Truly, Madly, Whiskey

by Melissa Foster

  He was waiting, too. And every day he vacillated on his decision. Working for them meant cutting back on his hours at the shop and the bar. He’d had his fill of the bar, but the shop was a whole different ball game.

  He cleared his throat to wrench the frustrating thoughts from his head and did a quick visual inventory of the engine parts spread out on the floor and workbenches. After working in his garage at home for an hour and a half, he’d gone into Whiskey Automotive and had spent the day rebuilding an engine. It should have been the perfect remedy for a hard fucking night, but even after hours of work, as he’d removed the crankshaft, core plugs, brackets, pins, and went through the steps of checking valve heads, stems, and replacing worn keepers, his mind continually circled back to Crystal. He’d known her long enough to understand that no matter how frustrating it was for him, she needed space to work out her own shit. But it killed him that he had no idea what that shit was.

  Harley brushed against his leg and meowed. He lifted her up and kissed her head, gazing into her innocent eyes. “Think you can have a talk with Crystal for me? Tell her what she’s missing out on.” Harley meowed again, and he tucked her against his chest as he pulled out his phone for the hundredth time since he’d walked away last week. He uttered a curse at the sight of the blank screen.

  Tru sidled up to him. “Still no word?”

  Truman had come a long way from the lost sixteen-year-old kid trying to keep his head above water Bear had met a lifetime ago. Like the good friend he was, Tru hadn’t asked any questions when he’d picked Bear up and given him a ride home from Crystal’s apartment complex. Other than a few supportive looks, Tru had kept his thoughts on Bear and Crystal’s quasi relationship to himself. But he didn’t have to say a word. Tru wore his emotions on his sleeves, as clear and present as the blue ink snaking up his arms. Bear knew Tru was just as baffled by this turn of events as he was. He and Crystal might not have so much as kissed before last week, but the magnetic pull between them could be felt around the world.

  “Nope.” He shoved the phone in his pocket and tipped his eyes up to the clouds rolling in. Frigging perfect. He’d hoped to go on a long bike ride after work to clear his head. He headed toward the back of the shop to wash his hands. It was after seven, and Gemma had picked up the kids an hour ago. He was dying to ask Tru if Gemma had said anything about Crystal. Girls talked, didn’t they? Or did Crystal shut everyone out the way she’d shut him out?

  He sure as hell hoped not, because that would suck for her. He had his family and Tru. He had the whole club if he needed them. One phone call and he’d have more support than he could ever want, and he took comfort in knowing that the same way he knew the other members did. But who did Crystal have? She’d mentioned a rough visit with her mother, and while he knew she and Jed were in contact, he didn’t get the impression they were particularly close. She had Dixie and Gemma, but for obvious reasons she didn’t seem to be reaching out to Dixie. The truth was, she had Bullet, Bones, and Tru, too, but he knew she’d never turn to them. Especially after how they’d left things last week.

  He handed Harley to Tru and washed his hands.

  “You’re sure you didn’t do something or say something to cause her to get riled up?” Tru handed him a paper towel. “I love Gemma to the ends of the earth, but, dude, women are wired totally different than we are. The wrong voice inflection can change the meaning of a sentence, and if you’re like me, you could be clueless.”

  “No shit.” He took Harley from him and scratched the kitty’s head. “I grew up with Dixie, remember? I’ve been over it a million times.” Was it possible that despite the hottest kiss he’d ever experienced, she wasn’t into him the way he was into her? He couldn’t believe it. He’d seen the heat in her eyes for months. “Tru, do you think she’s done with whatever this is between us?”

  “From the little bits and pieces Gemma has said, it seems like Crystal’s been a mess all week.”

  He took far more pleasure in that than he should. “That’s on her.” As the words left his lips, he knew he didn’t mean them. He wanted to know what was going on inside that beautiful head of hers.

  “You’re not thinking about giving up, are you?”

  Bear, like Truman, was no stranger to physical, or emotional, pain. Bullet was impenetrable, Bones was practical, and Bear? Well, he felt pain for the people he loved as if it were his own. He’d endured emotional battles alongside Tru and his brother, Quincy, when Tru was sentenced to prison, taking the fall for a crime Quincy had committed. And again when Quincy got lost in drugs and disappeared. He remembered each instance with the ache of a fresh wound and had been pummeled anew when he’d learned of the conditions in which Kennedy and Lincoln had been living. This felt like that, only different. His gut was on fire, and for the second time in his life—the first being when his father had been in the hospital, his life hanging by a thread—his heart hurt like a motherfucker.

  “When have you ever known me to give up on anything?” he finally answered. He’d sent Crystal a text this morning—Bear—hoping her radio silence didn’t mean what he thought it did. She hadn’t responded.

  Tru cocked a smile. “There was that time when I was kicking your ass in darts.”

  “Shit.” Bear laughed as he set Harley in the cat bed with two of the other kittens and they locked up the shop.

  “I knew you were in deep when you told me you went to a fabric store.” His eyes danced with mischief. “Dude, she probably lost all respect for you.”

  Bear wrenched his arm like he was going for a punch, and Tru fell right into the fake fight game they’d played too many times to count. Laughing, Bear patted his buddy’s shoulder and walked him to his truck.

  “Kiss those babies for me, will you? I didn’t get much time with them today. And thanks again.”

  “For what?” Tru asked. “Giving you shit?”

  Bear pulled his keys from his pocket and straddled his bike. “For hooking up with Gemma and introducing me to Crystal.”

  “You can’t blame this shit on me.” Tru shook his head as he climbed into his truck.

  “Sure I can.” He started the bike and pulled on his helmet, waving as Tru drove away. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. Crystal’s name flashed on the screen and his pulse raced as he read the text.

  I’m sorry about last week. I’ve got a lot of shit going on right now. Maybe we can talk this weekend?

  “Fuck that.” He sent off a response. Where are you? I’ll come over now.

  His phone vibrated seconds later. I can’t. I’m at Harbor View in a meeting.

  Can’t wasn’t in Bear’s vocabulary. He shoved his phone into his pocket and took off.

  He was good at biding his time. He’d been doing it for months. But standing outside Harbor View Professional Park waiting for Crystal made him antsier than a turkey on Thanksgiving. He paced the parking lot, wondering what type of a meeting she had in the medical office complex. As he mentally siphoned through possibilities, the front doors opened and Crystal stepped outside. His heart went wild as he headed in her direction, watching as she felt her pockets. For her keys? Her phone? The doors opened again and a tall man in dress pants and a stark white button-down ran after her, holding up her bag. Bear gritted his teeth as she took it—and embraced the guy.

  “I WAS JUST looking for my keys. Thanks, David.” Crystal hugged the man who had stuck with her for years, helping her get through the most traumatic events of her life.

  “I’m here if you need me,” he assured her.

  His eyes sailed over her shoulder just as Bear’s deep voice penetrated the air. “Crystal.”

  She turned, happiness bubbling up inside her. It took all her willpower to remain where she stood and not run to him. He looked rough and rugged in a pair of grease-stained jeans and a tight T-shirt, like he’d come straight from work. His eyes, which had haunted her dreams, were soft and hard at once. He was beautifully intimidating, eating up the pavement between
them, his face a mask of strength and determination as he staked his claim with a kiss on her cheek.

  “Hey, sugar.” He lifted his chin toward David in a show of pure alpha dominance. “How’s it going?” he said gruffly.

  Lord help her. She felt herself smiling like a fool. She’d thought she’d lost him, and she’d longed for the assumptive, handsy man all frigging week.

  “Fairly well, thanks.” David glanced at Crystal.

  She nodded. Yup. This is the guy who has me tied in knots. Between the possessive look in Bear’s eyes and the newfound freedom stirring inside her, she fumbled for words. “I…um…Bear…”

  David extended his hand. “David Lantrell. I’m an old friend of Crystal’s.”

  Bear shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  She went for levity to break the tension. “Now that we’re past that awkward stage, thanks again for seeing me on such short notice, David. I’ll be in touch.”

  David made a quick exit, which she was thankful for.

  “Before you ask,” she said to Bear, “I’m ready to tell you what’s going on, but not here. Do you mind if we go someplace else to talk?”

  “Thank fucking God, because there’s only so much shit a guy can take before he loses his mind.” He motioned toward his bike. “Climb on.”

  “I’m not getting on that thing.”

  “Why not?”

  “You just want me wrapped around you.” Old habits died hard. She’d done such a good job of selling herself as a hard-core biker chick, she knew he thought she had experience riding on a motorcycle.

  His lips quirked up. “And that’s bad because…?”

  He had a point. Wasn’t that the reason she’d gone to see David? She glanced at the bike. I guess this is as good a place to start as any.

  Inhaling a lungful of courage, she said, “You’ll have to show me how to ride.”

  Goose bumps chased anxiety around her chest like a mouse in a maze, but she’d expected that. David had warned her. Nothing about tonight was going to be easy. But she wouldn’t know what to do with easy anyway.

  A deep V formed between Bear’s brows. “Come again?”

  “You have to teach me to ride. Now shut up and do it, or I’ll change my mind.”

  He ran his eyes over the Harley-Davidson logo on her shirt, down the length of her black skinny jeans, to her chunky black leather biker boots.

  I know. I have a lot of explaining to do. “Forget it. I can drive.” She took a step toward her car.

  He took her hand in his, walking toward the bike. “Are the eight piercings in your ear fake, too?”

  “Maybe if you’re not an ass I’ll let you find out.”

  He placed his hands on her hips, tipping his face down with a serious expression. “Are you nervous?”

  She opened her mouth to give him her usual snappy retort, and stopped herself. “There’s nothing between me and the road. There are no airbags. It’s freaking scary as shit.”

  “We don’t have to do this. We can take your car, or you can take your car and I’ll take my bike. I can teach you to ride some other time. No pressure from me. I’m just glad you’re willing to talk, so it’s your call.”

  She was done pretending, at least to herself. The truth was, she’d been dying to ride on the back of Bear’s bike for months. She’d always had her car or he’d had his truck when they’d run errands or grabbed a bite to eat together. But it was like an extension of him, and she wanted to experience it. She might be putting herself into emotional overload, but what better way to rip off a bandage than to do it all at once?

  “I want to ride with you on the bike.”

  His lips curved up as if he were pleased with her decision, but his eyes remained serious. “You’re sure?”

  She nodded before she could chicken out.

  “Okay. After we get your helmet on, you’re going to want to press your body as close to mine as possible. Arms around my waist, like this.” He turned around, bringing his back flush with her chest, and took her hands, guiding them around his waist and placing her palms on his stomach. “Hold on as tight as you possibly can.” Clutching both her hands in one of his, he reached his other hand behind her and pressed on her ass, bringing them even closer. “Got it?”

  Got it? All those muscles pressed up against her? She got it all right. The problem was, she didn’t want to let go.

  “Yeah. I’ve got it.”

  He chuckled and helped her on with her helmet and then onto the bike.

  “Okay?” he asked, visually assessing her.

  “I’m surprised at how monstrous it is.”

  His eyes turned volcanic.

  “Ohmygod. The bike!”

  “If I have my way, this won’t be the last time you feel something monstrous between your thighs.”

  He didn’t pause long enough for her to think past the memory of how huge he’d felt when they’d kissed last week, and on its heels, the reason she’d come to see David.

  Tone serious again, he said, “If you need me to stop, I want you to pat my stomach once. If you want me to slow down, then do it twice, okay?”

  She nodded, getting more nervous by the second.

  “You’re safe with me, baby. I’ll never put you in jeopardy.”

  She knew this, and more importantly, she believed it.

  “We can take your car if you’re not ready.”

  His expression was so serious, his concern so sincere, it took the edge off. “No. I’m good. Can you take me to the park on Eternity Lane?”

  “At the other end of town? There’s a park around the corner. Want to go there?”

  “If you don’t mind driving, I’d rather go to Eternity.”

  “Buzz Lightyear, at your service.”

  She laughed. How could a badass be so frigging cute? “I think he said ‘to infinity and beyond,’ not ‘eternity.’”

  “Seriously? Boy, I screwed that up.” He climbed onto the bike, and before he put on his helmet, he said, “Try not to get too turned on.”

  He wrapped her arms around him and reached behind them, pressing his hand to her ass and hauling her so close she felt like they were glued together. The bike roared to life, rumbling between her legs like a supersonic vibrator. Not that she’d ever used one, but there’s no way they’d have anything on this monster.

  The bike rolled forward and she smacked his stomach. It must have been a reflex or something, because she didn’t need him to stop, but he did. Immediately.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “Go ahead.”

  He waited until she was plastered against him again, her heart dancing a jig against his back. He drove across the parking lot and she slapped his stomach again.

  He stopped and glanced over his shoulder without an ounce of irritation. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. It’s weird not being in control.”

  He torqued his body, holding her arm. “Sweetheart, you are in complete control. You say go, I go. You say stop, I stop. I’m your driver. That’s all. But we can take your car—”

  She shook her head vehemently. “No. I think I needed to know you’d stop.”

  That earned her a sexy smile. “Babe, there’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

  Swallowing hard, she motioned for him to turn around and snuggled up to him again.

  Peaceful Harbor wasn’t very big, and across town really meant driving only a few miles. Bear drove slowly, leaving plenty of room between them and the other cars, and checking on her at every stoplight. She was surprised at how freeing it felt to be on the bike, and how safe she felt with Bear. David had shed new light on the depth of her feelings, allowing her to acknowledge and feel them even stronger.

  They drove down the winding side streets of her old stomping grounds toward Eternity Lane, passing houses she hadn’t seen in years. When he drove up the steep road that led to the park, her nerves flared to life again.

  He parked in the lot and cut th
e engine, but her body continued vibrating. He took off his helmet and stepped from the bike. His long legs made it look natural and easy, but as she slung her leg over the motorcycle, she pictured herself looking like a spider trying to dismount from a horse.

  Bear wrapped his hands around her ribs, lifting her from the seat and planting her feet beside his. He took off her helmet and set it on the bike. “What did you think of your maiden voyage?”

  “It was a little scary at first, but then it was exhilarating. I needed it tonight. Thank you.” She looked up at the cloudy sky, glad it hadn’t rained.

  He draped an arm over her shoulder, as if last week’s tiff had never occurred. It dawned on her that in all the time she’d known him, he’d put an arm over her shoulder or around her waist, keeping her as close as possible, rather than holding her hand like most couples did. Then again, they weren’t a couple, and Bear was definitely not a typical guy. Most guys would have either pushed harder for more a long time ago, or given up and walked away.