Country Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book #8)(20)

“You want Bryson for that. You’re talking about the media company, right?”

Capwell, Edwards, and James Media Services is Wyatt’s new baby, along with Bryson, and Ryder Capwell, another one of their buddies.

“No, actually, I was talking about the bar. I was hoping to shadow some managerial duties this summer. If Cole is cool with it, tend some bar. I don’t know jack, but I’m a quick learner.”

Holt frowns a moment as if it were anything but the brilliant idea I thought it to be. “Why wouldn’t you go for corporate gold? I don’t get it. Who is it you’re trying to impress by interning at a bar?”

“I’ve got my entire life to go for the corporate gold, and believe me, I will medal many, many times. My father has carved out a nice little niche in his gargantuan company for me. There’s a golden throne awaiting my arrival. I just wanted to get a taste of—”

“How the other half lives.” A hand lands over my shoulder, and I find Owen Vincent spreading his shit-eating grin in my direction. He lands hard in the seat next to me and lifts a finger at Cole before a cold one lands in front of him. Owen is Piper’s main squeeze, and the thought of anyone squeezing my baby sister makes my guts churn with vomit. But he’s a good guy, and I can appreciate the fact Piper thinks the same.

I look back to Holt to address Owen’s other half lives comment. “That’s not what I was going to say.” It wasn’t far off, but I guarantee my words would have been laced with a bit more eloquence.

“It doesn’t matter.” Holt’s phone bleats for his attention, and he glances to the screen. “You got the job.” He nods before taking off in the back.

“Dude.” Owen offers up a sock to my arm. I’m pretty sure it was meant to be playful, but he’s built like a f*cking Hulk, so it hurts like hell. “Did the future Wolverine of Wall Street just get a j-o-b as a barhop?”

Cole slaps his towel down between us. “Hey, don’t knock it.”

Owen lifts his hands in the air a second as if apologizing.

“For your information, I procured an internship.” I smear a greasy grin his way. “It’s a non-paying position.”

“I procured an internship.” Owen does his best British impersonation, and now it’s my turn to sock him in the arm. I try to pack a little power behind it, but my knuckles hurt from the effort. This dude is built like a freaking brick wall.

“How are you treating my kid sister these days?” I take a swig from my glass and groan at how good it feels running down my throat. All of those heated moans I’ve exchanged with Cassidy chase through my mind, and suddenly, I’m dying of thirst again, and it’s nothing that anything in this bar can cure.

“You mean how’s that kid sister of yours treating me?” He clicks his beer to mine. “She’s wild, and I’m appreciative. Let’s just leave it at that. How about you? Anybody in the lower eastern seaboard getting your attention? Or are you still too busy trying them all on for size?” His brows tweak at the idea. “No judgment.”

Trying them all on for size. Those were the exact words I said to Owen a few months back when he asked the same question. Owen pointed me in the direction of a few girls last fall, and neither the big trio nor I complained. A dull grin comes and goes because the big trio happens to be Cassidy’s dirty nickname for my boys.

“I’m still trying them on for size, but I’m taking it back a notch in the bedroom.”

I’m not sure why I’ve turned this little meet-and-greet into a confessional. Owen and I are friendly, but I wouldn’t exactly call us friends. In truth, I was a bit nicer to the guy before I found out who he’s sleeping with. Owen is essentially a good guy. He’s ratted and tatted from head to toe and worked as a male stripper up until a couple of weeks ago. He landed a job at Wyatt’s new company, and I’m glad he’s out of the “theater” profession. As much as I wanted to see a bright side regarding his steady stream of income, it was a tough pill to swallow, especially when I thought about my little sister involved in anything like that. But, at the end of the day, Owen is decent. He’s a great person, and one day he’ll make a great brother-in-law. He and Piper already have it all.

“What’s this? Taking it back a notch in the bedroom? Let me guess. A rash got you down?” He doesn’t bother hiding his laughter.

Cole gets in on it, and I wait until they stop with the high fives, and over all knee slapping on my balls’ behalf.

“Would you quit? Trust me, there’s no rash. It’s this kind of crap that starts rumors. Totally untrue by the way.” I give a quick glance around. Prior to officially meeting Cassidy, I’d catch glimpses of her at the bar, never at school, so when she said she went to WB I was relieved. I know for a fact three different universities feed into this den of depravation on any given night. Hollow Brook is a college town, so she could have gone anywhere, and I much prefer her at my school. “There is someone, but we’re keeping it low-key. It’s sort of an open relationship at this point.” I grimace into those last few words. I’m not too sure what an open relationship actually entails, but I’m guessing it’s pretty black and white.

“Open what?” Cole shakes his head. “Get in or get out, and then close that f*cking door. Those things never end well if you don’t.”