by Gemma Weir
“Here you go,” Granger says, sliding two brown bags towards me, one says Beau on it, the other Bonnie.
“Thanks,” I say taking them.
“Why does that bag have my name on it?” she asks.
“It’s your lunch.”
“You made me a bagged lunch?” she asks incredulous.
“No, Granger made you a bagged lunch, it was his turn,” I say, handing her a thermal cup with her name on it too.
“Do you do this for every woman who sleeps over?” she asks my brother.
Granger glances at me, then to Bonnie, his brow furrowed. “Bonnie, you’re the first woman who’s ever slept at this house apart from our mama.”
“What?” she asks, confusion lacing the slightly shrill word.
“We don’t bring women to our home,” Teddy says from where he’s eating a bowl of cereal at the dining table.
“I don’t understand,” Bonnie says.
“This is our home, not some fuck pad. We wouldn’t disrespect our mama’s memory by bringing home any random woman we wanted to screw. We all agreed a long time ago that we’d only allow the women we were planning forever with to come here,” I tell her simply.
“But, I’m…” she trails off.
“Forever, baby girl,” I say, pressing another too quick kiss to her lips. “But we gotta go, else your gonna be late for work.”
“See you later,” my brothers chorus as I pull a very shocked Bonnie from the house and out to my truck.
“You okay?” I ask, as I lift her into my truck and buckle her seat belt, ignoring her when she tries to push me away so she can do it herself.
“No, I’m not. Your brothers made me a bagged lunch with my name on it.”
“One of us makes a bagged lunch for everyone, every day we work,” I say with a shrug, smiling to myself as I pull onto the road and head towards her house.
“This is all too much.”
“It’s only lunch, Bonnie,” I chuckle as I turn onto the ranch’s driveway, the sun just starting to creep over the horizon.
“It’s not just lunch,” she shrieks, her eyes wide and full of panic as I pull to a stop outside of her house.
“Calm down, you need to get ready for work.”
Her eyes flash to the house and she nods, fumbling with her seatbelt, then bolting from the car the moment she gets her door open. Calmly I follow her, letting myself into her house and heading for the kitchen.
“Morning Hal,” I say, as I slide into the chair opposite his at the kitchen table, my thermal coffee mug in my hands.
“Morning Beau,” he says with a nod.
We both turn as a flustered Bonnie bursts into the room wearing only a robe tied tightly at her waist. “I have to put dinner on, she says, rushing from one side of the kitchen to the other.”
“What you making?” I ask.
“Err,” she says, shoving her head into the refrigerator. “Daddy do you want pot roast or short ribs?”
“I can sort dinner later, sweetheart, you go get yourself ready for work, you seem a little fraught this morning,” Hal tells her.
“No, I put on dinner every morning, that way if Owen doesn’t bother to show we have dinner ready for when I get home,” she snaps, pulling a rack of ribs out.
“Stop,” I say, jumping up from my chair and going to her. Reaching around her from behind I take the food from her hands and place it on the counter. “Go get ready for work and I’ll sort dinner.”
“I…” she starts.
“Just calm down,” I say pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. “I know how to prep ribs for the crock pot, we have it all the time at home, so let me take care of this for you.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, turning to face me.
“Absolutely,” I say, dipping my head to kiss her.
“Okay,” she says, glancing at her dad, then back to me before she scurries out of the room.
I busy myself pulling out a pan and searing the meat while I chop some onions and add stock, sugar, garlic, and all the other ingredients into the crock pot, then place the ribs on top and put the lid on.
“You’re good for her,” Hal says, shocking me by speaking when he’s stayed silent until now.
“Good at pissing her off at the minute,” I laugh, filling the sink with suds to wash the pan, knife, and chopping board I’ve used.
“She’s trying to do everything her mama did, she won’t let me help and she’s working full time as well. She needs someone to take care of her,” he tells me, his eyes shrewd.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she announces, as she marches into the room in skin tight jeans with her work t-shirt tied in a knot at her back so it leaves an inch of skin between her jeans and shirt that I have the overwhelming urge to lean down and lick with my tongue.
“See you later, Hal,” I say, waving at the man whose eyes warm with love the moment they fall on his daughter.
“Bye Daddy, don’t work too hard,” Bonnie says, pressing a kiss to her dad’s cheek before she turns and heads towards the front door. She’s in my truck with her seatbelt buckled before I have a chance to get my hands on her again.
“What time are you supposed to finish work today?” I ask, as she unlocks the door of the coffee shop.
“Three in theory, but more than likely close. Owen doesn’t enjoy working and his dad won’t fire him, even though he knows he’s a waste of space,” she says absentmindedly.
“Text me and let me know.”
“Why?” she asks, turning to look at me for the first time since I climbed out of my truck.
“So I know if I need to come to the shop or straight to your place.”
“Why would you do either?”
“Baby girl, that’s a stupid fucking question,” I say, reaching over and grabbing the back of her neck with my palm. “If you’re closing, then I’ll come wait while you lock up, same as I’ve been doing for the last year. If you’re not then I’ll come straight to you at home.”
Her brow furrows and she look’s both confused and a little annoyed as her lips purse together. “Maybe I have plans tonight.”
“Do you?” I ask.
“I might.”
“What plans?” I ask, starting to get a little annoyed too.
“Cora wants a girls’ night out,” she says tartly.
“After you’ve worked a fourteen-hour day?” I ask with an arch of my brow, a smirk slipping onto my lips.
“Fine, so I don’t have plans, but you shouldn’t just assume I don’t,” she snaps.
“I’m sorry,” I say, barely restraining my grin as we both step into the shop. “What do you want for breakfast. I’m going to order us something from Granny Annie’s and have Herb bring it over,” I say, pulling up the number for the diner on the other side of town that’s open twenty-four hours a day.
“Don’t you have to go to work?” she asks, pausing by the coffee machine she just turned on to heat up.
“Not till after we’ve eaten, you know what time I normally leave. Plus, I need to feed you first, I never thought about us not having time for breakfast. You distracted me with that perfect pussy of yours,” I tell her, rounding the counter and backing her against the wall, claiming her lips with mine.
“Beau,” she whines breathily. “You really can’t keep coming back here and kissing me.”
“Watch me. I won’t let a stupid fucking counter stop me from getting to you,” I say, dipping my head to hers again, my hand sliding along that tantalizing strip of skin at her waist.
She moans against my mouth and I reluctantly pull back. “Let me feed you. What do you want for breakfast?”
“French toast with strawberry butter, please,” she says, her eyes unfocussed, her body soft and pliant against mine.
Stepping away from her, I pull up a stool at the counter rather than sitting at my usual table and watch her as I call through our food order to Granny’s. It comes quickly and I pull up a stool next to my own and make her sit and eat with me.
“I’ve got to go, baby girl,” I tell her reluctantly when we’ve both finished eating.
“Okay,” she says, taking the trash from our breakfasts and dropping it into the can beneath the counter. “Thank you for breakfast.”
“You’re welcome,” I say. “Now come here.”
“Why?” she asks.
“So you can kiss me goodbye,” I tell her, loving how her cheeks pink a little.
11
Bonnie
“Beau—” I start.
“Bonnie, get your butt round here and kiss me goodbye before I come round there and redden that ass again,” he warns, his voice rough and full of promise.
My mind fills with how it felt when he spanked me this morning and made me come. Heat pulses in my cheeks as I blush, embarrassed and turned on by how much I liked it. Slowly I force my feet one in front of the other as I make my way from behind the counter towards him. When I reach him, I press my palms flat against his huge, hard chest and kiss him chastely on his cheek.
“That’s how you kiss me after I made you scream my name this morning?” he asks archly, yanking me into him and taking my mouth in a rough, claiming kiss that makes my head spin and my nipples pebble in anticipation.
“Jesus, that’s some kiss.”
My eyes snap open, and I tear myself away from Beau’s hold and spin to see Hannah standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock, a knowing smile spread across her lips.
“Hannah, hi,” I say a little too loudly.
“Morning Bonnie, Beau, I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“You weren’t,” I say too quickly, rushing towards her and almost dragging the basket from her arms.
“You were, but it’s fine, I’ve got to go to work anyway,” Beau laughs, coming up behind me and curling one of his huge hands across my stomach. “See you later, baby girl, text me and let me know what time you’re finishing.”
I nod absently, looking anywhere but at him. His fingers pinch my chin and he tips my face back, forcing me to look up at him. “Text me or call me,” he growls.
“Okay,” I nod.
“Kiss me,” he orders.
“Beau.”
“Kiss me,” he orders again, the stubborn look in his eyes warning me that he’ll keep me like this until I comply.
Pushing up onto my tiptoes I press my lips to his, planning to make it quick, until he palms the back of my head and kisses me deeply and thoroughly, not releasing me until I’m breathless.
“Behave,” he whispers, pressing a quick peck against my lips before he lets me go, then turns and leaves.
“Hell, I think I’m pregnant just from watching you two,” Hannah laughs. “How long have you pair been together, and how the hell have you managed to keep it quiet for so long?”
“We’re not together,” I say quickly.
“You kiss all your customers like that then?” she asks, with a knowing smirk.
“No. I. We. It’s complicated,” I say with a sigh, turning my back on her to take the basket behind the counter. Filling the display as quickly as I can, I pass the basket back to her and then pretend to be busy filling the bean grinder, hoping she’ll leave rather than stay and try to talk some more.
“Well I can’t say I’m not shocked, but good on you,” she says. “You caught the uncatchable, the white whale, and if what Misty Connors says is true, he has a seriously huge moby dick,” she laughs. “See you tomorrow, Bonnie.”
I don’t turn around until I’m sure she’s gone, then I exhale slowly, closing my eyes, ready to kill Beau for kissing me like that in here where anyone could see us. Rockhead Point is a small town and Hannah is a gossip, there won’t be a soul left this side of the mountain who won’t know about Beau and me kissing by the end of the day.
By the time the clock hits twelve I’m tired, starving, and pissed off with Beau. My cell phone has six unopened text messages from him, but I’m too annoyed with him to even look at them. Every Rockhead Point resident who’s come in for coffee this morning has asked me about Beau and my supposed relationship. Some were genuine well wishes, others were from women who all wanted to know if he was officially off the market. More than one of them asked me to confirm if the rumors about the size of his junk were true.
When the bell above the door rings, I look up and find Cody Barnett smiling at me as he saunters in.
“Hey Bonnie,” he says with a smile that’s incredibly like his older brother’s.
“Didn’t Beau tell you? I banned the entire Barnett family from the shop a few days ago.”
“He didn’t mention it, no,” Cody smirks. “But he did ask me to tell you to reply to his texts.”
“Is that the only reason you came down here, to bug me for your infuriating brother?” I snap.
“Nope, I came for a coffee and a lemon bar too,” he says. “I need something sweet to go with my lunch, did you eat yours yet? Granger always puts in oatmeal raison cookies and they’re too healthy to feel like a real treat.”
“I haven’t had a chance to eat yet, it’s barely twelve,” I say on a sigh.
“You’ve been here since six, haven’t you? How can you not be starving yet?” Cody asks, horrified. “What time’s your lunch break?”
“I’m here on my own so I don’t normally take a lunch break, I just eat when it gets quiet enough for me to nip into the back. What sort of coffee do you want?”
“A latte please, with an extra shot and almond milk if you have it,” Cody says.
I busy myself making his coffee and ignore my cell when it starts to ring, buzzing against the shelf that it’s sitting on under the counter. Placing a lemon bar into a paper bag, I push them both towards Cody. “Four seventy-five please.”
“No family discount?” he asks with a grin.
“No, you’re lucky I didn’t spit in it,” I warn.
“You should answer his texts or call him, he said he’s coming down here if he doesn’t hear from you in the next ten minutes,” Cody says, leaning over the counter and lowering his voice, “and I don’t think you want all these nice customers hearing what the rest of us heard last night and this morning if he decides you need to remember who you belong to,” Cody says with a wink.
My mouth falls open and heat pulses in my cheeks; I blush so violently I’m worried my skin might actually burn from the heat. “Y…youuu,” I stammer. “You heard?” I force the words past the huge lump in my throat.
Cody doesn’t speak, he just smiles.
Mortified tears fill my eyes, and I cover my mouth with my hand to stifle the whimper that I can feel on my lips.
“Hey,” Cody says, his amusement dissolving in an instance. “Hey, I was only teasing. Why are you upset?”
“I’m not. I’m fine,” I insist, holding my hand up to stop him when he starts to move to my side of the counter. The bell on the door chimes and I pull in a shaky breath, curling my arm across my stomach to hold in all of my unwanted emotion. “I have a customer, enjoy your coffee,” I say stiffly to Cody, looking past him to the group of tourists that just came inside.
“Bonnie, I’m sorry, I was just teasing. I don’t want to leave when you’re upset,” he pleads, worry and anxiety etched across his face.
“I’m fine, but I need to work,” I tell him. “Next please,” I call, forcing him to step aside when the group approach the counter.
“I’m sorry. I’ll see you later,” Cody calls, but I ignore him, eagerly greeting the stranger as Beau’s brother leaves.
When I’ve served the last customer, I pull my cell from below the counter and type out a text to Beau without bothering to read the ones he’s already sent me.
Me – I’m working! Stop texting me, stop calling me. Don’t come down here, and stop sending your asshole brothers in here to spy on me.
With a flourish, I shove my cell back under the counter and pointedly ignore it as it starts to buzz, stopping, only to start again a moment later.
It’s barely twenty-five minutes later
when the door bursts open and a very angry, muddy Beau storms towards me, a laughing Teddy trailing behind him.
“No,” I shout, as he barrels across the shop, not even pausing as he comes behind the counter, grabs me, and physically drags me into the kitchen, slamming and locking the door behind us.
“Beau, no, get the hell away from me. You can’t just come into my work and lock me in here with you. This is my job, this isn’t okay. You need to stop coming here, and you need to stop sending your brothers here too,” I shout, ripping my arm free from his grip and moving as far away from him as I can get in the small industrial kitchen.
“Why are you upset? Cody said you were crying,” he demands, his huge frame taking up so much of the space that my chest feels tight.
“I want you to leave, let me out of here and go away,” I say tightly.
“Is this ‘cause he teased you about hearing us?” he demands. “He was just giving you shit, that’s what we do with each other, he wasn’t being an asshole.”
“You’re all assholes,” I cry.
“Why am I an asshole, what did I do?” he asks incredulous.
“Are you serious?” I say, throwing my hands into the air dramatically. “First you kiss me like we’re about to start fucking on the floor when Hannah was here. Then I spent all morning answering questions about our non-existent relationship and refusing to tell women if your dick is as big as the rumor mill says it is. My cell has been buzzing every twenty seconds, and when I don’t reply, you send your brother down here to tell me to answer my goddamn cell phone. Then he tells me that not just him, but all your brothers apparently heard us last night and this morning. And now, even after I very specifically told you not to come down here, here you are, bursting into my work and locking me in here with you. That’s why you’re an asshole. I’m so embarrassed and mortified, Beau, and I need you to just go away and stay away and keep the rest of your family away from me too,” I scream, hot angry tears streaming down my face.
The smirk that had started to curve along his lips falls away when he sees my tears, and in an instant he’s across the room and batting away my protests as he pulls me into his huge chest and hugs me to him, smoothing the back of my hair down with his hand.