24. Corbin #2
Lance flipped me off, and I rushed to catch up with Beau, who didn’t say a word as we got into his truck. I hadn’t ridden in it before, but I was sure there was plenty of power under the hood. I noticed that it was covered in mud, and I wondered where he driven it.
I went back and forth, trying to decide if I should apologize to him for spilling our story to Lance or wait for him to speak first. Ultimately the decision was made for me.
“I would say I was sorry I was late to pick you up, but that ended up not being an issue.”
“You were going to apologize?”
That got me a side-eye. “You think I can’t admit when I’m wrong?”
“I… I don’t know. I guess I figured you’d just expect me to wait for you.”
“No, baby. I show my employees the same respect I expect them to show me.”
“Don’t they have to earn it?”
“If they came in acting like you did, they would’ve never gotten hired.”
I hated his assessment, but I knew it was true, and the fact that he was still calling me baby made everything okay. If he was truly angry, if he was going to end things, he wouldn’t have said that.
“I’m sorry I told Lance about us and that I made you worry. I shouldn’t have had so many drinks.”
Beau nodded, but when he didn’t look my way, my stomach did a somersault. “How much does Lance know?”
He sounded angry now, and he had every right to be. I’d known he didn’t want to jeopardize his position with my family. I knew he didn’t think my brothers would approve of me being with him. I thought back to what I remembered of my conversation with Lance, and it made my cheeks burn.
“That much, huh?”
“He just knows that I’m interested in you, and we’re… kind of together.”
“There’s no kind of about it. You’re mine, and I’m keeping you.”
His words made my heart skip a beat. Did I dare let myself believe he really was in this for the long-term?
“I suppose I should be happy he didn’t rush over to beat me up.”
“No, he… You heard him today. He doesn’t have a problem with it.”
“Do you really think he won’t tell Remington?”
I wasn’t sure about that. My oldest brother had a way of getting everyone to spill their secrets. “He’ll try.”
Beau huffed out a breath. “I’m disappointed you weren’t ready on time this morning.”
I wanted to point out that he wasn’t either, but I didn’t dare. “Later tonight, there will be consequences for that.”
“What kind of consequences?” I asked, sounding ridiculously eager. I was no longer as worried as I’d been a few minutes ago.
“I’ll let you think about that today, let you wonder how I might remind you of the importance of obeying me.”
“Shit, Beau. How am I supposed to work today thinking about that?”
“That’s the whole point, baby. You’ve got to learn to think ahead and find more self-discipline.”
“But can’t you just… Can’t you go ahead and tell me…”
“No, we have other things to talk about now.” His voice had changed. He was serious.
“What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t show up this morning because you let your brother get you drunk last night. I didn’t show up on time because I spent the night out in the swamp in a shack, learning what I could from your cousin about the man who wants to ruin me.”
“Ambrose let you spend the night at his cabin?”
“Only because he was worried I couldn’t navigate back to civilization in the dark.”
“Shit, you drove out there?”
“I did. I can’t have this threat hanging over my head or yours.”
“I really don’t think?—”
“The people behind this are after your family too.”
Anger built in my gut. “Who is it?”
“I’m hoping you can help me figure that out. Ambrose is going to work his network, and I’ve got another friend—the one who called last night—who’s going to find out what he can as well. I told Ambrose I’d have a chat with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes, with you.”
What had Ambrose thought of that? He hadn’t seen me in years, and I was pretty sure he thought I was still a little child. “But I’m… Lance and Remy know so much more.”
“People say things around you because they think you’re a kid. They think you’re not listening and paying attention. I bet you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for.”
Did I? Beau might just be right. “But Lance is the one who?—”
“I’ll talk to him if I need to, but right now I’m talking to you.”
“You make me all confused.” Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.
He glanced over at me and grinned. “I never said I’d make this easy.”
“No, you basically said exactly the opposite.”
His smile widened. “This is what you need. You also need someone who trusts you, and I do.”
“But I screwed up again. I was irresponsible, and I…”
“You admitted it and said you were sorry. That’s a huge step, baby. You would never have apologized to me for being a brat the first day you came into my shop.”
My cheeks burned even hotter as I remember that day. I’d been convinced Beau needed to bow down to me because I was so incredibly important. I couldn’t believe he’d ever agreed to fix Remy’s car, not after the way I’d acted.
“Why did you agree to help me?”
“I told myself it was because you were never going to meet my conditions, but the real reason was because you were a challenge I couldn’t resist. I wanted to see what you could learn from having to take orders from me.”
I’d learned that it’s hot as fuck, and I would basically do anything he said.
“So let me tell you what I know, and you see if you can fill in any of the blanks.”