Monty eyed the cheeky raccoon, who had been very vocal about the fact that Jupiter had moved from their cabin up to the big house after only one night. So instead of explaining why he took an exceptionally long shower with his plans for the evening, he pointed out, “There’s two of us having to share a bathroom in my cabin.”
Wilder gave a dramatic eye roll. “We aren’t all divas like Jupiter, so I can’t help it if I get to have a cabin all to myself.” The level of miffed Wilder displayed said he was unhappy to be alone, rather than pleased.
Hooking his arm through Wilder’s, Monty grinned. “Jupiter was born a drama llama. Whereas you are such a saint.”
They both lasted all of two seconds before they fell about laughing because it was so far from the truth. Wilder was such a drama llama, he had Monty, Lennon, Bowie and possibly Isley’s share too.
“What are you two laughing at?” asked Bowie, who walked up from his cabin.
Monty continued to giggle as he pointed his thumb at Wilder. “Just how saint-like Wilder is.”
Bowie frowned, then his lips twitched. “You’re joking, right?”
“I am.” Monty hooked his other arm through Bowie’s, who had a tendency to take everything too literally, and tugged both men off toward Cassidy’s cabin.
“Let’s go see if Cass is ready, I’m in the mood to get laid,” he announced unashamedly.
His friends never judged him.
Bowie tripped and Wilder groaned, “I think I need to find someone that I can—”
“Noooo! Please don’t say whatever is in your head,” Bowie begged, eyes wide as he glanced about to see if anyone was listening.
“It wasn’t bad…”—Monty and Bowie looked at Wilder—“alright it was.” He shrugged, wearing an impish smile. “Can I say in my defence, you guys know what I’ve had to put up with. So a little payback is called for.”
“You've got a cabin on your own,” stated Bowie. “How can that be bad?” Bowie was always the logical one.
“What if Kari had moved out of your cabin up to the big house? How would you feel?” Wilder questioned. Monty caught the uncomfortable look on Bowie’s face before he looked down.
“Look, there’s Cass,” said Monty to distract Wilder and give Bowie breathing space from whatever had made him uncomfortable. “I hope he’s got enough space in his truck for all of us.”
He did, and twenty minutes later, Monty strolled into a busy bar alongside Frey and Isley. First impressions were of how nice the place was. It was cowboy heaven.
Folks looked at them as they entered, but there was nothing that suggested they weren’t welcome. The music came from a jukebox, and some people were already dancing on a wooden dance floor that sat in front of a small, empty stage, bar a mike stand.
“Do they book bands to play here?” Monty glanced at Cassidy as he spoke, but the other man was paying more attention to the bar area.
“Let’s get a drink,” Wilder encouraged, when Cassidy didn’t reply.
Frey wiggled his butt. “Great idea. As I’ve no baby to get up for, I’m gonna cut loose.” Frey, much to everyone’s amazement,with maybe the exception of Ziggy—who had become confidant to most of the PAs in the group—wasn’t the flirt he’d pretended to be. In fact, it turned out Frey had not dated before Booker, like he’d led them all to believe. Since he had adopted his daughter, Emmy, he’d opened up about his past. The group of PAs, at Lane’s request, had met and talked about how to help with Emmy, and they’d created a work rota. It was neat because they all got to spend an hour of their day playing with a baby. She was a total sweetheart, and the circumstances of Emmy’s birth were so horrific it made Monty and his friends just want to take away the bad stuff.
A shudder ran through Monty as it did every time he thought about the events leading up to Emmy’s birth and the poor omegas in Drinkwater.
“Will Booker be happy ‘bout that?” Bowie’s question gave Monty an escape from where his thoughts had gone wandering without his permission.
“I’m sure he’ll be real happy with a flirty Frey,” Monty said, tongue in cheek.
Heck, Booker had surprised them all, including Monty, when he’d made a move on Frey. The big bear had acted so indifferent to Frey—in fact, to them all—then, bam, everything changed. Before anyone could recover, Booker and Frey became a couple, and Emmy completed the package.Frey and Booker were parents and mates.
There was always hope…
Monty’s gaze clashed with the huge guy wearing a check shirt that looked custom made to accommodate his massive chest. Monty’s train of thought derailed right off the tracks when the guy’s gaze clashed with his. He heard Frey laugh, but what he said didn’t register when his attention stayed right where it was.
A flare of desire took his breath away. Gray cropped hair allowed the guy's face to be the focus. Striking tiger eyes heldMonty’s attention for several seconds before he noticed lush lips surrounded by scruff. The flare turned into a downpour, a heavy one, when the guy inclined his head in welcome. A sexy, enticing grin—even with the distance between them—offered more than just looking.
Monty’s earlier determination to find someone to fuck became more of a tangible opportunity when witnessing the heat in the guy's tiger eyes as they swept over him. Heart rate picking up, his body hummed with a level of arousal similar to what Monty experienced for Rue.
As that registered, it left him a little disconcerted when he got a sudden picture of Rue and the barman entwined around him.
