Page 41 of Burning For You

“Dude,” Clay said. “You might need a visit with Blaze after if you touch that.”

He snorted. His brother never changed. “I thought the same thing.”

Ash went back to chatting, flirting, filling drinks, and taking tips.

When the last person was out, he was the first one cleaning.

“Now you’re moving fast,” Clay said. “Got a hot date or something?”

“Actually, I do.”

He picked up the dirty glasses left on the bar and put them in a bin to bring to the kitchen and load into the dishwasher.

Clay came in behind him with another bin. “Don’t tell me it was with the red lipstick lady. That shit was almost dyed to her lips.”

“It probably is, but not her.”

“Someone else you picked up tonight?”

He turned once he was done with his bin. “Nope. What do you care?”

“I don’t. Just don’t want Mom on my case if you are getting into trouble.”

“I stopped getting into trouble years ago.”

He never did much anyway. He didn’t understand why they worried so much.

Sure, did he like to go out and have fun?

Yep.

Did he date a lot and have a few one-night stands?

Absolutely.

Did his mother know about them?

He hoped to hell not.

But it was a thing of his past, and it was where it’d be staying.

In a small town like this, too much got back to his family.

Not just his parents, but his brother the sheriff, or the other a doctor, his sister the attorney.

There were eyes and ears everywhere.

Something he was slow to pick up on as a kid.

“I haven’t heard anything,” Clay said. “Keep it that way. And you can take off.”

“I’ll finish cleaning up.”

“I’ve got it,” his brother argued. “Go. Don’t be late.”

“Once I wipe down the bar,” he said. He never won any argument with Clay, but he wouldn’t leave him doing all the work either.

The minute he threw the rag in the bin, Clay came over and shoved a wad of cash into his hand. “Thanks.”