man, the same way you are and I am. Sure, we’ve got the same DNA, but I’m not like that.” His tone was proud, and it was hard to miss the stars in his eyes because he was so clearly thinking about Bo. “Just because you got his red hair doesn’t mean shit, Nate. You’ve got Mom’s green eyes, and I don’t imagine you’ll put up with a cheating woman for too many damn years. Will you?”
“No,” I conceded. “When did you start making sense?”
He shrugged. “Bo requires it. She has a very low tolerance for nonsense and bull.” We both laughed at the truth of that statement. “You seem to be full up on both right now.”
“I can still take you, kid.”
“You wish,” Jase countered casually, but he did take a cautious step back. “Maybe you’re bored with a different woman warming your bed or her bed, nothing serious other than your job. Maybe you don’t want to be the sad old dude at the club trying to hit on twenty-year-olds who see you as their grandpa.”
I reached out and punched his arm, hard, for that statement. “I’m not old, asshole.”
“Not yet, but to the girls and women at the clubs, at Black Thumb, you will be. Soon.” He shrugged at my silence and walked away, satisfied he’d said everything he had to say.
Hell, was I bored with my life? No. I did what I wanted when I wanted, and I didn’t have to answer to one damn person to do it. My life was my own, and that’s exactly what I always wanted it to be.
“Ah, hell.” Even I didn’t believe that.
Mikki
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this nonsense.” I glared at Bo while I sucked in heaving breaths of the freshest air I’d ever inhaled. The scenery was gorgeous, without a doubt, but the bugs were vicious. “What happened to good, old-fashioned, indoor fun?”
Bo stopped about ten feet ahead of me and turned with a scowl that told me exactly what she thought of my indoor fun. “You mean like shopping and spa days?” The disgust dripping from her voice was obvious and comical.
“For starters, yeah. But there are also museums and restaurants, wine tastings, movies and concerts. Those are all wonderful things to do, and they have the benefit of taking place indoors. Where the bugs don’t live.” Sweat was starting to gather in nooks and crannies I didn’t know existed, and I swore the bugs grew bigger the nearer we got to Bo’s house.
“Don’t be a baby; we’re almost done.” She was growing impatient with my whining but dang, this kind of walking just for fun really wasn’t my thing.
“I’m not being a baby, Bo. Some of us didn’t grow up traipsing through the outdoors like this and I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re not exactly in the same shape.” Where she was lean and toned, muscles visible with every move she made, I was curvy—what some might call lush or voluptuous. Or, as my mama liked to say, a little bit plump.
“You’re doing fine, physically, Mikki. Just open your mind and enjoy the beauty of nature.”
I sighed, because it was beautiful. Breathtaking, actually, with all the thick, lush greenery and the vibrant pops of color found in the occasional clusters of flowers. “Fine. But then we eat, right? Because I was promised food.” It was the only way I’d agreed to risk life and limb climbing a giant hill with no paved streets or paths.
Bo nodded and reached back for my hand as we came to a spot with a three-foot drop off. “Yes, food. Jase and Nate are getting the food going right now, I imagine.” Her words came out easy and casual—as well they should, because I hadn’t told her or anyone else about what had happened with Nate.
“What is Nate doing here?” I focused on landing on my feet while steadfastly ignoring the strange look Bo sent my way.
She blinked a few times before focusing in on my face. “He’s Jase’s brother, kind of comes with the territory. Why, do you have a problem with Nate?”
“I don’t,” I insisted quickly, probably too quickly if her expression was any indication, so I settled on a half-truth. “He’s just kind of a jerk, that’s all. But I’m just here for the food, so no big deal.”
“And the company,” she added sarcastically.
“And the company, of course,” I agreed with a smile she couldn’t see because she was moving forward,