Hey, Whiskey

by Kaylee Ryan

  Hair done, I slide my hoodie back on and grab my hiking boots. They’re waterproof, so hopefully these will work for today. Grabbing my coat, phone, and wristlet, I lock the door and head to the main house to meet up with Jake and Molly.

  “Hey,” Jake greets me.

  “Hi, I feel like an Oompa-Loompa.” I raise my arms. “I don’t know that I’ve ever worn this many layers before.”

  “Never? Did you just freeze your ass off back in Cincy when you would go sled riding?” he asks, appalled.

  “No, I’ve never been.”

  “Wait a minute.” He places his hands on my shoulders from behind and turns me to face him. “You’ve never been? Never?” he asks.

  I shake my head.

  “Babe!” he yells for Molly.

  “I’m right here,” she says, rounding the corner from their bedroom.

  “Did you know Say has never been sled riding?”

  “Really?” she asks, surprised.

  “Nope. Elaine had a bad hip, and it’s just not something I’ve ever done.” I shrug.

  “Oh girl, you are in for a treat. It’s so much fun. There’s a place about two hours from here, where we go tubing. The hills are huge and you don’t have to walk up. They have an escalator that you hop on with your tube and ride up the hill. We’re going to have to plan to go there sometime.”

  “Where are we going today?” I ask. I guess I should have asked before agreeing to go, but I trust them.

  “Baxter’s. He has some great hills.”

  I still at the name. It’s so damn confusing with all of them having the same name. “Is it just going to be us?” I ask, cool, calm, and collected. Well, that’s how I thought I was being until Molly smirks.

  “Why? You hoping we have some company?” she asks.

  “Of course not.”

  “Uh-huh, and you’re not wondering if Rhett is going to be there?”

  “I’m sure Mr. Baxter is far too frail with his illness to go sled riding,” I say, cheekily. I know damn good and well who she’s referring to.

  “Try again,” she says.

  I sigh. “Whiskey is welcome to come, but I don’t see why that would concern me.”

  “Whiskey?” Jake asks.

  “Rhett,” Molly clarifies for him.

  “What’s the real reason you call him that?” Jake asks. He’s cautious in his question, but I can see he’s being protective of his friend.

  “That’s what he ordered.” I pull my gloves out of my pocket and pretend to pick lint off them. Did I mention they’re leather? Yeah, I’m busted.

  “Oh no, I’m intrigued, do tell,” Molly chimes in. She’s not going to let this go.

  I can feel my face heat. “His eyes,” I mumble.

  “Say again.” Jake grins. It’s a big ole, “I heard you loud and clear but want you to say it again” kind of grin.

  “His eyes. I mean, come on, you have to see how gorgeous his eyes are.” I’m looking at Molly, putting her in the hot seat.

  “Hell yes I have.” She holds her hands up for a high five.

  “Hey!” Jake whines. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

  I smirk at him. “Payback’s a bitch.”

  Molly throws her head back in laughter, giving me yet another high five. Jake just shakes his head at us a smile, tipping the corner of his mouth. “You ladies ready to go?” he asks.

  “Yep.” Molly grabs my arm and leads us out to the truck.

  “Where exactly are you taking me that we need that?” I point to the UTV on the trailer behind Jake’s truck.

  “Trust me, you’ll be thanking me you don’t have to hoof it up all those big-ass hills,” Jake says.

  “I’m not exactly adventurous,” I tell them.

  “It’s going to be a great time, trust us,” Molly says, releasing her hold on me to climb into the truck.

  I take a seat in the back and try not to think about what I’m about to do and who I’m about to do it with.

  Gramps had a good night last night, at least that’s what I heard from the night nurse. Apparently, he’s tired and asked to not be disturbed. I’m sitting at the kitchen island eating a bowl of cereal when my phone rings. “Hey, man,” I greet Jake.

  “Number Three.” He laughs. “What are you doing today?”

  “Nothing. Thinking about going into the distillery for a few hours. Gramps is sleeping, and even if he was awake, he wouldn’t want to be around me.”

  “I noticed some tension. What’s up with that?”

  “Long-ass story. Shortened version, he’s pissed I’ve not spent much time here. I get it, but damn, this grudge he’s holding is grating on me.”

  “He’ll come around. Listen, why don’t you skip work today and let’s hit the hills.”

  “Did it snow?” I ask him.

  A deep rumble of laughter comes over the line. “Look outside, lazy ass. Are you even out of bed?” he jokes.

  “Ass,” I mumble. Walking to the kitchen window, I pull back the blinds, and sure enough, a blanket of white. “What time?”

  “I gotta get my girl up and moving and call Say, so a couple of hours?”

  “You got it, man. Just come to the main house. We’ll jump on the UTV and take it to the hills.”

  “I’m bringing mine too. I’m not letting you have all the fun.”

  I laugh. “See you,” I say, ending the call. A day of sledding sounds like a good time. What’s better is the Short Stack will be there. I can’t help the fact that I enjoy irritating her. I like the spark in her eyes, the determination I see. She thinks she can resist me.

  Today should be fun.

  Deciding I better check with Gramps even though I already said we could take his UTV, I head to his room. I knock lightly on the door in case he really is sleeping. He doesn’t reply, so I push the door open to find him watching television. “Hey, Gramps.” I take the seat next to his bed. He looks over at me, which is progress. “Jake, Molly, and Saylor want to go sled on the hills. We got about six or seven inches of snow last night. Do you mind if we take the UTV?” I ask.

  “The girls are coming?”

  “Yeah, they should be here in a couple of hours.”

  “Make sure there’s gas in it. Don’t want them having to walk too far in the cold.”

  I hide my smile, but I’m fucking stoked that he’s coming around. “How you feeling today?” I ask.

  He shrugs. No other reply, but I’ll take it.

  “Thanks, Gramps. I’ll check in on you before we go.” Reaching out, I give his frail arm a gentle squeeze before quietly leaving the room, shutting the door behind me.

  Growing up, Gramps’s place was like a playground. He has a spare bedroom filled with everything you need from swimwear for the summer to keep you warm in the winter. As I enter the room, my emotions get the best of me. Even on my too-short visits during the holidays, this room is one we would frequent. Sifting through the racks, I find some thermals to put under my shirt and jeans. I grab a ski jacket, gloves, and hat, and I should be set.

  Back in my room, I lay it all on the end of the bed. No use in putting it on right away and sweating my ass off. Instead, I grab my laptop and respond to some e-mails. I tend to get lost in my work, so when the doorbell rings, it causes me to jump. Looking at the time on my computer, it’s been over two hours. Setting my computer aside, I race down the stairs to answer the door. “Come on in,” I say, stepping back to let the three of them pass.

  “You ready?” Jake asks.

  “Not exactly. I just need to change real fast, and then I’ll be good to go. Give me ten minutes. Make yourselves at home.” I dash upstairs and strip, just to put it all back on again. By the time I make it back downstairs, Gramps is there.

  “Young lady, you can’t wear that coat sledding,” he tells Saylor.

  “What’s wrong with it?” she asks, holding out her arms to look at her coat.

  “Dear, it’s too nice. You don’t want to ruin it.”

 
; “My wardrobe isn’t exactly equipped for this kind of thing,” she tells him.

  “She’s never been sledding before, Rhett, can you believe that?” Jake asks him.

  “Never?” Gramps asks in disbelief. She shakes her head, looking at the ground. “Rhett,” he calls out to me. “Take Saylor upstairs to get another coat.”

  I step into the room. How he knew I was creeping on their conversation, I have no idea. “Come with me.” I hold my hand out for her.

  She looks at my hand, then back up to me. “I’m okay, really.”

  “Nonsense. I have a supply for such an occasion,” Gramps tells her.

  I watch her as she gives him a kind smile, all her sweetness that I don’t get to see shining through for him. Turning to me, the smile fades. I offer her my hand again. She doesn’t take it. Instead, she says, “Lead the way.”

  I purposely take two steps at a time, knowing her short legs won’t be able to keep up. When I reach the top, I turn around and cross my arms over my chest, leaning against the wall.

  “Do you enjoy being an asshole?” she asks, shooting daggers at me as she clears the top step.

  “What did I do?” I feign being offended.

  “Whatever,” she mumbles under her breath, and I fight a grin.

  I lead her to the bedroom at the far end of the hall that’s really used as the closet. Opening the door, I step back and motion for her to go on in. I’m still standing in the doorway, so she’s going to have to squeeze in past me. She rolls those striking blue eyes at me, turns sideways, and slips into the room. My cock thickens from the brief touch of her body sliding past mine.

  “Wow,” she says under her breath. If I wasn’t so focused on her, I might have missed it.

  Walking over to a large dresser, I reach in and pull out some cold gear leggings and turn to face her. “Let me help you get out of those jeans,” I say, slowing walking toward her. I can see the fire in her eyes. It’s a mixture of anger and a little bit of desire.

  “I have thermals,” she snarls back.

  “You should let me check, you know for the sake of that perfect ass not freezing to death.”

  “Trust me, my ass is just fine.” She realizes immediately what she said, and her face grows crimson.

  “Oh, Short Stack, I know. I’m a fan.”

  “Jesus,” she mumbles. “A coat, Whiskey. I don’t want to offend your grandfather, and as bad as I hate to admit it, he’s right.”

  “Over there.” I point to the double stacked wrack of coats. “I’ll just keep an eye on that fine ass, you know, just in case it decides to put on a show.”

  “Unbelievable,” she huffs and walks over to the racks.

  My eyes follow her, her ass, her hips, her long black hair that’s braided into pigtails, my eyes devour everything about her. She’s fucking gorgeous, and the way her eyes fill with fire puts my dick in a constant state of “let me the fuck inside of her” anytime she’s near. I watch as she pushes through the options, as if she’s actually shopping. When she pulls a blue down coat from the rack, I take a step toward her. Slipping out of her coat, she tosses it over a chair in the corner. I watch as she slides one arm and then the other inside the blue down jacket that will be sure to keep her warm. Not able to resist, I take the final step, which has me standing right behind her. Gently, I gather her thick braids in my hands and pull them outside of the collar of the coat. Instead of letting them fall to cascade down her back, I toss one over each of her shoulders, bringing my lips to her ear. “Ready for a ride?” I whisper, leaning into her so she can feel how hard my cock is from just looking at her. I watch as she swallows hard, the movement of her neck mesmerizing.

  She takes a step forward and turns to face me. Pointedly, she looks down at my cock. I watch as she bites her bottom lip before those baby blues lock on me. “I love a good hard ride, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline.” The blue of the coat brings out her already stunning blue eyes.

  I step toward her, hands balled into fists at my side to prevent myself from pulling her into me, rubbing my cock against her. “You sure about that?” I ask. My voice is husky, and fuck if I care that she knows she’s affecting me.

  “Mm-hmm,” she replies.

  “Let’s go!” Jake calls up the stairs.

  Closing my eyes, I step back. Taking a deep breath, I turn and walk toward the door.

  “Hey, Whiskey,” she calls out. Her voice is soft and breathy and sexy as fuck.

  I stop, but don’t turn around, I can’t. “You can’t handle me,” she finally says. It’s meant to be a threat, a way to goad me, get under my skin. It works, but not the way she’s thinking. There is no menace behind her words. Her soft voice filled with desire washes over me. I know what she meant to say, but her physical reaction to me gave her away. She’s affected just as much as I am.

  I’m just about to turn around and take her right here, right now, show her how I can handle anything she wants to give me, when Jake appears in front of me.

  “What’s taking you all so long? We’re sweating our asses off down here.”

  “Had a hard time finding something that would work for Short Stack. We were just headed your way.” I don’t bother looking behind me. Jake nods and turns to walk out of the room. I follow him, fighting the urge to look back at her.

  With Jake’s back to me as we descend the stairs, I adjust my aching cock with a smile on my face. Short Stack gives as good as she gets, and suddenly, this day just got a whole hell of a lot more fun.

  “Much better,” Gramps says, looking behind me.

  “Definitely,” Molly chimes in. “You ready to go sledding for the first time?” she asks Saylor.

  “I’m not sure how to answer that,” she laughs nervously.

  Looking over, I see she’s now standing beside me. Not able to stop myself, I reach out and throw my arm over her small shoulders, bringing her to me. Her head barely reaches the top of my shoulders. She’s such tiny little thing. “You can ride with me, Short Stack.” I pause, letting my words sink in. I’m looking down at her, gauging her reaction, when those blue glaciers look up at me. “I’ll make sure it’s a ride you never forget.” She squints at me before pulling away and smacking my chest. She opens her mouth to tell me off, I’m sure, but Molly interrupts her.

  “That’s a great idea. No point in you riding alone, Rhett.”

  Saylor whips her head around to give Molly a “what the hell are you doing” look.

  Molly grins. “Thanks, Rhett,” she says, pulling on Jake’s arm as they rush out of the room.

  “You take care of her, boy.” Gramps’s gravelly voice echoes through the room.

  I study him. He looks like he’s feeling better, and he’s talking to me. I’ll take it. “Always,” I tell Gramps. With that, I grab my coat, slipping my arms inside.

  “Thank you for having me, Mr. Baxter,” Saylor says kindly.

  “You’re always welcome here, sweet girl.”

  I place my hand on the small of her back and lead her outside.

  Sexy, infuriating man. The heat of his hand on my back feels as though it could sear my skin even through all these damn layers. Not possible, I know it’s the perception of my body and my mind knowing his hands are on me.

  His very large hands.

  By the time we make it to the garage, Jake and Molly are speeding past us, snow flying from the tires in their wake.

  “Let’s get you strapped in.” Rhett winks.

  I roll my eyes, but climb into the passenger seat. Leaning in, he reaches behind my shoulders and grabs two straps, pulling them across my body. My breath hitches in my chest; he’s close, so damn close I can feel his hot breath mingle with mine. Closing my eyes, I block out the fact that this sexy asshole has his hands on me—well, not technically, but a girl can dream. Rhett works his big hands with efficiency as he straps me in. Just as the final buckle is secured, I feel the ever-so-slight brush of his thumb across my cheek.

  “You’re a dream com
e true, strapped in, all for me.”

  Slowly, I open my eyes and find his whiskey-colored eyes full of heat and desire as they take me in. “Safety,” I mumble. He scrambles my brain when he’s this close and touching me.

  Something flashes in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can put a name to it. “You’re safe with me,” he says so softly that I’m not sure I even heard him correctly.

  Leisurely, he pulls away and rounds the front of the UTV and climbs behind the wheel. I don’t dare look over at him for the fear he’ll see the desire written all over my face. Why do all the ones who look like him have to be assholes?

  “Hold on, Say,” he says before putting the UTV in gear and racing in the direction that Molly and Jake just went.

  When we make it to the hill, I’m sure my knuckles are white underneath my gloves from hanging on to the handle that’s attached to the dash. My smile, however, feels as though my face is going to crack open.

  “Look at you,” Molly says. “Fun, right?”

  “So much fun,” I gush. “That’s… I don’t know why I’ve never done that before.”

  “If you loved that, just wait,” Jake says, looking past Molly from the driver’s seat. “We’ll go up first,” Jake says, and Rhett nods.

  I watch as he starts the UTV and climbs the hill, Molly all smiles and cheers beside him. I watch with rapt attention when they reach the top. Jake pulls a sled from the back and places it at the top of the hill. He takes a seat on the sled and pats between his legs. Molly doesn’t hesitate to climb on and sit in front of him. She’s barely seated when I see Jake push off with his foot and they come soaring down the hill. I hold my breath as I watch them until they slide right past us and eventually stop. They’re both smiling from ear to ear as they walk toward us and climb in the back.

  Once they’re in, Rhett drives us to the top of the hill. Jake and Molly quickly climb out and get in their UTV and drive back down the hill. “It’s easier this way,” Rhett says. “Walking up this hill in the snow takes a toll on you. After a time or two, the desire to slide down is altered by the anguish of hoofing it back up this damn hill. We’ll take turns,” he explains.