Taking Risk Series

by Toni Aleo

  When we are done, we clean up what mess we made before heading to the malting room, the grinding room, the brewing room, then the aging room, until we are in the distillation room.

  “This is my favorite room.”

  She looks around before glancing back at me and asks with confusion lacing her voice, “Why?”

  I try to look at the room through her eyes. It is basically just a room with huge pot stills but to me, it is home. This is where Kane and I would hide from Lena. Where I smoked my first fag. Where I kissed my first girl and drank my first shot of whiskey. I was eleven, and my grandda had to hold a bucket to my mouth since I was vomiting so bad. This was my home…my place…and it is unbelievable to share this with her.

  “Because I love how quiet it is, and I love how beautiful it is. It also hides my whiskey.”

  “Your whiskey?” she asks with a grin.

  I nod as I reach for my bottle, bringing it out for her to see. “Yup, took me seven years to brew it.”

  “Wow,” she says, taking the bottle from me. “Is there like a barrel of it?”

  “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten permission to manufacture it yet.”

  She unscrews the top, taking a swig, and then grimaces as she tries to smile. “That’s strong.”

  “Yeah, but good right?”

  She takes another swig, moves it around in her mouth, making a face as she swallows. Laughing, she hands me the bottle. “I mean, yeah, the best whiskey I’ve tried all day.”

  Pride flushes through me as I lay the bottle down. I know she isn’t lying or teasing me, her eyes are sincere and her words mean the world to me. Taking a step toward her, I wrap my arms around her waist with all the intention of showing her how much that means to me. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s good, spicy. Why can’t you sell it? Does your dad not like it?”

  I lean my head against hers, not wanting to get into my family drama. “It’s a long story.”

  “I have another hour before I gotta be back,” she says, moving her nose against mine.

  “Maybe another time.”

  She nods, moving her hands into the back pockets of my jeans. I close my eyes, holding her tighter against me. “Okay, well, when you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”

  “Thank you.”

  She smiles before looking up at me. “What do you want to do now, then?”

  Desire is swirling in the depths of her aquamarine eyes. It’s such a sight to see. One that hits me square in the chest. She is so beautiful, so amazing. My da has no clue what the hell he is talking about. “I can come up with a few things.”

  Her eyes drop to my lips as her breathing hitches. She whispers, “Would it involve you kissing me?”

  I’m lost. Completely and entirely lost in her eyes. My heart feels like it is coming out of my chest. My body is tingling, and I want nothing more than to do what she just asked. So I do. Capturing her mouth with my own, I kiss her, hard. She molds herself to me as I bring her off her feet and closer. She wraps her arms around my neck while I hold her around her middle, kissing her with all the pent-up lust I’ve kept hidden from her. Every second I’m around her is another second my control is tested. She drives me wild and makes me feel so free. I’ve always felt like I’m in a cage, but with her, it isn’t like that. I don’t have to hide who I am. Even when we first met, she had such a welcoming smile and inviting eyes. I’ve always felt at home with her.

  Dropping my hands to her thick ass, I squeeze her against my growing erection, and she gasps against my mouth. Moving my tongue with hers, I want to groan in satisfaction when her hands come up, knocking my beanie off before tangling her fingers in my hair. She feels so good. So perfect. Removing my mouth from hers, I run my lips down her chin, her throat, to the valley of her breasts, kissing each one softly before I run my tongue slowly up the hollow of her neck. Her gasps of breath fill the room as I go crazy with lust.

  Fuck, I want her, and I don’t know how to stop.

  “Whoa! My bad,” I hear Kane say.

  I didn’t mean I wanted to stop!

  Inwardly, I groan as I remove my mouth from her neck as she cries out, “Eeek!”

  She hides her face in my neck as I slowly drop her to her feet. Turning to look at my sheepishly grinning best friend, I say, “This better be good.”

  He shrugs. “Your da is on the way here.”

  I had every intention of killing Kane Levy, but now I want to buy him a pint. I nod as I put some space between Amberlyn and me. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” he says before disappearing out of the room.

  Once the door shuts, Amberlyn looks up at me and I’m utterly speechless. Her hair has somehow fallen out of the bun it was in, her lips are swollen and red, and her eyes are bright with excitement and lust. Taking in a deep breath to compose myself, I smile. “Mo stór.”

  Her face reddens more as she breathes against my lips. “That’s superhot and totes-ma-goats sweet.”

  I scoff. “What the hell is ‘totes-ma-goats’?”

  “Totally awesome,” she says, and then she kisses me again. I love the taste of her mouth, it’s sweet, like candy, and I want to feast for hours…but we have to go. Pulling away all too soon, I cup her face.

  “As much as I want to sit here and kiss you until my lips are raw, I have to take you back before my da gets in here.”

  Her face falls as she says, “Oh, okay.”

  “Don’t think that,” I say, because I can see it in her eyes. She might possibly think I’m embarrassed by her, when that is so far from the truth it isn’t even funny.

  “Think what?” she says with a shrug.

  “That I don’t want you to meet my da. Well, that is kind of true, but it’s not because of you. It’s because of him. He can come off strong, and I want you to like me.”

  Moving her fingers with mine, she says, “I already do. No stopping it now.”

  Cupping her face, I smile against her lips before kissing her hard. Once we part, I whisper, “Good to know, but I don’t want to test that theory today. Let’s go, another time.”

  She nods, but I don’t move until she smiles. It only takes a second before her lips curve and she grins. Kissing her nose, I lead her out of the distillery and then to the car, thankfully without any run-ins with my da.

  Chapter 17

  Amberlyn

  “You’re a fuckin’ arse is what you are, Kane Levy, and I am done with you. Stay the fuck away from me.”

  Kane throws his hands up and shakes his head. “You are overreacting. She’s a friend.”

  “A friend? You kissed her!”

  “I kiss all my friends!”

  With that statement, I know that Kane Levy is a dead man. Fiona’s eyes go wild as she throws the bottle of pop she has at him. He ducks out of the way and tries to reach for her, but she dodges his grip while I just sit here and wish like hell we could leave. Why I agreed to ride with her to the park to find Kane is beyond me. I felt like it was my duty though. She is my best friend, and when they beg you to go see if the guy they are dating is cheating on them—you go. I just wish we wouldn’t have found Kane with another girl.

  “Fiona. Please, calm down!” he says, reaching for her and pulling her to his chest. She slams her fist into him and pushes him away.

  “No, you won’t cheat on me and then expect me to be like oh, no big deal!”

  “I am not cheating, but also, I won’t point out that we’re only seein’ each other, so even if I was here getting it on with Ellen, it wouldn’t be cheating. I’m not doing anything wrong here.”

  I want to jump out of the car and wrap my arms around Fiona because I can see she is about to lose it. Her eyes fill with tears and her lip wobbles as she slowly nods her head. “Yeah, you’re right,” she breathes. Kane smiles before reaching for her, but she swats him away. “We aren’t together. How stupid of me to assume the guy I’ve been going out with, slept with, and slowly fallen for could actually feel the same for me, but do
n’t worry… You’ll never have to bother yourself with me again.”

  “Whoa, Fiona, stop,” he says, taking hold of her wrist to stop her. “We are seein’ each other. I never said we were going out!”

  “Yeah, I forgot to tell my heart that.”

  With that, she turns and gets in the car, slamming the door before jamming the key in the ignition. I reach over and wrap my arm around her shoulder, leaning into her as she takes in a deep breath, tears falling down her sweet cheeks. As the car takes off, I spare a glance at Kane to find him watching her, his face sullen and his lips parted. I look away just as his eyes meet mine, and I hate this. Nothing is coming to mind to say to her. I’ve never had my heart broken by a guy. I’ve never experienced the pain of rejection, so I have no clue what to say. Sitting up, I look at her profile, her nose red, her eyes swollen, and her lips wobbling as she sobs.

  I want to make the pain stop, but I don’t know how.

  “Fiona, I’m sorry.”

  She shakes her head. “It’s no one’s fault but his. Or fuck, mine, for falling for someone who didn’t want what I did.”

  “What can I do?”

  She tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes as she takes my hand. “Just be here, okay?”

  “Yes,” I promise.

  “Grand.”

  She drives faster than normal back to the house as her soft sobs fill the car, leaving me feeling helpless. Thankfully, my aunt and uncle are at the pub working, so we are able to hide in her room with ice cream, popcorn, and soda, watching horrible chick flicks in our PJs at two in the afternoon. With Fiona’s head in my lap, I braid her hair as we watch The Notebook. My nose is running from my tears, but damn, this is one of the greatest love stories ever put out.

  “I want a love like this,” she whispers, and I nod.

  “Me too. I want the kind of love that you run across a field for. Like in Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Darcy beelines for Elizabeth.”

  “That’s a good one. We should watch that next.”

  I couldn’t agree more. Smiling, I say, “Sounds good.”

  She moves her head to look up at me. “I would have run across the field for Kane. I thought that he was it. How stupid am I? It’s only been a month, and I almost fell for him! No one does that. No one falls in love that quickly. I am so naïve.”

  “Why do you think that?” I ask.

  She shakes her head, sitting up before wrapping the blanket around her. “Because love is complicated and hard. It doesn’t come easy. You have to work for it. My feelings were lust, and I confused them for something more.”

  I pause for a second, and I know she doesn’t mean any of that. She is just trying to cover up her hurt. Knowing that, I ask, “Do you think that it’s lust for me? And Declan, I mean?”

  Her brow comes up. “You’ve fallen for him?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, not yet, but I think I could.”

  “Yeah, well, be careful. He is the first guy you’ve ever been with. You’ll sleep with him, everything will change, and you’ll think he is the one. The next thing you know, he’s sleeping with the fuckin’ bitch down the road! Love is stupid, Amberlyn. Don’t get caught up in the ridiculous notion of it all. It turns smart women into dumbasses who do stupid things. Just don’t do it.”

  With that, she suddenly gets up and goes to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I am stunned by what just happened, but more than that, I’m worried. Even with knowing she is just saying all this because she is upset, I can’t help but wonder if she is right. What if what I’ve been feeling since meeting Declan is just lust? I mean, I’ve never slept with anyone in my life, and maybe my body is like “Hey, you might want to get me off, and I am making you think you like this guy so you’ll do it.” My body knows that I won’t do anything like that unless I love the person. What if it is all a trick? Oh my God, have I lost my ever-loving mind? Am I actually sitting here thinking my body is trying to deceive me to get laid?

  Really though, I need to remember that Fiona is heartbroken right now and not really speaking the truth. She’s hurting, and this thing with Declan is different. I’ve been dating him for two weeks now, and each day is something new and beautiful. He makes me feel alive, and I can’t stop smiling when I think of him. I like how easy it is around him and most of all, I like that when we talk, both of us listen, and we have real conversations. It’s not just small talk with us. We learn about each other. I like that. I like him.

  When my phone sounds, I look down to see that it is Declan. Speak of the devil, I think with a grin as I read his text.

  Haven’t heard from you today. Are we still on for tonight?

  Not sure, I type sadly.

  What do you mean?

  Letting out a breath, I write back quickly. Fiona and Kane got into it, and well, she is all heartbroken. I’m in my PJs, watching movies with her.

  Oh shite. That sucks. I haven’t talked to Kane today. His friend is in town or something. I’m not sure.

  Yeah, we saw them kiss.

  I wait for his text back, but then the phone rings. “No way,” he says when I answer.

  “Yeah.”

  “Like what kind of a kiss? Because Ellen is a lesbian.”

  Hmmmm… Before I can answer, he says, “She was his sister, Amy’s best friend in school. We lost Amy a couple years back, and when Ellen comes in town, they always get together for old times’ sake. Surely, Fiona knows that, right?”

  Oh, this is a crapshoot. Shaking my head, I say, “I’m not sure she does, but it’s more than that. He won’t commit to her.”

  “What? Really? Every time I talk to him, he is all about her.”

  “I don’t know. She is a pain in the hole,” I reply, mocking the way Fiona always says the angry sentiment.

  He laughs. “I love it when you go all Irish on me. That’s hot.”

  I smile as my heart flutters. “Well, thanks, but yeah, I don’t know, Declan. I’ll have to talk to her.”

  “Talk to me about what?”

  I look up to see Fiona. Her face is red, and she looks like hell ran over twice. Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I’ll call you back.”

  “Of course, my love. Call me soon.”

  Yup, heart is fluttering like crazy as I say, “I will.”

  Hanging up, I tuck my phone in my lap. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, ignore me, okay? I’m a crazy bitch, just broken over him. He’s a pain in the fuckin’ hole, I tell ya.”

  I smile. “I know, are you okay? Do you need something?”

  “I need you to go on your date with Declan. I don’t need someone to sit with me. It’s a broken heart, not cancer or some shit.”

  Her words stab me a little bit, and I’m pretty sure my face gave me away. “Fuck, sorry, Amberlyn, just go. I’m a danger to society right now. I suck.”

  I smile as I stand, going to her for a hug. “Not at all,” I say as we part. “But remember, the sun will shine tomorrow and so should you.”

  She nods. “And I will. Today though, I’m gonna cry and act like he ruined me.”

  “I also think you should talk to Kane, I think there is more to the story,” I say, not wanting to tell her what Declan said. We aren’t getting in the middle of this, and Kane’s story or reasoning is not for me to tell. He needs to tell her. I just hope she’ll listen.

  She rolls her eyes. “Maybe one day, but not today. I’m too upset.”

  “I know, hang in there,” I say before kissing her cheek. I hug her once more before leaving her room to go to mine. Glancing up at my mom’s letter, I pause as I read the words I just said to Fiona. She wanted so much for me, and I pray I am doing everything she wanted. Running my fingers along her writing, my eyes cloud with tears, but I hold them back as I whisper, “I miss you.”

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turn and go to my closet for an outfit as I call Declan back. He answers after only two rings.

  “Hey.”

  “
Hey, I am getting ready now.”

  “Awesome, I was a little bummed I might not get to see you. I’m glad that changed.”

  My mouth curves as I reach for a cute, floral-print sundress. “Me too. What are we doing tonight?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  I bite into my lip as I lay the phone down, pulling the dress over my head. “I happen to like your surprises a lot.”

  “I know. I have the house to myself tonight, and I thought I’d show you my favorite part.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

  I pause, the spot between my thighs quivering as my heart speeds up. The last two weeks have consisted of a lot of hot make-out sessions with Declan. While my body catches on fire at the mere thought of him, I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Swallowing loudly, I try to stay calm as I ask, “Awesome. When will you be here?”

  “I can leave now.”

  No, I need more time. “Wait like twenty minutes,” I say as I quickly button up the front of my dress.

  His laughter fills the line. “Fine, that’s grand. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Awesome.”

  Hanging up the phone, I beeline for Fiona’s room, my heart pounding in my chest. She looks up at me as I enter, saying, “That’s a nice dress.”

  “I think Declan thinks I’m having sex with him or something.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, he said he wants to show his favorite part of the house, he’s sure I will love it, and his parents aren’t home.”

  Her brow rises. “Are you ready for that?”

  “No.”

  “Have you told him that you’re a virgin?”

  “No, again.”

  “Okay, well, you said that you didn’t set boundaries with Casey, so you need to with Declan, or be ready for what he might want. You have the holy hot oven. He can’t do anything without your permission. He isn’t a sleaze.”