Page 9 of Last First Love
But no, this is apparently the part where I have to get a stern talking to from Elliott. Probably he's going to tell me to leave his hot as hell sister alone and I have to pretend like it’s no big deal.
I hold up one finger to Elliott. "Am I going to need a beer for this?"
His eyebrows lift. "It's barely noon. How are you even considering alcohol at this unholy hour of the day?"
I shrug. "It's my day off. I had to take off my clothes and be objectified all morning long. Plus, you've got a serious look on your face. Thus, I'm going to need a drink."
Elliott is giving me a flat, unfriendly look. I sigh and turn to K.T., the best bartender in Valentine. "Would you please tell him that noon is not an unreasonable hour for me to be having a beer?"
K.T. points her long, red nailed index finger at me. "This guy? He's been in before ten a.m. before. Noon is nothing to him."
Elliott's eyebrows climb even further up his forehead. Five head. Whatever that billboard sized thing under his hair is. "Oh really?"
I scowl at him. "Don't take that tone with me. I've had beers with you and every possible hour of the day, seasonable or unseasonable." I turn to face K.T. "And you. You know that was a one time special event, so I don't appreciate you making it sound like I'm some kind of big time morning drinker when you know it was an actual bro-mergency."
I fold my arms and harrumph loudly. "I'm very offended by the way that both of you are acting right now. I am a damn good friend, and this morning's engagement is completely because of the many benefits of my friendship. Otherwise, why would Abernathy have asked me to be his best man?"
K.T.'s eyes light up. "Oh, he actually did it?" She claps her hands together a couple of times, like a little kid does when they're excited. "I'm so damn happy for him and Darcy."
Her show of real happiness loosens something inside me. I force a smile. "Yeah, me too. He proposed at today's photo shoot and it was pretty amazing. We even have some pretty epic photos of the two of them mid-proposal. I'm glad I was there to see it happen."
Her lips curl up into a shy, happy smile. "That's really great. I'm so happy for them." Then she knocks on the bar top. "We're definitely all having a drink right now to celebrate Darcy and Abernathy's engagement."
I tilt my head toward Elliott and flutter my eyelashes at him. "See? Drinking at noon is perfectly acceptable, meat wagon."
He shakes his head. "You're ridiculous. Somehow you always get exactly what you want out of every situation, and I don't know how you do it."
I tap my chin with one finger, pretending to be lost in thought. "Must be my boyish good looks. That seems to have been what's been working for me so far in life."
He snorts. "I don't think any man with a beard like yours qualifies as boyish anymore."
I run my fingers over my carefully groomed babe magnet beard. It’s lush and magnificent and has earned me many, many admirers. "Huh. I guess so. Maybe it's my manly good looks then."
Ell shoves me again, this time towards a table. "Sit down, Casanova. We have a lot to talk about."
I sigh and try to make myself comfortable. This is definitely not a friendly chat.
K.T. brings over some beer and the three of us toast to Darcy, then to Abernathy, then to love. Gross. That last one goes down sour, but well, I'm supposed to be playing a part here and being Mister Bitter is not part of the script.
Once we're liquored up a bit, I decide it's time to broach the topic of the day with Ell. Might as well get the yelling over with so we can move on with the rest of our lives.
"Okay Ell. There's obviously something bothering you, so let's hear it. Daddy Daniels is here to soothe all your troubles away."
His lips curl up a little at the edges, but the look he's giving me is nothing but serious. “I am not calling you Daddy. So put that out of your mind immediately.”
He pauses and then his eyes search my face. "Did you see any of those oiled up pretty boy truckies bothering my sister? Tell me the truth, Daniels."
I can tell by the way he asked that he doesn't mean me. Whew. I shake my head, carefully keeping my face looking as bland and idiotic as possible. "Not one of them Ell. I promise."
It's true. None of those guys had a chance to flirt with her because I was busy giving her my full court press. They could all tell that I'd staked my claim on Lily and every single one of them know better than to come between me and the pretty girl who is getting all of my attention.
He sighs roughly, then runs his fingers along the fine buzz of his hair. "I don't know what to do about her. She used to be such a good girl, but now...." His voice trails off, but my imagination kicks into overdrive to try to fill in all the missing words of that sentence.
As in,nowshe's been begging for a man to take her home and teach her about multiple orgasms.Nowshe can’t get enough of a hot guy making her dreams come true and her panties melt. Or,nowshe keeps complaining about how masturbation isn't as good as a hot, sweaty night of very sexy times with a well-endowed man named Ken Daniels.
Okay, possibly not that last bit, but a man can dream, can't he?
"Honestly, I don't get what your issue is with her. She was nothing other than professional at the shoot today, and the roomful of half-naked firefighters didn't even phase her." What I don't mention is how sweetly flustered she was with me, how she blushed bright red every time I flirted with her. Because that's my secret to hold onto, and I'm sure as hell not suicidal enough to mention it to her bruiser of a brother.
