Page 51 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

The idea of facing her father filled him with unease, especially given their already tense history. The slimy man had alwaysrubbed him the wrong way, and he could only imagine how that conversation would unfold. With every scenario he played out in his mind, the situation felt increasingly impossible.

“I know, which is why I thought of another plan,” she replied, prompting a smile to spread across his face.Of course you did, clever girl.“We could tell my brother John first and ask for his help. He’s my dad’s favorite, so that’s got to count for something.”

Angelo raised an eyebrow, surprised by the suggestion. “Wait, what? Are you serious?” The idea caught him off guard; he hadn’t considered involving her brothers at all. He knew they could turn out to be allies, but would that really help them? The thought of her eldest brother stepping in was both comforting and unsettling. “Do you really think that would make a difference?” he asked, trying to gauge her confidence in the plan.

“Nobody would react the way my father would. Besides, he already knows,” she said, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of hope. “Plus, John has one weakness, and that’s his sweet baby sister.”

Angelo couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “You’re right. He’d probably jump at the chance to help you out,” he admitted, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. “But what if he doesn’t handle it well either?” he asked, concern creeping back in.

The thought of involving Johnathan had merit, but it also added another layer of complexity to the situation. Still, he could hear the determination in her voice. If she believed her brother could help, maybe it was worth a shot.

Allison did not disappoint. “He will. This is going to work,” she said resolutely and he felt his cock swell. Angelo grew exasperated at the phallic organ’s continuous presence at the most inopportune instances.

He sent a quick prayer to the Heavens to help him keep his mouth shut and the moan building in his throat hidden.

This is not the time for me to be thinking with the second head.

“Okay. Arrange a meeting with your brother and text me the details,” he grunted, his tone more abrupt than he intended.

Angelo knew he sounded rude, but her newfound confidence had thrown him off balance. Hearing his usually timid girl assert herself like that sent his mind racing, a mix of admiration and desire swirling within him. He couldn’t shake the image of her magnificent body on top of his, bouncing on his cock with a drive, losing herself in her pleasure.

His dick was rigid now, aching with need for friction as Allison responded with a simple, “Okay. Bye, now.”

Angelo couldn’t hang up fast enough.

He needed to deal with his dick, and he couldn’t do that with Allison on the phone.

“Yet,” said a wild part of him.

He sighed, a deep, troubled sound that stemmed from his need for the mother of his child.

Time to beat my dick into submission.

Christ.

Thirteen

ANGELO

“What do you mean you still haven’t found anything?” Angelo snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut through the tension hanging in the room. His eyes bored into the infuriatingly calm man seated across from him, the dim light casting long shadows on Talon’s unreadable face.

Talon Blackwood, ever unflappable, let the words hang in the air for a moment before responding. “I mean,” he said, dragging out each syllable with deliberate precision, “that I haven’t foundanything. Yet. Whatever he’s hiding is buried so deep, it’s practically invisible.”

Angelo exhaled sharply, the sound more a hiss than a sigh, as he raised a hand to rub his temple, his pen still clutched tightly between his fingers. The dull ache at the base of his skull was becoming all too familiar—a constant reminder of the pressure building inside him. Days had passed since Allison had promised to arrange a meeting with her elusive brother, yet the silence that followed was deafening. The gnawing frustration twisted in his gut, a slow burn of anxiety that he couldn’t ignore.

Checking in on her had become second nature, though he hadn’t fully admitted to himself why. It was easy enough to mask his concern as mere business, a necessary precaution for the baby’s well-being. But Angelo knew better. He could feel it in the way his thoughts drifted to her when he least expected it, the way his heart tightened whenever her name came up. And the knowledge that she was still blind to her father’s machinations only fueled his growing unease. It wasn’t just the secrecy that bothered him; it was the guilt of keeping her in the dark, of not telling her the truth.

“This doesn’t add up,” Angelo muttered, more to himself than to Talon. His gaze dropped to the desk in front of him, eyes tracing the grain of the wood as if it held the answers he sought. “The man’s got his fingers in every dirty deal on the continent. How is there no trace?”

Talon leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly under his weight. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, the movement smooth and deliberate. “He’s a master at covering his tracks, Angelo. And let’s be honest—he’s a man who doesn’t like to be found unless it’s on his terms. This could be his way of keeping us off-balance.”

“Or he’s hiding something worse,” Angelo said, his voice dropping to a near growl, the words heavy with suspicion.

Talon’s gaze didn’t waver, but his eyes darkened slightly, a rare hint of concern creeping into his otherwise stoic demeanor. “That’s what worries me. If we don’t find something soon…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. They both knew what kind of man Allison’s father was—ruthless, cunning, and unrelenting when it came to his enemies. If he was hiding his tracks this well, it wasn’t just about avoiding detection. No, it was something far more sinister. Angelo could feel it, a cold certainty that Lockwood was planning something big, something that could devastate Taylor Co. He wouldn’t stop until he had dismantled everything Angelo’s father had built, brick by brick.

“We can’t afford to lower our guard,” Angelo said, his voice steely with resolve. “Keep digging, Talon. There’s something we’re not seeing.”

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