Honey Whiskey (A Bastards MC Novel) (7 page)

“Thanks?” I wasn’t sure if I
should be grateful or not. Knowing Cris, I should be terrified.
“When can I see it?”

Rocker sat down again, sliding a mug of coffee
in front of me. “You’re in it.”

My mouth fell open. “Here? I can’t
live here!” I looked from Cris, to Rob, and back again. They were
obviously being assholes. “You’re kidding, right? Nice try,
guys.”

Cris watched me closely for a
minute before she spoke. “I’m serious, Joey. Why can’t you live
here?”

All words left my mind. She knew why I
couldn’t live here, why it wasn’t even close to being an option.
Before I could form an answer, Rob added his two cents.

“He’s nevah
heah, L.K.” He paused, straightening in the chair, his face taking
on a serious expression. “I know that’s why you wanna say no, but
he is never fuckin’ here. And even if he was, you two aah gonna
have to face each other at some point and figure out whatevah you
two have goin’ on. There’s plenty of room for both of you. I’m
lonely as fuck heah by myself. You wouldn’t haveta be alone, I
wouldn’t haveta alone.” I stared at my coffee while I let his words
settle, realizing that he had some really good points. He was
smiling at me when I looked up. “Definitely no bugs.”

“
Where would I sleep? I can’t stay
in Matty’s room…”

“Cris wants to remodel the spare
room for ya. When your kids come visit, you can have the living
room or they can bunk in Sam’s room.” I could feel my resolve
slipping away. I loved this place and all its charm, and it would
be nice to have a home that I knew was safe as well as a roommate I
trusted. I could see me spending hours on the deck, studying in the
sun or just enjoying the view. I had desperately wanted to prove to
everyone, myself included, that I could move to a new place and
start over, and that I could do it myself. I needed to figure out
if living here would be taking the easy way out or if it would be a
blessing in disguise.

“
How much is rent?” Rocker gave me
one of his condescending looks, as if to say ‘like I’m going to
charge you rent.’ I stared him down, daring him to say the words
out loud and give me a reason to say no.

He tipped his head and then gave
me a smile. “$500 a month—everything included but food.” We both
knew that number was way too low. I didn’t know for sure, but I
assumed his mortgage to Matty was at least four times that. Add in
all the other expenses, and I’m sure five hundred dollars wasn’t
anything compared to what he paid out monthly. On the other side of
the spectrum, with my savings and the money from my student loans,
I could pay that much and still have a little extra left over for
my bills and the kids. Once I found a part time job, I’d definitely
be ok. It would be nice not to have to be a starving college
student again.

“Ok. Get me a
lease agreement and I’ll sign it, Roomie.” Rob only gave me a nod,
but Cris clapped annoyingly in excitement.

“Yay! I’ve been dying to do
something to that room for years.” I rolled my eyes. Cris’s style
wasn’t anything close to mine, and I dreaded what it might look
like. “We can go look at paint samples and new furniture today.
It’s a huge room once we take out one of the beds and with the
right colors, we can make it look even bigger. The bathroom needs
to be completely redone, too. Less frat boy and more relaxing day
at the spa…” she trailed off, lost in her thoughts.

I glanced over
at Rocker.
“I’ll move my stuff up when we
get back.”

“
Stay in Matty’s room until after
yours is finished.” His tone left no room for arguments. “The guys
will be gone before you know it, and then you two can make all the
changes you want.”

“
Guys? They’re still here? I
thought they were crashing last night because we got back so
late.”

Rocker shook his head. “No. They’re heah for
the weekend.” He stood, grabbing his cup. “I’ll get a rental
agreement printed today. In the meantime, make yourself at home.
Try not to max out that card, Princess.” He walked into the
hallway, headed downstairs. “See ya later, Roomie!”

Cris held up a credit card and gave me her
boxer dropping smile, the one that I had no doubt could bring any
man to his knees. “Let’s go shopping!”

*****

The day had been crazy. Cris
dragged me from store to store, grabbing samples of paint, looking
through special order catalogs for linens, and taking pictures of
furniture with her phone. I was relieved when I realized that she
was going for comfortable, coastal cottage chic—a style, she
claimed, that was perfect for me. Even more surprising was that she
had some great ideas. My favorite was hanging antique shutters on
the walls to give the impression of windows. I was excited to start
the renovation.

We’d gotten back late that
afternoon and she’d run off. I wasn’t sure if she was avoiding
Rocker or if she really had somewhere to be, but it seemed like a
combination of both. I changed into Matty’s tee shirt and a pair of
shorts, called my kids and talked until they had to go, and then
flopped on the couch to study.

Rocker strolled in a while later,
and after I signed the lease, he declared it a lazy night. He
changed into basketball shorts and an old beat up tee, ordered
takeout for us, and settled into the other end of the sofa to watch
a movie. It was relaxing and comfortable, and I felt like we’d been
friends for years.

I barely looked up from my textbook when the
elevator pinged in arrival, and when I saw Hawk I assumed he’d come
back from wherever he’d been.

“Don’t you think you two should
change?” he asked, as if the fact that we were lying around in
comfy clothes was a crime. He’d leaned back against the counter
wearing almost the same thing he had on last night—jeans, a gray
tee shirt under a flannel, and his Bastards jacket. “They’re gonna
be heah any minute.”

Rocker tensed at his words and snapped the
television off as he moved his feet from the coffee table to the
floor. “I told you to move the fuckin’ thing to Tiny’s.”

Hawk pushed away from the counter, standing to
his full height. “You didn’t tell me to move shit or I would
have.”

Rocker swore. “I told Dean to do it, and to
tell you.”

Hawk looked pissed. “Yeah, well he didn’t. I
just talked to Tiny and almost everyone is on their way heah.” His
eyes moved to mine. “It’s too late to cancel now.”

I cleared my throat. “You don’t have to change
your plans just because I’m here. I can go study in my room. It’s
no big deal, really.”

Rocker turned to me, agitation evident in his
movements. “That’s not it… It’s not yoah kinda pahty,
L.K.”

“
What kind of party is it?” I was
trying not to laugh at their somber looks. They both answered at
the same time.

“A welcome home
party,” Hawk informed me.

“A release
pahty.” Rob’s eyes searched mine. “Tank was released early at the
beginning of the week. Good behaviah or some shit. He got back in
town today.” Oh. As in released from jail, welcome back to real
life party. I could only imagine why these two thought it wasn’t my
scene, and I didn’t want to stick around to prove them
wrong.

I stood, gathering the takeout
containers, and offered them both a smile. “Let me grab a drink and
then I’ll hide in my room.” I tapped Rob’s knee on the way by. “You
should go change.”

The tension between the two was obvious, but
they apparently weren’t going to talk until I was out of earshot. I
hurried around the counter, opening the fridge and stacking our
leftovers on a shelf before grabbing a bottle of water. I was
closing the door when I felt someone come up behind me.

“
Joes?” The voice was full of
disbelief.

My heart
hammered against my chest and I forgot to breathe. I turned slowly,
taking in every detail I could. I hadn’t seen him in weeks, and
somehow he was even more beautiful than he had been, edgier than I
remembered. Even though I’d stared at his picture and memorized
every line of his face, now that he was here in front of me, I
couldn’t look away. Dressed in faded blue jeans that clung to his
waist and made his legs look longer than they were and a navy shirt
under his leather cut, he was every bit the bad ass biker I tended
to forget he was. His dark hair was shorter than I’d seen it in
years, styled in a mess that made me want to grab ahold and let him
take me for a ride. He hadn’t shaved in a while and a thick layer
of hair
ran along the sides of his square
jawbone, down his chin, and under his bottom lip. Full black
eyebrows wrinkled at me over bright blue eyes as he watched me
study him.

“
Jesus, you look good.” I felt my
eyes widen at my confession, barely resisting the urge to roll them
when he chuckled. I seriously had no filter where this man was
concerned.

“I was thinking the same thing
about you.” He gave me that signature smirk of his before biting
his bottom lip as his eyes trailed over me. “What is it with you
and my shirts?” I swallowed, remembering the last time he’d caught
me wearing one, and a warmth began to grow deep in my core. He gave
me a smile but couldn’t mask the confusion etched on his face as he
stepped closer. “What are you…?”

The elevator ping interrupted his
question and the silence that had surrounded us was filled with
loud voices and laughter. I glanced to my left, surprised that
Rocker and Hawk were still there, watching us cautiously. I’d
forgotten all about them as soon as I’d seen Matty. Turning back to
him, I was about to explain that I needed to talk to him when my
thoughts were interrupted.

“There you are! I waited, but you
didn’t come back!” The voice was soft and silky, and as the owner
moved in next to Matty, hand resting on his arm, I could see the
fake pout. His eyes never left me, indecision crossing his features
as I watched them together. Every insecurity I had came flooding
forward. My thoughts betrayed me as I wondered if she was the
one—the woman that would be keeping his bed warm because I was a
stubborn idiot.

I couldn’t meet his eyes, not when
it felt like he could see straight through me. Instead, I turned my
attention to her. Of course she would be a tall, leggy, beautiful
blonde that was totally rocking her mini skirt, black halter cut
low to show perfect breasts, and stilettos that I couldn’t even
begin to walk in. I suddenly felt extremely underdressed and was
very aware of every single ounce I’d gained over the winter. She
caught me staring and gave me a smile that could light up any room.
“Hi.” She held out a hand. “I’m…”

“Well, faahk me!” Tiny shoved
himself between Matty and Legs, staring at me as he dropped a giant
keg on the counter and then lifting me up into his arms. “It’s
about faahking time you came back!” I smiled at his excitement,
hugging him back. At least Tiny was always happy to see me. He let
me go but didn’t release me completely, keeping an arm around me as
he pulled me from the kitchen to the other side of the island,
asking questions about my kids and life in general until Rocker
interrupted him.

“
L.K., this is Jessie.” Rocker
smiled warmly at the blonde without giving an explanation of who
she was. “Jess, this is L.K., my roommate.” I offered her a small
smile and then gave my full attention to Rob, hoping he’d be able
to rescue me from this awkward moment. As if reading my thoughts,
he moved his hand to the small of my back and leaned in close to my
ear. “We should go change.”

It was a simple, supportive
gesture, and I sighed in relief. It meant the world to me that he
was trying help. I could hear men talking behind me and the clink
of bottles as they got ready for the party. I knew we needed to get
downstairs before anyone else showed up. I glanced up at Matty,
intending to say goodbye, but the look on his face made my breath
catch. The easygoing smile he’d worn earlier was gone, and he was
clenching his teeth so tightly that the muscles in his jaw were
ticking as he glared at Rocker. I half-expected Rocker to move
away. Instead, he held Matty’s angry stare. For a few uncomfortable
minutes, I watched the two of them have a silent
conversation.

Finally, Hawk broke the silence.
“Everyone will be heah before w…”

“He’s right,”
Matty interrupted, looking at me. “We’ll have plenty of time to
catch up in the morning
, L.K.
” He practically spit out
my new name.

Rob moved then, practically
pushing me out of the kitchen and down the stairs in front of him
before I could hear if anyone responded.

Matty’s never here my ass.

Chapter 7

Jo

“Where in the hell am I supposed
to sleep now?” I seethed at Rocker once we were downstairs. “I
can’t stay in Sam’s room either!” There was no telling how thin the
walls were. I knew first hand just how loud Matty was during sex,
and I would not spend the night listening to the two of them. No
fucking way. I fought the tears I knew were coming, pissed at
myself for insisting Matty move on and heartbroken that he had. I
paced the hallway. I needed to leave. There was no way I could face
them in the morning. I knew the train didn’t run this late, but
maybe Teagan would drive down to get me. She wouldn’t get here for
hours, though. I turned back to Rob, desperation filling my voice.
“Will you take me home?”