The Gritty Truth

by Melissa Foster

  She looked up from the list and said, “I trust you, Quincy. I expected that you’d have friends that are girls and guys. Besides, it’s not like I’d get jealous of an old girlfriend.”

  “Well, I’ve never had a real girlfriend, so there are no old ones out there. I know this is new between us, but I want you to know that I’m not looking for anyone else.”

  “Okay. I’m glad, because neither am I.” She held his gaze a beat longer, then looked at the list again and said, “This is a long list. Listen to a few of the things we have to do. Serenade a stranger, go down a slide, kiss on the steps of the public library.” She looked up and said, “That’s weird for a scavenger hunt.”

  He was still riding the high of her not looking elsewhere and being okay about his friendship with Penny. “Sure is, but we’re heading to the library first.”

  “Wait!” She craned her neck, looking out the window at Biggs and Red walking toward their car and said, “We need a picture of Biggs to check off take a picture of a guy with a cool mustache. That’s fifteen points. I’ll be fast!” She threw open her door and pulled her phone from her back pocket as she stepped out and ran across the parking lot toward them.

  Her limp was more pronounced when she ran. Quincy wondered if it was caused by an old dance injury, but he figured it would be rude to ask and assumed she’d tell him when she was ready. He watched her showing the list to Biggs, who motioned for her to step beside him. He put his arm around her, and she took a selfie of them. Quincy loved watching her come out of her shell. As she ran back to the truck, Biggs gave him a thumbs-up, and that felt fantastic.

  She climbed into the truck, breathing hard, and said, “Got it!”

  He didn’t hesitate or think as he hauled her across the bench seat beside him, said, “You’re so fucking adorable,” and plastered his mouth to hers.

  When their lips parted, she sighed longingly and said, “If I jump out and take another picture, do I get another kiss?”

  “Baby, you don’t have to move a muscle.” He pulled her into another kiss, and the truck behind them honked. Quincy tore his mouth away and glared over the seat, meeting the amused eyes of Truman and Gemma.

  AFTER SHARING SEVERAL spine-tingling kisses on the library steps, forgetting to take a picture, and cracking up about it as they drove back to do it again, they made their way down the list, taking pictures of a man walking a dog, graffiti on a brick wall, and about a dozen other things. They took selfies together, kissing and making silly faces. Quincy had never had so much fun.

  When they stopped at the park to go down the slide, he climbed up the ladder behind Roni and smacked her butt. She squealed, scrambling to the landing. He caught her around her waist, crushing her to him, and captured her laughing lips with his.

  “That’s not keeping your hands to yourself,” she teased, though her eyes told him she loved every second of it as much as he did.

  “Maybe we can renegotiate. Just for this.” He pressed his lips to her and grabbed her ass with both hands. “It’s torture looking at your gorgeous body and not being able to touch you. I won’t try to cop a feel anywhere else.”

  She laughed and touched her forehead to his chest.

  He moved his hands to her waist and said, “Sorry. Too soon?”

  She shook her head and pushed his hands back down to her butt. “But fair is fair.”

  She grabbed hold of his ass, and his body electrified. A groan climbed up his throat, and he lowered his mouth to hers again, taking her in a long, passionate kiss. She pressed harder against his ass, and within seconds they were kissing feverishly, their hips grinding. Was this the same woman who blushed at a public kiss? When their lips finally parted, his body was vibrating from head to toe, but it was the dizzying sense of completeness that had Quincy in a fog.

  “Jesus, Roni. What have you done to me? I’ve never felt like this.”

  “Neither have I.” She went up on her toes, and he met her halfway in another life-altering kiss. “Wow,” she whispered. “We’d better…”

  “Right.” He sank down to the top of the slide, pulling her onto his lap. Holy fuck. He was hard, and she was soft and perfect. She was going to be the death of him.

  He couldn’t resist cradling her jaw and taking her in another scorching kiss.

  Sometime later, ten minutes or maybe thirty—he had no idea which—Roni’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes lustful and beautiful, they took a selfie, kissed as they took another, and finally made their way down the slide, taking more pictures as they went. Then they headed back to the truck to knock more items off their list.

  Starting with another kiss.

  THE SUN WAS setting when Roni asked Quincy to pull into the pharmacy parking lot.

  “What are we getting here?” he asked.

  “You’ll see. But we have to be fast. We only have twenty minutes to get back to the bar.”

  They hurried into the pharmacy, and he followed her down the aisles. She grabbed a hair removal kit.

  “I’m totally cool with bikini waxes,” Quincy said. “But you don’t need to do that now.”

  She made a tsk sound and playfully smacked his stomach, heading up to the register. “It’s not for me. It’s on our list.”

  “Is there another list I don’t know about?” he asked as he paid for the wax. “Does it involve silk ties? Because I could totally be down for that.”

  She rolled her eyes as they headed back outside.

  “How about whipped cream? Is that on this new list?” he asked. “Because that’d be cool, too.”

  “Maybe Dixie can add that next year.” She stopped beside the truck and said, “I need you to take your shirt off.”

  “Are we getting naked in the parking lot?”

  “We have to wax a body part. It’s worth one hundred points and could make us the winners.” She waved to his shirt. “Take it off.”

  “Hell no. I’ve seen that movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I know what wax does to a dude’s chest.”

  “Fine.” She lifted the hem of his T-shirt and peeked under it. “There’s not enough hair on your stomach.” She dropped to one knee.

  “Uh, babe. I can’t touch you, but you’re allowed to go down on me in a public parking lot? Okay.” He reached for the button on his jeans.

  “No I’m not!” She laughed, turning bright red, and began rolling up his jeans. “I’m looking for a hairy body part.”

  He snickered, and she gave him a deadpan look.

  She ran her hand up and down his calf. “This is perfect.”

  “Yeah it is. Do it a little higher.”

  She pushed to her feet, smiling from ear to ear. “Do you have scissors, or a knife, or something?”

  He covered his dick with his hands. “I like you, babe, but you’re not getting near that with anything sharp besides your teeth.”

  “Ohmygod. Quincy!” She turned away, but she was laughing. “You are impossible.”

  “For you, I’m more than possible. I’m a sure thing.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “We’re running out of time. Why do you need scissors?”

  “To cut the wax strip.”

  He unlocked the truck and grabbed his pocketknife from the glove compartment. She opened the package and reached for the knife.

  “I’ll do it, babe.” He couldn’t even believe he was going to let her do this.

  Yeah, he could, because it was Roni, and he’d have a hell of a time denying her anything.

  “I can handle a knife,” she said, taking it from his hands, and knelt on the ground, huddling over the strip as she cut it. Then she peered up at him from behind those sexy glasses, her hazel eyes swimming with the unmistakable combination of amusement and lust—his new favorite look—and said, “This might hurt.”

  He’d been through far worse than a little waxing. “Go for it, babe.”

  She peeled the back off the wax strip, then pressed it to the side of his calf and rubbed her hand over it for a minute or two. “Ready?”<
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  “Babe, just do—” She tore off the wax strip, sending a burning sensation through his leg, and he cringed. “Holy shit. Women do that to their…?”

  She giggled and took a picture. “It’ll stop stinging eventually.” She pushed to her feet and said, “Thanks for taking one for the team. We’d better hurry.”

  She handed him the strip. It was covered in hair and cut into the shape of an R. He arched a brow and said, “Roni…?”

  “You said to claim my man,” she said sassily, and climbed into the truck as if she hadn’t just lassoed his heart and reeled him right in.

  Chapter Five

  RONI WALKED INTO Whiskey Bro’s tucked beneath Quincy’s arm, feeling completely different than she had the night of the auction. Not only was she having the absolute best evening, but they were immediately greeted by burly guys in leather jackets who embraced Quincy, or clapped him on the back, and welcomed Roni warmly. She couldn’t believe how many friends he had, or how many of them went by their road names—Court, Viper, Crow, and many others—the way the Whiskey men did. She met Bones Whiskey and his sweet fiancée, Sarah, and Jed’s fiancée, Josie. As they made their way through the crowded bar toward the table to turn in their pictures for the scavenger hunt, Quincy continued introducing her to what seemed like everyone there. The place was packed. Men and women were playing darts and pool, filling their plates at the buffet, and eating at tables. There were children running around, too. It was loud and busy, and everyone was friendly. There was no way she could keep all the names straight, but she made sure to remember the Whiskeys, Jed, and Scott, and each of their significant others, because she knew how important they were to Quincy.

  A blonde named Isla helped them upload their pictures, and when they turned around, a little boy with a mop of light-brown hair ran by, chased by a younger sandy-haired boy.

  “Whoa, little dudes, slow down,” Quincy called after them.

  Bones walked past and said, “I’ve got them. Thanks, Quincy.”

  “Are they his boys?” Roni asked.

  “The older one is Jed and Josie’s son, Hail, and the younger one is Bradley, one of Bones and Sarah’s three kids.”

  He pointed out their two daughters, Maggie Rose, an infant bundled in Sarah’s arms, and Lila, the little girl Quincy had put on his lap at the bookstore. She looked to be about two and was happily clinging to Biggs as he talked with a guy whose name Roni couldn’t remember.

  “I’ve never heard of kids running around a bar before,” Roni said. “Not that I go to bars or hear about them often, but I always assume people are drinking and partying.”

  “Whenever the Whiskeys put on an event, it’s a family affair, and quite a few of us don’t drink. It’s one of the many things I like about this group.”

  “That’s another thing we have in common, because I don’t drink, either.”

  “Miss Woni is here!” Kennedy hollered at the top of her lungs, pushing between Truman and Gemma, who were talking with Bullet a few feet away.

  Roni had liked Truman and Gemma the instant she’d met them, when they’d come to the studio to check out classes for Kennedy. Gemma was a sweetheart, with brown hair and golden highlights, and Truman was big like Quincy and as dark as Quincy was fair. He had a beard and blue tattoos on his arms, hands, and snaking out of the collar of his shirt, but for as badass as he looked, he was kind and gentle with the kids and Gemma.

  Kennedy jumped up and down in her purple dress, cheering, “Mommy! Daddy! Miss Woni is here! Are you on your playdate with Uncle Quincy?”

  “Yes, I guess I am,” Roni said, a handful of people around them chuckling.

  “A playdate?” Truman asked.

  “Yes!” Kennedy exclaimed. “Uncle Quincy weally wanted to have a playdate with Miss Woni.”

  “I bet he did,” Bullet said with a snicker.

  Bullet was the most intimidating looking of them all, with the exception of the mountainous bartender wearing the baseball cap, Diesel, who Quincy had introduced Roni to earlier.

  “I love playdates with my wife,” Bear called out from where he stood by the bar, sparking a litany of laughter and jokes among the crowd.

  Quincy pulled Roni into his arms, gazing into her eyes with a devilish grin as he said, “We’ve been outed by a tiny human.”

  She laughed. “That’s okay. I like playdates with you.”

  He kissed her, and the crowd cheered and whistled. He ate it all up, calling out to Kennedy, “Hey, jelly bean! Miss Roni and I will have many more playdates in the future.”

  “Yay!” Kennedy cheered. “Now you can show Miss Woni how you can eat ice cream all night long! Bye!” She ran off, leaving the guys roaring with laughter and Roni red-cheeked and burying her face in Quincy’s chest.

  Quincy kissed the top of her head and said, “Aw, babe. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry you can eat ice cream all night long?” Bullet scoffed. “Dude, that’s a benefit.”

  “All right, Bullet. Back off,” Quincy said, rubbing a hand down Roni’s back.

  His protectiveness made him even hotter. Roni lifted her face, catching him staring down Bullet. A hint of worry fluttered in her chest. She wanted to tell him it was fine and make him stop challenging Bullet, and she opened her mouth to do just that, but before she could get a word out, Bullet cut her off.

  “Sorry, Roni. Didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Bullet stroked his beard, his eyes now trained on Roni as Finlay came to his side, adorable with her burgeoning belly and blond hair cascading around her face. “But you gotta admit, it is a benefit. How do you think my wife got her nickname?”

  Finlay gasped. “Bullet Whiskey, that is not true.”

  “But it’s funny,” Bullet said.

  Roni had to admit that it was funny. She laughed along with everyone else, loving the camaraderie of Quincy’s friends.

  “Okay, break it up,” Dixie said, pushing past Bullet with Penny and Crystal on her heels. Without her jacket, Dixie’s colorful arm tattoos were visible, and they were as beautiful as she was. “It’s girl time, Quince. We need to borrow Roni for a little while. You can hang out with the Neanderthals.”

  Roni was surprised they wanted to include her, and she was excited to get to know the other girls.

  “The guys are not nearly as fun as my girl.” Quincy tightened his hold on Roni, and oh, how she loved that.

  “Last chance, Gritt. Give her a kiss or forever hold it in,” Crystal said.

  “Babe, are you okay going with them?” he asked thoughtfully.

  “Yes, of course.”

  He pressed his lips to hers, then glared at the three of them and said, “I don’t know what you do to indoctrinate women into your group, but go easy, okay? Don’t scare her off.”

  Roni gazed up at him and said, “It would take a lot to scare me off.”

  “Well, there you have it.” Dixie said, “This chick isn’t so shy anymore, is she?”

  “It’s hard to be shy around here,” Roni said as Dixie and Crystal flanked her.

  Gemma joined them and said, “I can’t believe you got her away from Quincy. He’s had her glued to his side.”

  “I don’t hear Roni complaining,” Quincy said.

  Wow. She liked this side of Quincy. He was a little possessive, but not overbearing. He was just…Protective? Thoughtful? As into her as she was into him? Yes, he was all of those things. His words came to mind, and she thought, He’s claiming me, and it feels good.

  “I’ll catch up in a sec, you guys,” Penny said. “I need to talk to Quincy.”

  As they led her away, Roni felt Quincy’s eyes on her, and she glanced over her shoulder to look at him. Sure enough, though he and Penny were talking, he was watching her. He blew her a kiss, and she mentally caught it and tucked it away with the other romantic things he’d done.

  “There she is!” Josie, a petite strawberry-blonde, popped to her feet at a table where she was sitting with her sister, Sarah. Sarah was cradling her baby.

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p; “Is Quincy still watching us like a hawk?” Dixie asked as they all sat down.

  Gemma craned her neck and said, “He’s talking to Penny. Oops, there’s a peek.”

  Roni had to peek, too. Her heart skipped at the way Quincy was looking at her.

  “Well, if that look doesn’t say it all,” Dixie said. “You’ve met all the girls, haven’t you, Roni?”

  “I think so, except Sleeping Beauty,” Roni said, motioning to Sarah’s baby. “That must be Maggie Rose. She’s beautiful.”

  Sarah tucked her dirty-blond hair behind her ear and said, “She’s all tuckered out.”

  “I can’t believe she can sleep with all the noise in here,” Roni said.

  “She’s used to it. I swear our house is never quiet.” Sarah kissed Maggie Rose’s head and said, “Have you met my other kids yet, Bradley and Lila? Biggs absconded with Lila a little while ago. I’m sure she’s full of cookies by now, and Bones was keeping an eye on Bradley and Hail.”

  “The boys zoomed past us right before Kennedy announced my playdate with Quincy.”

  “Sorry about that,” Gemma said as Penny joined them at the table.

  “Oh, don’t be. Kennedy’s a pistol,” Roni said. “I have to admit, I’m an only child, so this whole gathering is a little overwhelming, but I love kids, and I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many of Quincy’s friends.”

  “This crowd can definitely be overwhelming. You’re still here, so that’s a point in your favor,” Josie teased.

  “She’s got loads of points in her favor,” Penny said. “Quincy is crazy about you, Roni. He couldn’t take his eyes off you the whole time we were talking, and when Jed, Tru, and Scott cornered him, I heard Quincy raving about you as I walked away.”

  That made her feel good all over and gave her a boost of confidence. “I’m crazy about him, too.”

  “Did you enjoy the scavenger hunt?” Sarah asked.

  “We had a blast. I thought the list had some strange things on it, though. I’ve never been on a scavenger hunt where they asked you to kiss your partner. Not that I minded,” Roni clarified. “I love kissing Quincy, and once I saw Penny and Scott kissing by the park and taking a selfie, I figured it must be something this group does for the scavenger hunt.”