Chapter 3

three

. . .

River

I walkedinto Whiskey Falls bar, and Romeo held up his hand and waved me over. My boy had won his fight a few weeks ago, and we were all relieved to have that behind him now. He’d officially made a statement that he was retiring from boxing, and he would be focusing his energy on the gym that he owned, the house he’d just bought, and of course, his girl, Demi, who was one of us now.

My brother, Kingston, was sitting beside him, and Hayes and Nash were on the other side of the table. The five of us had been the best of friends since we were kids, and our bond ran deep. I glanced over to see Demi standing at the bar, talking to Ruby.

I made my way over and leaned down to kiss Demi on the cheek, and she smiled up at me. “Hey, River. Glad you’re here. Everyone is getting hungry.”

My eyes landed on Ruby.

Dark hair fell all around her shoulders.

Red lips.

Cat eyes that looked more green than blue or gold today.

She wore a black concert tee that outlined her perky tits perfectly, and my mouth watered at the sight.

There was just something about her.

She was Lionel’s daughter, which meant she was off-limits, not to mention the fact that she appeared to hate me, but a man could appreciate a fine woman without acting on it.

“I got hung up at work.” I turned my attention to Ruby, who stood on the other side of the bar. “Hello, Evil Queen. I’ll take a beer.”

She raised a brow. “That’s original. I hope you didn’t lose any brain cells coming up with that one.”

She reached for a glass and pulled the tap as Demi covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter.

“First, you didn’t think I knew how to do my job, and now you’re worrying about my brain cells. You sure are worried about me. Maybe you’re sweeter than you let on.” I smirked when she set the glass down and glared at me.

“Romeo’s waving me over.” Demi looked between us like this was too much tension for her. “Just let Ruby know what you want to eat. I gave her everyone’s food order just now.”

I nodded as she hurried away, and I turned my attention back to the little vixen on the other side of the bar.

Her tongue moved along her bottom lip, and she raised a brow. “Don’t mistake my concern with how you assist my father as anything more than that.”

I nodded. Damn. She could dish out the shit, and I fucking loved it.

“Such an angry, evil queen. Trust me, I don’t need your concern. I do just fine on my own.”

“I don’t doubt that for a minute. That’s my concern. Were you looking out for yourself or my father with that lawsuit?”

Now that shit pissed me off once again. I was a lot of things, but I wasn’t a shitty friend. I was loyal to my core, and Lionel was one of the few people I would walk through fire for.

I took a pull from my beer before leaning forward and moving just a few inches from her face. “Your father is my friend. I advised him from the start that he should have just paid the fucking medical bill for Jenna, and none of this would have happened. He paid more than he should have because he’s a stubborn ass. And for the record, she could have gotten a lot more out of him if I hadn’t talked some fucking sense into her and convinced her to let it go. So be careful who you point the finger at.”

She didn’t even flinch. “How very lawyerly of you, but unlike my father, I don’t trust you.”

“Good. Then you’re as smart as your father says you are.” I moved closer, those red lips beckoning me. I’d never felt a pull toward a woman like this.

Or maybe she was just hot as hell, and I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since the run-in at the hospital.

She pulled back, mouth in a straight line, completely unaffected. Cool as a motherfucking cat. “Don’t go getting any ideas. I know a wild River when I see one.”

I chuckled. “Takes one to know one.”

“No. It takes one who’s dealt with many to know one.”

“All right. Then how about you lose the attitude and realize I’m not the enemy? Your dad is important to me, and I’ll do whatever I can to help him. Always.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “We’ll see about that. What do you want to eat?”

“I’ll take a burger. Medium.”

“Got it. You can go now.” She turned away, and I chuckled. I grabbed my beer and made my way to the table.

“That looked a little heated,” Romeo said, glancing from me back over to where Ruby stood behind the bar.

“I told you guys that they were extremely tense with one another.” Demi sipped her wine and smiled up at me.

“She thinks I screwed over her father. She’s mad that he lied to her about why he had the stroke. That shit has nothing to do with me. She’s just an angry woman,” I said, taking another long pull from my glass.

“But damn, she’s hot.” Kingston waggled his brows. The dude had a one-track mind, but for whatever reason, hearing him talk about Ruby pissed me off.

“For fuck’s sake, she’s Lionel’s daughter. Keep your dick in your pants.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Hayes whistled while Nash barked out a laugh.

“Take it down a notch, brother. I’m just stating the obvious. No need to piss on your turf,” Kingston said with a big, dopey grin on his face.

I swear, our only genetic similarity was that we had the same birth parents. The dude was too fucking happy for his own good.

“No one is pissing on anyone’s turf. I’m just saying… be fucking respectful, you dickweiner.”

“You know, I think that’s a new favorite. I’m a big fan of both.” My brother winked at me.

“You’re a fan of both?” Demi asked.

“Did you really just ask that, baby? He’s going to enjoy this.” Romeo wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek.

“Well, I have an extraordinary dick, and I’m proud of it. And… I like hot dogs, also known as wieners. I think they should have their own food group.”

Everyone laughed, and I rolled my eyes just as Ruby came by with a ton of plates balanced on her arms. She set the food down in front of us, and everyone thanked her.

“Are you a fan of wieners, Ruby?” Kingston asked her, and I squeezed my eyes shut because it was like watching a kitten play with a scorpion.

“I’m a fan of silence.” She stared him down, and he rubbed his hands together excitedly, because the fucker didn’t know when he was annoying someone.

“You’d never be able to be quiet with me.” He waggled his brows.

Demi was looking between Kingston and Ruby, probably wondering if he’d gone too far, which happened often with my brother.

“That’s probably true.” Her lips turned up in the corners the slightest bit as she leaned closer to him. I doubted anyone else noticed, but I found this woman fascinating, so I was noticing all sorts of shit now. “Because I’d be telling you to get the hell away from me.”

“Shots fired,” he said, placing both hands on his heart. “Just giving you shit. It’s nice of you to be covering for your dad right now. I went by to see him today.”

“Yeah? Thank you. He’ll be moved to another floor in the hospital for inpatient physical therapy soon. But he’s got a long road ahead of him, so I appreciate all of you being so good to him.” Her gaze softened, and my chest fucking squeezed, which freaked me the hell out. I’d never seen the softer side of her, and for whatever reason, I liked that, too. But then she turned to me, eyes hard once again, but I saw the humor there. “Even if you give him shit legal advice.”

“You know, as a doctor of psychology, I’d think you could come up with something better than that. If all you’ve got on me is my bad legal advice, I’d call it a win. I don’t give a shit if I’m a good lawyer.”

That wasn’t true, but I preferred people to think I didn’t care when they insulted me. The truth was, I cared more than most people thought I did.

“How the hell do you know I’m a doctor of psychology?”

Everyone’s eyes were ping-ponging back and forth between us now.

I popped a tater tot into my mouth and groaned because they were the best tots in town. I glanced up at her as she sat there, giving me her death glare and waiting for an answer. “Remember. I’m an attorney. I have my ways of finding shit out. Even if I’m not very good at my job, right?”

Lionel and I were close, so he’d told me. But I wouldn’t tell her that.

Demi’s eyes were wide, and Romeo had a ridiculous smile on his face as if he were enjoying this.

“Why don’t you focus on keeping my father out of trouble and stay out of my business.” Her words were ice, and then she turned and stormed off.

“Did you really research her?” Demi asked, after the evil queen had made her way back around the bar.

“Of course not. Lionel told me. But I like getting under her skin.” I tossed another tot into my mouth.

“For the first time in his life, I actually think King was right about this,” Nash said, holding his hands up and laughing when my brother feigned being offended. “I just mean that you were right about River pissing on his turf. You like this girl.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree,” Hayes added.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? That’s what you got out of that exchange? I like her about as much as I’d like being poked in the eye with a sharp stick.”

“Are you saying you don’t find her attractive?” Demi asked, raising a brow as if she dared me to deny it.

“Oh, my sweet, na?ve Beans,” I said, referencing the nickname we all called her. “I didn’t say that. Hell, anyone with eyeballs can see she’s fucking gorgeous. But I can find someone attractive and still despise them.”

“So, you despise her?” Romeo smirked. “You sure about that, brother? You keep looking over there and watching her.”

“Agreed. I think you fucking like that she hates you.” It was Kingston’s turn to add on because God forbid that fucker didn’t have something to say.

“I don’t know, River. We watched Romeo fall not that long ago. Maybe it’s your turn next.” Hayes looked proud of himself for coming up with that one, and I flipped him the bird.

“Give me a fucking break. This guy was pussy whipped from the minute he got that pumpkin magic our girl puts in her cups over at Magnolia Beans.” I barked out a laugh at the memory of how Romeo had struggled with how crazy he was about her from the very beginning.

“I don’t know, brother. You seem a little defensive,” Romeo said over his laughter.

“Hey. Maybe that’s your love language,” Demi said.

“I don’t have a love language.” I took a generous bite of my burger.

“What exactly is a love language?” Kingston asked her.

“It’s the way you respond to love. Maybe you like the fact that she hates you but in a sort of weird, tension-filled attraction that is impossible to miss,” she said proudly, and Romeo looked at her like she’d just invented the cure to a deadly disease.

Kingston was nodding at her proudly.

These motherfuckers were a bunch of crazy saps.

“That’s the most ridiculous shit I’ve heard. I can’t stand most people. I like to get laid. And I tolerate you guys. That’s my love language.” I reached for my beer.

“Now I know where this is coming from,” Nash said. “Cutler was talking all sorts of shit about his love language.”

“That’s Beefcake to you,” I said, because Nash’s son, Cutler, was more like all of ours. The four of us were his godfathers, and Demi fell just as in love with him as the rest of us were. He was quirky as shit, and we were all crazy about him. He’d recently changed his name to Beefcake, and we’d all respected it, even if it annoyed the hell out of Nash.

More laughter.

“Yes,” Demi said. “Beefcake’s love language is physical touch. He loves to hug and hold hands. He’s got a tender heart.”

“Just like his dad.” Kingston’s head fell back in laughter as he slapped Nash on the shoulder.

Nash flashed him the bird, and I glanced over as the door swung open and a group of guys walked in.

I recognized one of them as Ruby’s brother, Zane. He was a bit of a fuck-up. The dude was always in here asking for free shit from Lionel.

There were a few locals here, as well, and I didn’t miss the shift in energy when Sam White moved to his feet and made his way toward the group.

I’d learned at a young age to read the room.

To recognize when shit was about to go down and to prepare for it. I’d been on the wrong side of that equation once, and it wouldn’t happen again.

And shit was definitely about to go down.

Romeo’s eyes found mine. Kingston, Hayes, and Nash noticed, and they all stopped eating. Demi was clueless, and she continued telling us about how sweet and tenderhearted Cutler was, but none of us were responding anymore.

She gazed over her shoulder and whispered something to Romeo.

Sam moved into Zane’s space and pulled him to his feet just as he sat down at a table, and I slipped off my barstool and started to head that way with my boys right behind me.

Out of my peripheral, I saw a flash of movement.

Ruby fucking Rose came sailing over the bar like a motherfucking ninja. She didn’t miss a beat as she landed on her Dr. Marten-clad feet.

“Do not fucking think about it,” she hissed at Sam, who slowly turned toward her.

I was already moving. There was no fucking way this was going down on my watch.

This was Lionel’s daughter, after all.

I needed to make sure she was okay.

It was the least I could do while she was home, covering the bar.

But her hand shot up, and she turned toward me. “I’ve got this. Go back to your table.”

You could hear a pin drop in the bar, and I didn’t take another step in either direction. If Sam so much as sneezed, I’d be on top of him. He was a piece-of-shit loan shark who thought he was a tough guy.

He wasn’t.

He intimidated weak dudes like Zane, but he was all bark and no bite.

Ruby reached into her back pocket and slapped what looked like a wad of cash in his hand. “This shit ends now. Now go finish your beer and stay the hell away from my brother.”

Sam looked down at his hand and quickly assessed that whatever she’d given him was what he’d wanted, and he gave her a curt nod.

“You’re too sexy to be cleaning up your baby brother’s mess, Ruby,” he said, and my hands fisted at my sides.

“And you’re too stupid to realize that I don’t give a shit what you think of me. Go drink your beer, Sam.”

Damn.

Ruby Rose was even more of a badass than I’d thought.

Maybe I was pissing on my turf, after all.