Whiskey Secrets

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “So, uh, what did you want for lunch? I’ll go and order it for you.”

  “I got the hot dogs,” Nate said as he looked up from his coloring book. “But I have to have apples instead of friend fries.”

  Kenzie smiled at Nate and leaned forward. “I like hot dogs, too, but I think today I’ll have the salad.” She quickly looked down at her menu. “In fact, I think your dad has a salad with apples, right?”

  He nodded, a smile slowly spreading over his face. “We do. Let me go add it to our order. One sec.”

  Dare quickly got up, careful to avoid touching Kenzie again, and made his way to the bar to add her order. He didn’t know what it was about being around her, but he lost the ability to speak. He sounded off and grunted more than he used words—something so unlike him, it wasn’t funny.

  He needed to keep his head on his work and his son and nothing else. His family needed him, and he had his sister’s wedding coming up. Thinking dirty thoughts about the new innkeeper wouldn’t do him any good.

  No matter how sexy she looked with her hair down.

  Chapter 6

  Kenzie moaned, arching up into the man above her as he lowered his head to take her breast into his mouth. His tongue lapped at her nipple before he bit down gently, sending a shock through her system. She wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him closer. She was so close, so close to finally coming, yet he wouldn’t fill her, wouldn’t stretch her and pump into her until they both came, screaming each other’s names.

  Her lover sucked on her other nipple before moving up to take her mouth with his. That was when she noticed his face. It took a moment for it to come into focus, and by that time, she was moaning, her breasts pressed firmly against his chest.

  But she knew the features.

  Knew this man.

  And realized this must be a dream.

  But she didn’t wake up. Instead, she held Dare closer, her mouth parting as he entered her slowly, inch by inch. Soon, they were clawing at one another, trying to pull each other closer as they crested their peak, their bodies sweat-slick and aching.

  Yet when she tried to open her eyes to see his face one more time, he was gone. Instead, she stood in the center of her living room. No, not her living room. Not anymore. Those weren’t her dark brown curtains. That wasn’t her rug with the frayed edge that had caused so many tears.

  This wasn’t her home any longer.

  But he was here.

  Hands wrapped around her upper arms as she screamed.

  Kenzie found herself sitting straight up in her bed, sweat sliding between her breasts as her sheets pooled around her waist. Her chest rose and fell in heaving pants as she fought to catch her breath and try to understand her nightmare and why she would dream it in the first place.

  David had only touched her the one time in anger. He’d been much smarter than that before he finally lost his temper and broke her will. He’d used his words and taunts to break her down little by little before then. But he’d only taken her by the arms and shaken her that once. He’d only hit her that one time.

  And that had been enough.

  Finally.

  She didn’t know why she dreamed about it now. It had been long enough ago, and through therapy and distance, she’d hoped she had given herself time to heal. Only she had a feeling she knew why it had come back to her now and why those thoughts might never go away.

  David may have only touched her once in anger, but Dare had never touched her with any emotion at all. A gentle meeting of skin here or there as they worked in the same building or ate food at the same table, but that was the gist of it. It was all there ever could be.

  He was her boss’s son for one thing. They worked in the same building for another. And he was far too dangerous for her. She’d seen the darkness in his eyes when his brothers mentioned what he’d done before he bought out the bar. To be safe, really safe, she couldn’t touch that darkness, no matter how the embers burned and begged her to.

  Kenzie ran a hand through her long hair, cursing herself for not at least braiding it the night before. Now she’d have to wash it again because it was so tangled. David had always liked her hair cut in layers around her shoulders or even shorter, and she’d never liked it that way. He’d somehow convinced her to keep it the length he preferred once because, after all, what was a small haircut to make her husband happy? But then when she’d tried to keep it long since her hair grew far too fast thanks to genetics, he’d manipulated her into getting it cut to the length he preferred again.

  She could still hear his arguments. “No man in my position can allow his wife to look like a prostitute, Kenzie… Only women who are truly needy must have their hair so long that it could only be extensions… There can be nothing fake about you, Kenzie. You must look like porcelain, but real.”

  She’d cried the time he took shears to her hair as she slept, only to wake to the hacked-off ends near her cheekbones. Her hair had lain flat and lifeless, but she’d found a way to style it lest David get angry again.

  Now her hair ran down her back and was almost unruly to handle. She’d spent far too much on a blow dryer that could tackle her hair in less than ten minutes, and whatever she didn’t save from her paycheck for her savings account went to hair products.

  But they were hers.

  Kenzie let out a breath and slid out of bed, stretching her arms over her head while she walked toward her desk, picking up her phone and unplugging it from her nightstand along the way. It was just after five a.m. and only twenty minutes or so before her alarm, so it looked like she’d get an early start.

  On deck for the day was a few check-ins, talking to Loch about minor repairs and what could be done for a larger upgrade, and a meeting with Barb and Bob, who wanted to hire an assistant innkeeper. The latter made her smile with relief. The two of them together could handle the place on their own, though they’d gone through a few assistants in their time. Most of them had quit to move to bigger cities or had started families and didn’t want to keep the position. Kenzie could understand both reasons for why the others no longer wanted the job, but the inn was her place and home for now.

  She wasn’t going anywhere, and now that she understood where Dare had been coming from that first day, she knew that no one wanted her to leave either.

  It was an odd feeling—to be wanted, needed.

  She just hoped she didn’t prove them wrong.

  Later that evening, Kenzie sat at her desk in her office, looking over the files of the two people Bob and Barb thought would be perfect for the assistant job. And while they both had great qualifications and would probably be a wonderful fit, the elder couple had left the final decision up to Kenzie since she’d be the one working with the person and training them. It was a heavy responsibility, and she was honestly exhilarated and frightened all at the same time over it.

  She was just about to get up for another cup of coffee when someone knocked on the doorframe. Her heartbeat sped up in her chest at the sudden intrusion, and when she turned to see who it was, her pulse only increased—and not in any way she could ever want.

  “Jeremy. What are you doing here?” How did you find me? Though it wasn’t as if she’d changed her name, was it? The divorce might be final, but she hadn’t run away completely. David and Jeremy could find her at any moment, and this was proof.

  Oh, God, she hoped David never showed.

  He couldn’t.

  He couldn’t.

  “Can’t I visit my big sister?” he asked, a frown on his face. “Nice digs. Though I still don’t know why you want to clean up after people when you could have had better with David.”

  Kenzie scowled and walked past him, pushing him into the room so she could close the door behind him. “Jeremy,” she hissed. “I work here. Watch what you say. I don’t want any of the guests hearing you.”

  “Whatever.” He shrugged and looked around her small office. It hadn’t looked that little before, but with the reminder of her past st
anding in it, it looked much smaller now. Damn him.

  “What do you want?” She kept her voice low and tried not to put her impatience in her tone. Jeremy could be as mean as David if he put his mind to it.

  He narrowed his eyes. “We didn’t finish our conversation. I got by last month, but this month will be too tight.”

  She raised her chin, steeling herself. “No, Jeremy. I told you, I can’t help you. You’re an adult now, and I have to stop enabling you. You can get a job and pay your rent. No one is making you gamble and drink your money away. You can get help.”

  “I’m asking you for help.” He stalked closer, but she didn’t back down.

  “I can’t help you the way you need.”

  His hands gripped her upper arms so much like in her dream she froze. “You bitch.”

  “What the fuck is going on in here?”

  Jeremy let her go quickly, backing away as if he hadn’t just threatened her. Kenzie was too shocked to say anything as Dare rounded on her little brother, rage in his eyes. She tried to catch her breath, tried to explain, but the words couldn’t come.

  “Who the hell are you, and why the fuck did you have your hands on Kenzie?” Dare was far bigger than Jeremy, but her little brother didn’t back down. He’d never been in a fight with anyone, had never lost anything except money. He had no reason to be scared. No one had ever hurt him in his life.

  And she wasn’t about to let Dare do it now. Not because Jeremy didn’t deserve it, but because Dare didn’t deserve more darkness, no matter where it came from.

  “Dare,” she bit out, her hands icy cold at her sides. “This is my brother. He was just leaving.”

  That must have startled him because Dare stopped moving forward and looked over his shoulder at her. “Brother?”

  She nodded tightly. “And he’s leaving.” She gave Jeremy a pointed look, and her brother huffed out of the room without a backwards glance, but somehow found a way to ram his shoulder into Dare’s on his way out.

  When Dare moved as if to go after him, Kenzie put her hand on his arm. “Please. Don’t.”

  “What happened in here?” he asked, his voice a growl. “What did he do?”

  “It was just a misunderstanding.”

  “Kenzie. I was a cop. I know better than that.”

  “He wouldn’t have…he couldn’t have…” She let out a breath. “He’s never laid a hand on me before, and the fact that he even held my arms like that startled me. That’s why I didn’t move out of the way.” Partly. “Thank you for coming in when you did. I’d like to think I’d have found a way out of whatever was going on without you, but…thank you.”

  Dare reached up as if to cup her cheek, and she backed away. She didn’t know if she could handle his touch just then—and not just because of the anger that had filled the room before.

  She didn’t miss the hurt in Dare’s gaze that he quickly masked.

  Damn it.

  “Glad you’re all right, but if I see him coming up the stairs again, I’m kicking him out. You get me?” He didn’t move to touch her, but his gaze was a brand nonetheless.

  “I get you,” she answered with a sigh. “I’m sorry you had to see my family laundry aired this way.” And he hadn’t even seen the worst of it, had he?

  “You saw me make an ass of myself with my family when you first walked into this place. It’s okay, Kenzie. Not your fault.”

  They stared at each other for a moment, an awkward silence settling over them.

  “Oh, what did you need when you came up here?” she asked, trying to fill the void with conversation.

  Dare look confused for a moment before shaking his head. “Ainsley is downstairs, and my brothers are on their way. They’re doing whiskey flights and eating as a group. I have to work the bar since Rick is off, but they wanted you to come down and join them. Mom and Dad have Misty for the night since they’re forcing Loch to socialize.” He smiled as he talked about his family, and Kenzie couldn’t help but feel just a bit wistful at it.

  She had a mountain of work, and her hands still shook a little when she thought of what could have happened if Dare hadn’t come up to the office when he had, but a night out sounded like something she could desperately use.

  “That sounds like a blast,” she said with a smile.

  Dare studied her face as if looking for answers she wasn’t willing to give. He nodded once and then walked out, leaving her alone in her office, feeling as though she was once again at a crossroads she couldn’t quite figure out.

  “One step forward,” Kenzie reminded herself. One step forward. And, hopefully…no steps back.

  “So this is the bourbon flight,” Fox explained. “Whiskey is a large term for many types, but really, the main two you need to know are—”

  “Scotch and bourbon. I know.” Kenzie laughed as Loch rolled his eyes beside Fox.

  “The guy’s a reporter. He explains things for a living.” Ainsley bounced on her stool and pointed at each glass on the wooden tray in front of her. “We’re going American tonight, so no scotch, which is just fine with me.”

  “Sacrilege,” Loch said, winking at his best friend.

  Ainsley, in turn, flipped him off and held up a glass. “We’re going from light to full-bodied. Sip, then swallow. This is to be savored, not taken like tequila.” She narrowed her eyes as the two men gave each other looks. “It’s also not like giving head where the man tells you he loves that you swallow and that’s how you prove your love. Then you spit.”

  Kenzie threw her head back and laughed as the guys joined her. Dear Lord, she loved these people and was so damn glad Ainsley had invited her down for the night. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had so much fun in her life.

  “Do men really tell you that?” Fox said, wiping a tear from his eye. “Because, darling, I know you’re not gullible.”

  “Damn straight,” Ainsley said with a raised brow. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked Loch, and Kenzie turned to see what the man was doing.

  He just frowned over at the group of them and shook his head. “Let’s just drink our whiskey and not talk about shit like that.”

  Ainsley snorted. “What? Don’t like thinking about me with a dick in my mouth?”

  Fox winced and took the glass from Ainsley’s hand. “And that’s enough booze for you.”

  Considering they were on their second flight of whiskey as a group, Kenzie didn’t disagree.

  “Seriously? You two talk about dicks way more than I do.” The other woman wasn’t yelling or even talking loudly, but they weren’t alone in the bar either.

  “I’m taking you home,” Loch said firmly as he slid off his stool. “It’s late anyway.”

  Kenzie could see the fight in the other woman’s eyes and knew she needed to stop it. “I’m tired,” she said, not lying. “We can do this other flight another day. How’s that? That way, we don’t do everything at once.”

  Ainsley narrowed her eyes at her but sighed. “Fine. But I can walk home.”

  “Not alone, you won’t.” Loch folded his arms over his chest and looked every bit the man who owned a gym and security company.

  “The lady doesn’t need your help,” a slurred voice said from behind them. “Why don’t I take her off your hands.”

  Kenzie stiffened and looked over her shoulder as two clearly drunk men came over to their end of the bar.

  “Shit,” Fox whispered and tugged Kenzie behind him ever so slightly.

  “Okay, fellas, we’re just hanging out with our friends tonight,” Fox put in. “This is a classy place, let’s not get into trouble.”

  “Maybe we want trouble,” the other man slurred, his eyes going dark.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I’m good,” Ainsley said, not a hint of liquor in her eyes.

  “Is there a problem here?” Dare asked as he slid out from behind the bar. “Why don’t we all sit down and let everyone enjoy their night?”

  “Why don’t you go fuck yourself?” th
e first drunk barked back before swinging a fist in Fox’s direction.

  Fox ducked, bringing Kenzie with him, and she fell to her knees, her palms slapping the hardwood.

  “Fuck,” Dare growled out and picked her up, swinging her behind him. “Stay there,” he ordered as he went into the fray.

  Ainsley grabbed Kenzie’s wrist and squeezed. “Let the guys handle it this time. They will deal with it a lot faster if we stay out of the way. Loch taught me to protect myself, but the first thing I learned is not to get in the middle of a group of guys larger than you with fists flying.” She paused. “I didn’t mean to make them all fight.”

  Kenzie shook her head, memories of shouted words and fists slamming into her. “It’s not your fault.”

  “They don’t usually have fights like this in the bar. We’re not that kind of place, you know?” Ainsley whispered, but Kenzie could only keep her eyes on Dare.

  Three drunk men came at the Collins brothers, but they were no match for them. Loch had one man on his knees in an instant while Fox had the other by the back of his neck, and Dare had a third on the floor beneath his boot. It was all over so fast, Kenzie had missed most of what happened…but she’d heard it.

  Bile filled her throat once again, and when Dare turned to look at her, he cursed.

  “Loch, take these guys outside for me, will you? Fox, join him.” He turned quickly to the others in the bar. “Sorry about that. Just taking out the trash. Everyone gets a round on me.”

  The patrons cheered and went back to enjoying their nights, as if random fights like this happened in their lives all the time. Yet no matter what happened, Kenzie couldn’t catch her breath.

  “I’m going to go with them,” Ainsley said quickly. “And then let Loch and Fox take me home. I’m sorry, Dare.”

  He held up his hand. “Not your fault. Not even a little.” Loch appeared in the doorway and scowled, though Kenzie had seen the worry in his eyes when the man had come for Ainsley. “Go, before big brother gets all growly.”