Since Trip didn’t know who Adam was, there was no risk of that.
“Anywhooo. Like I said, I own Manes on Main. Remember that.” Teddy poked Trip’s chest with a pointed finger. “Ooo. You’ve got some hard muscles there. Anyway, you look smart enough to figure out where my salon is located. You need to let me trim you up. First one’s on the house since you’re new in town.” He brushed a knuckle down Trip’s bearded jaw. “And I can clean this up, too. Way too handsome to let yourself look like an unkempt gorilla.”
Trip’s lips twitched but he fought to keep a straight face as he blew out another stream of smoke. “Gorilla’s shave?”
“My type does. I do love me a jealous gorilla.” He sucked in a breath to continue but got distracted. “Ohhhh, shit. Speaking of... Here comes mine.” He pasted on a huge smile.
Trip turned his head to see a cop taking long, quick and very determined strides in their direction. And not looking any kind of pleased with Trip talking to Teddy.
“Act natural. Like you don’t want to kiss me or anything.” Teddy quickly pinched the lit end of the hand-rolled and handed it back to him, trying to hide that action from the cop with his body. “Wait! I need a mint.” He slapped the pockets of his skinny jeans. “Damn. You got a mint in that filthy vest? Or gum? Anythin— Heeeey, baby,” he purred and went up on his toes to plant a kiss on the cop’s cheek, who wore a look of suspicion. “Was I supposed to meet you here for our lunch date or was it the diner? Did I screw that up?” He once again curved his hand around the side of his mouth and stage whispered, “Or was it supposed to be for a bit of afternoon delight?”
Good thing Teddy was asking the cop that question and not Trip. He didn’t feel like getting in a knock-down fight with a jealous man in uniform over another man.
That was not on the day’s agenda.
Teddy plucked playfully at the pig’s uniform shirt which had a tag stating his last name was Bryson. “This is my hunky fiancé, Adam. News flash! He frowns a lot when I flirt with anybody but him. But he knows how much I can’t resist gorillas.” He leaned in close to Trip again and sniffed loudly. “Especially ones that smell deliciously like old leather and wear chains.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Bryson gave Trip’s cut a thorough once over. “Got business in town?”
Somebody had a bad attitude. Trip was about to make it worse. “Nope. Just here to steal your man.” Anytime he could stick it to the pigs, he would, so Trip leaned in, put his mouth near Teddy’s ear and whispered, “Don’t swing that way but if I did, I’d bend you over and show you how much bigger my dick is than that cop’s.”
Teddy’s mouth opened wide and so did his eyes.
When Trip pulled away, he made sure a big grin was plastered on his face.
He gave the cop a chin lift and moved toward the driver’s door.
Adam grabbed Teddy’s elbow. “Get your business done and get out of town. Let’s go.” The pig grabbed his fiancé’s elbow and began to haul the hairdresser behind him.
Teddy’s face was flushed, and he wore a wicked smile as Adam dragged him across the parking lot.
After Trip shrugged out of his cut and flipped it inside out before putting it back on, he glanced over his shoulder to see Teddy giving him a finger wave. “Manes on Main,” he shouted. “I have a chair with your name on it!”
The cop yanked on Teddy and spun him around, saying something under his breath Trip couldn’t catch.
He snorted and climbed into the wrecker.
He had shit to do and it wasn’t fucking with the local 5-0.
Trip jammed his boot on the gas and ducked, trying like fuck not to die. But he was getting pissed. His first repo of the day had gone smoothly. He’d snuck in, grabbed the car and towed it back to Dutch’s fenced lot behind the garage, where he was storing the cars until the bank decided what to do with them. He and Dutch made a deal to use the lot temporarily until Trip had the time and money to build a secure storage area at the farm.
In the meantime, he needed to make money and a lot of it. So, as soon as he dropped the sedan, he headed toward the second one.
Which happened to be down Copperhead Road and up the mountain.
And up a long fucking dirt road that was a thousand times worse than the lane at the farm. It was hard to navigate the oversized old truck along the narrow path through the thick woods.