Page 31 of Bad Cowboy, Tennessee

You can fight me over that one.

Next time we hang out, I’ll put on Blade Runner.

Yeah, because we hang out. Like friends. All the time. Are you delusional?

No. I’m just attracted to you, and you want more info on me. Pretty simple, Baby Blue. You’ll get more of me. Promise.

I want less of you.

Say that again, without lying.

Fine. I want to see you again, but only for revenge.

Forgot your version of revenge is making me suck your cock.

It’s still revenge, even if you like it.

Fucking hot when you try to pretend you wouldn’t like it, too. Hard for me again?

I shoved my phone in my pocket as I saw Lily coming back to the table. I ignored my cock, whichhadbeen getting hard, against my wishes. Last thing I needed right now was to be thinking about that while talking to Lily.

I picked up a little yellow packet of fake sugar, tapping it on the table.

“Back,” she said as she sat down. “Anyway. Yes, we broke up, and no, I’m not too bent out of shape about it.”

“I’m surprised he made that long-ass road trip out from Montana with you, if things weren’t going well.”

She shuddered. “Waytoo long of a road trip. I’m glad I’m flying back.”

“You’re not driving back in his truck?”

“Well, that’s the other thing. He wanted to get out of Montana,” Lily explained. “He might be staying here for a while, even after I head back.”

Lily looked like she was holding something back now.

My sister was more spontaneous than me, but she was also a nice person—too nice—which was part of the reason I couldn’t understand why she was dating someone like Draven in the first place.

“Why do you look like you’re about to give me a death sentence?” I asked her.

“You know Mr. Marsden?”

I nodded. “Old man? He comes into the bar sometimes.”

“You remember his house? The run-down one at the corner of Ridge Road?”

“Of course. I love that old house.”

Lily bit the inside of her cheek. “Draven bought it. He’s going to fix it up.”

I dropped the packet of sweetener onto the table. “That house? That house has been on the market forever. If I saved up enough money from bartending, I said I was going to finally give Mr. Marsden a deal on fixing it up myself, in a couple of years.”

“You don’t like the barn?”

I leaned back, running a hand through my hair. “Thebarn?I love the barn, but being on Mom and Dad’s land isn’t exactly a forever-home prospect for me.”

“I never knew you were interested in Marsden’s old house.”

“I didn’t know fuckingDravenwas, either.”

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