Whiskey Kisses (12 page)

Laney claps her hand over her mouth. “God, I’m so sorry! I swear I’ll make sure to thoroughly investigate the next guy I throw your way. You’re not mad are you?” She shrinks a little when she says it.

“No. I’m not mad.” Izzy takes a seat and glares down at her shoes as if she’d like to burn them. “How about we cap the age limit at fifty? And I don’t mind broke just as long as he’s not homeless or allergic to cats. And please no illegal addictions or fetishes.”

“Got it.” Laney strokes her sister’s hair. “I’ve got to finish up my shift. I’ll catch up with you Thursday at the party for ELDS?”

“Deal.”

Laney takes off, and Iz looks at me from under her lashes.

“I’ve got a hundred bucks. You up for dinner?”

I toss my dishtowel to Cole. “It looks like you’ve scored your second date for the evening. Anywhere you want to go?”

“How about Chinese take-out at your place?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have any video games would you?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve got a library that puts the Game Hut to shame.”

We head out the door and into the brisk night air—just Izzy and me. The way it’s supposed to be.

Iz follows me over to the apartment in her car. I’ve already called in the food, and the delivery guy shows up right as we hit the door.

“Good timing.” I pull out my wallet, but Izzy insists on paying. No matter how hard I protest she covers the bill.

“I owe you dinner,” I say as we get the food and head on in. “Somewhere nice—other than here.”

“I’m good with here.”

“So, you want to talk about tonight’s misadventure?”

“I’d rather not.” She taps the sofa. “You mind?”

“Go right ahead.” I start up a fire before landing myself next to her. We divvy up the boxes and dive right in with our plastic flatware, our fortune cookies already on the floor.

“Sorry about pulling you away from the bar.” She bows into her food and bats those long, dark lashes in my direction.

Hell, I’d give up the bars to be here with Izzy, not that my father didn’t already beat me to the punch.

“You didn’t. I volunteered.”

“I dreamed about you last night.” Her cheeks darken with color.

Hot damn. Izzy just said the words I never knew I wanted to hear.

“I guess that makes me the man of your dreams, kitten. Was it PG?” I dig my fork in my noodles trying not to let onto the fact my balls just incited a riot.

“It was very much PG.” She tilts her head at the thought of me implying it was anything but. “We were playing video games. I beat you, by the way.”

“Did you?” I set my plate down on the coffee table and fire up the tube. “I’ve got a hundred bucks that says you won’t.”

“I accept. But be warned, I’m on a roll. Hundred dollar bills are practically flying into my hands tonight.”

“Game on.” I flip a controller her way and dig another one out from under the couch. “Zombie Assault. I’ll make things easy on you and go for best out of five.”

“Easy on me, huh?” Her brows peak into her smooth forehead. Her milk-white teeth graze over her lips in amusement.

I offer a brief rundown of the rules, and we go at it for the next hour and a half.

“Fuck,” I mutter as I watch myself get eaten by yet another member of the undead. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“Who knew?” Izzy places her controller on the coffee table, and I do the same. “That was fun. You make me feel good, Holt. Before I was just existing, but now I’m living. Every part of me feels alive around you.” She clamps her lips shut tight as if the words slipped out without her permission. “I’d better get going.” Her lids lower as she eyes the door, but her body is slow to get with the idea.

“You got another hot date?” I hold back a grin. “Maybe a chiropractor this time? Someone ready and willing to jump on your back for a while?”

She belts out a laugh, arching her long, pale neck, and it takes everything in me not to lean in and kiss it. Izzy is a work of art that’s come to life. I’ve always thought so, but on a night like tonight when she’s just inches away, it makes me want to verify it by way of my mouth.

“You wish.” She leans back and closes her eyes a moment. “Come to think of it, a man who knows how to ease the tension in my aching muscles doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”

Crap.

“I can do that,” I offer.

Her eyes spring open.

“I give a mean massage.” I might be lying, but, just in case I’m not, I threw it out there.

Her mouth falls open. That smile she’s been wearing all night glides right off. Her chest rises and falls as her gaze meets up with mine.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, cowboy.” Her eyes hook into mine. We stay that way for a minute without a breath exchanged between us.

“You sure?”

“Yes.” She perks to life, adjusting her back to me, and pulling her hair to the side.

I place my hands over her shoulders and soak in the sensation. A current travels up my arms as I close my eyes and memorize the feeling. Izzy is warm and soft and everything I thought she would be. I start in slow, digging my fingers into her flesh ever so gently, and she sways, moaning as I increase the effort. I’m willing to bet every hundred dollar bill I’ve got on the fact this is Izzy’s first massage, and I guess that covers whether or not she’s a virgin. I shake my head at the idea. There’s no way. She’s too damn sweet and gorgeous to have held out this long. Not that I plan on asking for confirmation. That’s one conversation I don’t dare initiate with her. But if it’s true, I’m curious as to why. For sure it’s not something I would have guessed a few weeks ago. Maybe she’s saving it for the wedding night?

“You ever think of getting married someday?” I whisper right over her ear, and both of us freeze. Shit. Really? No fucking filter.

She turns her head. “Are you proposing?”

“Only if you’re about to say yes.”

She laughs, and her back bounces. “How about I take a rain check. I haven’t quite mastered the fine art of dating. I think I should cross one relationship threshold at a time.”

Can’t pretend like I’m not happy about the rain check.

“How about you?” She turns the question around. “Do you hear wedding bells in the not-so-distant future?”

“I don’t know about that.” I took away the chime from my parent’s marriage, so I’m pretty sure that disqualifies me from a happily ever after of my own or at least it should. “Maybe I’ll just wait for you to say yes.”

Her back bounces once again with a laugh. Izzy turns around, pressing those watery blue eyes into mine.

“I’ll tell you a secret if you tell me one.”

My heart stops. Maybe this is it. Maybe she’s about to unleash what’s been eating at her all these years.

I lean in until I can feel her breath on my face, warm and sweet like afternoon sunshine.

“Shoot.”

“I’m not cut out for relationships, Holt.” Her lips press together. She tears up, ready to lose it. I watch as my reflection wobbles in both her beautiful eyes, and it makes me want to cry like a pussy myself. “I’m not even close to going there.”

“Me either.” The briefest smile plays on my lips.

A beat of silence thumps by.

“Looks like we’re on the same page.”

“Looks like we are.” I push in closer until our lips are less than an inch apart.

“But just in case.” Her tongue does a quick revolution over her lips. “You think you can teach me a few tricks? I mean if things ever get physical, I’m not sure I’d know what to do.” She eyes my mouth, and I can’t help but smile.

I close my eyes and brush my lips over hers ever so softly. “Like that?”

“I was thinking more like this.” Izzy dives over my mouth as if she’s wanted a bite out of me all night long. But, the truth is, I’m the one who’s been craving her—for as long as I can remember.

Izzy tastes like sugar, so achingly sweet I never want this moment to end. I wrap my arms around her waist and gently pull her closer without ever breaking our stride. Izzy delivers moan after moan, straight down my throat, and I return the favor with longer, stronger groans. Her hands find my waist. Her fingers ride up my shirt, carefully padding along my chest. Izzy moves in slow, easy strides as she explores the landscape. If this were any other girl, I would have long since returned the favor. I’d have both our clothes off, and I’d be ravaging her by now. But this isn’t any other girl. This is Iz. And, if these are the baby steps she needs, I want to be right here to give them to her. In fact, I can stay on this step all night—all year if she wants.

“Holt.” She pulls away just enough to take me in. “I hope you don’t think I’m using you.”

My chest bucks with a quiet laugh. “I promise.” I raise a hand in the air. “It never crossed my mind.” I comb my fingers through her hair. “Do you think I’m taking advantage of you?”

“What?
No
.” She taps her hand over my chest. “I think we’re just really friendly around one another.” She bites down on her lip. Her features sag for a moment. “And I think you’re beyond nice to put up with a basket case like me.”

“Basket case? What makes you think so?” I’m hoping she’ll take the bait.

She blows out a breath and traces circles over my chest. “I’m not sure I’m ready to go there.”

Progress. The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one.

“But I might.” She scoots into me until her chest lays soft over mine. “You make me feel safe, and I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“I’m glad.” I bury a kiss in her hair.

“Now getting back to what we were doing.” She pulls her hand from my shirt and touches a line down my nose to my lips. “I think I’ll need all the pointers you’re willing to offer.”

“Sounds like we’d better get busy.”

“We’d better,” she whispers, pressing her lips to mine.

Izzy and I start in on a viral assault, exploding into one another’s mouths like solar flares, hard and rushed as if time were running out for the two of us. This is the stuff that dreams are made of. Izzy is definitely the girl of my dreams.

I wonder what has her thinking she’s such a “basket case.” Doesn’t she know I’m the only basket case around here?

I wonder if the two of us could ever work.

Maybe all two broken people really need are each other.

Izzy

Dad,

I did it. I took a step in a direction that I never thought I would go in, and I liked it. I can’t tell you how long I’ve wondered if I would ever cross that threshold. So much was holding me back. Deep down, I was afraid something like that would never happen. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m ready to break some boundaries I thought I’d never cross. Okay, this is drifting into the weird zone, so I’ll sign off for now.

Do me a favor and show up sometime, would you? I would appreciate the hell out of it. Or at least I think I would. I’m not sure I could ever really be mad at you. I probably should be, so if you ever do come back, wear armor.

Love you—mostly,

~Izzy

Any morning you wake up with a mouthful of fur is guaranteed to be a bitch from eyelids open.

I rush through my routine and run around my room like a spaz trying to find my purse before remembering I left it in the kitchen last night.