Chapter 9
NINE
AUSTIN
It’s nearing close when Maddox shuffles into Quitter’s, eyes darting around like he’s about to rob it. I smirk, but don’t stop wiping down the sink. I’m surprised he was able to let two whole days pass without coming down here to harp at me.
Honestly, it hadn’t even occurred to me that Rancher might be Maddox until he turned his mic on. I’d thought the username was a funny little coincidence, but figured the odds of the man I’d wanted to fuck for years randomly finding me on a cam girl site were slim-to-none.
His voice, though. I’d been fantasizing about his voice for the last three years, so I knew it pretty well. Even without seeing his face or him telling me his name when I asked, I’d known. No one had a voice like Maddox’s.
“Austin,” he says pointedly, not bothering to take a seat.
I can’t remember the last time he called me Austin and not Tex, the nickname I hated.
The boys had stuck me with it when we were younger, teasing me about my name being the same as the city in Texas.
Maddox was the only one who still used it.
“Hmm?” I keep my eyes down just to make this harder for him.
He sighs and grabs the rag out of my hand, tossing it behind me. I glare at him as I hear it splat against the ground. Now I’ll have to go get another one. “What, Maddox?”
He finally takes a seat, leaning close to mumble, “I wanted to talk about things.” He’s angry—or maybe just irritated—hands in fists on the bar top, jaw set. He looks like a man you wouldn’t want to anger further, but he’s never scared me.
I grin, crossing my arms over my chest and reveling in the way his eyes fall to my cleavage before darting away. He knew what my nipples looked like now, knew I had them pierced, watched me play with them. I bet he was replaying it right now.
“What did you want to talk about, exactly? How hard your dick got while you watched me touching myself?”
“Goddammit,” he grumbles as he covers his eyes with the heels of his hands, elbows resting on the bar.
“Oh, okay, not that then.” I pretend to think about it. “Oh, I know! You’ve come to ask for your money back!”
“What?” he asks, head snapping up. “No.” He seems hurt I even brought it up, but despite how much I like to tease him, I know Maddox doesn’t want me in the same way I want him. He paid to watch a cam girl, not his little sister’s best friend.
“I’m just saying you dropped a pretty hefty amount of cash to watch a whore fuck herself. I can understand why you’d be disappointed—”
“I’m not disappointed and you’re not a whore, Austin,” he cuts me off sternly. His eyes stay locked on mine, glaring hard. My stomach flips, which I don’t really appreciate.
“By definition—”
“You’re not a whore. Keep the money. You worked hard for it,” he says, dismissing my argument. It surprises me he feels that way. Sex work is hard work, but most people would disagree with him.
“Then what? I’m not discounting your subscription.”
“For Christ’s sake, I wasn’t asking for that either. If you’d shut up for a minute, I could get my words out!” I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him raise his voice.
Usually, my body goes into a state of hyper-vigilance when men yell.
Even if I’m not scared, my body thinks I should be—whether or not it’s me that they’re yelling at.
I shove my hands in my back pockets, waiting for it to happen—for my heart to race and my hands to tremble—but it doesn’t this time. Interesting.
Still, I press my lips together and wait, watching him. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. The longer it takes, the more suspicious I become that it’s not anger. It’s anxiety.
I break the silence to take the pressure off of him. Or that’s the intention anyway. “Wow, this is probably the best conversation I’ve ever been a part of,” I deadpan. He glares in response. “So were you wanting to fuck, or?”
“Jesus Christ,” Maddox swears under his breath. “No, I was trying to figure out a way to beg you to not tell Kenny, but bringing up my little sister feels… awkward.”
The hope I didn’t even realize I’d been harboring gets sucked away.
He might not have come to get his money back, but this felt worse.
If he wanted his money back, I’d understand.
He’d invested in something and wasn’t satisfied with the product, after all.
But no, he wanted me to keep it. Hush money so he could keep what happened a dirty little secret and wash his hands of me.
“Why in the hell would I tell Kendall her older brother frequents a cam girl site? She doesn't want to know that and I don’t want to tell her.”
“I don’t frequent it,” he argues immediately. “I got on it the night of the brawl because I needed something to keep me up.” I bite back an immature response, but his narrowed eyes catch the way my lips curve. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Something,” he argues. “What?”
“Keep you up, huh?” I can’t hold back a snort this time. “Did it work? Did I keep you up, Maddox?”
“Awake,” he amends pointedly.
“Hmm. Tomato, to-mah-toe,” I say, leaning forward on my forearms to get in his space. He should back up, but he never does and I don’t want him to. Instead, his eyes dip down to my tits again and I smile wryly.
“I won’t tell your sister, Maddox. I swear it.”
He breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you. And I won’t watch anymore.”
I frown. “I don’t mind you watching. We could even take it offline, so you can save your money. On the nights you need help staying… up.”
“No,” he says immediately, which… okay, ouch. “We’re not doing anything anymore, Tex. You’re my sister’s best friend and you’re just a kid.”
“Well, now, we both know that’s not true,” I flirt, trying to stave off what I know’s coming.
“There’s ten years between us.”
“Exactly. Ten years. That’s nothing. You act like you’re cradle robbing.” I should stop arguing and save my dignity. I sound desperate.
“I’m not sleeping with you, Austin,” he says bluntly, frustrated.
His rejection turns my embarrassment to anger. I jerk myself away from the edge of the bar and scoff. “Jeez, I was just yanking your chain, Rancher. If I was going to go for any of you Whittakers, it’d be Kenny. Or maybe go round two with Colt since he was so good last time.”
He rears back, surprised, and my stomach twists with the thrill of pissing him off. How dangerous. “You’ve slept with Colt?”
“Everyone’s slept with Colt,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “It’s a small town. Not very many beds to choose from.”
“He’s got enough buckle bunnies on the road. He doesn’t need you chasing his cock, too.”
“You’re right. He definitely needs to be humbled,” I nod, pretending to think about it. “Maybe Jamie should be next. I heard he’s got a daddy kink and, well, now I know you don’t. I’d like to try it out.”
“Watch it, Tex,” he spits, but I’m on a roll. When he leaves here tonight, it’ll be because he’s angry, not because he’s rejecting me. Angry men don’t scare me, but giving a man my body and getting rejected anyway?
Well, we won’t look too closely at that one.
“Actually, you know what? Maybe I should show Bailey a good time. Give her a reason to get over Chase. Just climb every limb of the family tree.”
His jaw clenches, eyes locked on mine, ablaze. He opens his mouth, but I can’t let him say whatever it is he’s wanting to. I’m just barely getting through this conversation as it is. “We’re closed, Maddox. Get out of my bar.”
He huffs, pushing away from the bar so hard the stool falls to the floor.
“God, you’re such a fucking brat,” he grumbles under his breath as he bends over and rights it, turning on his heel and leaving.
I breathe a sigh of relief.