Whiskey Neat (The Uncertain Saints MC Book 1) (26 page)

Blue. Teal. Light brown.

The kitchen was redone.

The floors were wood instead of linoleum.

And on the table, in the very middle, was a note.

“The house is yours.
Alison got a crew to update it for me.
I put it in your name as of last week. ILY. Be safe. – G,” I’d read aloud.

And now here I was, eating a gallon of ice cream with Doogan laying at my feet.

The fridge had been stocked with all of my favorite things.

Whole milk. Chocolate syrup. My favorite brand of vanilla ice cream.

After walking throughout the entire house and realizing that Griffin had sufficiently erased everything that was him out of it, I sat down on the couch with my ice cream and started to think.

I was wearing a pair of Queen underwear, an exact replica of the ones I’d lost in the fire, eating straight out of the bucket.

I was sitting on the new couch, really missing Griffin’s old one, and wondering what in the hell I was supposed to do.

First things first, I had to find him.

I wasn’t supposed to be doing much walking around due to the gunshot wound to my head, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

I should’ve known the man would do something like this.

Mr. I’m No Good For You.

I’d thought we’d gotten past that, but apparently we hadn’t.

I’d woken up only minutes before nurses had said a large, sexy man, fitting Griffin’s description, had shown up at my door with flowers.

From what I could conclude, Griffin had heard Remy’s warning to me to stay away from him.

Whether he heard my declaration of love or not was yet to be seen, but I knew how Griffin’s mind worked.

He’d already felt terrible for my being shot.

I hadn’t had to see him to know that he was feeling that way.

Griffin was a martyr.

If he thought I’d have a better life without him, he’d leave, no questions asked.

To top it off, he’d heard Remy, a man he’d felt threatened by since the very beginning, telling me to be aware that Griffin would always have trouble following him, and I just knew Remy’s words were the tipping point of his guilt.

Oh so slowly, I stood up and made my way to the back bedroom that used to be Griffin’s to find pants.

I’d always wondered why he’d not used the master.

But I’d yet to ask why.

I made a mental note to do so when I finally got him back where he belonged.

I opened the first drawer I came to and nearly hit my knees at seeing exact replicas of my favorite pants replacing the ones that perished in the fire.

Except they were brand new without that little stain at the front pocket.

I continued to dig, finding that he’d replaced nearly every single thing in my wardrobe down to pinpoint accuracy.

He’d spent the last two weeks being a very busy boy.

These actions were not the actions of a man that didn’t care for his woman any longer.

These were actions that say he loved his woman.

And I finally realized that there may be an easier way to get him to come back to me without me looking for him at all.

Smiling a tad bit manically, I slowly threaded my feet into my pants, and zipped them up.

They were a little tighter, and I thought that maybe soon I should start working out, and possibly give up all my sweets and carbs.

Especially, if I was going to be wearing a wedding dress in my future.

Operation Convince Griffin to Come Home- Day 1

“No,” I said to my mom that was sewing my new biker bitch vest. “The lettering looks more like this,” I said, showing her a picture of Griffin’s motorcycle club ‘cut’ as he called it.

If this was going to work, it needed to look authentic.

It needed to be something that would draw everyone’s attention.

And with it being under such close scrutiny, it needed to be perfect.

“Take a chill pill, darlin’. This is only what it’ll look like at first. I still have to widen the letters, and change the background color. Just go sit over there and let me do the work,” my mother admonished. “And stop picking at the scab on your head.”

“I’m not picking at it. I’m touching it. Do you think it’ll scar?” I asked.

“No,” my mother said, but her concentration was no longer on me.

It was on the ‘Property of Griff’ leather vest I was asking her to make for me.

I’d read up on what ‘biker bitches’ did to please their man on the internet.

The first thing I saw was the ‘Property of’ patch.

Women usually wore it because their ‘old man’ gave it to them.

I was going to wear it because I wanted everyone to know I was Griffin’s.

If everyone knew, then that’d take away his excuse that I was safer without him.

Mostly because I’d be insinuating myself into his world whether he wanted me there or not.

Starting with the pretty vest.

An hour and a half later, I was modeling my new vest.

“What do you think?” My mother asked.

I smiled excitedly at her.

I loved it.

I would’ve jumped up and down in my excitement, but the sudden movements still hurt to do, so I would have to do with clapping my hands.

“Alright,” I said, walking into my mother’s arms. “I’m going to get out on the town, let everyone see me. Starting with the bar that the boys like to go to.”

My mother shook her head.

“Don’t get yourself in trouble,” she said, shaking her finger in my face.

I laughed.

“See ya, thanks again for making this awesomeness,” I told her as I walked out the door.

But my first stop wasn’t the bar.

It was too early yet.

After doing a quick run by my store to see Apple, the prospect that’d been working my store for nearly three weeks, I walked next door to Annie’s, my new friend that I’d met just last week.

She’d been at the hospital, of all places, letting her comfort dog, Morelli, do his thing on the hospital wing.

When she’d come in my room with that huge ball of fur and slobber, I’d fallen into instant friendship with both Annie and Morelli.

It’d been during our short conversation that I’d realized we were neighbors.

Annie had opened up a small shop where she did nails, hair, and massages out of the front room of her business.

She lived in the back two rooms.

“Annie!” I called as I pushed through the front door. “I need your help!”

Annie smiled as she walked through the back entry.

“Hey girl, you up for that haircut finally?” She asked.

I nodded my head. “Abso-fucking-lutely,” I confirmed. “I want about eight to ten inches cut off, and I want to straighten it. I’ve got some impressing to do tonight.”

Three hours later

“Are you sure I don’t look whore-like?” I asked Annie.

Annie shook her head. “No. You look fine. And your ass in those jeans looks amazing.”

Annie was a straight talker; I’d come to find out.

She didn’t waste time giving false platitudes.

As we entered the front door of the bar, I had to curb the urge to squirm as nearly every eye in the place landed on me…and the vest I was wearing.

Shit.

“You’re doing fine,” Annie said smoothly. “Keep going.”

I did, walking straight up to the bar and completely ignoring the table of bikers at the back of the room.

I knew they saw me.

Knew they’d see the Property Patch the moment I sat down and gave them my back.

I moved to the very furthest bar stool and sat down, keeping my back to the room as I smiled up at the bartender.

“I’d like a Coca-Cola, please,” I said.

The bartender nodded then looked to Annie. “You?”

“I want a Jack Daniel’s and Coke, please,” she said.

I raised a brow at her.

“I got my own problems, girly,” she laughed. “If you only knew.”

I waved my hand in the air. “I’ve got nothing but time.”

A loud slam startled me, and I turned my head to see the back of Griffin’s back as he pushed through the door to the bar, hastily making his exit.

I smiled.

Day one seemed to be a success.

Operation Convince Griffin to Come Home-Day 2

“Now what are you going to do?” Annie asked me from her perch on the new couch that Griffin had bought.

It was so comfortable.

And I couldn’t wait to snuggle with him on it.

“Well,” I said. “I wore the vest to get gas today. And to the supermarket. As well as to my shop to check in on Johnny. I’m out of places to wear it to.”

“How about a photoshoot?” Annie suggested. “With just the vest…and your underwear.”

I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Well…that could be kind of fun. Do you know someone that does photos like that?” I asked.

She nodded. “I do.”

I just shook my head. “Well you’re just a Jack of all trades, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “Photography is my passion. The other stuff is just things I needed to learn how to do to make the pictures I take beautiful.”

That made a lot of sense, how those would go together.

“Okay. Where do you want to do it?”

Griffin

Operation Convince Griffin to Come Home- Day 6

“You’ve got a package at the office,” Wolf said. “I set it on your desk in your office.”

I blinked.

I was never at the office…or at my desk, for that matter. Most of my work was done from the field or from home. It wasn’t often that I even saw the inside of those four walls.

“Who’s it from?” I asked as I walked out to the boat.

I was staying on Peek’s houseboat.

It was cowardly, but it was the only way I knew that Lenore wouldn’t follow me.

I figured the bayou gave me a little bit of added protection from any surprises on Lenore’s part.

If she didn’t know where I lived, she couldn’t show up unannounced, and I wouldn’t have to break my promise to myself to protect her from me.

It was bad enough that she looked so good in the Property Patch she’d had made.

With my name on her back, I felt like I was on top of the fuckin’ world.

When she’d entered the bar wearing that and those tight jeans molded to her ass, I’d nearly lost my nerve and broke my promise.

But I’d somehow managed to gain enough composure to leave before I did anything stupid.

But the last week hadn’t been easy.

She was actively trying to kill me; I was sure of it.

First the vest.

Then the provocative clothes.

The new look with her beautiful long red hair cut to mid-back had nearly brought me to my knees.

Then she’d told Johnny she no longer needed him to work anymore, because she was taking the store back over.

Yesterday I’d had a box of things delivered to me via Johnny, who was now working for her part time and getting paid.

When I’d opened the box and saw the fleshlight, lube, and porn DVD starring, you guessed it, a hot red-head, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay strong for much longer.

Now I was at the point where I was just seeing how far she was willing to go.

And an hour later, as I arrived at the office and walked into my office to see the package, I knew I didn’t have anything left in me to resist her.

“Holy fuckin’ shit!” Wolf exclaimed.

I covered the photos, the beautifully provocative photos of my woman, and shot Wolf a glare.

“Get the fuck out of my office,” I snapped.

Wolf held his hand up. “Sorry. I was just seeing if you wanted to go over a case with me. But I can tell you have a lot more…sexier…things on your hands.”

Indeed, I did.

And a hard on to go with it.

Always love a woman for her personality. They have multiple, so you can choose.

-Griffin’s secret thoughts

Lenore

With a panic attack slowly starting to rise further in my chest, I stepped into the boat that would lead me to the houseboat Peek had pointed out to me a few short minutes ago.

I’d told Peek I didn’t need his assistance, and woodenly walked down the plank…I mean
dock
.

I got in the small motor boat, and expertly started up the engine.

I knew he’d gotten my package.

I’d watched from across the street as he’d hurried out of the office, the package containing my photos under his arm, and a sizeable erection in his pants.

Only, he didn’t come to me.

He’d gone first to the clubhouse, then out onto the lake, never letting the package go the entire time.

Now, here I was, riding to my death.

But I needed Griffin, and if I had to overcome my fear of the stupid Caddo Lake, then I’d freakin’ do it!

So I spun the stupid four horse power motor’s throttle around, and tried not to vomit as I moved swiftly to the boat house.

I turned my head to look back, unsurprised to see not just Peek on the dock, but Mig, Wolf, Ridley, Casten, and Alison.

I gave a small wave with my hand that was on the throttle, and smiled when every one of the bad asses waved back.

Alison squealed and jumped up and down, waving with her whole body.

I laughed shakily as I turned back around, watching as the boat came closer and closer.

And when the boat was about ten feet away, Griffin appeared from the cabin, and his eyes widened.

He almost looked green by the time I turned the motor off and drifted right up to the boat.

The bow bumped against the rubber bumpers on the house boat, and the small flat bottom rocked.

I clutched the seat and froze slightly, but Griffin’s awe-filled voice shook me out of the panic that I could feel roaring at me at about a hundred and ninety miles an hour.

“You’re so fucking stubborn!” Griffin yelled, getting down on his knees to grab the handhold at the front of the flat bottom.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Stubborn?” I snapped. “Who are you calling stubborn, you stubborn ass?”

Griffin’s eyes smiled, but his face stayed flat.

“What are you doing here?” He growled.

I stood up and launched myself at him.

He caught me, but in turn had to let go of the boat to do so.