"Promise."
Then he turned, clearly intending to get back to working on the equipment, leaving me there, sitting on my bed, trying to figure out how the hell I was going to keep this much testosterone in line. Right now, they were both playing nice, but I gave it two days before shit hit the fan, and I had a funny feeling it'd be messy when it happened.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Iwas elbow-deep in the swather, trying to grease all of the moving parts, when I heard tires on the drive outside. I couldn't believe this was happening again. Of course it was, because one man moving in with Violet hadn't been bad enough. Out there was probably some six-foot mass of muscles with no shirt on to give Violet personal massages or something.
Putting the parts back in place, I quickly wiped down my hands, but the newest guest wasn't happy to wait. Instead, he honked his horn. Deciding that someone that impatient could deal with a little grease, I tossed the rag beside the tools and pushed myself to my feet. My left hand was clean enough to shove my hat on my head, and I turned to leave the barn just in time to hear Violet slam her front door.
"Get the fuck off my property," she yelled.
Which meant this wasn't a guest. Before I even made it outside, I knew what I'd see. Sure enough, the brand-new white full-size Dodge truck was turned to block the entire drive. Paul Simmons sat in it, leaning over toward the passenger window he'd rolled down to yell at Violet.
"Two point two," Mr. Simmons yelled at her.
Hearing the front door close again, I saw Cy step onto the drive. He made a point of crooking his finger, all but taunting Mr. Simmons to get his ass out of his truck. The man couldn't ignore that, so he threw the truck into park, shoved open his door, and decided to yell over the top.
"I'm offering you two point two million for the place," he said, his eyes on Violet.
"Not selling," she told him. "Decided that I'll just have a commune out here. Don't need any state visits for that, so will you please leave now?"
"You're not opening Southwind?" Mr. Simmons asked.
She scoffed. "Of course I am, but each time you ask, I'm just gonna make it a little less comfortable for you next door. I'm thinking a nudist colony right now."
"Oh, I'm into that," Cy said, reaching to yank his shirt off.
Of course the fucker even waxed his chest. Why would I think anything else? There wasn't a hair or a tan line on his perfect body, but at least Violet didn't seem to notice. Then again, she was used to that kind of pretty from spending her life around so many models. I even hated the way Cy's jeans hung low enough to show the shadow across his pelvis. Least he didn't wax the whole thing. No way was I going to compete with a man who ripped the hair off his balls.
"Put your clothes back on, boy," Mr. Simmons told him.
Cy just tossed his shirt back toward the door. "No. See, that's how it works in the world. Now, I can see that you clearly have some issues with authority, but you're gonna need to work on that."
Mr. Simmons eyes narrowed, and he looked at Cy too intently. "You're one of those fucking faggots Vera had here, aren't you?"
"Please," Violet said, reaching over to grab Cy's chin just to pull him toward her.
Then she pressed her mouth to his. It was a peck, not even a real kiss, but she did it. Cy even leaned in, almost like he couldn't help himself, and I couldn't tear my eyes away. She'd just kissed him. Him! I knew I should be pissed off, but all I could manage was to stare.
"Happy?" she asked.
Mr. Simmons just shook his head, looking like he had no idea how to deal with her. "Two point two is my final offer."
"And so was two," she reminded him. "So how about I give you mine. If you want Southwind, my asking price is thirty-five. Yes, million. That's what this place is worth. Even if you keep the back pasture to graze your cattle, we both know you'll sell the house, and it's still valued well above what you're offering. A hundred and thirty-five acres of cleared and fertilized coastal? Fenced? Sitting right over water? I'm not an idiot, Mr. Simmons, and having tits doesn't stop me from knowing a thing or two. So until you can come up with a real offer, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."
"No one will pay that," he snapped.
"I know," she promised. "Which is why I'm not selling. Land out here is cheap and easy. Buy something else and stop asking."
But that was when Mr. Simmons noticed me. "What the fuck are you doing here, Luke?" he demanded.
"Lunch time, sir. Was taking care of my horses."
His eyes dropped to my hands. "With that much grease?"
"Stall doors," Cy said. "Told him if he wanted them fixed, then he could do it his damned self. Why? You own him like a little bitch now? Maybe you're the one we should start calling a faggot?"
I couldn't deal with this. Turning around, I stormed back into the barn. Fuck if it didn't feel like I'd not only had my balls chopped off today, but fried up and served to me on a plate. For the first time, I started to wonder if I might really be in too deep. The problem was that Faith liked Violet, and Violet was good for her.
