Deliciously Smooth (Naked Brews #1)

by K. B. Jacobs

  Melissa jumped off her barstool, too. “That reminds me. I forgot to feed my cat.” She took off down the hall leading to the stairs that went to her apartment above the kitchen.

  “You don’t have a cat,” Lake called after her.

  “Um, yeah, sounds good. We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Melissa said, her eyes wide as she waved at us and disappeared around the corner.

  “It’s a good thing she didn’t want to be a spy,” I murmured.

  “Yeah,” Lake agreed with a shake of her head. “We had to stop playing poker because it simply wasn’t fair to her. She couldn’t afford it anymore. The girl doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body.” Lake looked at me.

  And that was my opening, because I’d more than proven I could lie with the best of them, but Lake didn’t give me a chance. She nodded toward the paper sack I held. “What’s that?”

  I wiped my palm on my jeans and eased farther into the room. “I brought some things for you.”

  “Gifts?” Her eyes lit up. “For me?” She gave me a little half smile that spoke of how unsure she was, but she stepped forward and tried to look into the bag. “You wouldn’t be trying to butter me up for something, would you?”

  “Maybe.” I threw her my best cocky grin. “How about we see if it works?” I took a pace closer as I reached into the bag. I pulled out a cheap plastic trophy and presented it to her with a bow. “For the World’s Best Brewer. Congratulations on winning. I heard the news and couldn’t be prouder of what you’ve accomplished.”

  She beamed at me and huffed a breath on the trophy to shine it. “Thank you for the recognition, but if you’ll recall, I’ve been telling you this fact about me since the day we met.”

  “Too true. You were right. Unlike Melissa, I am an excellent liar.”

  She closed her eyes and pushed her ear forward with her hand. “Oh, come on. Let me hear it again.”

  For a moment, I thought she wanted me to tell her again what a good liar I was, but then I realized what compliment she was really fishing for.

  I grinned, beginning to hope that maybe, just maybe, she might be willing to forgive me. “Whatever you need to hear, darling. You were right. You were so fucking right. You absolutely knew what you were doing with Naked Brews.”

  “It’s so wise of you to recognize your mistakes.” Lake nodded sagely. “And now you’re pulling out the big guns. Pet names, too? Don’t think I didn’t notice that ‘darling’ thrown in there.” Her eyes lit up with challenge.

  “Well, I’m doing what I can so I make sure you earn your next gift.”

  “There are more?”

  “Yeah.” I choked, trying not to get ahead of myself, because I wanted to tell her there would be a lifetime more if she’d let me. But I didn’t want to show my hand too soon. There was a method to easing someone else into my way of thinking.

  For the first time, everything rode on my ability to do that.

  I pulled the T-shirt out of the bag and let the material drop out of it so she could see what it said. World’s Most Forgiving Girlfriend.

  She burst out laughing. “You were pretty confident, weren’t you?” She reached for it.

  I blew out a breath. “Fuck no. Just really, really hopeful.” I wanted to reach for her and pull her into my arms, but I didn’t want to push her too fast.

  She didn’t have the same reservations. She grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss. It was soft and sweet, and I desperately wanted to fall into it—sink into her fully. But not yet.

  I pulled back from her. “Does that mean you can forgive me? I need to tell you about everything. I do have an explanation, and I want you to hear it.”

  “I’d say things are looking up for both of us right about now. We need to talk, but yes, I forgive you, Walsh Brackens.” She looked up at me through her dark lashes with a shy smile. “It’s not hard to forgive the man I love.”

  My heart leapt in my chest. Holy fuck. She loved me. I had said it once before, but she’d been asleep. Time to make it count.

  “I love you, Lake O’Brien. More than words could possibly express.”

  She pulled me in for another kiss that didn’t come close to lasting long enough.

  I groaned with the need for more.

  “What else do you have in that bag of yours?” She raised a brow at me, but her grin was full and wide and so fucking sexy.

  I pulled out the mug that read: World’s Best Boss. “I’ve recently found myself without a job and wondered if maybe Naked Brews might be hiring. With the newfound accolades and fame, I’m assuming business might have picked up.” Naked Brews had been what brought us together, but it had also been the point of contention between us almost that entire time. “Naked Brews is your dream, but I want to be there with you—beside you—to help your dream come true.”

  She stepped back and tapped her lips with her fingertip. “I don’t know... Can you take direction from a woman?”

  “If that woman is you, then most definitely. If that woman is your mother, we might have a problem. Is she letting you buy the brewery?”

  She shook her head and looked at the ground. “No.”

  My muscles tightened in agony for her. I knew how much she’d been counting on that. “Maybe I can—”

  She interrupted me with a wide grin. “Because she gave it to me free and clear instead.”

  “Seriously?” I whooped and picked her up, swinging her around. “That’s amazing news.”

  She nodded as she wrapped her legs around me and threaded her fingers through the back of my hair, sending shivers down my spine and an electric zing to my cock. “It is. Between that and winning the contest, I need someone to head up a certain expansion to the brewery that someone I know researched and drew out.”

  “Someone?” I asked, trying to hold in the hope that wanted to burst free. “It wouldn’t happen to be anyone I know, would it?”

  “It might be.” She drew the words out but then patted me on my pec. “But you probably should set me down for this part. I don’t want anyone saying that you were hired only because you’re the world’s most fabulous kisser.”

  “Oh ho,” I crowed as I set her down but didn’t let go of her. “Is that my new title?”

  She laughed. “That might look a little weird on the company letterhead. How about Vice President of Logistics?”

  “I like the sound of that.” I tightened my hold on her ass, pulling her against my hard erection.

  She gasped. “Maybe we should take you and that”—she waved her hand toward my groin—“home, unless you have something else in your bag of tricks.”

  “I only have one other position that needs filling by my world’s best gal.”

  “What would that be?”

  I took a deep breath, pulled back from her, and reached into the bag as I sank to one knee. “How about becoming the World’s Best Wife?” I opened the tiny velvet box with sweaty hands. Please don’t let her think this is too fast. “I love you, Lake, and I want to spend the rest of my life brewing beer and maybe eventually a few babies with you. Will you marry me?”

  “Babies?” She laughed as her tear-filled eyes widened. “Fuck, Walsh. You don’t do anything by half measures, do you?” She picked up the ring, and I could see her fingers shaking. “You had it engraved with World’s Best Wife?” The tears slipped over her lashes and rolled down her cheeks as she sank down to the floor beside me.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I had high hopes. Shhh. Aw crap, Lake, don’t cry. You’re killing me here.” I brushed her tears away. “I have no doubt in my mind about what I want. I spent a lot of years floundering, moving from one place to another, searching for home, but nowhere else has been close to being here with you. Aspenridge, Naked Brews, you—this is my home now. Even when we’re fighting like cats and dogs, my time with you has been the best I’ve ever had. We’re right together. I believe that with all my heart. It’s probably too fast. That’s okay. I can wait for an answer.”

  She n
odded, and my heart sank a little bit, but I knew going into this that I’d probably rushed it. But I had to try. I would wait forever for her to get there if I had to. She was worth the wait.

  “Come up here,” she whispered as she pulled me to standing. “I need you to take me home, because I want to make love to my fiancé.”

  It took a second for those words to sink in, and then she slid the ring onto her finger.

  I picked her up with a whoop of celebration and swung her in a circle. She laughed, and that sound set my soul free. This was really happening. I thought testifying at my parents’ hearing had taken the biggest burden off my shoulders, but I was wrong. The weight was still there until I knew I could love Lake O’Brien for the rest of my life.

  “Let’s get out of here.” I scooped her along with all her World’s Best stash and rushed out the door, ready to start my new life with Lake. We’d been through the hard parts. Nothing else could go wrong.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Lake

  Walsh and I hurried outside, ducking to avoid another dusting of snow from the roof. Under the single light of the street lamp sat David’s old beat-up truck.

  I froze a few feet away. “I figured David would’ve had your Vette fixed by now. He’s known three counties wide for quick turnarounds.”

  “Yeah.” Walsh kicked one of the tires and leaned on the hood in a sexy pose meant to look casual but was clearly crafted from years of practice. “I figured since I’m going to be a local, I should probably have some transportation that won’t land me in a ditch every time it snows.”

  I peered into the cab and took in the cracked vinyl bench seat. “Classy.”

  “This is the new and improved Walsh. Still sexy as hell, but now in a practical model.”

  “Still cocky as hell, you mean.” I turned toward him and licked my lips. “You have no idea how much that turns me on.”

  Walsh grabbed my elbow and spun me around until we were pressed together against his truck, his very alert cock pressed into my belly. “It has bench seats.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Oh no, mister.” I pulled back and grabbed the bag containing the best presents I’d ever gotten. “Not tonight. Grab your stuff and put it in the Bronco. I hope you got plenty of rest, because tonight will be anything but a quickie.”

  “Sweet mother of mercy.” Walsh slapped my ass and threw open the door of his new/old truck. Inside was a lone duffel bag, but he grabbed it and threw it over his shoulder.

  I threaded my arm through his, and we walked to the Bronco. “Packed kinda light.”

  “I’ll get Damian to ship the rest of my stuff when I need it.” He winked at me, and his lips broke into the cocky grin that wet my panties in seconds. “I figured it’ll probably be a few weeks before I need to wear clothes again.”

  “I’m not complaining, but Harlan might object on account of the health-code violations.”

  Walsh dropped his bag in the snow and grabbed me around the waist, throwing me over his shoulder like a rag doll. “Now you’re going to get it, Lake O’Brien. You and that sassy little mouth of yours are in for some serious trouble.”

  I squealed. Honest to god squealed. I wasn’t someone who normally reacted to excitement in such a girly way, but Walsh brought that out in me.

  Walsh opened the unlocked Bronco door and set me in the passenger seat, planting a scorching hot kiss on my lips that had me reconsidering the quickie on his bench seat. “I’m going to get you home and torture you into sweet oblivion.” He kissed me again, tenderly this time. “And the best part is knowing I get to do that for the rest of our lives.”

  He shut the door, picked up his bag, and jumped into the driver’s seat, grabbing my keys from their not-so-secret hiding spot in the glove compartment. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at him and smiling, my heart full to bursting. This was happiness. For the first time ever, I had everything in life I could possibly want.

  Walsh put the car into gear and drove out of the parking lot. I turned to take another look at Naked Brews. It wasn’t just mine anymore. It was ours.

  “Wait, stop the car.” I braced my hands against the dashboard and jumped out the second Walsh’s foot hit the brake. Squinting into the darkness, I searched the roofline for what I thought I’d seen. I closed my eyes for a count of three and looked up again, hoping my eyes were playing tricks on me.

  But there it was.

  “Smoke!” I shouted pointing at the sky right above the roofline of the building. “Do you see it?”

  Walsh was out of the car and standing next to me, his arm wrapped around my shoulder against the cold night air. “I don’t see—”

  His words were cut off as the window of the kitchen blew out and flames crawled up the side of the building. “Fire! The building is on fire.”

  I took a few steps toward the building, but Walsh pulled me back. “You can’t go in there. I’ll call 9-1-1.”

  The flames rose higher, and that’s when I noticed the light on in the upstairs. “Melissa!”

  I jerked against his arm, panic clawing at my throat and strangling the cries struggling from my gut. Walsh grabbed me again, his strong arms the only thing keeping me from running into a burning building to save my friend. “No, stay here. I’ll get her.”

  Walsh pushed me back against the Bronco and ran toward the front door. He was only a few feet away when the front windows exploded in a shower of glass. Fire and smoke poured out of the building’s gaping wounds, blocking any attempt to enter the brewery. He rushed back to me, his arms the only thing keeping me on my feet.

  Smoke streamed out from around the door and melted snow poured from the roof. Tears clouded my vision, but still the smoke and flames built until the heat pushed us back toward the edge of the parking lot.

  I sank to the ground and cried, Walsh holding me while I rocked back and forth. I watched my dream go up in flames with my best friend trapped inside.

  The End

  THANK YOU...

  Thank you for reading Deliciously Smooth. We hope you enjoyed it.

  This is the first book in the Naked Brews series. While all the books in this series work as stand-alones (each features a different couple), this is the reading order if you’re interesting in the overarching Naked Brews story line:

  Deliciously Smooth

  Deliciously Thick – releasing April 28

  Deliciously Bitter – releasing June 23

  Reviews help other readers find new books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for taking the time to give feedback.

  And this isn’t all there is to come. We have many, many stories to come set in our imaginary town of Aspenridge, CO, so we hoped you enjoyed this little jaunt into the Colorado Rockies.

  Would you like to receive a FREE prequel novella, Desperately Unprepared, and find out when we release our next book? You can sign up for our newsletter e-mail list at http://www.kbjacobsauthor.com

  You can also follow us:

  Twitter at https://twitter.com/KBJacobsAuthor

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  Thank you for reading...

  K&B

  Want to know what happens next?

  Be sure to preorder, Deliciously Thick, releasing April 28th...

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2921VD

  Story Description:

  Triple B...the Bad Boy of Boarding.

  That’s me and I own that title. I’m a professional snowboarder and my life IS the party.

  You want to hang out for a good time? Come to Triple B’s house.

  You need a hot chick to bang? There are tons of them at my place.

  My bar is stocked and the music is jamming. This is my life.

  Until Juliet. No, that’s not her real name. That’s just what I called her when I fell in lust with her those nights when she read in her window.

  But then a fire changed everything.

  I saved her life and
it ruined mine. Now my sponsors say I either fix my party-boy image or else I’m through making the big bucks. I figure she broke me, she can fix me.

  She’s sweet and innocent, exactly what I need to fix my image. But I’m not sure either of us will survive the legacy that is Triple B.

  And don’t miss the Naked Brews prequel novella, Desperately Unprepared, available for FREE when you sign up for the KB Jacobs newsletter at www.kbjacobsauthor.com

  All great love stories start with Once Upon a Time. But what happened before the Upon a Time? The Before a Time? Once Upon the day before? Before the Time was Onced Upon? Nevermind.

  The point is, there’s a lot of business happening before our characters reach Chapter One.

  Bringing us to Desperately Unprepared. Before the Meet Cute, first kiss and HEA there were two people desperately living life, unprepared for the future. This is their story.

  About KB Jacobs

  KB Jacobs is the pen name for two fabulous, best-selling authors. Obsessed with the 3 B’s...books, brews, and bodies...specifically male ones with a ladder of abs leading down to the treasure trail...

  Ahem, sorry, we digress.

  These two authors decided to pool their obsessions and discovered a whole new destination to whet their imaginations. Welcome to Naked Brews, one amazing microbrewery set in the middle of the Rockies, run by three women, who much like our authors, know what they want...those 3 B’s again. Side eyes the men...oh, yeah, they have very nice obsessions.