Wicked Whiskey Love

by Melissa Foster

  Sarah was busy putting a cape around Jasmine Carbo’s neck, oblivious to his approach. Jasmine watched him through the mirror. She’d known Bones forever. She and her twin brother owned a café in town.

  “Hey, baby!” Chicki called from the back of the salon.

  Bones waved, his eyes never wavering from the blond beauty before him.

  Sarah started when he came to her side. “Bones? What are you doing here?” Her eyes flicked to the other hairdressers, who were curiously observing them.

  “Sarah,” he said evenly, gazing into her unsure eyes. He glanced at Jasmine and said, “Sorry to interrupt, Jazz. It seems Sarah and I have a bit of a communication gap. I just want to clear it up.”

  “Go right ahead,” Jasmine said. “I’ve got all afternoon.”

  He took Sarah’s hand in his and said, “Darlin’, let me make something perfectly clear. I haven’t changed my mind about our date, and I’m not going to no matter how many times you ask. So the next time you get the urge to send that particular text, remember this.” He hauled her into his arms, taking her in a long, slow kiss, vaguely aware of the surprise sounding around them. In the space of a breath, he felt her shock give way to an inner struggle, and just as quickly she surrendered to their white-hot kiss, melting against him. He couldn’t resist taking the kiss deeper for just a brief second, and man, what a blissful second that was.

  As he drew away, Sarah wobbled. He ran his hands gently up her arms, steadying her. He knew he’d embarrassed her, but he’d had to, and hopefully he’d also taken away any lingering doubts, and given her something to think about until their date. Because holy fuck, he’d think of nothing else but kissing her again from that moment on.

  “Wow,” one of the hairdressers said.

  “Whoa,” Jasmine said. “How do I get a guy like you?”

  Bones chuckled, still focused on Sarah. “Are we clear about our date tonight?”

  “No!” Chicki called out. “I think you need to kiss her again.”

  “Mm-hm,” Jasmine said, earning agreement from the other hairdressers. “We need an encore.”

  “No!” Sarah’s eyes widened with shock, but there was no hiding the desire brimming in them. “We’re, um…clear.”

  “Great. I’ll see you in a few hours, darlin’.” He turned on his heel, grabbing his helmet on his way out the door, trailed by whispers and giggles. Once on the sidewalk, he saw Sarah was standing in the same place, touching her lips, as if she could still taste him—and damn, he couldn’t wait to get another taste of her.

  SARAH WAS A mess all afternoon. Bones Whiskey had a way of distracting her, but kissing him? That sent her into a tailspin. She already felt weird going on a date while she was pregnant, much less going out with the man Jasmine, and all the other women who had been in the salon when he’d planted his incredible lips on her, called the catch of Peaceful Harbor.

  No pressure there or anything.

  She wasn’t sure how a pregnant woman should dress for a date with such a man, but on her way home she’d stopped at a maternity boutique Chicki had told her about and splurged on a pair of under-the-belly skinny jeans and the prettiest teal, pink, and black kimono she’d ever seen. On the plus side, it wasn’t like she had to worry about sexy lingerie.

  Ohmygosh. Don’t even think about that.

  She stood in front of the mirror assessing her outfit. She hadn’t had a great body when she wasn’t pregnant, a little thick around the middle, with nothing-to-write-home-about boobs and legs that were a little too thin. Nowadays she was lucky if she remembered to shave them. She ran her hand over her belly, wondering again why Bones would want to date her of all people. After two babies, with a third growing bigger inside her every day, her belly was a map of stretch marks, and when she wasn’t pregnant, her breasts were like two half-deflated balloons. But she had to admit, the scoop-necked black shirt she wore beneath the kimono didn’t look half bad, and her legs looked longer with a pair of wedge-heeled sandals. She put on her makeup, a spritz of perfume, and a black leather choker, because not only did the choker pull the whole outfit together, but she’d noticed Bones favoring his leather jacket and she thought he might like it.

  What if Bones had something fancy planned? She wasn’t a fancy person, but he was a doctor. Fancy wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Should she wear a dress? She didn’t even really know what women her age wore on dates. She’d never been in that world. Not once in her life. Come to think of it, she’d never been on a proper date. Not even with the father of her children.

  She heard Bradley’s voice, though she couldn’t make out what he’d said.

  Oh God, what am I doing?

  She should be with her children tonight, not out pretending to be a single woman with no responsibilities. What if the kids needed her? What if watching them was too much for Scott? She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

  A knock at her bedroom door made her jump. “Yeah?”

  Scott peered into the bedroom, his casual expression morphing to worry. He rushed to her side with Lila on his hip. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  “Nothing. I just…” She closed her eyes for a second, trying to catch her breath.

  Scott put a hand on hers. “Are you sick?”

  She shook her head and opened her eyes, meeting her brother’s concerned gaze. “No, but do I look it?”

  “No. You look great.”

  She exhaled loudly. “You have to help me cancel tonight. I’ve never even gone on a real date. I have no idea why I said yes. I can’t do this.” She wanted to, but at the same time, as she looked at her sweet baby girl playing with a rubber toy, she wanted to be right there with her, too.

  “Can’t, don’t want to, or are afraid to?” Scott asked carefully. “Because if you can’t or don’t want to, I’ll call Bones right now and say you can’t go. But, Sarah, if you want to go, but you’re scared, I think you should go out with him. I had a long talk with Bones at the wedding. He’s genuinely interested in you, and I admit, at first I thought it was weird as sh”—he glanced at Lila, who was happily playing with her toy—“because you’re pregnant and have a family, but you know what? After talking to him, I honestly believe he—”

  “Don’t say he sees past it, because…” She glanced at her stomach with a deadpan look.

  “That’s just it. He didn’t even try to pretend he saw past anything. He embraced it. The guy really likes you, Sarah. And I realized that’s not so weird after all. You’re a cool chick, and you’re a great mom. Sure, you’re pregnant, but that doesn’t change those things.”

  Though she hung on to his kind words, she still couldn’t believe this was right, and she shook her head. “Great moms don’t leave their children to go out on dates. Or maybe single moms do, but single pregnant moms? I feel like everyone’s going to look at me weird. I’m looking at myself weird.”

  She jumped at the sound of a car door closing out front. Scott squeezed her hand, and then he peered out the window. “Were you expecting Dixie and Gemma?”

  “No. What if something happened to Bones?” She hurried out of the bedroom.

  Scott followed her out, chuckling. “You’re going on this date, sis,” he said as she whipped open the front door. “You definitely like the guy.”

  She didn’t have time to reply as Dixie and Gemma both squealed with excitement and ran up to hug her.

  “Hello, sexpot. You are one hot mama!” Dixie said.

  “You look gorgeous,” Gemma added.

  “What are you doing here?” Sarah asked. “Is Bones okay?”

  Dixie smirked. “If he’s not, he will be when he gets a look at you.” She shifted her gaze to Scott and said, “And damn, boy. You look hot with a baby in your arms.”

  Scott grinned. “Maybe I’ll have to babysit more often.”

  “My children are not wingmen…wingkids,” Sarah said firmly.

  “Bones is fine,” Gemma reassured her. “We came to help S
cott with the kids and to make sure you were okay.”

  “She’s not,” Scott said.

  Sarah glared at him, reeling from the idea that they’d shown up to help without her asking. She couldn’t back out now. That made her happy and more nervous.

  “We heard about what happened at the salon,” Gemma said.

  Dixie tickled Lila’s belly. “Gotta give my brother props. You two are the talk of the town.”

  “Oh no,” Sarah said under her breath as she followed them inside, feeling nauseous. The talk of the town?

  “Gemma!” Bradley ran over and wrapped his arms around Gemma’s legs. Then he blinked curiously up at Dixie and said, “Mom can’t play right now. She’s going out.”

  Dixie scooped him into her arms. “We came to play with you and your sister, silly goose.”

  “You did?” Bradley wiggled from her arms and dragged Dixie over to his toys. “We’re playing farm. You can be the pig.”

  “I think we need to have a little talk about how to speak to women.” Dixie winked at Sarah. “I’ll straighten this boy out. Sarah, you’d better sit down. You look white as a sheet. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

  “Just really nervous,” she said honestly.

  Gemma took her hand. “Since I can’t offer you a drink to take the edge off, why don’t we go talk in private?”

  Scott pointed down the hall. “Her bedroom’s down there.”

  As she and Gemma went to her bedroom, Gemma said, “Scott looked as pale as you when we got here. But he sure looks better now, thanks to Dixie. She knows how to get a man’s attention.”

  “He was doing a pretty good job of talking me off the ledge, but I don’t think he’s used to dealing with nervous women.”

  “Then he and Dixie will get along just fine. I swear nothing rattles her.” Gemma sat on the edge of the bed and patted the mattress.

  “I can’t sit down. I’m too nervous.” Sarah paced the small bedroom, unable to hold back her worries. “I’m not sure I should go on this date. I’m glad you guys are here, but still. They’re my kids. I don’t want to be the kind of mother who puts herself before her children. And look at me.” She placed her hand on her belly. “I shouldn’t be dating. I should be here, with Bradley and Lila—”

  “Wishing you were with Bones?” Gemma pushed to her feet, stopping Sarah from pacing. “You’re a single mother, and single mothers are allowed to have lives, Sarah.”

  “Single pregnant mothers? What’s everyone in town going to say about me going out with Bones? They’ll think I’m a gold digger or looking for a baby daddy or something.”

  “Wow, you are nervous. Did anyone at the salon look at you like that? Because from what I heard they were all excited for you. You might not know this, but Bones doesn’t do things like that. I mean, ever.”

  “They cheered at the salon, but I figured that was just because, you know, I was standing there like a deer in the headlights, stunned.” Sarah plunked down on the bed. “And don’t tell me he doesn’t do that. He sure seemed to know exactly what he was doing.”

  “That’s just it. He knew exactly what he was doing. He doesn’t even date women around here. He’s really careful with his reputation. The fact that he kissed you like that in front of lots of gossipy eyes means he was sending a message. He wanted everyone to know how he felt. Most of all, you.”

  “That’s supposed to make me less nervous? Look at him, Gemma. I’m not even in his league. He’s not just hot. He’s smart and funny and caring, and you’ve seen him with my kids. I swear there’s nothing sexier…”

  “Didn’t I tell you that on Halloween? And if you want to talk about leagues, you’re talking to the wrong girl. Leagues are things rich people make up to rationalize their snobbery.” Gemma leaned her butt against the dresser and crossed her arms. “I grew up in a very privileged world. We had everything money could buy, and I hated it. All of it. To be honest, I wouldn’t be friends with Bones if he were like that.”

  “I didn’t mean he was snobby—”

  “I know, but just listen, please. The thing about Tru and the Whiskeys is that they are the realest family I have ever met. They taught me the meaning of acceptance. They don’t judge by where we came from or what we have or don’t have. They only care about who we are now, and you are a magnificent mother and a beautiful, sweet woman. Bones sees that in you, and it shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks other than you. Do you want to go out with him?”

  Sarah sighed, nodding. “It’s scary, but I’m happy when we’re together.” She heard another car door close, and panic engulfed her. She grabbed Gemma’s hand. “Are you sure I’m dressed okay? What if people look at me funny?”

  “You’re with Bones Whiskey. Do you really think anyone will look at you funny? He’ll protect you with his life, and trust me when I say that Bones will shut down any sideways glances before you have time to think twice about them.”

  “Sarah?” Scott called from the living room.

  Sarah hugged her. “Thank you. I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

  “None of us think we are, but our guys have proved us wrong. Come on, let’s go wow your man.”

  Chapter Seven

  “HE’S NOT MY—” Sarah stopped cold at the sight of Bones crouched by the front door with Bradley’s arms around his neck and Lila toddling toward him babbling, “Bababa.”

  Lila had taken only a few steps since the wedding, but she was cruising like she’d been practicing for this moment all week.

  “Mom porn at its best,” Gemma whispered.

  Bones caught Lila as she tumbled into him, and his hearty laugh made Sarah warm and fuzzy inside. He looked over, and his expression went from amused to dark and desirous.

  For me.

  So much for warm and fuzzy. She was suddenly hot and bothered, and by the grin spreading across his lips, he sensed it. Deep breaths, she told herself. Say hello. There was a disconnect between her brain and her body, because she just stood there, taking in his deliciousness and remembering the way he’d swept her into his arms and kissed her breathless.

  “Hi, beautiful,” he said, rising to his feet with a child in each arm. His leather jacket hugged his broad shoulders, and beneath, a dark dress shirt revealed a hint of ink on his chest.

  Why did that make her pulse quicken?

  “Doesn’t your mama look pretty, B-boy?” Bones asked, eyes locked on Sarah.

  Bradley nodded. “She always looks pretty.”

  Surely her heart couldn’t take much more of this sweetness.

  “Okay, you two oglers.” Dixie reached for Lila, giving Scott a get on the ball look.

  “Oh, right.” Scott took Bradley from Bones, freeing him to pick up a bouquet of red roses Sarah hadn’t noticed on the table by the door.

  Ohgodohgodohgod. She could tell by Gemma and Dixie’s stifled giggles that she was doing an awful job of hiding her elation. She’d never been given flowers before, and she’d wondered what it would feel like to mean enough to a man that he would do something so thoughtful. As Bones stepped closer, she wanted to memorize everything about this moment. The way her chest tingled and happiness bubbled up inside her made her even more nervous.

  “Hi, darlin’.” He put a hand on Sarah’s hip and pressed a kiss to her cheek, lingering for a beat longer than she’d expected, just as he had earlier.

  Even if they never stepped foot out the door, these few minutes were right up there as some of the best of her life, right alongside the first time she’d held her babies and the first time she’d seen them walk and heard them say Mama.

  “These are for you,” he said as he handed her the bouquet.

  “They’re gorgeous. Thank you.”

  “Want me to put them in a vase for you?” Gemma asked.

  “Sure, thanks.” She stood stock-still as Gemma took the flowers, and Bones’s smile grew wider. She realized she hadn’t moved since she’d seen him by the door. Forcing her brain to function, she said, “Let me just k
iss the kids, and then we can go.”

  Sarah crouched beside Bradley, who was busy playing with Dixie, and said, “I’m going to go out for a little while. Be good for Uncle Scott, Dixie, and Gemma, okay?” He nodded, barely paying her any attention. She gave him a kiss goodbye, feeling a little less guilty about leaving. She tickled Lila’s belly, earning sweet little-girl giggles, and then she kissed her and said, “I love you, sweet girl.” Looking at Scott, she said, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

  “I have reinforcements. Go,” he urged. “And don’t give us a second thought. It’s just like when you go to work, except they’ll be tucked in and fast asleep when you get home, so don’t hurry back.”

  “Thank you, all of you.” She put her phone in her purse, and when she reached for her coat, Bones took it and held it up for her to put on.

  “Thanks, you guys,” Bones said. “Call us if you need to for anything at all, and we’ll come right back.”

  She knew she couldn’t return without him, but still, hearing him say we’ll come right back made her warm and fuzzy again.

  When the door closed behind them, with the brisk evening air on her face and Bones’s hand on her back, the thrill of their first date hit Sarah anew. His arm drifted up and around her shoulder, holding her closer.

  “Thanks for agreeing to go out with me. You look amazing.”

  She stifled her knee-jerk reaction to deny his compliment and said, “Thanks. So do you.”

  He unlocked the door of his sleek black sports car, and she slid onto the leather seat. “Oh, this is nice. What is it?”

  “Nothing special. Just a car.”

  He closed her door, and she watched him walk around to the driver’s side. As he climbed in, she admired the sleek interior and noticed a Porsche insignia and Panamera on the center console.

  Holy fudge. She didn’t know there were Porsches with four doors.

  Gemma was wrong. There were definitely leagues, and she was so far out of hers she’d need a crane to haul her pregnant heinie back to it.

  As he drove out of her development she asked, “Where are we going?”