormed away.

His laughter echoed behind me.

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