“Except you,” Coop replies, reading my mind.
I shoot him a glare. “Don’t sit there and act like I did something wrong. You don’t know shit about wh
at happened between Mo and me.”
Coop raises his hands in surrender and doesn’t say another word.
“What about Ruff Time?” I ask, looking at Adley. “Who’s been running it? She should be taking it over soon, right?”
Adley and Coop share a look that pisses me off even more. It’s clear they know something I don’t.
“You need to talk to Mo,” Adley says, resting her hand on top of mine. “This is her story to tell, not ours. I’m sorry you didn’t know about Phil’s condition. I wish one of us would’ve told you sooner, but we were only trying to follow your wishes—even if we didn’t understand them.”
“I wish you would’ve told me too.” I pull my hand out from under Adley’s and finish off my beer.
“Speak of the devil.” Adley nods toward the front of the bar. “Look who just walked in.”
I feel Mo before I see her. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my heart kicks up a couple of notches, and my cock twitches before I even turn around. If I thought Mo and I were over, today has shown me I was sorely mistaken. Whatever we had is still alive and strong and growing inside of me by the second.
My chair scratches against the hardwood as I turn to look. With ease and grace, she glides across the floor and props her elbow on the edge of the bar. She’s talking with Claire Daniels all the while. I’m not surprised to see her with Claire; they’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. I am, however, surprised to see her at Red’s. This was never her hangout.
Things change; people change. I wonder what else has changed with Mo. I wonder if she still sings when she cooks or shifts on her feet when she’s nervous. Does she still prefer to eat dessert first when she goes out to dinner? Does she still leave a mess wherever she goes? Most of all, I wonder if she still makes that sweet little moan right before she—
Son of a bitch, I have to stop. I can’t think about that. Not right now, and certainly not after what she did.
“Did you know she would be here?” I ask, turning toward Coop.
When he talked me into a beer, we purposely chose to stay away from Dirty Dicks. He said it was because he’s there all the damn time and needed a change of scenery, but I’m wondering if he had ulterior motives.
“Nope.”
I grunt noncommittally, unsure whether I believe him or not.
“Is she dating anyone?”
Coop frowns.
Adley lifts a brow. “I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about that sort of thing.”
“Answer the damn question.”
“She’s single. And don’t look now, but we’ve been spotted,” Adley whispers, trying to be discreet as she glances over my shoulder.
I can’t help it; I follow her gaze.
Mo’s breath hitches the second we make eye contact. She doesn’t look pissed, but she also doesn’t look happy. She looks…unsure. My eyes drop, drinking in the sight of her. She switched out her flannel for a concert T-shirt, and the cowboy boots I love have been replaced by a pair of tattered Chucks. But she’s still wearing those tight-ass jeans that showcase her mile-long legs, and I can’t help but remember what it’s like to have them wrapped tight around my body.
When I look up, Mo’s eyes are smoldering. Yup, I’ve still got that control over you, sweetheart. My lips curve in a smile. She blushes and looks down at her feet. Claire must say something because Mo looks up and then over at me and nods. Here they come.
“Family dinner night?” Claire asks as they draw near. “You’re missing a few. Where’s Trevor?”
“He’s on shift tonight, and I’m sure Beau is floating around the world somewhere. We don’t hear from him much,” Adley says.
Trevor is my younger brother. He’s a full-time firefighter and helps Dad out on the ranch. Beau, my oldest brother, is a freelance photographer, and we only hear from him when he breezes through Texas on an assignment. Much like the rest of the Allen crew, Trevor and Beau are married to their jobs.
Claire’s cheeks turn red, and she smiles. “He’s always working.”
If I were a betting man, I’d bet she has a thing for my baby brother. I look at Adley, and she must notice it too, because she grins.