“Woof!”
She shrieked, sending the phone flying again, and pressed her forehead to the steering wheel, fighting the urge to flee. The sound of motorcycles roared up the driveway, and she shot a look in her rearview mirror, catching sight of two motorcycles.
Flipping perfect.
UNABLE TO SLEEP past sunrise, which had always been pretty much the norm for Bullet, he was dicking around with one of his bikes in the garage when he heard motorcycles approaching. Tinkerbell woofed again. Bullet wiped his hands on a rag, raised the garage door, and stopped cold at the sight of Finlay’s pink chick mobile in the driveway. His brothers’ bikes sped up the driveway behind her. It was the perfect day for a ride, and he itched to feel the raw power between his legs, the gust of the world rushing by, and the exhilaration of his entire being on high alert in a numbing combination of anxiety and thrill. The only thing that had ever come close to mirroring that all-consuming pleasure was last night when he was buried deep inside Finlay.
He strode across the driveway toward her van, and her gorgeous, panicked face came into focus. A single sharp whistle and hand motion sent Tinkerbell down on her belly, panting excitedly about a new person to play with.
Fat chance, girl.
As Bear and Bones climbed off their bikes and whipped off their helmets, their cocky smiles eased the knot that had formed in his chest as he’d paced the floor for hours last night, keeping him and Tinkerbell awake.
Bear helped Crystal off the back of his bike and said, “You look like hell,” to Bullet before dropping to his knees and loving up Tinkerbell.
Bullet gritted his teeth against the memory of how much it had sucked to leave Finlay last night and tried to calm the crazy shit going on in his stomach as he approached the van. Finlay white-knuckled the steering wheel with both hands, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“Hey, babe. How about you roll down the window?”
Her eyes shot to Tinkerbell, who was lying on her back with her feet up in the air while Bear scratched her belly. Finlay rolled the window down an inch as Crystal came to Bullet’s side. He put an arm around Crystal and said, “How’re you feeling, sweetheart?”
“Better. My stomach’s been quirky for the last week or so, but I’m good.” She smiled at Finlay. “How’s it going, Fin? Are you going to stay in that big spoon of Pepto-Bismol all day, or come out and say hi?”
“How about you give us a minute,” Bullet said, releasing Crystal.
“Hey, bro.” Bones slapped Bullet on the shoulder as he walked by on his way to join the others.
Bullet grabbed the door handle, and renewed panic filled Finlay’s eyes. He opened the door and blocked the opening with his body. “Hey, sweet girl. What are you doing here?”
“I was thinking, you came to see me after that accident when you said everything inside you told you to walk away. That was hard for you, so I pulled up my big-girl panties and thought if I could get to know Cuj—Tinkerbell, that maybe we could spend more time together.”
His heart swelled to near bursting.
She leaned closer and whispered, “But I didn’t know you had plans, and I might have overshot my abilities. I’m not sure I can go anywhere near her.”
“I know one way to help you get past that fear.” He leaned into the van, wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her. He felt the tension drain from her body and continued kissing her, until her hands left the steering wheel to embrace him. And then he deepened the kiss, because nothing—nothing—was better than this.
“Better?” He pressed a softer kiss to her lips.
“Now I’m turned on and scared.”
He chuckled. “Do you trust me?”
She nodded.
“I know a thing or two about overcoming fears. Can you give me a few minutes? Promise me you won’t take off?”
“If you guys have plans, I can come back.” She glanced at Bear and Crystal, both crouched beside Tinkerbell. Bones had his back to the van, his phone pressed to his ear.
“We don’t. Give me a sec.” He closed the door, relief pushing through him like a gale-force wind as he headed into the barn, returning with one of Tinkerbell’s leashes.
As he hooked it on her collar, Bear said, “What’s up with Finlay?”
“She’s afraid of dogs.”
Crystal went to the van and said, “Tinkerbell’s really sweet. She just looks mean. Like Bullet.”
Christ.
Finlay made a pleading face.
“She won’t hurt you,” Crystal urged.
Finlay rolled down the window a little further and said, “I’m sure she won’t, but I’m still scared of dogs. Any dogs. Chihuahuas scare me, which I know is silly. But I’m trying, because…” She glanced at Bullet again, and his gut went funky again.
“We came by to see if you were sure you didn’t want to join us on our ride,” Bear explained. “Finlay can come along. Make a day of it?”
“She doesn’t ride,” Bullet said.
“You don’t ride?” Crystal asked Finlay.
Finlay shook her head with an apologetic expression.
“Neither did I when I met Bear,” Crystal said. “Maybe after you conquer Tink you can learn to ride.”
“That would be a big if, and I don’t know if I can handle two things at once. First let me get through this,” Finlay said.
Bullet handed the leash to Bear. “Fin was attacked by a dog when she was younger. Think you can stick around long enough for me to get her out of the van?”
“Whatever you need.” Bear took the leash. He crouched with an arm around Tinkerbell again and said, “You need to be sweet, Tink.” Then to Crystal he said, “Come here, sugar. Let’s give Bullet some room to work his magic.”
Magic. If only he had one-tenth as much as Finlay did.
Bullet opened the door to the van and turned Finlay so she was facing him. Holy hell, where did his girl shop? Turnonyourman.com? She wore a flimsy, short pink dress and brown leather boots that laced up to her knees, beneath which were some sort of frilly socks that went halfway up her thighs. Her outfit was completed with a wrist full of bracelets and a flowery ring on her right hand.
“Sweet baby Jesus, lollipop. Did you dress to make me want to lay you down in the back of the van on purpose?”
“What?” She gasped and looked down at her outfit. “No! I wore tall boots so Tink couldn’t get at my legs, and this is one of my favorite dresses. I figured I should be as comfortable as possible.”
“Well,” he said as he adjusted himself. “At least one of us will be.”
She giggled. “Sorry.”
He put his hands on her hips and tugged her against him, trying not to think about what type of panties she had on under that slinky little dress. Fuck. Now that was all he could think about.
“What’s going on?” Bones asked, jerking Bullet’s mind back into submission.
“Fin’s afraid of dogs,” Bear explained.
As his brothers talked, Bullet gazed into Finlay’s eyes and said, “Tink will listen to everything I say, but she’s a puppy. She’s going to get excited, and she might bark or wiggle around because she’s straining not to jump up and kiss your face, okay?”
She gulped and nodded. Her eyes shifted in Tinkerbell’s direction. Tinkerbell was licking Bear’s face. “Has she ever bitten anyone?”
“Never. And she isn’t trained to attack. She’s trained to behave, babe. She’s my girl. I’d never put her in danger, any more than I’d put you in danger, and she knows it.”
Finlay’s gaze softened, and a genuine smile appeared. “I love how much you love her.”
“I take care of the things I love.” And I want to take care of you. “She’s docile enough to let Lincoln crawl all over her and Kennedy hug her up. But before I bring you over to meet her, I want you to know how much it means to me that you’re here. I don’t know big enough words to say it, but thank you.”
“I take care of the things I care about, too,” she said softly.
FINLAY STEPPED FROM the van, remaining glued to Bullet’s side. Her pulse was sprinting even though Tinkerbell was leashed. Bear and Bones flanked her. In their dark jeans and leather jackets, they looked like biker bodyguards. Bullet was a wall of concentration, watching her and his pup intently. What must it feel like to be him right now, with a girlfriend who was petrified of the animal that made him feel safe?
Finlay reached for his hand, and he glanced down at her with concern in his eyes. “I brought her treats that I made. Will that help?”
His lips tipped up. “Only if you want my eighty-pound girl trying to snarf food out of your hands.” He glanced at Tinkerbell and then back at Finlay. “You made her treats?”
She nodded. “I couldn’t sleep, so I looked up the healthiest treats for puppies. I made them shaped like bones.” Her eyes flicked up to Bones and she said, “The doggy kind.”
His brothers chuckled.
Crystal tucked her dark hair behind her ear and said, “Aw, it might have been fun to see Tink gobbling down little Bones.”
Tinkerbell’s head popped up, and she took a step toward Bullet. Bear held tight to the leash and said, “Stay, Tink.”
Finlay exhaled a long breath.
“Here’s how this is going to go.” Bullet lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “You’re scared, and she’s going to sense that. When Kennedy gets scared, Tink rallies around her. She might whimper, she might try to lick you, but she will not try to bite you, okay?”
Finlay nodded. “I can’t help being scared.”
“I know. It’s okay, but you need to know that she has feelings, too. She hurts when people she loves hurt. See how she’s watching you? Watching us? She sees your hand in mine. She senses that you’re important to me. She’ll act on that.”
“Okay,” came out in a whisper.
“When we walk over, I’m going to have her lie down, and then I want you to offer your hand to her, let her smell you.” He lifted her hand to his nose and inhaled deeply. “She’ll smell your sweetness and will probably lick your hand. When you feel comfortable, you can pet her, okay? No pressure, but if you can keep from screaming and running away, that would be best.”
Finlay smiled, remembering how she’d freaked out in the parking lot at Whispers. “I’m not going to do that again. I think I can handle this. I mean, look how she is with you guys. I already feel like a loser for needing an army of protection from your dog.”
“Everyone needs support,” Bones said.
A comforting glance passed between him and Bullet. She could only imagine how the rest of Bullet’s family would have rallied around him had he shared the worst of his experiences with them. She wondered if he’d still have nightmares and flashbacks if he’d gotten it out of his system.
“You can totally do this,” Crystal said. “By the way, that outfit is the bomb!” She whipped out her phone and took a picture. “I’m going to make one like it, but black.”
Crystal made many of her own clothes, as well as costumes for Gemma’s princess boutique. Finlay’s thoughts shifted to clothes, and the distraction took her nervousness down a notch.
“Ready?” Bullet asked.
“No.” She smiled and said, “But let’s do it anyway.”
Holding her hand tight, he motioned with his other hand and said, “Tink, lie down.”
Tinkerbell lowered herself to her belly again, her long paws stretched out before her. Her head was perched high, her tongue hanging out, like she couldn’t wait for them to come over. Tinkerbell had a broad head and body, a black face, and brown fur around her snout and down her chest, which made her look like she was wearing a dark mask. But lying there, with her ears twitching and front paws stretched out, she looked concerned, excited, and a little confused.
Join the party. I’ll be sweet if you will, Finlay thought nervously.
Bear crouched, one arm around Tinkerbell, and nodded at Bullet. Finlay loved the way they stuck together in everything. Even something as silly as helping his fearful girlfriend get to know his dog.
“Okay, babe. Go nice and slow.”
Her heart beat frantically as she stepped forward, clinging to Bullet’s hand. She offered her other hand to Tinkerbell, trembling as the pup stretched her neck toward her hand. It took all of Finlay’s focus not to pull back when Tinkerbell’s nose touched her hand and her tongue tickled over it. Nervous laughter fell from Finlay’s lips. Bullet stepped behind her, his big body like a wall of strength for her to borrow from.
“Kneel down, sweetheart,” he said in her ear.
She was suddenly engulfed by memories of their bodies tangled together last night and his hot breath on her neck. Her knees weakened, and kneeling wasn’t so difficult anymore. He went down with her, one arm around her back, the other reaching out to pet Tinkerbell. What was wrong with her that she was thinking about how close they’d been when five minutes ago she’d been scared out of her mind?
“That’s my girl,” he said coaxingly.
She wasn’t sure which of them he was talking to, but she had a feeling it was both, and it made her appreciate his big heart even more. Bullet knew only one way to love, and that was to love hard. Knowing he’d never put either one of them in danger eased the knots inside her.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered, breathing deeply. “Actually, I’m doing pretty well.”
Tinkerbell crept forward, still lying on her belly, her pleading eyes tugging at Finlay’s heartstrings as she weaseled between her and Bullet and nosed at Bullet’s belly. Bullet used his free hand to love her up, then pressed a kiss to the top of her snout.
“That’s my girl.”
Finlay reached over and petted her, too. Her fur was short but soft, and she felt solid, like Bullet. Tinkerbell lifted her face and Finlay pulled back.
“It’s okay. She just wants to kiss you,” Bullet assured her.
Finlay closed her eyes. Tinkerbell’s scratchy tongue licked up her cheek, making all of them laugh. She sank down to her butt beside Tinkerbell, the cold concrete prickling the backs of her thighs as Tinkerbell lay her big head on Finlay’s leg and sighed. Finlay petted her, growing more comfortable. When she stopped petting her, the pup whimpered and licked her leg.
They sat on the driveway for a long while, getting to know each other, Finlay and the dog who had become Bullet’s security blanket. Her love for the pup grew as she thought about how much Tinkerbell meant to Bullet, how much she helped him, and how much Bullet had helped her. Soon everyone was talking and laughing, and Tinkerbell was sitting pressed against Finlay’s side. And for the first time in years, she was okay around a dog.
The joy in Bullet’s eyes, the laughter he so rarely shared, and that sexy smile that she didn’t see often enough, was worth every second of the trepidation she’d experienced and the sleepless night she’d spent gathering the courage to drive out there and try to overcome her fears.
Finlay took a long look at the three big men sitting on the pavement like they didn’t mind at all. Bear’s arm was around Crystal, and they were both smiling as he stole kisses after every word she said. Bones and Bullet were reminiscing about when Bullet had first found Tinkerbell. The love between them was so rich and real, she felt buffered from the rest of the world and blessed to be welcomed into their world.
“Thank you all for helping me through this. I’m sure you had better things to do than play babysitter this morning.”
Bear pushed to his feet, bringing Crystal up beside him. “We’re heading out for a ride. How about we break that motorcycle cherry of yours next?”
“Bear!” Crystal elbowed him. “One major life event at a time.”
“Watch it, bro,” Bullet warned as the rest of them rose to their feet.
Bear shrugged. “Just trying to help.”
Tinkerbell leaned against Finlay’s side as they said their goodbyes and Bullet’s brothers and Crystal took off for their rid
e. Finlay couldn’t believe she’d actually gone through with overcoming a fear she’d lived with for more than a decade.
Bullet gathered her in his arms and said, “How’re you really holding up?”
As she soaked in the warmth of his embrace, she knew she might never have done it if it weren’t for him. “Surprisingly well. I can’t promise I won’t be fearful of other dogs, but at least this is a step in the right direction.”
“A huge step.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek and said, “I know how hard it is to face your fears, and I’m really proud of you.”
“Thank you. I knew Tink took after her papa with those dark eyes and that intimidating stance, but I didn’t realize she had your big heart, too.”
“Thanks, babe.” Worry washed over his features. “Were you afraid of me when you first saw me?”
“No. I just didn’t know what to make of you. You looked like a bully, all big and bad, and you spoke too roughly. I mean, come on. The first thing you ever said to me was offering me a ride on the Bullet train.” She laughed, and he silenced her with a kiss.
It didn’t surprise her that he didn’t try to refute it, or give her an explanation. Bullet made no excuses for who he was, and that was only one of the reasons she was so drawn to him.
“Think you can stay for a while? I have something I want to show you.”
“Is it anything like what you showed me last night?” she asked playfully.
A deep, seductive noise sounded in his throat as his lips came down over hers in a kiss so warm and wonderful, so perfect, she never wanted it to end. But Tinkerbell had other ideas, and nudged her big head between them, making them both laugh.
He took Finlay by the hand and led her toward the backyard with Tinkerbell trotting happily along beside them. More elaborate gardens came into view, with slate paths snaking between them. One path led to a small patio with a stone fireplace, and another weaved toward the far side of the yard, where a pond glistened in the late-morning sun. There were acres of greenspace as far as she could see, so picturesque she couldn’t look away.
Driving Whiskey Wild Page 17