Page 91 of Clint & Ivy
“Are you okay?”
“You’re so beautiful,” I told her and stroked her head. “I bet you aren’t scared of men.”
“No, baby, I’m super squeamish around men. Sex is gross. Men are pushy. Romance is a chore. You’re right to fear men and relationships,” she said and then kissed my forehead. “But you’re Clint’s girl, and he’s so handsome and gross-free.”
“He’s the best, but I have a big ugly scar,” I said and yanked down my shirt. “It looks like someone hacked me open in a horror movie.”
“Clint’s a tit man,” Goldie said and smiled. “If you take off your shirt in front of him, he won’t focus on your scar. He’ll immediately zero in on nipple territory.”
I smiled at her and wondered if I could flash Clint right now. Goldie studied me with her pretty eyes and then shook her head.
“You need to be supervised,” she said and sat back. “Elle, your future sister-in-law is about to go wild and not in a way she’s going to appreciate tomorrow.”
“Everyone should shadow her,” Sabrina suggested after making herself a drink and frowning at a returning Moe and Xandy in matching black tank tops and cutoff jeans. “So, you can match, but just not with me?”
“Don’t be angry,” the women said in unison.
“They didn’t want to look like farmers, Reed,” Goldie said and gestured for me to sit on the floor in front of her. While designing little braids in my hair, she continued, “Can you blame them? They’re biker foxes, not Elly May Clampett. Personally, I’d never make my lover dress like a dweeb to prove his devotion.”
“That’s not why,” Sabrina said and then flashed a frown at her girlfriends. “What did you tell her?”
“Nothing, babe,” Xandy said and jumped onto a bar stool at the elongated island. “We’ve barely seen Goldie lately.”
“Uh-huh, well, for everyone’s information, we were matching as a sex thing.”
“See what I mean?” Goldie asked me as I smiled up at her. “This is the kind of thing that keeps me squeamish about romance. Also, I don’t want anyone toevertell me what to do inanycapacity.”
“That seems doable,” Elle said from her spot on the floor with her feet up against the couch’s arm. I thought she was smoking a joint, but I didn’t know enough about drugs to be sure. “Men just love to boss women around, too. They are the worst.”
“The worst!” Sabrina hollered at Clint, entering with a half dozen men. “I don’t know how you tolerate yourself.”
“I’ve built up a resistance over the years,” Clint replied to his cousin, who grinned. He squatted in front of me. “Are you drunk?”
“Just a tiny bit,” I said and showed him on my fingers how tiny. Leaning forward, I whispered, “I’m going to flash my nipples at you later.”
The laughter around me didn’t register while Clint grinned wider.
“Did you think you said that quietly?”
“Yeah, I’m very good at sneaking.”
“Let her have this,” Goldie insisted to Clint over my shoulder. “This poor little thing had to endure seeing Xandy, Moe, and Sabrina dressed as slutty farmers. She might need therapy.”
“Or more booze,” I suggested.
Clint shook his head. “Let’s hold off on getting you too wasted.”
“She only had one shot of booze, Clint,” Elle insisted from nearby on the floor. “Of course, a shot glass is like half her size, so I can see how this might be my fault.”
Clint frowned at his sister, who was busy waving at the men lingering at the door.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” Elle told the guys. “Clint wants us to welcome his lady by acting like our usual selves.”
The men instantly entered the room and went to the bar. The large space got crowded fast, but I wasn’t overwhelmed. The booze made my heart beat soft and steady.
“You look happy,” Clint said as his fingers caressed my cheek.
“I like being here.”
