“Oh, hon, one of these days that man will get his head out of his ass and realize what he has lost.”
“Yeah right, Rea, we both know with the amount of unstringed pussy hanging around this place, Tuck won’t be looking for anything else for a long time. It’s his loss. It’s also not his fault he doesn’t feel the same way about me as I do him, it’s time to move on. School starts soon and I need to get my head back in the game, it’s been too long.
The three of them chatted while they stored the food and continued to clean the kitchen. It was finally smelling good instead of something you would find in a frat house. Addy discovered that she really liked Katie, she was amazing. At only twenty-one, she was already in her second year of medical school, going into her third. She reminded her a lot of her best friend, Carri. Katie didn’t seem to belong with a bunch of bikers. Addy asked if Katie would stick around to say goodbye?
“Nope, the guys have been good to me, but I doubt any of them will notice when I’m gone. I just wanted to do something, you know.”
Addy could relate because she too wanted to do something nice for the men that were helping her. They had a way of worming themselves into your life without you knowing how it happened. Tuck, Tank, and Talon had been there for her and Carri when she had no one. Shit, even Link, in his own black-hearted way, looked out for her. Brass and a few of the other guys had come to the farm over the years and offered to help her out with the animals or harvest, and Addy had been too blinded by her grief to pay much attention or put any stock into their actions. So, instead of giving Katie a hard time or trying to figure out what was going on with her, she simply said, “I get it,” hugged Katie goodbye, thanking her for the food.
“I hope they find out who is after you, Addy,” Katie surprised her by saying. Addy had never said anything about what was going on.
“You don’t have to say anything, I can see the bruises, and I know the RBMC doesn’t tolerate any violence against women. I also know the Club is on the verge of a lockdown, another reason I am high-tailing it out of town before that can happen. I might be wrong, but I think it all stems back to you. Also,” she said winking, “don’t judge a book by its cover. I’ve lived in the MC world my entire life, you’re the baby in this pool.
Shit, Addy didn’t know what to say, she wasn’t going to tell this sweet woman what was going on with her, the Club, or Whiskey, but Katie proved herself to be rather astute because she had figured out a lot of it already.
“Hey, why don’t we exchange numbers? Maybe you can give me some pointers while I make my way into the deep end,” Addy suggested.
“I’d like that. When you’re ready to get rid of you water wings, I’ll help you swim,” Katie smiled, and they both laughed. Now that she had gotten to know Katie a little, there was a part of her that thought Katie would be good for Tuck; maybe she could help.
Addy made her way out into the bar area, and although it wasn’t as clean as the kitchen, the place looked better than it had before she set out her little mandate. Well, at least her feet weren’t sticking to the floor anymore, and the all the tables and other surfaces in the area were clear of litter. It was a start, but not an end. If it was her responsibility to keep this place clean and tidy, she needed to get with Cinny and Reagan, and work out a plan because they hadn’t even scratched the surface.
She noticed that only Blade and one of the Prospects, she couldn’t remember his name, were in the room, the Puppets nowhere to be seen. Going up to the bar, Addy took a seat next to Blade.
“Hey, please tell me the girls did this and not someone else,” Addy asked, indicating the room.
“Well, hon, I have never been a man to lie to a beautiful woman, and I won’t start now. All you need to know is those girls used their particular talents and made sure the job got done.”
Argh, that wasn’t good. Damn. Addy put her head down on the bar.
“Oh, now darlin, it ain’t all that bad, the shit got done, that’s all that matters right now.”
“I’m not very good at the Old Lady thing,” Addy said dejectedly, peeking up at Blade.
“Damn, hon, guys like Whiskey and me don’t give a shit how an Old Lady handles a bunch of Puppets. What matters to us is that you keep the bed warm and a smile on your face when we come to yah. Cooking and cleaning don’t mean shit at the end of the day. Take it from an old codger like me, honey, Whiskey might appreciate what you did here today, but it’s not what matters most.”
Addy couldn’t help it, she buried her head in her arms again.
“I don’t know if I will be any good at that either.” She whispered, hoping that Blade hadn’t heard, but she was out of luck.
“Yeah, I heard some stuff you kids have gone through, can’t live in this town and not hear shit. But, the way I look at it, you’ve got to ask yourself a couple of questions. Can you support your man and his Club for the long haul? If the answer is no, then leave that boy alone and move along because he’s not thinking of this in terms of a few nights, hon, he is playing for keeps.”
Addy didn’t believe him. Whiskey wasn’t playing for keeps, he was playing for the here and now, and he always walked away. He wanted to make up for the past so they could both move on. She wanted that too, but was afraid that she couldn’t keep her heart out of it. She still loved him, and a small part of her wanted to be there for him for the long haul, she just didn’t know how to make that happen or if it was even possible.
“Hon, I can tell that you don’t believe me, and that’s okay, only time will tell. I’ve been watching over these boys for a long while now, and I can tell you that Whisk has changed since coming back to Defiance. He isn’t the same man he used to be. For a while there, I was worried he was going to Nomad because he wasn’t finding his place, but I’ll be damned, if the moment you walked into this room yesterday his eyes didn’t light up like nothing I have ever seen before. That boy has it bad for you. Claimed your ass in front of his Brothers and his Club. The only thing left for that man is to sign on the dotted line and get his ink slapped on your ass. Now, it’s time for you to decide if he’s worth the chance you’ll have to take.
“Another thing, hon, you can’t hold something against a man that happened before he knew how to be one.” Blade got up, patted Addy on the back, and walked away. He was right, she was either going to be a hundred percent in or a hundred percent out, there couldn’t be any in-between with her and Whiskey. If this was the final chapter, she had to accept that, and everything that went with it; if they were back at the beginning, building something, she needed to put everything she had into that and hope it was enough.
Addy heard the rumble of bikes before she ever saw any of the guys; the sound was unbelievable. The windows shook, it was almost like a freight train or, hell, twenty bikers were coming right through the walls. Addy laughed a little to herself. Looking around, the once empty room was filling up. Bambi and Flo came out of hiding, and Cinny and Reagan walked in from the kitchen. Crash made his way into the room from down the hall where Addy knew the offices sat. Tuck was the first one through the door, ever watchful, he seemed to make quick work of assessing the Clubhouse and smiled.
“It looks like you have been busy.” He might have said the words while looking at Addy, but Bambi was the one to take the credit for the state of the Clubhouse.
“Oh, Tuck, we have been working hard since you all left. I hope you like it, there’s even food in the kitchen just waiting for you.” Addy snorted, she couldn’t help it, the woman was acting like she did more than just give a Prospect a blowjob. Tuck in true biker fashion patted the woman on her head.
“Right, maybe I’ll let you suck my dick later for a job well done.” Bambi looked so excited by those words, her smile was nothing less than beaming.
Addy didn’t know what to think, she wanted to feel bad for the other woman, but couldn’t find it within herself to do so. She could call her out, but, if Tuck wanted to believe the woman worked herself to the bone for the
Club, so be it. All Addy cared about, at this moment, was getting her eyes on Whiskey. She needed to see him, make sure he was okay, and that he was still here. Damn, that he was still in this with her; that little insecurity wouldn’t be leaving her for a long while.
Her eyes caught on the man she seemed to have waited a lifetime for; he looked pleased. He also looked, dared she think it, horny. The man had lust in his eyes, and it was all directed at her. She liked it. His gait, as he made his way to her at the bar, was steady and sure. He was a man on a mission, and it looked like she was the mission. He didn’t stop until he reached her, and, in a move she was learning was pure Whiskey, he grabbed her head and kissed the sense right out of her. After he broke the kiss, it took her a while to figure out he was saying to her; damn, the man had a way of making her mind go completely blank. Well, not completely, he just filled it with thoughts of him and him alone.
“Missed ya, Babe, did you do all this?” Whiskey asked. Addy still wasn’t with it and could only stare into his gorgeous green eyes. The same eyes she had been dreaming about for ten years. They may be older, and probably wiser with little lines around the edges, but those eyes could ignite every naughty dream she’d ever had. Addy managed a small yes to answer his question and then did something she had been longing to do for a long time. Reaching up she grabbed the back of Whiskey’s head and pulled him closer to her lips.
This kiss was the first she had ever instigated with him, and she was going for it as if her life depended on it. Someone cleared their throat, and from the sound of it they were close to her and Whiskey; she didn’t want to stop the kiss, but she didn’t have a choice. Giving him one last chaste kiss on his firm and supple lips, she told him, “Missed you too.” She had wanted those couple of seconds before the real word intruded on them.
“Are you ready to beg, Addison?” Whiskey whispered. She could feel his erection through her jeans, pressing right into the place she desperately wanted to feel him again. Addy wanted to say yes and beg for him to take her to his room and fuck the hell out of her, but something was holding her back. She just couldn’t take that final step that would put them together once and for all. Whiskey didn’t make her answer, instead kissed her one last time.
“It’s okay, babe, sooner or later you will beg, and I’ll give you what we both want. I can be a patient man our time will come,” he promised, tweaking her nose; what he didn’t do was walk away. He stood there, and they talked about everything and nothing, it felt perfect.
They spent some time at the bar, before Addy went into the kitchen, and, with Cinny’s and Reagan’s help, brought out the food Katie had brought. The guys pushed a bunch of the tables together, and they all sat down as a family. It was nice, but what was even better was that Whiskey was by her side the entire time. If he was talking to someone, he rubbed her shoulder or held her hand.
She and Whiskey hung out with the guys, talking and drinking. It was fun, and the most relaxed Addy had felt in a long time. She noticed that Whiskey, Link, and Talon were distant from each other, but still interacted trading jabs and jeers. Brass, though, that man was a hoot, you never knew what would come out of his mouth. He seemed always to be trying to piss one of the guys off, but in a way that made everyone around them laugh. They were all feeling a little loose from the booze when Brass started talking to her about quality pussy.
“Now, the way I see it, sweetheart, if a man like me finds quality pussy, he is obligated to keep that shit. Get what I’m saying?”
“Sure,” Addy laughed, because what else was she supposed to say.
Whiskey had been sitting next to her with his hand draped behind her chair, not paying attention to the conversation she and Brass were having.
“See, you get it. I told Whisk that yesterday, quality pussy makes a man come back for more, do you have quality pussy Addy?”
Um… no way in hell she would answer that question, and thankfully, she didn’t have to because Whiskey lifted Addy out of her chair and placed her on his lap.
“Brass, you don’t need to be talking to Addison about pussy.”
“But, Brother…”
“Nope, no buts, Addison’s pussy is off limits. You’re not going to talk about it, think about it, or ever see it, so fuck off.” Addy would have laughed at the disgruntled look on Brass’s face if they weren’t talking about her private parts. The man actually looked upset by not getting his answer. How the hell would she have replied that anyways?
“Come on, babe, time for bed.” Addy wasn’t really tired, but she didn’t put up too much of a fight when Whiskey picked her up and placed her on her feet, grabbed her hand, and started for the stairs. She was getting kind of excited, she wanted to be alone with him.
Once they made it into the room things changed, the relaxed, laid-back vibe they had been feeling downstairs disappeared. Whiskey looked tense and stressed, and Addy was having a case of nerves she couldn’t quite explain.
“Hey, babe, why don’t you hit the shower?” Addy didn’t know what to do with herself, but after cleaning for hours and then spending time with the guys drinking, she felt dirty, so a shower sounded perfect about then. She looked at Whiskey and was tempted to ask him to join her, to get the elephant between them out of the way, but he just looked at her and shook his head. Coming over, he hugged her.
“Not the time, babe.” She should have left it at that and gone on her way, but she couldn’t.
“Why not?
“Babe, you’re not ready, and to be honest, I don’t think I am, either. We have a lot of shit to work through that that sex won’t fix. But, if you believe that for one minute I don’t want you and that tight-assed body, you’re fucking delusional.”
“But…”
“No, babe, I can walk out of this room and get a quick fuck anytime, I don’t even need to ask for it. What we have going here is more than that, and before it happens, which it will, I want you to realize that, because once I get in there again, I’m never leaving, understand?”
Addy nodded her head, not knowing what else to say. She wanted to believe him, but something was still holding her back. The problem was she didn’t trust him to stick around and only time would change that. She started for the bathroom, but realized she didn’t have anything to change into. Cinny had brought her clothes that morning, but she had nothing else that was clean.
“Ah, Aiden, can I have one of your shirts to sleep in?”
He said nothing, just went to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt, handing it to her.
“Love the thought of you wearing my shit, babe,” giving Addy a small kiss. That kiss was nothing compared to the others he had given her recently, but for some reason, it felt like more. Addy could feel all those bricks she had laid so carefully around her heart cracking.
Addy took her shower and walked out into the room. Whiskey had been messing with a guitar she hadn’t seen before. He wasn’t playing a song, more like just making noise, but she liked it. He seemed to be so into his task he didn’t notice her coming out of the bathroom. She listened for a little while.
“Bathroom’s all yours, I even left you a little hot water.”
This time he smiled, and she was taken back fifteen years to the first time she had ever seen him smile a real smile. It was still as breathtaking as it had been back then.
Addy didn’t know what to do while Whiskey, no Aiden, shit, she needed to get a handle on what to call him. He wanted her to call him Aiden when they were alone, but she was starting to like Whiskey. Aiden was the boy who had hurt her, and Whiskey was the man she was starting to crave. Getting into bed she pulled the covers up over her chest, hell, she brought them all the way up to her neck, thinking to herself, this was so weird. She had never spent the night with a guy, she didn’t know what to do or how to act.
Whiskey came out of the bathroom, dressed only in a pair of black, boxer briefs. Damn, the man was H.O.T. He could be on an ad selling underwear. He walked over to her side of the bed and just stared.
When she didn’t say anything, just looked back, and told her to scoot over.
“Babe, this is my side of the bed, you get the other one.” Addy kind of felt weird, so she scooted over, and he got into the bed. She stayed on her side, nervously fiddling with the blanket. Gone was the arousal she felt earlier, in its place was a kind of panic she didn’t know what to do with. What now? They were in bed together, and he said they weren’t going to do anything. She was too keyed up to sleep, but what else was she supposed to do now, stare at the ceiling?
Damn, he fucked-up again. Addison had been all hot and heavy for him, and now she was trying to fit herself into a one-foot section of his California King. He wasn’t having any of that; once he got himself into bed, he pulled her body over so that her head was cushioned on his chest. At first, she was stiff, and Whiskey was afraid she would move away, but then she put her arm around his waist running her fingers around on his chest. Damn, not fucking her would kill him, but she needed to know he was here for more than that.
“Babe, what's going on in that head of yours?”
“What's not going on in my head? Shit, Aiden, I don’t even know where to begin. Two days ago, we hated each other, and now I’m your Old Lady, and we’re sleeping in the same bed. Not to mention, everything else that has happened. I don’t know which end is up right now.”
“Yeah, I get that, but, Babe, this thing between you and me, I’ll let you in on a little secret, I never once hated you. I was pissed, but hell that can happen anytime, you like pushing my buttons. I’ll let you in on another one, I might have left you ten years ago, but you were with me on every mission and every dark hole I found myself in. I would think of you sitting on my truck in the sundress smiling at me, and somehow, I always made it through all the bad shit going on around me.
Whiskey: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 1) Page 14
