Page 97 of Riches and Romance

HUNKY HEARTBREAKER

A WHISKEY KISSES NOVELLA

By

Kendall Ryan

CHAPTER 1

Duke

“I’d liketo thank each and every one of you for joining us this evening,” my twin brother Luke said, smiling as he looked out on the crowd gathered in our bar.

“Ten years ago, my brother and I decided to take this distillery and turn it into something we could be proud of. It’s been a long and difficult road, but tonight, I’m proud to announce not only that our whiskey will now be sold in stores all across Texas, but also that our brand-spanking-new tasting rooms are open for business.”

The crowd cheered, and Luke turned to me with a look on his face like I needed to say something too. I stared back at him for a split second, my mind a hair fuzzier than I wanted it to be in that moment. That’s what I got for pre-gaming the grand opening of my own distillery, I supposed.

But I’d be damned if I was about to let Luke steal my reputation as the fun-loving, charming-as-hell Wilder brother.

“Here’s to turning this run-down, piece of shit piss-stillery into an honest-to-goodness, respectable establishment. To Wilder Whiskey!”

“To Wilder Whiskey!” the crowd roared back.

We drank, the familiar burn hitting the back of my throat before spreading warmth throughout my entire body. Luke and I rolled the heavy wood and iron barn door open, ushering our guests into the brand-new tasting room for the very first time.

If our old tasting room was pretty good, our new one was fucking badass. Luke’s wife, Charlotte, had given us some big-city decorating tips, and for as much as I liked to tease her for having a stick up her ass, she had good taste. We’d swapped out the brown velvet armchairs and rustic table for a wraparound oak bar with iron stools and four custom-made tables for extra seating. We kept the wall opposite the bar full of windows, which at that moment perfectly framed the blood-orange sun setting in the wide-open Texas sky.

Luke clapped a hand on my shoulder as we stood in the doorway watching the crowd fill the room.

“Proud of us, brother. We really pulled it off.”

“Turns out Dad didn’t totally fuck us over after all.”

Luke grimaced at the mention of our alcoholic father, who ran this place into the ground before passing away and leaving it to us. I threw my arm around his shoulders and shook him.

“Hey, I’m not trying to bring the mood down. But just look at this place. We did this. And we did good, no matter what little he left us with.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Hell yeah, I’m right! Now come on, it’s time to drink and be merry and do whatever else you do when you make a decade-long dream come true.”

We parted ways, Luke joining Charlotte at a table by the windows, leaving me to my own devices. Across the room,I spotted two beautiful, familiar faces, and suddenly I knew exactly how I wanted to spend my evening.

Walking over to the bar, I ordered two of our signature cocktails and had them sent over to the women. Within ten minutes, my plan had been perfectly executed, and they’d both joined me at my corner of the bar, each sitting on one of my knees, giggling and fawning over my every word.

“Well, who’d have ever thought that the three of us would reunite one day? And in my very own distillery? How long has it been since this threesome spent one of our wild nights together?” I drawled, my hands wandering over their backs.

The two women exchanged a knowing look, the one on my right tossing her strawberry blond locks over her shoulder.

“I’d say it’s been at least three years. What do you think, Kelly?”

“I don’t know, Kaylie, I think it’s more like four or five,” the brunette responded, trailing a red-tipped fingernail along my jaw.

“Well, I remember it like it was yesterday.”

Kelly and Kaylie giggled, each of them leaning in closer to put their impossibly pushed-up breasts on full display. I’d known them both since high school, their reputations for flirting and playing the field rivaling my own. But it wasn’t until they both came home for winter break in college that the three of us got together for one of the more memorable flings of my career.

“Rumor has it you moved out of the Wilder compound after Luke got married,” Kelly said, dragging her fingertips along my bicep.

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