Page 53 of Bad Cowboy, Tennessee

“I guess so. Hey, want to make a cameo in this video?”

“Fuck yes, I do.”

I took a sip of my beer, looking down for a moment and pretending to be interested in some of the craft IPAs on the table in front of me. Max still didn’t know I was at the stall next to his. He was facing mostly in the opposite direction, and when I turned toward him again, he was holding up his phone and filming a video of himself and Andrew.

“Hello, all my cocktail bros, babes, and homies,” Max said, turning on his best social media charm.

“Hello, all of the people who like alcohol andlovelooking at Max,” Andrew said.

“Oh my God,” Max mumbled, giving Andrew a shove from the side. “Don’t say that. I’m going to restart the video.”

They redid the intro, Andrew introduced himself again, and Max continued on with his video.

“We’re out here at the Bestens Beer Fest, with combos that aren’t your daddy’s beer,” Max was saying. “Ever had a Radler with a candied citron twist or a shandy with a habanero kick? You could find it here. Because, as always: that’s how we do it in Tennessee, baby.”

Fuck, there was something so pure about him. Seemingly innocent, but after my interactions with him, I knew better.

Muscled but soft and curved, masculine but approachable. Nothing like me.

But he enjoyed catching me with my hand around my cock, so…

Maybe a little bit like me.

I downed the rest of my beer, tossed the cup into a recycling bin, and slowly started making my way toward the Hard Spot tent.

Chapter 9

Max

Iwas going to jump out of my own damn skin.

There was definitely something wrong.

When I’d spotted Draven at the beer fest, my first thought about him had been loud and clear in my mind:get the fuck away from me. A flash of heat had gone through me earlier as I watched his black hat and the hard curves of his muscles as he made his way from tent to tent, chatting with other people and even making some of them smile.

You get me on the ground and show me you could kill me in the first minute of meeting me…

But with everybody else you trick them into thinking you’re some charmer?

He finally approached my tent, and now he was up close, in a fitted black T-shirt and dark jeans that hugged his body.

“Holy shit, cowboy at ten o’clock,” Andrew murmured to me as Draven came up, not bothering to be very subtle with his comment. “Howdy.”

“Pleasure. I’m Draven,” I said, shaking Andrew’s hand.

“You know this guy?” Andrew asked me.

“I know him,” I said.

I crossed my arms.

“Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” Andrew asked.

“Lily’s boyfriend,” I said.

Andrew nodded.

“Ex-boyfriend,” Draven corrected.

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