She shifted her gaze back to her son and said, “I know. It’s okay. I’m just overprotective.”
“As you should be. When I saw the fear in your eyes, I felt horrible.”
The emotion in his voice drew her gaze back to his. She had no business noticing anything about him, much less letting her overactive imagination run wild. Bones could have any woman he wanted. She wasn’t fooling herself into thinking he’d be crazy enough to want a pregnant woman with two children. Besides, she’d made the mistake of trusting kind words and sexy eyes before. She couldn’t afford to fall into that dark place again.
“How about a smile from this pretty little lady’s beautiful mommy?” He tickled Lila’s chin, earning sweet baby giggles.
Her insides melted when he did things like that. It was no wonder she was a mess of confusion around him. She desired him so much she ached with it, but her mind continually threw out warnings and barricades in the form of painful memories.
She flashed a quick smile and then headed for Bradley before her hormones had a chance to overreact again. When Bones’s hand landed on her lower back, she forced herself to focus on Red, who was tickling Bradley’s cheek with a blade of grass, instead of the delicious warmth his touch created inside her. It wasn’t an easy task, distracting herself from such an enticing creature, but she was determined. She studied the three women, who acted like sisters although they looked as different as could be. There was one thing about their appearance they had in common, though: They emanated strength and resilience like Sarah had never before seen. Maybe it was because they were bikers’ wives, or maybe they were born that way.
Sometimes Sarah felt strong, but at other times she felt like she had a magnet on her back, drawing bad shit from every direction and it was all she could do to duck and cover.
“THERE’S MAMA AND Sissy,” Babs said to Bradley as they approached. Bones had known Babs his whole life. Her long blond hair always looked windswept, and her clothes were constantly disheveled, but she was as warm as she was tough.
Red smiled up at them and said, “Escorted by my big, brave boy.” With her fair skin and short hair, it was hard to believe she had birthed three dark boys. But like them, she was a biker through and through, and she almost always dressed in black, from her T-shirt and jeans right down to her chunky leather boots.
Bones ruffled Bradley’s hair, and Bradley flashed a sugary-blue toothy grin.
“Hey, Red. Ladies.” Bones leaned down and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Will I ever graduate to being called a man instead of a boy?”
“That’s what other women see you as,” Chicki said, her legs tucked beside her. She was the most fashionable of her friends, exotic almost, with olive skin, dark hair she often pulled back in a severe bun, and a penchant for colorful blouses and zipping around on sky-high heels. “No matter how big and bad you are, to us you’ll always be the boy who toddled around naked in the backyard, saying, ‘Check this out!’ and then doing a hip swivel to make your willy swing around.”
Christ. He was in his thirties. Would they ever stop bringing up this shit?
Sarah snort-laughed as she sat down beside Chicki, quickly covering her mouth. Her beautiful brown eyes flicked up to his, dancing with amusement. Damn she was gorgeous. Sometimes those eyes of hers looked troubled and haunted or a million miles away, and other times, like now, they were carefree and innocent, even if it lasted for only a few brief seconds. He wanted to capture those seconds in a glass, treasure them, and give her more reasons to feel that way.
“You think that’s funny, do you?” he said to Sarah. “I bet your mother has some embarrassing stories about you, too.”
Sarah’s face blanched, and pain appeared in her eyes.
“My grandma is in heaven,” Bradley said matter-of-factly. He thrust his cotton candy at Lila, who grabbed a fistful and began sucking it off her fingers.
Man, I’m batting a thousand today.
Bones touched Sarah’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s okay,” she mumbled just as Lila shoved her sticky fingers into Sarah’s mouth. Sarah gently moved her daughter’s wrist, keeping her from putting her sticky hand elsewhere, and smiled lovingly, the pain instantly disappearing. “Mm. Thank you, Lila boo.”
It was that smile, the one she shared only with her children, that had first captured Bones’s attention when he’d seen her in the hospital after her accident. Sarah was as guarded as a wounded bird, but when it came to her children, she was strong, open, and loving. He wondered what had happened in her life to make her so untrusting of others.
“Here come the troops.” Red pointed across to the sidewalk, where Bullet, Finlay, and Tinkerbell led a pack of their siblings and friends, a motley crew of princesses and the worst-looking, hairy, thick-legged cheerleaders Bones had ever seen.
Babs nudged Chicki. “They look like they’re ready to go have some fun before trick or treating. Come on, girls. Let’s let these young’uns do their thing.”
“Thank you for watching Bradley,” Sarah said. “Bradley, say thank you, honey.”
Bradley threw his arms around Chicki’s neck and said, “Thank you!” His high-pitched voice rang out as he scrambled off her lap and into Red’s, doling out more hugs and kisses. Then he threw himself into Babs’s arms.
Bones wondered if he missed his own grandmother.
Sarah went up on her knees, and he helped her to her feet, drawing her body against his and holding her there for a beat just to see her blush. As if on cue, her cheeks flushed, and she put space between them. If she blushed when he held her, what would she do when he got his mouth and hands on her? When he poured his desires into pleasuring her?
I can’t wait to find out.
He’d always found pregnancy a time of wonder and beauty, but he’d never been attracted to a pregnant woman before Sarah. There was something about the sweet, sexy blonde, pregnant belly and all, that had drawn him in from the start. She was feminine, and yet she resonated inner strength like a watchful soldier who had seen too much darkness. The thought made his blood simmer, though he had no idea if he was reading her right. He had all types of women vying for his attention, but he rarely dated women from Peaceful Harbor, preferring to keep his conquests far away from his turf, protecting his reputation with the same vehemence he protected his family. But with Sarah, he had no choice. There was an unstoppable force driving him toward her—and for once in his life it wasn’t his head, but his heart.
“Thank you for letting Bradley ride in your sidecar and monopolize your attention during the parade,” Sarah said as she adjusted Lila on her hip.
“He’s a great boy. I enjoy having him around.” He raked his eyes down her body, lowered his voice, and tried to earn the sexy blush he loved. “I’d like to take you for a ride sometime.” Her eyes widened, and he worried he’d pushed too far, so he added, “In my sidecar.”
His mother and her friends rose to their feet, watching him with a spark of intuition, as if they sensed his feelings for Sarah growing right before their eyes. Damn, he hated that spark. He swore they had some kind of truth radar, having caught him and his siblings weaving stories on too many occasions to count when they were kids. He shifted on his feet, turning away from them and toward Sarah. He didn’t know much about her background. She evaded questions about her past and the children’s father—or fathers—like armor deflected bullets. She’d mentioned an ex, but he didn’t know if she was married and using ex figuratively, hiding out from an actual ex, or if she was just cautious in general. She had two beautiful children, was pregnant with another man’s child, and still she had invaded his darkest fantasies and provoked protective urges well beyond what he was used to. There was no denying the burn of attraction he felt, but the idea of messing around with another man’s woman wasn’t even on his radar.
He glanced down at the precious girl in Sarah’s arms, who was watching him with smiling blue eyes. The difference between Lila’s
trusting gaze and Sarah’s guarded one was inescapable. He hoped to fix that, but first he needed answers.
An embarrassed smile lifted Sarah’s lips, and she said, “I’m sorry I freaked out about Bradley. My greatest fear is something happening to my children.”
“I should have realized. I’ll never give you a scare like that again.”
Bones was a protector by nature, but his desire to protect Sarah and her children was like a bone-deep ache he couldn’t, and didn’t want to, shake. He didn’t know if it was because he’d watched each of his brothers find love and they’d never been happier, or if what his mother had told him so long ago was really true. When you find the one person who you’re meant to be with, nothing can change it. All he knew was that if Sarah was married, if she was spoken for on any level and all he could do was admire her from afar, he’d do whatever it took to show her that she could trust him.
“Who’s ready for trick or treating?” Finlay asked as Tinkerbell pulled her toward Bradley.
“Tink!” Bradley stood up, and Tinkerbell pushed her big head forward, licking his face so hard he plopped down on his butt, giggling.
Bones crouched between them and grabbed Tinkerbell’s collar. “You okay, B-boy?”
“Yes,” Bradley said through fits of giggles. “Let her go!”
“How about we get you on your feet first?” Bones helped him up and put one arm around his waist as Tinkerbell bathed him in doggy kisses. The boy needed a puppy his size, but Bones imagined the last thing his mama needed was another mouth to feed, train, or care for.
Red and her friends said quick hellos before heading off to find their husbands.
“Looks like your boy’s got a bodyguard,” Finlay said to Sarah.
Bones glanced at Sarah, who was watching him warily. It was rare for him to be on this end of scrutiny. He saved lives for a living. Most people looked up to him, valued his word as if it were golden, and he tried to live up to that. What would it take to earn Sarah’s trust? And where the hell was the lucky bastard who had earned her heart and fathered her children?
“Come on, B-boy,” Bones said as he rose to his feet. “Let’s show these guys how trick or treating is done.”
“Shoulders! Shoulders!” Bradley jumped up and down, arms stretched up toward the sky, earning an excited woof from Tinkerbell.
As Bones lifted Bradley onto his shoulders, Sarah touched his arm and said, “You don’t have to…”
Bones winked. “I don’t usually do things because I have to. I do them because I want to.”
“Uncle Beah, I want a shoulder ride like Uncle Boney is giving Bradley. Please?” Kennedy pleaded, looking precious in her little football uniform complete with shoulder pads, cleats, and a pink tiara. Truman had taken her to a high school football game, and she’d been enamored with the sport ever since. Kennedy was such a girly-girl, so they’d all been floored when she decided to be a football player for Halloween instead of a cheerleader.
“Sure thing, sugar pop.” Bear hoisted her up to his shoulders.
Bear was the most emotional and lighthearted of his siblings. Bones had no idea how, with all he’d been through over the years. His affable personality had saved their family in more ways than one. When Bones had been away at school and Bullet was on tour with the military, their father had suffered a stroke. Bear had just graduated high school, and he’d put his life on hold to take over their family business, Whiskey Bro’s, and eventually, after their uncle passed away, Whiskey’s Automotive. He’d not only kept them solvent over the years, but he’d helped them flourish, all while taking care of the homestead so Bones could put focus on becoming a doctor and Bullet could give himself over to their country. Now it was Bear’s turn to follow his dream, and Bones couldn’t be happier for him. He’d married Crystal several months ago and was currently designing motorcycles for the elite Silver-Stone Cycles. And because he loved the business so much, he continued working part-time at the auto shop as well. Bones was in awe of each of his brothers and their accomplishments, and he would forever be thankful for Bear’s selfless generosity.
Kennedy set her pink tiara on Bear’s head and said, “Now you weally look like a cheerleader!”
“Only for you, Ken,” Bear said with a shake of his head.
“Where’s Dixie?” Bones asked.
“Penny and Izzy dragged her off with Jed, Quincy, and Scott,” Crystal explained.
“Penny said they were going to do single-people things, which was quickly followed by a waggle of Quincy’s brows,” Gemma said.
Bones glanced at Sarah. I’d like to do single-people things with you. As if she’d read his thoughts, she blushed and looked away.
Bullet grunted something Bones couldn’t make out. Like the rest of the guys, he looked ridiculous in his cheerleading outfit, with two pom-poms sticking out of his back pocket, but he was six foot five, and there wasn’t a man alive stupid enough to make fun of him. And like all the Whiskeys, there was nothing they wouldn’t do for Kennedy.
“Shoot. I forgot the stroller,” Sarah said.
“I’ll carry her.” Bones reached for Lila. “Come here, peanut.”
Sarah turned her shoulder toward him. “You’ve already got Bradley.”
Bones reached up and put one hand on Bradley’s back and waved his other hand. “And I’ve got a free arm.”
“Mommy, he’s a good holder,” Bradley said, patting Bones on the head. “He’s holded me a lot.”
She blinked up at Bones with an apology in her beautiful brown eyes. “It’s okay. I can carry her.”
Lila reached for Bones. He stuck his finger out, and she wrapped her tiny fingers around it, pulling it toward her mouth.
“I don’t doubt that you can,” Bones said. “But this is what friends are for, lightening the load.” Didn’t she have close friends wherever she’d moved from? Or had they scorned her? The thought made his muscles constrict. “If you’re not comfortable with me holding her—”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just being—”
“A responsible mother.” Which makes you even more alluring. “It’s an admirable trait.”
Sarah shook her head. Her pretty blond hair billowed around her shoulders. “But really, Bones, you can’t carry them both.”
“Oh boy,” Finlay said, glancing knowingly at Gemma. “You haven’t learned not to question the manhood of a Whiskey. They’ll always prove you wrong.”
“Darlin’, you’ve got a bun in the oven and you’ve been out here all afternoon.” Bones extended his arm. “Now, please hand over that pretty little lady. We’ll walk over to your place and pick up the stroller if you’d like, and then we’ll trick or treat in your neighborhood. We should probably get her hedgehog and blanket, too, in case she gets fussy.” Sarah lived only three blocks away. It wasn’t a long walk for him carrying the kids, but he worried about Sarah lugging a baby on her hip all evening.
Sarah gave him an incredulous look, her eyes full of wonder. “Her hedgehog…”
“I have no idea how you got out of the house without it.” Bones had given Lila a stuffed hedgehog when she got out of the hospital, and from what he’d seen, Lila rarely let it out of her sight.
Gemma sidled up to Sarah and said, “They say you can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his mother.” She turned loving eyes to Truman and said, “I think you can tell more about a man by the way he treats other people’s children.”
Bear had befriended Truman when Truman was a teenager. A few years later, Truman had taken the fall for a crime Quincy had committed and had spent several years in prison. Shortly after being released, he’d rescued Lincoln and Kennedy, siblings he hadn’t known existed, from a crack house where their mother had overdosed. He’d met and fallen in love with Gemma, and they’d since married and adopted the children, raising them as their own. The kids had come a long way. Kennedy had been afraid of everyone and everything. Now she was in preschool three mornings a week and loved being the center of attention. Truman
was a good man who had been through hell and given himself wholeheartedly to others. Bones was proud to call him his brother.
Sarah finally relented, handing Bones her sweet baby girl with an appreciative smile. “I hate feeling like I’m taking advantage of you. You’re always helping us out. One day you’re going to spin around and wonder where all your free time went.”
“Take advantage, darlin’.” He couldn’t keep the double entendre from sounding like one, and the widening of her eyes told him he’d better pull back or she just might run scared. But he wasn’t great at pulling back from something he wanted, and when he caught Sarah stealing a glance at him—a very heated glance—he added, “As often as you’d like.” Then he tipped his chin up and said, “Hang on tight, B-boy. We’re about to get our trick or treat on.”
Chapter Two
ALMOST TWO HOURS and several trick-or-treat stops later Bradley was fast asleep in the stroller, clutching a bag of candy, and Lila was in Bones’s arms, bundled up in her favorite blanket and hugging her hedgehog. Kennedy was fighting sleep on Bullet’s chest, but Lincoln was wide-awake in Truman’s arms, tugging on his beard. Crystal and Bear had taken off about a half hour ago. If Sarah tried really hard, she could pretend she belonged among this close-knit group. But she’d spent a lifetime pretending, and no matter how good she was at it, it was exhausting. She’d give anything to have been born into a different family, to be free of her past without lies or fears of what people might find out about her, but she wasn’t blessed in that way. She was blessed, however. One look at her beautiful babies, or her brother, was all it took to remind her of how lucky she truly was.
“We should probably get your little ones home to bed,” Bones said as they strolled down the sidewalk. “You must be exhausted, too.”
She glanced at him, and her pulse did that sprinting, crazy thing that she’d dreamed of finding as a little girl—and that fervor made fear rise up inside her. She’d screwed up once and could not afford to do it again. If it took everything she had, she was bound and determined to give her children a happy, normal life. What exactly normal meant, she didn’t know anymore. But walking along the sidewalk with Bones, talking about the parade and her children, felt like a start, and it was surely much more normal than how she’d spent too much of her life—on the run, doing things she’d never imagined to keep food on the table, and believing in a man who only let her down, leaving her to start all over again.
Wicked Whiskey Love Page 2