Page 23 of Long Hard Ride
“I have,” I say softly, wondering if I should just spit it out now, “but I need to talk to you about something.”
“Well, it’s getting dark,” he says amiably, sliding an arm around my waist. “Aren’t you going to invite me in? Time’s a-wasting.”
“Sure. Come,” I say dramatically, my stomach doing flips. “Right this way.” How is he going to take the news?
We walk straight into the heart of the house. “This is the living room.” My eyes land on the couch, and I catch myself thinking about Shane. I quickly turn away.
“Hmm.” Steve shoves his hands in his pockets and inspects the room.
“I set up my easel over here.” The stand is in plain view, and so is my painting. Steve doesn’t seem to have noticed, so I point. Not to brag, but I’m proud of my latest piece. It isn’t close to being finished, but I’m happy with how it’s going. I would love his opinion.
“Uh-huh.” Steve nods, while he passes through the living room. He points to the hallway. “Bedrooms?”
I come up beside him. “Three.”
“And how much time do we have before the old man comes home?”
“Probably an hour.” Steve winces with disappointment. “But he won’t get in the way,” I add quickly. “Shane will give us our space. You don’t have to worry about him.”
“Trust me, babe. That old man doesn’t worry me.” Steve gives me a cocky wink. “I just wish I’d have more time alone with my girl, so I don’t have to rush when I give her my present.”
Oh no, back to the present again. I obviously can’t accept it, at least not until I tell him I’m not a virgin anymore. Even though we’ve been broken up, I know he’ll be pissed. “Why don’t you give it to me after we talk?”
“I don’t think we’ll be doing much talking today, Brooksie. I don’t have much time before I need to get back on the road.” He strolls toward the kitchen. I trail behind him. “Let’s have a drink.”
“You have to leave? You just got here.” I scoot in front of him and open the fridge.
“Yeah. I need to keep moving until I take care of a few things. What do you have in there?”
I don’t have the bandwidth to get into what kind ofthingsSteve needs to take care of this time. I’m sure I’ll find out sooner or later. I scan the shelves. “Lemonade, orange juice?” I ask over my shoulder. “Water, beer?”
“How ’bout a whiskey? I had plenty of water in the car.”
“Sure.” I close the fridge and point to the cabinet above. “I think Gramps kept it in there.”
Steve effortlessly reaches into the upper cabinet and finds a bottle. “Humph.” He stares at the label. “Yippee Ki-Yay Whiskey. Never heard of it, but let’s give it a shot.”
“I’m in. I’ve finished painting for the day.” Maybe a shot of whiskey will help calm my nerves. Fuck, I’m dreading telling him.
Steve seems to have the pouring duties under control, so I relax against the counter and watch. He turns his slim back to me and finds two glasses. I hear the liquid hit the glass and see him reach in his pocket for something. Maybe the surprise? Who knows?
He turns around with a big grin plastered on his face and hands me my drink. “Here’s to a very happy reunion, and to doing things we’ve never done before.”
“That sure sounds intriguing,” I say, clinking my tumbler against his. We knock back our shots in unison. “Now what?”
Steve’s eyes glimmer with excitement, and I know he has something up his sleeve. “You’ve made me so happy, Brooksie.” He grabs me and pulls me close against his chest. “C’mon, show me your room. You’re going to feel very relaxed soon, and I want to give you your next present before cowboy man gets here.”
“Relaxed?” We’ve done shots before, and I usually don’t feel too woozy after only one.
“Yeah, I want to give you the other half of your surprise.”
“Other half?” Okay. He’s thrown me here. “I don’t think you’ve given me the first surprise yet.”
“Oh yeah, I did.” He winks. “I put a little something-something in your whiskey.”
I double-check my glass. Did he drop some jewelry in there? Then the realization hits me. “What did you put in my drink?” I feel like I’m going to throw up.
“Brooksie...” He drops his pitch condescendingly. “Do you think I would give you anything that would hurt you?”
