Page 21 of Inked Persuasion

Being combustible meant leaving debris in your path, not a warm and bright glow.

And now, I was getting all poetic about my ex-wife. Time to get to work and focus on what was important. Not my future plans, not my ex-wife, and not a woman with blue eyes who kept haunting my daydreams.

By the time six p.m. rolled around, I was exhausted and really wanted to take off my tie and call it a day. I was true to my word and shoved my staff out the door before they had a chance to complain about it. They worked just as hard as I did, hence why they had disrupted their lives to come up here with me to begin with.

I had a feeling that Lucas and maybe Seressia would head back to Denver after they got a couple of additional years under their belts here and gained experience, but they were here for now, and we had an odd little work-family dynamic.

I looked down at my phone and figured I could eat or go and get that drink. And if I remembered right, Riggs’ had wings. Damn good ones.

Riggs’ was a bar owned by a nice guy. He’d given me a once-over the first time I walked into the place, and I had simply smiled and shaken my head. I wasn’t interested in starting anything, especially not with the bartender I wanted to get to know personally when it came to my drinks.

I tugged off my tie and made my way to Riggs’, grateful that it didn’t seem too busy on a weeknight. Once I got out of the car, I looked down at my slacks, nice shoes, and the button-up shirt I had on and figured I was probably a little overdressed for the place. But I wasn’t about to go home and change. I rolled up my sleeves so my forearms were bare and undid the button nearest my neck. It was the closest I could get to casual. Plus, I didn’t usually wear jeans. It just wasn’t who I was.

I walked in, the sound of music playing and people talking over drinks and food filling my ears. My shoulders immediately relaxed, and I knew I had come to the right place. I needed people around, but I didn’t need to talk to them. Wings and a beer and maybe a whiskey, neat. That’s all I needed.

But then I looked over into the corner, saw a familiar set of people, and ground my molars together.

Of course, they would be here.

The fucking Montgomerys were everywhere.

Chapter 7

Annabelle

“Okay, who is the hottie with that strong jaw?”

I looked over my shoulder, then at my best friend, Brenna, and winced. “That would be my neighbor, Jacob Queen.”

Eliza, my other best friend, gasped. “That’sJacob Queen?”

I sighed and took a deep gulp of my beer.

“I love that whenever we talk about him, we always use both of his names. And someone always saysthat Jacob Queen. Like a title.” Paige sighed happily.

I glared at my little sister. “Shove it, Paige.”

She wiggled her fingers at me and leaned into her boyfriend. “Oh, I don’t believe I will. And look, Jacob’s not headed this way. He did that head-tilt thing, though. Mr. Queen acknowledged your presence, but he isn’t coming over here to talk to the big, bad Montgomerys.”

“Probably because he knows that while the brothers haven’t seen him yet, they will likely kill him because they are big, mean, and love to act like linebackers protecting their quarterback.”

I whispered the last part, and both Eliza and Brenna started laughing into their hands, doing their best not to make too much noise.

Jacob sat at the bar, Riggs grinning down at him as the two of them laughed over something. Riggs set a beer and a water in front of Jacob, as well as a menu.

“He shouldn’t sit and eat all alone,” Eliza said. “It’s not nice.”

“You shouldn’t be so mischievous. You are a lovely, pleasant,marriedwoman. Aren’t married ladies supposed to be calm and happy and not annoying?” I asked.

“I have no idea where you heard or read that,” Eliza said. “And my husband is deployed, so I need some entertainment in my life. If that means joking around about a certain dark-haired, chiseled-jawed stranger at a bar for you? Well, I’m going to have fun.”

“Oh, yes, that sounds like a plan.” Brenna clapped her hands as she grinned.

“I don’t like you guys.” I pouted.

“Don’t pout. You’re an adult,” Paige said, her eyes dancing with laughter.

Her boyfriend, Colton, cleared his throat. “If it’s all right with you, I’m going to go get grilled by Paige’s brothers rather than sit here listening to this. I feel like I don’t have enough estrogen, and I’m eavesdropping on the secret meeting of an organization I shouldn’t know about.”

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