“I guess I should’ve understood that,” she said softly.
“My family has made bourbon here for generations. I’m doing the same, and I want to continue that far into the future. And I firmly believe that the only way to ensure that happens is to expand. I’m not some lunatic developer bent on destruction, Lila. Is that how you see me?”
“From my side of the property line—wherever it is—that’s exactly how I see you—or saw you,” she acknowledged, considering Bo’s description about his feelings for the distillery and its history.
“So—does this mean you might reconsider and—”
“I said I saw you differently, Bo. Doesn’t change my overall problem with your project. It’s on my doorstep, and I can’t live with that.” He looked dejected, and she understood why: he’d thought for a moment they’d made a breakthrough. “If you don’t get what you need, what will you do?”
“I’m not sure,” he said with a grunt, readjusting himself on the couch. She suspected that the pain relievers he’d taken when they had returned to his home were wearing off in light of his increasing irritability. “The land between our properties is the logical place for Old Garnet to expand.”
Lila shook her head. “I don’t understand your need to expand.”
“I just told you. I want to keep the business growing.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s what my father always told me. It was his dream. And he knew more about the bourbon business than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“But that was his dream, Bo. What’s yours?”
“The main one is to not see Old Garnet go under on my watch.”
Lila fell into a chair next to the couch. “There’s not any danger of that, is there? The brand is a legend.”
“Everyone’s expanding, doing more, getting bigger.”
“Who says bigger is better? You need to do what you’re best at, Bo. Do your own thing. It certainly seems to be working as far as Old Garnet is concerned.”
“I am doing my own thing,” he insisted, swinging his legs off the couch. He grimaced when his foot hit the floor.
She got up from the chair and sat next to him on the couch; she was enjoying their argument. “No, you’re not; you’re doing what others thought or think should be done. You’re trying to follow the crowd. You don’t know what you really want.”
She knew her words rankled him; she could see his internal struggle being played out on the emotions moving across his face. Was that anger? Regret? Annoyance?
“Actually, I think I do know what I want,” he said in a quiet voice as he stared at her intently.
“Doesn’t look like it to me,” she retorted.
“Oh, really?”
And then Lila realized that he had quite abruptly changed the subject. They were no longer talking about the same thing.
How had he managed to turn the conversation to this point and get her alone again? She knew he wasn’t crazy enough to intentionally injure himself or even fake it, but he kept invading her world in the most insistently peculiar ways. Apparently she was quite deliberately blind to the traps fate kept placing in her path as she found herself alone with Bo in his own house, sitting next to him on his couch, his eyes burning into hers as he projected a need so raw that it frightened her because it matched her own.
Bo slowly put his hand to her face and leaned toward her, giving her the chance to pull away if she so wished. But she did not resist and he moved and kissed her, putting his other hand to her face. Lila closed her eyes and let him devour her, welcoming his touch and his warm scent again. His lips moved slowly at first, but his kisses became needier within seconds, more forceful and brimming with that passion she had only briefly experienced in the tasting room. His tongue found hers and teased her, tracing the contour of her lips and palette. They wrapped their arms around each other and Lila pressed herself to him, remembering how wonderful it had felt—how many weeks ago now?—to feel the strength and length of a man’s body against her own once more.
Bo’s mouth moved from her mouth to her cheek and then to her neck, where he teased the sensitive flesh below her earlobe. When she shivered and gasped, he moved his lips and tongue down to her neck, and Lila instinctively arched against him to provide him with more room and encouragement to continue his affections. He pulled back suddenly, causing her to cry out at the loss of his touch. Holding her close, he looked directly at her with darkened eyes that she had never glimpsed until that moment.
“Still don’t think I know what I want?” he asked, and then kissed her hard and quickly. “And in case you still don’t get the message, I’ll make it plain: I want you, Lila.”
Before she could say a word of protest or think another thought, his mouth was on hers again. Sensations that had not favored her with a visit since her widowhood began suddenly surfaced with a vengeance. She trembled with fear and anticipation as Bo’s hands moved up her torso until they cupped her breasts through the thick fabric of her sweater; no man had touched her there since her husband’s death. She felt like they were about to cross a sacred line, and Lila didn’t know whether she was emotionally prepared for the kind of encounter in which she was suddenly immersed.
Her body ignored the last remaining vestiges of resistance that her brain was shouting in a vain attempt to get her to stop. Lila leaned back on the couch, and Bo was on top of her, pressing his full length and weight on her. And there was absolutely no ignoring that hardness grinding against her thigh as he continued to kiss her neck. God, it all felt so good.
She pushed him off and sat up, watching with amusement his dismayed reaction and the grunt as he moved his leg. But when she reached down and grabbed the edge of her sweater and turtleneck, she saw his disappointment turn to glee before she yanked her clothing over her head and tossed it on the floor. Lila sat before him still wearing her bra, and he reached for her, kissing her gently for a few moments until he finally moved his hands to her back.
“Take the damn thing off,” she whispered a little desperately. He had trouble with the clasp and Lila finally reached behind her and undid it herself. “Not very good at that, are you?” she teased.
“You’ll have to help me practice,” he said.
He smothered her laugh in a kiss and brought his hands to her breasts, where the bra had fallen from her body.
“Oh, God,” she moaned, and fell back as she felt Bo’s touch on her breasts for the first time.
He slowly kneaded and caressed her, and then moved his thumbs to her nipples. Taking the tense peaks between his thumbs and forefingers, Bo rolled his fingers along her flesh, causing Lila to press herself upwards against his hands in appreciation. It had been so very long since she had been touched like this, and she felt light-headed from the intensity of her reaction to Bo’s simple yet sensual touch. Lila managed to open her eyes and look at him. He was gazing down at her in awe and desire, seemingly as completely surprised as she was at the level of intimacy they were enjoying.
And how much more intimate were they going to get?
She had her answer in the next moment when Bo removed a hand from one breast and replaced it with his mouth. She drew a very sharp breath, but managed to whisper his name as he gently sucked and kissed her nipple. Bo’s tongue teased and tormented her as his mouth caressed her delicate pink flesh, leaving her writhing under him as he trailed a tiny line of kisses to her other breast to give that small mound the same superb attention. With his tongue continuing to delight her, he slipped his hand beneath her pants until his fingers reached the top of her curls. She tensed and he stopped. His hand slowly drew upward and he looked at her with regret and need.
“Sorry—”
She grabbed his hand and stopped its retreat. “No need to be,” she whispered.
He smiled, kissed her, and moved his hand lower until the unmistakable flash of headlights sweeping across the room halted his progress. They both immediately pushed up off the couch, with Bo emitting a sharp cry of pain as
he moved his leg to the floor.
“But—who—why?” Lila spluttered. She slipped her bra back on in a rush and reached for her clothes on the floor.
“I have a pretty good idea,” Bo grumbled.
After Lila replaced her clothing, he instructed her to stand so he could prop his leg back up on the couch. He then took a cushion and placed it squarely over his erection that was demanding release from the tightness of his jeans. That would not happen tonight, she thought. But she wondered whether it would have happened if not for—
A sharp knocking rattled the front door.
“Just me, kids!” came Hannah’s lilting voice.
“Who else would it be?” Bo asked in a tired yet amused voice when Lila gave him an incredulous look.
Lila went to the front door and opened it.
There was Hannah, beaming and standing in the door. She was wearing her purple wool coat and her long blonde hair was splayed over the shoulders and lapels.
“Sorry to drop in,” she said, walking in and addressing her brother, “but I was down at Mom’s having dinner, and when I left I remembered you had that meeting at the springs. Thought I’d stop by—but never expected to see you here, Lila,” glancing in Lila’s direction. Hannah then stationed herself in the middle of the room and looked at Bo’s odd position on the couch. “And what, pray tell, happened to you?”
“Twisted my ankle,” Bo said, and gave a little grunt as he moved his leg on the couch. “I’ll be fine by the morning, I can tell.”
“Did he go off the path?” Hannah asked. “He’s the type, you know.”
“I did not go off the path,” Bo said testily.
“Wasn’t looking where he was going and tripped,” Lila said.
Lila and Hannah stood together in the center of Bo’s living room, both with their arms crossed and staring at Bo, assessing him like he was a car they were considering purchasing but had doubts about the decision.
“And you had to bring him back here?” Hannah asked. Lila confirmed that she did and that the four-wheeler was still on her property. “I can’t believe you drove that thing over there,” Hannah said to Bo. “Those things are a death trap in addition to not being kind to the land.”
“I brought him back and fed him. He wouldn’t let me call an ambulance.” Hannah shook her head disgustedly at her brother as Lila tucked in her turtleneck in the back of her pants, but noticed Hannah eyeing her. “He’s all yours now, as far as I’m concerned. I threatened to call you or your mother to come look after him.”
“You should’ve followed up on that threat,” Hannah said, scowling at Bo. “But no worries,” she said, and immediately cheered. “I can take it from here if you want to go.”
“Thanks, but I want to use the bathroom before I go if that’s OK,” Lila said.
Bo assured her that was fine and directed her to the bathroom toward the back of the house.
Once the click of the bathroom door echoed down the hall, Hannah started laughing.
“What’s your problem?” Bo demanded to know.
“Nothing, nothing,” Hannah said between laughs. “But karma’s a bitch, ain’t it?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bo said, looking at his sister as though she were half demented.
“Let’s just say that I know what it feels like to be interrupted,” Hannah said with a nasty little smirk.
“Oh—you and Kyle? That day that I came over with the news about Barnes leaving?”
“Duh, brother,” Hannah said, and took a seat next to the couch. “Thought you’d figured out what had happened since you left that day warning me to stay away from the man. Glad I didn’t take that that bit of advice.” She sat back into the chair, put her arms on the armrests, and crossed her legs. A black, pointy-toed boot peeked out from underneath her jeans as she bobbed her leg up and down and held out her left hand for her happy admiration.
“Well at least my suspicions were correct,” Bo said smugly.
Hannah ignored the taunt. “So how did it go over at the springs?” Bo briefly recounted the short tour Lila had deigned to give him, and also revealed he had yet again raised the subject of settling the case. “Back off, Bo,” Hannah warned him. “Leave that to the lawyers now that they’re involved. You do not want it getting back to the judge that you’re talking to her about the land. Although I’m pretty sure that talking wasn’t the only thing you two were up to tonight,” she said, and leaned over to pluck a thin blonde hair from Bo’s shirt. “You’d better be careful with that woman. Do you have any idea how fragile Lila is?”
“I know, I know,” he said irritably.
“So you know that she blames herself for her husband’s death?”
“What? How? The guy died in a wreck, right?”
“Yes,” Hannah said, “but Kyle told me that her husband was on his way to pick up her anniversary present when he got killed.”
Bo took a deep breath. “I didn’t know that.”
“You listen up,” Hannah said, and leaned forward in her chair and pointed a thin, well-manicured finger at him. “If you break her heart, I will personally hold you responsible,” Hannah warned as the bathroom door opening at the end of the hall could be heard, followed by Lila’s soft steps.
“I guess I’ll be going now,” Lila announced upon her return, feeling like an intruder under the keen gaze of Hannah.
What would’ve happened if Hannah hadn’t shown up? Would I have put a stop to things? Of course. Yes. Bo and I would not have gotten to the point that we—
“Thanks for taking care of him, Lila,” Hannah said, snapping Lila out of her contemplations. “He really does need all the help he can get.”
“Someone will get the four-wheeler tomorrow, I promise,” said Bo.
“Good,” Lila said, and reached for her coat, more than ready to go. “And I never ever want to see that thing near the springs again. Are we clear on that?” she asked, and pointed at him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Bo said, and gave her a little salute as she left.
Even though she knew he was being facetious, she smiled at him before she left. His gaze was intense and his message clear: don’t go. Lila hesitated for a split second in the door, her body reminding her of how nice it was to be the subject of his attentions, but she pushed outside before his eyes and other parts could lure her back. She got into her truck and rested her forehead against the steering wheel.
She had to keep away from him, as much as her body argued to the contrary. And she really wished it could shut the fuck up when it got close to Bo. It was dangerous to be around him. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t trust him (although because of the land thing, the trust thing was rather lacking at least in that department). She actually didn’t trust herself.
Frustrated and tired, Lila put the key in the ignition and turned it, and the engine emitted a wheezing noise and failed to start.
No. No. No. No. No. No!
She tried again. No luck.
Hannah’s head popped out of the front door of Bo’s house. “Problem?” she called out.
“It’s dead,” Lila yelled so she could be heard through the windows, which were up.
“You want a jump?” Hannah cried back.
“Don’t know,” Lila said, and put her head back on the steering wheel.
Hannah came outside and tapped on Lila’s driver-side window.
“Want me to take you home? We can get your truck jumped tomorrow and someone from the distillery can bring it back to you.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“Not at all. Besides, didn’t I impose on you tonight?” Hannah asked, and winked at Lila. She smiled and went to get her keys, leaving Lila blushing in the darkness.
“I’m sorry I broke up the party,” Hannah apologized once they were ensconced in Hannah’s new Honda and leaving the distillery grounds.
“Not a problem,” Lila said wearily.
“Ah—so you don’t deny there was a little party?”
/> “Why try to deny it with you around? Sorry—that came out way too snarky,” said Lila.
“Forget it. I deserve it,” Hannah said. “So—what did Bo think of the springs?”
“Made me give him a history lesson about it. And offered to buy the land and give me an easement to it.”
Hannah shook her head, but smiled. “He just can’t help himself, Lila.”
“Neither can I,” Lila admitted, and sighed.
“What? Oh—I wasn’t expecting this little drive to be full of true confessions,” Hannah said, and giggled.
“I don’t know what the hell we’re thinking, Hannah,” Lila said, ignoring Hannah’s attempt at being silly. “We’re suing each other. This can’t end well.”
“What can’t end well? The lawsuit or whatever it is you two got going on?”
“Both.”
They drove the remainder of the way in silence and soon arrived at Lila’s house. Hannah put the car in park.
“He’s not a bad guy, Lila,” Hannah said in a soft voice, “despite all the shit I give him.”
“I know,” Lila replied, looking at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “But he wants what I can’t give him.”
“The land? Or something else?”
“Definitely the land.”
“And the something else?”
“I’m not sure I can separate the two things, Hannah. That’s the problem. To think of losing what I have—” Lila stopped short, and choked. “I wandered all over the property with my dad when I was little. Hell, I did it up until I went away to college. He taught me to fish in the creek, showed me the carvings at the springs. He used to get offers to develop the land—you know, housing developments. It tore him up to think about a subdivision on that property.”
“Bo feels the same way about the distillery—about not growing.”
Angels' Share (Bourbon Springs Book 3) Page 10