Page 65 of Whiskey Kisses

“You know what they say about firsts,” Tristan continues, his voice gravelly against the shell of my ear. “They always leave a mark.”

“More like a scar.” I grit my teeth. “But he doesn’t own me.”

“I know.” Tristan squeezes me. “He feels like he does, though. And perception can be more dangerous than reality.”

I struggle to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean?”

His arms tighten around me even more, as if the mere thought of Cole brings out his possessiveness. “You told me from the beginning that he sees you as this thing he can’t have, so he’s obsessed. He wants to have you the way he did before, and he feels entitled.”

Just thinking about it makes my stomach cramp up. “I know.”

“And now it’s even worse, because I’m here for the same distillery his family thinksthey’reentitled to. He sees me as a rival in more ways than one, so the same obsession he has for you is bleeding onto me.”

The thought of Cole lurking around, trying to sabotage what we have, is both chilling and infuriating. I manage to turn in Tristan’s arms, touching his face. I can’t quite see his expression in the dark, but I can feel the wrinkle between his brows, the tension in his jaw.

“I got you, Evie. I’ll keep you safe,” he says, his hands spreading over my lower back. “No matter what.”

“But what about you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he says. “I’ll take care of him.”

“That’s what worries me,” I mumble, my heart drumming in my chest. I know Tristan can handle himself, but what happens if things go wrong? What if Cole somehow gets the upper hand? He’s crazy, but he’s smart. “Please, please be careful.”

“I always am.” He kisses my forehead. “I rarely go anywhere alone?—”

“You did today,” I blurt.

“To lure him out,” he says. “And it worked. But from now on, I’ll always have my guys. In fact.” He stretches back to reach his phone, looking briefly at the screen. “My backups are about a half hour away. They’ll be staying in a house not too far from here. Easy access.”

“For tomorrow?” I ask.

“For tomorrow, and for as long as it takes.” He tosses his phone aside. “And on that note, we should get some sleep. I can’t afford to be tired in the morning.”

“What about Finn and Malachi?” I ask, yawning. “And Timmy? Will they be staying in that house, too?”

“Yeah, it’s probably time they moved out, huh?” he says, a smile in his voice.

“They don’t have to.” I close my eyes, sleepiness settling over me. “I kinda like having them around.”

In the morning, when I wake up, Tristan’s already gone. I run my hand over the rumpled sheets, my heart clenching when I find another origami flower. It’s a rose this time. A red origami rose.

19.Tristan

Imove quietly in the morning, taking a shower and getting dressed in another bathroom so I don’t wake Evie. She distracts me without even trying, and I can’t deal with her siren call right now. There’s one thing on my mind at the moment, and that’s securing Doyle Whiskey once and for all. Today is the day.

Remembering that I left my piece in the nightstand, I jog back upstairs and edge silently into the bedroom again.

Pulling my Glock quietly from the drawer, I spy the rose I made for Evie the other day. I started doing origami when I was a kid, when my mom was always looking into ways for me to calm my mind, channel my focus. What started as forced fun turned into something I actually enjoyed, and now I make shit just for kicks. Liam especially loves my creations. I’ve made him everything from the dinosaurs hanging in his room to the animal party favors he gave out at his last birthday party.

I lay the rose on the pillow beside Evie, figuring she’ll get a kick out of it, and head back downstairs. Timmy’s dozing on the couch, so I shake him awake. Juniper gives me a dirty look from her spot near his arm. “Leaving now. Keep an eye on her, okay?”

He nods, rubbing his eyes as he sits up. “Yes, sir.”

“You got what you need?”

Timmy holds up his phone and then lifts the pillow, showing me his gun.

The weather’sstarting to cool down. Finally. This is the first time I’ve worn a jacket since I got to Savannah.

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