Page 120 of Whiskey Lies

I laugh. “Jonathan doesn’t need help in the dating department.”

“Because he’s with you?” he asks again, his penetrating gaze searching mine. I know he wants someone who is settling down. A family company. But I can’t lie. And I can’t hurt Cash’s chances like that either.

I shake my head. “No. Jonathan and I are truly just friends. I’m sure one day he will meet the woman who makes him want to settle down, but that isn’t me. I’m going through a bitter divorce, and I assure you, I am the last person Jonathan would want to date.”

He frowns and shakes his head. “I’d have to disagree.”

Before I can ask him what he means by that, I feel a body looming next to us.

“May I cut in?”

I turn to see Jonathan standing before us. He smiles as Mr. Landry stops dancing and nods. Before walking off though, he leans in and says in a low voice, “You are a lovely woman, Grace. Any man in this room would be lucky to have you. Don’t sell yourself short.”

My cheeks warm at his words and I nod, unable to get my voice to work. Jonathan holds out his hand and I take it. Unlike Mr. Landry, he pulls my body flush against his as he spins us both and whispers into my ear, “You’re doing a fantastic job, Gracie. Thank you.”

I roll my eyes. “Did you know Cash was going to be here?”

His laugh tickles my neck. “I imagined he would.”

I turn my head and meet his eyes. “Jay,” I chastise. “You’ve put me in an impossible situation.”

He tilts his head. “Grace, I keep trying to show you that he’s not who you think he is.” Jonathan spins us so my view is of Vanessa and Cash. They are as close as Jonathan is holding me, and it turns my stomach into twisted knots.

Cash spots me and holds my gaze. His hand holds Vanessa low on the back, and she speaks to him softly, but he doesn’t take his eyes off mine. We are with two different people, on a crowded dance floor, and I swear I can feel his touch on my skin, his whisper in my ear, and his promises in my heart.

Jonathan continues speaking low in my ear, “I may not be the man for you, but someone who shows up with another woman on his arm and holds her as close as he’s holding that woman, he’s not the man for you either. We are made of the same cloth, Cash and me. Neither of us are good enough for you.”

I don’t listen to his words. My focus remains on Cash—the slight hardening of his jaw and the way his pupils dilate. He’s furious and he’s running out of patience. Vanessa does nothing to placate his emotions, to bide his time, or to draw his interest. I know I’m running out of rope and soon he’ll snap. I lean into Jonathan’s arms, lift up onto my tiptoes, and kiss his cheek, before apologizing. “I’m sorry, Jay, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Excuse me.”

With determined steps, I walk out of the tent.

Lanterns light a path into a garden. The evening stars glitter the sky, and warm air blows around me. I just need a few minutes to myself to gather my thoughts. To figure out my next move. Do I just push through the rest of this night without saying a word? Should I leave and go back to the city? Or should I walk out there and fall into Cash’s arms, media and others’ opinions be damned?

I find myself surrounded by bamboo stalks which are triple my height. Apparently, I’ve stumbled into a bamboo garden. I smile in spite of my predicament. This place is enchanting. Tea lights are strategically placed throughout, creating an illuminating glow, and the smell of flowers perfumes my lungs.

I’m so focused on my own thoughts and the beauty around me that I don’t hear the footsteps. “Grace,” Cash’s voice rumbles, sending a chill straight through me. Spinning around, I walk right into his hard chest. Without hesitating, he wraps his hand behind my neck and pulls my mouth to his, crushing me against him. Owning me, possessing me, and setting me free all at the same time.

He pulls my head back lightly, running his open mouth and teeth against my jaw and down my neck. “That was torture. Pure fucking hell. Watching you with him, seeing him touch you, watching him dance with you.” His teeth nip at my collarbone, and I whimper against him.

“I’m sorry, I had no idea you would be here tonight,” I say huskily, my voice deep with desire.

Cash raises his mouth to mine again and inhales me. He pulls tighter on my hair, and I hate to admit that it drives me wild, completely soaking my panties. I push my hips to meet his own and his eyes glow like liquid gold. “You like that, Gracie?”

His other hand slides down to where my skin is exposed from the slit in my dress. His fingers moves back and forth, slowly, as he stares into my eyes. “Do you know what this does to me?” he asks, gripping my thigh tightly. “Seeing this skin, seeing you look like this? You’re a fucking goddess, Grace. I want to bow down and worship you.”

My eyes rise to his in a challenge. “What’s stopping you?”

The music floats through the air and voices drift close by, but in our bamboo garden we’re alone. Cash smiles, and his hand grips my neck as he pushes me against the bamboo. It moves with us, but I’m also surprised by how sturdy it is. “Can you be quiet?”

“Yes, sir,” I say with a slight nod, although I’m not really sure I can. The way I’m feeling right now makes me want to cry out, not silence myself.

He shakes his head as if he knows what I’m thinking and makes quick work of his tie, removing it from his neck and holding it out to me. “Do you trust me?”

Implicitly.

“Of course.”

Cash takes the tie and pulls it around my mouth, tightening it behind my head so that it works like a gag. His eyes remain on mine the entire time, and I can feel the fire burning between us both. I’ve never been gagged, or silenced, and I never thought it would turn me on, but it seems that anything Cash does makes me wet with need. “Now hold on to the bamboo and don’t let go.”

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