Rough Country (Tannen Boys 3)

Not soon enough, it’s time to close and Willow does the ‘don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here’ spiel. Olivia clears tables left and right, thanking people for their tips and promising to see them tomorrow night.

A drunk guy loudly asks why she’s not kicking our table out, and Olivia laughs as she follows his pointed finger to our group. She dares him, “You want to be the one to tell them?” Toward us, she calls out, “Hey, Brutal, think this guy has something to discuss with you.”

The guy looks over, and Brutal glowers back, squaring up and clenching his jaw. He doesn’t even need to say anything as Drunk Dude pales, gets up unsteadily, and heads for the door with the help of what I assume is his designated driver.

Brutal relaxes with a smirk. “Must’ve been something I said.” We chuckle because Brutal is the biggest teddy bear of us all, probably the least likely to get in a tussle, but he knows how to work his size and mean mug to his advantage.

“We’d better get going, anyway. Mama Louise is keeping Cindy Lou tonight,” Sophie says, standing up.

Next to her, James confides, “She’s hoping for another grandbaby.”

Allyson laughs. “She’s got Cooper tonight too. Told me that he helps her with Cindy Lou. Hope she’s not dreaming of another one from us. This shop is closed.” She waves her hand around her middle section.

But Brutal growls, “It’d better not be closed.”

Allyson rolls her eyes. “Not for you, but for babies . . . closed indefinitely.”

They all head for the door, leaving me alone at the table. I gather up our trash and glasses, stacking them the way Olivia does and taking them to the back. Ilene doesn’t blink at my being in the kitchen, and Daniel simply takes the glasses with a sound of appreciation and gets back to work.

I help clean up the front of the bar, pushing the broom and mop around after flipping the chairs up on the tabletops, and before long, everything’s done.

Daniel walks behind the bar and says something quietly to Willow. She looks at me, leaning on the far end of the bar, and I know my eyes are dark as night and promising sin. Dirty thoughts assail me . . . what I could do to her on the bar, behind the bar, over any table in this place? I don’t hide a single filthy idea from her.

Slowly, she pries her eyes from mine and turns to Daniel. With a nod, he waves at me and escorts Ilene and Olivia toward the door. On her way past, Olivia says quietly, “Fuck this up and you’ll only live long enough to regret it. Between Hank and me, we’ll put the meat grinder to good use and no one will be the wiser.”

What is it with women and true crime shit? Do they have lessons on how to get away with murder?

Wait, that’s got the potential to be a good song lyric. Oh, shit, no . . . the Dixie Chicks already did that with Goodbye Earl, Carrie Underwood killed her dad in Blown Away and her husband in Two Black Cadillacs, and Garth Brooks did Papa Loved Mama too. Maybe I’ll skip the murder music for now.

Once Willow and I are finally alone, murder is the last thing on my mind. Unless it’s little deaths . . . fuck, I could make her come all night. Make her sing with pleasure for me. That’s the music I’d love to hear. It’d be my new favorite song for sure.

Needing to hold her, I walk to the jukebox and hit J14. Hank keeps this thing pretty updated, keeping classics but adding new tunes regularly. Chris Jansen’s Done pours through the speakers, saying what I can’t to Willow.

She’s it for me.

I’m done for, no doubt about it.

I hold out my hand, and from across the bar, she takes it. I walk her down to the end and around, finally holding her in my arms again. We don’t do any fancy footwork. This isn’t the time for that. For now, I just sway her back and forth, feeling her body pressed to mine. She feels so right, so mine, and I want to soak her up, slide into her soul, and fuse us into one.

“Fuck, I’ve wanted to hold you all night,” I confess quietly. I’m acutely aware of her weight shifting from side to side, her skin which is now covered in fine goosebumps, and the hitch in her breathing at my throaty admission.

She gives me one of those smiles that drives me wild and lays her head against my chest. Her arms go around my waist and mine drop over her shoulders in the tightest, sexiest hug I’ve ever had. She even squeezes me a bit.