Page 2 of A Taste of Whiskey
“You can thank your good friend tequila for your loose lips, and nowI’myour voice of reason.”
“That’s a scary thought.”
“Look, I get it. He’s a hot single dad with a panty-melting broody stare, but you guys have had years to scratch that itch, and he hasn’t made a move. Do we need to watchHe’s Just Not That into Youagain?”
“Birdie, that was mean.” Even if it was true, she didn’t need it thrown in her face. She truly believed there was something more, somethingreal, between them, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t turn her back on that belief.
“I’m not trying to be mean, but with Dare’s wedding coming up next month and Cowboy getting engaged, I can hear your biological clock ticking, and you’ve wasted enough time on your teenage crush.” Their brothers, Seeley, Callahan, and Devlin, were Dark Knights and went by their road names, Doc, Cowboy, and Dare. “You’ve gotten pickier the last few years. You find something wrong with every guy you go out with, and it’s always the same things. They’re not tough enough or smart enough or take-charge enough. It’s like you want an Einstein biker or something. Have you even checked out the profile I made you on the Cowboy Cupid app yet? That’s where you’ll meet those kinds of guys.”
“No, and stop making me one of your missions.” Birdie was always on one of her made-up missions, but Sasha knew she wouldn’t find what she was looking for on any app because it wasn’t only about the man Ezra was. It was also about Gus, whom she loved with all her heart. And it had nothing to do with her biological clock. She wanted to be with her soul mate, and Ezra was the only person she’d ever been able to envision in that role.
“Someone has to wake your butt up. In every other aspect of your life, you’re decisive, and you face things head-on. You never let things linger, except with Ezra. You know what we need to do?”
“End this call?”
“No. We need to break this stupid Ezra spell you’re under. You need to go over there right now, knock on his door, and when he answers, just kiss the hell out of him. Then you’ll see his kisses aren’t what you’ve built them up to be, and you’ll stop using him as your gauge for other men.”
“YouknowI’d never do that.” She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Just kiss him!”
“Good night, Bird.” She ended the call.
Fucking Birdie. Just kiss him. Yeah, right. As if I could ever do that.
She tried to push those thoughts aside as she turned into the ranch, driving beneath the wooden beam with an ironRRacross the top. The firstRwas backward. The ranch had been in her mother’s family for several generations. Her mother was a psychologist, and after her parents were married, they’d expanded the ranch from solely a horse rescue to offer services as a second-chance ranch for people, too. They owned several hundred glorious acres with cabins for live-in clients and staff, offices for traditional therapeutic services, and a full veterinary clinic. Sasha had grown up on the ranch, and it was the only place she’d ever wanted to work or live. As she drove past pastures, riding arenas, and the barns where she worked as an equine rehabilitation therapist, she felt a sense of comfort. Usually that comfort could override any uneasy feelings, but as she turned off the main road, heading for her cabin, discomfort clung to her like a shadow.
She stopped at her crossroad, but instead of turning right and going home, she glanced in the opposite direction toward Ezra’s cabin. The flicker of a bonfire in his yard had her pulse quickening, taking her back to that fateful night so long ago, when her friend Bobbie Mancini had begged her to go to a field party at Clayton Field in the next town over with a guy named John she’d met in town. Sasha had been the ultimate good girl, but at fifteen she’d started to develop a rebellious streak, and she’d told her parents she was sleeping at Bobbie’s house that night. They’d snuck out, and John, who was seventeen, had driven them to the party. She could still see that night unfolding as clear as day.
Music blared, competing with Sasha’s nerves, as she climbed out of the car in the dirt field, taking in dozens of cars and trucks and older kids drinking and dirty dancing by a bonfire. Excitement and fear battled inside her. She’d been to parties with older kids, but they were kids she’d grown up with, and her brothers were always there to protect her. She didn’t know anyone besides Bobbie and John, and as John got out of the car, he howled like a wolf, causing cheers from the partygoers.
“Holy shit,” Bobbie whispered excitedly. “This is so cool.”
Sasha tried to hide her trepidation. “It’s awesome.”
Bobbie nudged her, motioning toward the fire. Sasha followed her gaze to the hottest guy she’d ever seen. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with the sleeves torn off. He had thick, longish jet-black hair and a smattering of whiskers, like her older brothers did. He was with three girls, but when he tipped a liquor bottle to his mouth, his eyes locked on Sasha, sending a jolt of electricity straight to her heart. She swallowed hard, unable to look away from his piercing stare.
“He’s hot,” Bobbie whispered. “You should go talk to him.”
Was she nuts? “He’s with three girls, and he looks like trouble.”
“Exactly. Tonight’s about getting into a little trouble.”
“Let’s go get a beer,” John said as he slung an arm around Bobbie, leading them to the keg. He high-fived a few guys, said hello to about a dozen girls, and finally handed Sasha and Bobbie red plastic cups filled to the brim with beer.
Sasha tore her gaze away from the hot guy by the fire but couldn’t escape the heat of his stare. Bobbie and John left her alone to go dance, and Sasha tried to act cool as she nursed her beer. She talked to a few guys who came over to her, but she was totally out of her element and wished she could leave. But she had no way to get home. When a sandy-haired boy sauntered over, she prayed she didn’t ramble like she often did when she got nervous.
“Hey, I’m Chad.”
“Hi. I’m Sasha.”
He lifted his hand, offering her a joint.
“No thanks.”
“Come on. It’s just pot.”
“It’s okay. I’ll stick with my beer.” She scanned the crowd for Bobbie and saw her sitting in the grass kissing John a few feet from where the black-haired boy stood by the bonfire watching her and Chad, his jaw tight.
