Page 105 of Bad Cowboy, Tennessee

I gave him a smoldering stare. “Say that again.”

His eyes flared just a little, his gaze scanning my face. “Yes, sir.”

This time there was not much playful about it.

And I wanted to fucking pull him down from that little stepladder and throw him over this bar.

“Hey,” a stern voice barked from behind me. “The fuck are you doing behind my bar?”

I turned to see Kane, coming out from the back hallway.

“Just needed to talk to Max,” I said.

“You can talk to him from wherecustomerssit, in front of the bar. Get the fuck out of here.”

“Okay, okay, grizzly bear,” I told Kane.

The moment I was back out past the bar gate, he immediately calmed down, giving me a nod.

“I do protect this space like a bear,” Kane said. “You’re very welcome here. I… really like having you here, actually. Just don’t let it happen again.”

“Softie Kane,” Max teased. “You don’t usually tell anybody youlikehaving them here. Even the people you do like.”

Kane shrugged. “Don’t you think having Draven here makes the place feel safer?”

Something glimmered in Max’s eyes. “Yeah. I really do.”

“I’m like a guardian bear, sure, but Draven’s like a wolf. It’s nice having two beasts around.”

“If you two don’t stop complimenting me I’m going to do something awful and ruin it for both of you,” I said.

“Actually, Kane, that’s Draven’s secret,” Max said. “He’s a big softie inside, too.”

Kane snickered. “I don’t know if I believe that.”

Max blew me a kiss from his place on the step stool and something went molten in my chest. My head filled with every last thing I wanted to say to him, right here and now, preferably with a hand around his neck.

I need to fuck you.

Need.

Going to fucking tear every piece of clothing off of you later tonight, Baby Blue. And those lips that just blew me a kiss are going to look just as pretty around my cock.

My cock was still hard, because looking at Max in any capacity was going to have the power to do that.

But something about him made meachesometimes, too.

I really didn’t want to leave his side.

For the safety issue.

Mostly.

I gave Max a long look before heading out into the night.

And then I was only home for an hour before I got the phone call from him that I’d been dreading.

Part Two

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