Chapter 22 Beau
BEAU
Sitting in the dark, I stare at the TV, but I haven’t a clue what’s been playing for the last hour. I keep thinking about Honey being on a date with Ian. He’s wining and dining her, and I’m sitting here twiddling my thumbs.
Fuck this. I stand up and grab my keys before I remember Honey and I have no future. Trig will see to that.
Goddamn it. I toss my keys back into the bowl. They land with a clatter that sends the kittens scattering across the house.
Fireball lets out an angry yowl from behind the couch.
“Sorry I scared you,” I mutter as I pace around my house, furious that I’m in this situation. I should’ve left well enough alone. All I’m doing is making life harder for myself.
I’m about to take a cold shower to get a grip when someone knocks on my door. My brothers usually just barge in. Maybe it’s a ranch hand working late.
But when I open the door, I’m greeted with another pissed-off kitten. “Honey. What are you doing here?” Pretty sure a light breeze could blow me over, I’m so shocked to see her.
“Are you going to ask me in?”
I rub the back of my neck. “I haven’t finished renovating this place yet. It’s kind of a mess. Maybe—”
She limps past me and tosses her purse on my couch. “Can I have a drink? Something strong.”
Um. “Whiskey okay?” I ask as I close the door and flip on the lamp.
“Perfect.”
“How’d you know where I live?” I mean, she knows I’m at the ranch, but how’d she know I’m not at the main house?
Her cheeks turn pink. “I overheard Baylee talking to Paige about your cabin, and I knew you guys used to have a family that rented this place out.” She winces. “Is it creepy I stalked you?”
“Not at all. I’m happy to see you.” Ducking into the kitchen, I flip on more lights and grab the bottle. “All I have is Jack Daniels. I’m sure you’re used to nicer booze.”
“I don’t care about that. Besides, I was named after my father’s favorite drink.” She motions to the bottle of Tennessee Honey in my hand.
“I always thought you were named after honey, as in bees.” Sweet like honey. But I don’t say that ’cause it’s cheesy as hell.
“Everyone thinks that, but no.”
After I motion to my old couch, we both sit. I set the Jack Daniels and two shot glasses on my banged-up coffee table. “Were your brothers also named after things your dad liked?”
She nods. “Cash because he loves money. And Trig…”
“Let me guess. Was that a horse? Because my grandfather used to like Roy Rogers and his horse named Trigger.”
“No. That would’ve been sweet. But my father loves his shotguns. And since my brother is a surly asshole, I think it’s a good name for him.”
I have to agree. As I pour the shots, I ask, “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”
I hand her the drink, which she slams back. With a hiss, she shakes her head. “I broke things off with Ian. He was planning a booty call after our dinner, and when I called him on it, he flipped out.”
I love the balls on this woman. “Is your father gonna be pissed?”
“Don’t care. Pour me another, please.”
Remembering her drunk brother earlier, I put the bottle down. “Alcohol doesn’t solve anything.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. If it did, Trig would be king of the universe.”
Nodding, I fold my arms. Since she obviously knows her brother has a substance problem, I don’t need to mention it. “Have you had anything to eat tonight? Or did you go straight to the insults?”
A little wrinkle forms between her brows. “I had a steak, but I was in a rush to be done, so I didn’t enjoy it.”
“Then what about some dessert?” Because I want to make her feel better. “I have some ice cream we could demolish.”
A small smile tilts her lips. “I’d like that.”
After I stand, I hold out my hand, and she takes it.
I pull her to standing, but I tug a little too hard, and she runs into me.
“Sorry ’bout that,” I whisper. She laughs and rests her forehead against my chest. Damn, it feels good to have her here.
I run my hand over the back of her head. “You okay, princess?”
She lets out a sigh. “I am now. But it was a rough night.”
I’m instantly on alert. What did that asshole say to her? I close my eyes, willing myself to calm down. This isn’t about me. This is about Honey.
When I wrap my arms around her, she snuggles closer, and I let out my own sigh. “Let’s see if we can make you feel better.”
Her head tilts back and she looks up at me. “Thanks for letting me crash your evening.”
“You’re always welcome here. Come on.” Ignoring the urge to pry about what happened with Ian, I head to the kitchen where I pull out our supplies.
She limps over to me, and I pause to take her in.
Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail.
She’s wearing a white blouse, another flouncy skirt, and flat sandals. “How’s your ankle?”
“Still hurts a little.”
“Let’s get you off your feet.” I grab her by her hips and lift her onto my island. “There.”
As I resume making our sundaes, I feel her watching me. “Would you like rum raisin, butter pecan, or mint chocolate?”
“Mint chocolate, please.”
After I put half a banana in each bowl, I add a scoop of ice cream and hand it to her. Then I lean against the counter across from her as we eat our dessert. She smiles. “Thank you. I needed this.”
“My pleasure.”
We don’t say much as we eat. I’m still shocked she’s here.
When she’s done, she puts her bowl down. “Have you always been this nice?”
“Pretty much.”
She laughs. “Beau Walker, I don’t know what to do about you.”
“You confuse the hell outta me too, princess.” I set down my bowl and cross the aisle to brace my arms on either side of her. She opens her legs, letting me slide closer. “This is reckless.”
She rests her arms on my shoulders. “Out of control.”
I don’t know how honest I should be, but I’m tired of being guarded around her. “If we go down this road, you might regret it.”
Reaching up, she cups my face. “You might regret it more.”
“Not sure I could ever regret you, darlin’.” I kiss her forehead.
“Even if my brother runs you over with his truck?”
“You heard about that, huh?” The worry in her eyes does me in. “I can handle myself, Honey. I’m not gonna get hurt.”
“Please don’t challenge Trig. He’s not himself right now. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s angry all the time, and I’m afraid you’ll find yourself in his crosshairs.”
“I’ll do my best to stay out of his way. We go long stretches where we don’t see each other.”
“Let’s hope for one of those now.” She closes her eyes, and when she opens them again, they’re full of agony. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, Beau. I don’t know if my father is going to ship me off to Vegas to marry one of his friends or disown me. I’m a little afraid either is possible.”
“I’ll tell you right now that there’s no fucking way I’m letting him marry you off to some stranger.” Over my dead body.
She nibbles her bottom lip. “I like that you get pissed on my behalf.”
“I feel… I feel protective of you, I guess.” It’s an admission to myself as well as to Honey.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “What about your mother or Cash? Could you talk to them?”
Pulling away, she looks down. “Can I tell you something in confidence?”
“Of course.”
“My mom falls in line with whatever my father wants. It’s been like that since I was a child. He cheated on her, had a son with another woman, and it ripped her apart. Mom was never the same after that. It’s like she gave up on anything she wanted.”
“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.” From afar, Abilene always seemed like a nice woman, even if she was a little remote. And I had no idea there was another McAllister brother out there.
“I’m afraid to involve Cash. My father could easily make his life hell too.”
“I’ve never had a beef with Cash. Yes, he’s always backed Trig, but Cash is closer to Rhett’s age, so they’re the ones who had the fistfights when they were young. And I tried to make peace with Trig today, but he told me to fuck off.”
“Fighting the Walkers seems like a rite of passage for my family.”
She seems so forlorn. I’ll do anything to put her in a better mood. I hold out my hands. “Come on, tiger. Give me your best shot.”
She finally smiles. “Bet I could take you.”
“Really? I’d like to see that.”
Fisting my shirt, she pulls me close again, and I rub my nose against hers.
When our eyes meet, she slowly grazes her lips against mine. “Beau, I know we said we’d just hook up that one time, but could we modify that plan?”
“What do you want, princess?”
She swallows, looking suddenly nervous. “Could we hang out? Maybe blow off some steam together until Baylee’s wedding. And then… I don’t know. Because my situation isn’t going to get any better, and I don’t want you tangled in my family drama.”
I don’t wanna think about what happens then either. “After that, we’ll take one day at a time.”
Smiling, she nods. “I’d like that.”
The relief of knowing we’ll be spending some time together hits me hard. “I would too.”
Her smile wanes. “Don’t freak out at what I’m going to say.”
“I don’t get spooked easily.”
Honey bites her plump bottom lip again. “I’m afraid I’ll end up with someone who never makes me feel the way I do when I’m with you.”
Jesus. This woman kills me. I gently grab her face. “I’m all yours, Honey.” Leaning closer, I kiss her, groaning when she lets me into her mouth.
Nothing about this is smart.
But I can’t seem to do the smart thing here and let her go.
We kiss until she’s panting and her legs wrap around my back. Needing to be closer, I pick her up and carry her to my bedroom. I kick open the door and then we’re falling on the bed.
She laughs when she lands, and I brace myself on the mattress, so I don’t crush her. Last time, we were cramped in her SUV. This time, I want space to lay her out. I also need light. Because I need to see her this time.
I flip on the lamp next to the bed. “You’re not shy, are you?”
“I rode you in the back of my SUV, Beau. What do you think?”