Home > Inked Persuasion (Montgomery Ink Fort Collins #1)(2)

Inked Persuasion (Montgomery Ink Fort Collins #1)(2)
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan

Beckett and I burst out laughing.

“And if you ever tell anyone I said that, I will hunt you down,” Benjamin warned.

I shook my head, picked up my shot, and downed it. I closed my eyes and winced but didn’t reach for salt or lime. Doing a tequila shot with the type of tequila Benjamin liked did not usually require salt or lime. And the twins would make fun of me if I asked for them. Of course, it was all out of love. But still, I wasn’t about to open myself for teasing.

I looked across the crowd at the bar to our two siblings and their significant others. “I think we should start with Paige and Colton. They seem to be more serious.”

Beckett nodded. “I agree. They’ve also had at least three weeks longer than Archer and Marc.”

Benjamin sighed. “I swear we should have started taking notes or something so we knew exactly how to interrogate them to make sure they’re good enough for our baby siblings.”

I smiled and listened as my brothers went through their plans. I might be Archer’s twin, but I always felt a little more protective of him, a little older than the five minutes that separated us. Though he likely thought the same of me.

“You think that’s too much?” Benjamin asked, frowning.

Beckett shook his head. “No, we need to get this right. After all, we’ve never had to deal with serious relationships before. While the rest of the Montgomerys got married, we’ve all stayed single. We need to get ready for the first marriage, you know?”

Both of the twins froze and risked glances at me.

I gave them a soft smile and shook my head. “Exactly,” I said, not daring to broach that subject. “We need to get ready and interrogate these two new people who dared to step out with our siblings.”

“Okay, now I’m a little afraid of what you guys are talking about,” my twin said as he came towards us. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, his hand holding Marc’s.

Archer looked like a slightly smaller version of Beckett and Benjamin. He wasn’t as wide, and he didn’t have a beard at the moment. But he had the same startling blue eyes and wicked grin. Not that the older twins showed those grins often, but when they did, they looked just like Archer.

I looked like him, too—after all, we were twins. But I was a little softer around the edges, though my jaw was slightly more pointed than Paige’s. We all looked like Montgomerys—both sides of the family.

My mother’s maiden name was also Montgomery. She was the youngest sister of the Colorado Montgomerys, a completely different line than my father’s. It made things a little weird for my dad. But having those connections meant we had dozens of cousins around the country, even more than my cousins, who lived close by.

“I feel like I should be scared,” Marc said, grinning.

He was blond-haired, brown-eyed, and beautiful. Shockingly beautiful if I were honest. He was slender, wore well-cut pants, and a button-up shirt tucked in. At some point, he had rolled up his sleeves so his forearms showed, and I noticed he had a small tattoo peeking out. I wondered if one of our cousins had inked him, even though it was a vast country and world, and anybody could have done it. Still, I liked the idea that a Montgomery may have inked his skin.

“You should be scared,” I said, leaning forward as Marc kissed my other cheek.

“I’ll try to be. However, I think I overheard that you’re going to take care of Paige’s new guy first. This is great. I can watch how it happens and study the dynamics.” Marc grinned, then wrapped his arm around Archer’s waist. My twin beamed.

I loved that it looked as if Archer were falling in love. He appeared so happy. And if Marc hurt him, I would find a way to make the man scream in pain and agony while the other siblings took care of him.

Because nobody hurt my twin.

“You’re looking a little vicious over there,” Archer whispered, and I grimaced.

“Sorry, just thinking of weird things. And, Marc? You should still be wary. Because while we may practice certain techniques on Paige’s new guy, you have your own set of rules.”

Beckett nodded. “She’s right. We have lists.”

Benjamin nodded, his gaze on Marc, and Marc looked between all of us before he rocked back on his heels.

“You guys are a little scary when you’re all together.”

I looked at my brothers, and we all burst out laughing. “We’re not that bad. I promise.”

“They will not be that bad,” Archer warned, and I didn’t know if the warning was for Marc or us.

Finally, Paige tugged her boyfriend off the dance floor and skipped over to us, the smile on her face radiant. “Well, hello. Are you all talking about how you’re going to maim and torture poor Colton and Marc for daring to come near your baby siblings?” she asked in a singsong. She leaned into Colton, and the big redheaded man rolled his eyes.

“You need to let them think they’re all secretive with their glowering, darling,” Colton said, kissing the top of her head.

“Oops,” Paige said, giggling.

Everybody looked so damn happy, and I couldn’t help but be content as well. I might not have the same type of connections they did with another human being right now, but I didn’t need that. I’d nearly had a chance before, and I wasn’t about to do that again. However, I could still have fun. And we were all happy, healthy, and here.

That was all that mattered.

“Okay, one more shot as a family, and then I’m dancing.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Archer said before meeting the bartender’s gaze over my head.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as Archer gave that same look Benjamin had stolen. Riggs poured a round of shots for everybody, and immediately after, the family was on the dance floor.

My brothers did their best to block me in, stopping anybody from daring to come near. I slowly moved away, rolling my eyes.

“You know, if you keep letting them pin you in, you’ll never get to dance with a guy,” Paige said, taking my hand. “What about the bartender? Riggs?” She gestured over to the man with his honey eyes and wicked grin.

“I’m pretty sure he only has eyes for Benjamin. And maybe Archer. Not so much for me.”

“His eyes were on your butt. I’m pretty sure he swings for any Montgomery,” Paige corrected.

“Well, my gaze doesn’t swing that way—at least not tonight. I want to have fun and not deal with men or egos or penises or anything of the sort.”

Colton’s eyes widened as he came up from behind Paige and slowly raised his hands before backing away.

I winced. “You are going to have to explain to Colton that I didn’t mean to just blurt out the word penis like that.” I blinked. “Or now. Again.”

Paige put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Annabelle,” she mock-whispered.

“I’m sorry. Go. Fix it. I’m not crazy. I promise.”

“You know, that’s what they all say,” Paige said solemnly before grinning again. She kissed my cheek and moved off to her boyfriend.

I danced with two of my brothers and then between another group of women who had come in for a good night. I felt free. I might not have a boyfriend or anybody on the horizon, but that was fine. Honestly, I didn’t need that in my life. I had my family, a job I loved, and a massive project coming up that I needed to focus on.

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