The Whiskey Effect: A Small-Town Standalone Romantic Comedy

by J. W. Ashley

  Leo smiles, his entire face shining brighter than the early morning Montana sun. “Awesome. I’ll see you at seven.” He kisses me—loudly this time before setting me down on the porch.

  “See you then.” I watch him head for his large truck, more than enjoying the way the dark jeans hug his ass. He gets to his truck and turns to me. The wink sent my way goes straight through me, and I smile in return.

  “You look beautiful, by the way!” he calls out, and I feel heat rush to my cheeks. “Absolutely the best thing I’ve seen all day.” Before I can reply, he’s climbing into his truck. The engine growls to life—the deep rumble from the diesel making it impossible to throw anything witty his way.

  At least, that’s what I tell myself. Because surely Leo didn’t actually render me speechless.

  Leo

  I pull into my spot at the lumber yard and turn my truck off. Claudia looked radiant this morning. Absolutely and completely stunning, and I can’t keep myself from picturing her even now, standing on the porch, red hair a mess of curls I want to bury my fingers in.

  And those damn shorts. I groan. They make a man want to play hooky and spend the day loving on her.

  Someone bangs on my window, and I open my eyes. Graham is staring at me, his mouth turned up in a knowing smile.

  I shove my door open and step out into the sun. “What the shit?”

  “You daydreaming there, pal? Or just exhausted from an entire weekend of avoiding getting a drink with me?”

  I grab my lunch pail and water canteen before locking my truck and heading toward the lumber yard’s office building. “I have things on my mind.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you do. How was your weekend?”

  “Pretty fucking awesome.”

  Luckily, Graham is tactful enough to not ask for details I have no intention of divulging. I’ve never understood ‘locker-room talk’. When I was a teenager and got to second base with Jenny Anderson, sure, but now as an adult? I finally get the meaning of don’t kiss and tell.

  “Getting along with Claudia?”

  I can’t keep the stupid smile off my face. “She’s pretty damn interesting.”

  “She is.”

  I shove my stuff into my locker. “Ready to get this show on the road?”

  “Hey fuckheads,” Jackson Yates strolls in. He’s not in the same space as us for longer than a second, and I already want to slam my fist into his arrogant face.

  “Jackson,” Graham greets.

  “What’s this I hear about a pretty little blonde showing up in your life? A sexy redhead in tow?”

  “None of your business,” Graham growls. I cross both arms, not caring much for the way his casual mention of Claudia makes me feel. My chest tightens with the grip of jealousy—something I’m not prone to.

  “Interesting. I guess it is true then. You’ve got yourself a baby momma.” He throws his head back and laughs. “You two an item? If not, maybe I’ll take a run at her.”

  “She’s off fucking limits, Yates.”

  “That’s too bad. What about the redhead? I saw her earlier out for a run.”

  “And just how did you see her?” I ask.

  “Drove past Janice’s rental on my way in.”

  “Just casually came down a street you live nowhere near?”

  “I wanted to see what the fuss was about, and damn. I nearly had to rub one off after that smoke show.”

  I start toward him, and Graham stops me, arm in front of me.

  Jackson grins. The motherfucker is always trying to get a rise out of me because he knows he can’t touch Graham. Midge would fire his ass on the spot for messing with her nephew.

  “You already stake a claim to her, Hayes?”

  “There’s nothing to stake claim to since she’s not a piece of meat.”

  “What’s going on here?” Midge steps into the locker room, grey eyes trained on Jackson. She knows what an asshole he is.

  “Just some friendly conversation,” Jackson says with a smile. “That right?”

  “Sure.” Graham turns to Midge. “Leo and I were just about to come see you.”

  “Good. I’ve got some business stuff to discuss with you both.” She turns and leaves the locker room, so Graham and I move to follow. As I pass by Jackson, he steps in my way.

  “You’re going to want to move,” I say.

  I hate Jackson, probably more than just about anyone else does. The asshole was my sister’s boyfriend when she died. It took him all of two days to move on. He’d even had the balls to bring a new girl to the funeral. I’d been so pissed off that I’d beaten his ass in the parking lot of the movie theatre a week later. Ever since, he’s been trying to goad me into another fight, though I’m not sure why. We both know he’ll fucking lose.

  “Sure thing.” He moves out of the way, and I walk past him, my happy mood from seeing Claudia ruined.

  11

  Intoxicated And Heading Straight For Dessert

  Claudia

  “Final outfit check!” I call out and step from my room, making my way down the hall and into the living room. Lena sits cross-legged on the floor beside Becca, crayon in her hand as they color in a cuddly puppy coloring book.

  “Woah! Auntie Claudia, you look like a princess.”

  “Thank you, Cake.” I cross the room and press a kiss to her brown hair. “Lena?”

  “Spin.” Lena stands and crosses both arms as I oblige, spinning in a circle so my green skirt twirls around my knees. “Beautiful. Princess Claudia it is.”

  “Bow before me, peasants,” I say, and Becca gets to her feet, giggling as both she and Lena bow.

  It’s something we’ve done to each other since Becca was old enough to play dress-up. “That’s enough, that’s enough.” I laugh and walk into the kitchen to pour myself two fingers of whiskey.

  “You good?” Lena asks.

  “I’m nervous,” I admit, turning to her and leaning up against the counter. “Why am I nervous? He’s already seen me naked,” I whisper, and Lena chuckles.

  “I have to say, I like seeing you so flustered. This is a first for me.”

  I purse my lips and narrow my gaze. “Try not to enjoy my pain too much.”

  “Pain? Seriously? I haven’t gotten laid in nearly five years. That, my friend, is pain. Not going out with an incredibly attractive man who you had crazy monkey sex with all weekend.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call it monkey sex,” I argue.

  Lena rolls her eyes. “Tonight will be perfect,” she says but adds some more whiskey to my glass. “You need to loosen up.”

  “Aren’t you always telling me I should be pickier?”

  At my attempt to joke about my sex life, Lena shakes her head. There’s a knock on the door, so I down the rest of my drink and take a deep breath. It’s ridiculous. My stomach feels like it’s full of flapping insects.

  The thought of which makes me queasy. I press a hand to my stomach, my fingers brushing over the skin bared by the cutouts on the sides of my dress. My fingers curl around the handle of the door, and I pull it open.

  Leo’s eyes widen, grin spreading into a full, blinding smile. “Shit, Claudia.”

  “You like?”

  “There are no words.”

  I smile, nerves disappearing at the sight of him clad in dark navy slacks and a white button-down. No hat, he’s combed his short hair to the side, and I’m already itching to mess it up.

  “You two crazy kids have fun!” Lena calls out at me, but I can’t find the words to reply. Not when Leo’s bright gaze is trained on me.

  Shouldn’t some of this have worn off now that we’ve slept together? I mean, an entire weekend of fucking hasn’t even touched the insane attraction I feel for him. Which is completely unusual for me.

  “Shall we?” He reaches toward me, and I take his hand as I step onto the porch, heels clicking on the wood.

  “Where are we going?” I ask curiously. I know it’s probably not very ladylike, but I’m kind of hoping he
foregoes dinner and takes me back to his place for a night of crazy sex.

  “Nate’s Longhorn.” At my questioning glare, he continues. “It’s a steakhouse a town over.”

  “You like your steak.”

  He chuckles and opens the passenger door so I can climb in. “Oh I do, and I have it on good authority that you love meat.”

  I laugh and slide onto the seat, turning toward him, I grab the front of his shirt and pull him toward me. Both hands on my thighs, he kisses me, tongue slipping into my mouth when I open beneath him.

  I moan, the feel of him between my legs setting my insides on fire.

  “Easy, I’m taking you to dinner,” he whispers against my mouth. “One way or another.”

  After one more loud kiss, I pull back, and he shuts the door, walking around the front and climbing into the driver’s side. “I’m hoping we can get back before the storm hits.” It seems Montana is set for another round of rain, and I can’t wait to get Leo back to his place so we can be tangled up in sheets, safely protected from the storm.

  “I think I’d prefer to be the meal,” I say softly as soon as he fires up the truck.

  Turning to me, he grins. “I’m planning on you being dessert.”

  His promise sends a wave of desire through me so strong I’m pretty sure it would have knocked me over had I not already been seated.

  I scoot into the middle seat of his truck, and he casually slings an arm over my shoulders. I know it’s silly, relationship-adjacent, but I hate not having his hands on me. It’s terrifying, the way he makes me feel. But even as I tell myself I’m leaving in less than a month, I can’t keep myself from wondering what it would be like if I stay just a little bit longer.

  “How was your day?” I ask quickly, hoping to get out of my own head.

  “It was all right. Had a bit of an interaction with an asshole I work with, but other than that…” he trails off and shoots me a grin once he’s stopped at a stoplight. “It’s pretty damn perfect now.”

  Heat rushes to my cheeks, but I don’t let my gaze stray from his. Not until a horn blares behind us and we both laugh wildly—realizing the light is now green.

  “You’re dangerous,” he says as he starts driving again.

  “Oh? How so.”

  “Distracting.”

  “The same could be said about you,” I say, resting my head against his chest as I lean against him, tucking my head in the crook of his shoulder.

  He presses a kiss to my head, and I feel it shoot all the way to my toes.

  My phone rings, and I reach into my purse, smiling when I see my mom’s face light up the screen. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey, honey! How’s it going?”

  I glance up at Leo. “Pretty great, I’m on a date.”

  “Oh?” I hear the surprise in my mom’s voice. I’ve already filled her in about my delicious find here in Whitefish. “I won't keep you then. I just wanted to let you know that I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  “Talk soon?” My mom and I have always had more of a friendship than the typical mother-daughter relationship. So I can read between the lines to what she really wants to know, and I smile.

  “Definitely.” Ending the call, I shove my phone back into my purse and lean against Leo, closing my eyes as I listen to the smooth song on the radio.

  Leo

  “That was seriously amazing,” Claudia says as she leans back in the booth beside me, hand on her stomach.

  “See, I knew you liked meat.”

  “I prefer yours.” She winks at me, and my chest grows tight, the feelings for her not making any logical sense to my brain.

  It’s telling me it’s too soon to feel anything other than base lust for this fiery woman, but my heart—it’s trying to tell me we deserve the chance at a future.

  Her hand leaves her stomach and rests on my thigh, squeezing the muscle of my leg, and suddenly, I don’t give two shits that my head and heart can't agree. I want her, and that’s the only damn thing that matters.

  “You ready?” I ask, and she nods.

  “Dessert time?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Can I get you two anything else?” the waitress asks as she sets the check down in front of me. The restaurant is closing, and I know she’s probably ready for us to cash out so she can go home.

  “Nope, we’re good, thanks.” I pull out my wallet and toss bills on the table—enough to cover the meal and a generous tip—before reaching for Claudia and pulling her out with me. Her hand in mine, I pull her toward the exit and into a dark, empty parking lot.

  The moment we reach my truck, I spin her around and pin her to the door, my mouth on hers. She opens beneath me, both hands gripping my waist and driving me against her body. I don’t give a shit that people can see us—that doesn’t matter to me—not when Claudia is pressed against me, her tongue tangled with mine.

  The sky opens up above us, raindrops falling, and I break away, heart pounding as Claudia turns her head up to the stars.

  Hair dripping, she closes her eyes, and I can do nothing but watch—completely breathless. When she lowers her face and opens her eyes, her gaze on mine, I reach for the handle of the door and pull her away long enough to open it.

  Still in the rain, I reach down and grip her ass, lifting her and setting her on the bench seat of my truck. She watches me, her carnal gaze a direct reflection of mine. This woman drives me insane, sending me to the brink of insanity with just a look.

  Claudia scoots—her back against the door—and I climb in, shutting and locking the door behind me. We’re soaking wet, the rain having drenched us both. Rain hammers down on the roof of my truck as I cover her body and thank the stars above that I chose to park away from any of the restaurant's few lights.

  She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down on top of her. I’m taller than my seat is long though, so I have to bend my knees to drop down beside her, holding most of my body up so I don’t crush her.

  Her full mouth is furious against mine, and I groan when she sucks in my bottom lip and nips, sucking it into her mouth and making my already hard cock strain against my zipper. I drop a hand, trailing it up over the smooth skin of her thigh, shoving the fabric of her dress up as I go. She wraps both legs around me and grinds up into me, and I groan again. This woman is going to kill me.

  My hand reaches between us and finds her, and I cup her wet pussy, running my finger over the wet heat.

  “Leo,” she cries out. “Do you have a condom?”

  I don’t reply, just reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet, I withdraw the foil wrapper and toss my wallet to the floor. Kneeling back, I make quick work of my pants, shoving them down and rolling on the latex as she tosses her black underwear to the floorboards.

  Covering her, I drive into her body, velvety heat surrounding me, intoxicating me as a boom of thunder blasts above us.

  She cries out, and I take her mouth in a furious kiss that leaves us both breathless. I pull out slowly, resting my forehead against hers before I drive into her again.

  It’s fast, furious, intense, and I’m fucking drunk on her as our bodies entwine. Claudia is like the finest whiskey—the smooth burn making me desperate for another shot even as I’m finishing the last.

  We may be in the middle of a parking lot, but to me, we’re in our own world where it’s only ever been and only ever will be the two of us.

  One final thrust has her shattering around me, and I can’t help but fall apart with her.

  12

  Olive Oil Can Be Used For Just About Anything

  Claudia

  I roll over as sunshine shines its bright rays down upon my face, basking the room in a bright gold glow and warming my skin.

  My hand reaches for Leo, only finding an empty space where he should be. I’m disappointed that he’s not there, but as soon as I’m awake enough to hear the popping of sizzling bacon, I smile, my stomach growling.

  Pushing out of be
d, I wrap myself in sheets that still smell like him, and walk to the balcony, looking down at a shirtless Leo standing before a stove.

  “You know, I’d say it’s pretty brave to be cooking bacon shirtless.”

  As he tilts his head up, his mouth pulls into a lopsided grin that warms me from my head to my toes. “I’m a brave guy. Good morning, beautiful. There’s fresh coffee.”

  “Be right down.” I drop the sheet and step into the bathroom to retrieve my now dry dress. After slipping into the slightly stiff fabric, I take a minute to toss my hair up in a messy bun before making my way downstairs.

  Leo turns away from the stove and wraps an arm around my waist, spatula in his other hand, as he kisses me good morning. With a squeeze of his ass, I head for the coffee pot and pour myself a large, steaming mug.

  I could get used to this. Sleepy mornings with sweet kisses, fresh coffee, and bacon, and the thought terrifies me.

  I’m leaving. Back to Idaho when the month is over. It’s always been my plan, but why does it seem like such a sacrifice now?

  “How’d you sleep?” he asks.

  Lila runs over and rubs against me, so I kneel, coffee in hand, and rub her as she flops over onto her stomach, puppy grunts filling my ears. “Amazing. You?”

  “Never better.” He pins me with another lopsided smile, and my heart somersaults. When he turns away, my smile falters as I realize that in a matter of days, he’s managed to break me down, make me want for more.

  Which is really unlike me.

  I’m a ‘no strings attached, not interested in anything more than a fling’ type of girl. So why the hell does Leo Hayes make me want more?

  Infatuation. That’s all. I mean, the guy is a master in the sack, the best I’ve ever had. That has to be all it is. Right?

  “I was thinking, how about we go hiking today?”

  I gape at him. “Hiking? You want to take me hiking?”