Page 59 of A Taste of Whiskey
Throwing caution to the wind, she said, “I always knew I was. But the one I really wanted either wasn’t into me, or he was married or off-limits.”
“Hyde’s never been married,” he said all too seriously.
“Not Hyde, you fool.” She slapped his leg, sending bubbles sloshing over the side of the tub.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, and brushed his scruff against her cheek. “Oh, you meanme?” he said with feigned innocence.
“I’m starting to question my choice.”
“You should be rethinking all those wrong guys you went out with.” His hands skimmed over her thighs, resting so close to her sex, desire bloomed hot and needy inside her. “But as far as I’m concerned, I don’t think there’s ever been a time I didn’t want you.”
“I mean after you were a teenager.”
“Hey, don’t negate those teenage years. That’s when it all started. I used to ask to work late just so I could see you more. I’d watch you following that woman around who used to work with the horses and doing homework in the rehab barn, sitting with the injured animals.” One hand slid up her belly, brushing the underside of her breast, making her even greedier for him. “You were so dedicated. It was impressive. You were a big part of the reason I cleaned up my act.”
“I wasnot,” she said with a laugh.
He teased her nipple, speaking into her ear. “Yes, you were, Bo Peep. I wanted to be good enough to be with a girl like you.”
Goose bumps chased up her limbs, and she felt him tense up.
“Fuck it. That’s not true,” he gritted out. He wrapped his arms around her. “My goal was to be good enough foryou.”
Her heart stumbled, and she looked at him over her shoulder. “Is that true?”
“One hundred percent.”
As she tried to process that, she remembered the painful truth. “And I treated you like you weren’t good enough.”
“Only when I was in the program, and at first I didn’t deserve to be treated any other way. You were too smart to take a chance on a kid like me. It was a good thing you held me at arm’s length. Your self-respect taught me to respect myself.”
She tried to calm her racing heart, but the truth did it for her. “And then you went off to college and forgot about me.”
“Bullshit. You were unforgettable as a teenager and even more so as we got older. I still wanted to be with you, but our timing was always off. We were away at school, seeing other people, living our lives.”
Knowing he’d wanted her the whole time filled all those lonely places inside her that had longed for him over those years. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because when we were at the ranch, your brothers were threatening any of the guys who so much as looked at you or Birdie.”
“They probably would have broken your legs back then.”
He laughed. “I don’t doubt it.”
“But you became a Dark Knight, and they trusted you, or you never would have become a patched member.”
“That’s true, but what you probably don’t realize is that I had prospected the club at eighteen. I had to work hard to prove myself to your father and Manny and all the other members. Most guys prospect the club for a year. It took me two, and by then your family had become my family.”
How could family be a double-edged sword?“I know how important they are to you.”
“I had too much respect for all of you to topple that apple cart.” He held her tighter, his voice thick with emotion. “Once I started interning with your mom, you became officially off-limits.”
“I still am,” she said softly, her own emotions whirling. She needed to be closer to him and tried turning around, but she couldn’t figure out where to put her legs, sending water sloshing over the side of the tub. They both laughed as he scooched forward and guided her legs around him.
“You need a bigger tub.”
“Or you need a more adept girlfriend.” She hadn’t realized what she’d said until that G word was hanging between them like a ticking bomb. “I mean friend with benefits.”
He put his arms around her and ran the tip of his nose along her cheek. “Like I said, our timing is always off.” He drew back and cradled her face in his hands. “Don’t ever take our bad timing as a lack of desire, becausethathas never wavered.”
