Whisky State of Mind (13 page)

Sawyer watched her retreating figure hurrying down the hall with a frown, before turning to enter the office.

“What was that all about? Is she okay?” He asked, eyeing Johnny warily.

The big man let out a long, tired sigh. “I don’t know. I could never read her mother either. Just when I think we’re making a breakthrough—she closes herself off again.
”

“She’s fitting in out there just fine. Seems happy enough. Maybe it’s just gonna’ take a little more time. She’ll come around,” Sawyer said
, clapping the older man’s shoulder sympathetically. “You two are a lot alike. God knows it takes a while to talk you around to a new idea or two.”

“I just like to think on things a while,” Johnny growled, but there was fondness beneath the snarl.

Sawyer studied the man silently. “What else you got on your mind?”

“This cop…the guy she’s been seein’. You think it’s serious?” Johnny asked.

He fought to control the snarl that automatically seemed to curl his lip at the thought of the guy he’d been watching. “I don’t know. He’s been hangin’ around a bit, but I don’t think she’s seen much of him over the last few days.” Thanks to his bright idea to put Whisky on the night roster at the bar. Not only was it easier to keep an eye on her, it put a definite kink in any social life the cop may have had planned.

“Find anything on him?”

“Nope. Nothin’. Seems clean.” Sawyer took two beers from the fridge and popped the lids.

Johnny nodded slowly and gave a grunt as he accepted the beer Sawyer handed him. “Never did trust a completely clean cop…keep diggin’,” Johnny ordered. 

“You got it.” From what he’d seen so far, Santiago wasn’t dirty. He didn’t work for anyone on the side, had no ties to any other clubs or shady associates. In the old days, this would have been a problem…it meant he couldn’t be bought…these days, not so much. Still, it didn’t hurt to know as much as you could about a person. You never knew when a little bit of intel might come in handy. 

“Any idea what those three Switchblader’s were doing in here the other night?”

“Just makin’ trouble, I reckon.”

“I don’t like those bastards pokin’ around in my territory. The
Switchblades are not gonna’ bring their drugs onto my turf. You make sure you get some eyes on them. I wanna’ know if there’s anything goin’ on there.”

“We’re not gonna’ let that happen, and I got the boys watchin’ them. It’s under control.” 

“You’re a good kid. Your dad would be proud.”

Sawyer swallowed over a painful knot in his chest at Johnny’s words and took a quick swig of his beer. There were only two men in his life he’d ever looked up to, one was his dad, the other was sitting next to him.

If anyone knew how much he missed his father, or how much his praise would mean to him, it would be Johnny. The two men had been boyhood friends—they’d done everything together; joined the army, went to Nam, and started up this club. They were legends, the pair of them.

Guilt stung him hard and sharp. Would his father still be proud of him if he were alive today and knew the shit he’d gotten himself mixed up in? He felt a brief moment of regret that he couldn’t confide in his old friend…and knew if Johnny ever found out what he was doing, the disappointment would crush him. Sawyer shook off the thought. If anyone knew that sometimes
sacrifices had to be made and situations dealt with—it would be Johnny. He’d just have to suck this up and handle it as best he could…and hope like hell no one ever found out.

Chapter
10

Sky paced in front of the sofa and wrung her hands together. Any minute Caleb would be here and she still had no idea how she was going to handle this.

Guilt gnawed at her conscience. Did a heat of the moment
thing
necessarily count as being unfaithful? She gave a groan of frustration at the question. They’d been out on
one date
, did it even count as unfaithful to a guy you went out with just once?
What about the three months you’ve been silently dating him for?
a voice asked. “Okay, now I’ve officially lost the plot,” she muttered, slumping back onto the couch.
Silently dating?
So what did she have to feel guilty about?

The door buzzed and Sky leaped from the couch and ran to let him into the building. She took a deep breath, plan
ting a smile on her face as she opened the door. She’d almost managed to convince herself that she’d been imagining how handsome he’d been. After all, it’d been a while since she’d seen him, but no, there he was, standing in her doorway, smiling at her and looking every bit as delicious as she remembered.

After a little while she
realized she was still staring at him, and hiding a blush, stepped back to allow him to walk inside. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m doing. Would you like a drink? I have some beer in the fridge…or I can put on a pot of coffee. I—”

“Sky,” he cut in, making her turn to look at him as they entered the kitchen. “Relax.”

Oh crap, she thought miserably. She was rambling like a lunatic. “I’m sorry…I’m just a little nervous…or something,” she grimaced slightly.

“Why are you nervous?”

Oh, you know…the whole I don’t know if I should tell you about my outlaw biker father and risk ruining what could be the most perfect relationship ever, before it even starts,
she thought wistfully. “It’s been a while since I saw you, I guess,” she said, instead.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’ve been busy with work, got a big case happening. I dropped by the other night, but you weren’t home.  I’ve really missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Come here,” he said, reaching out to pull her up against him.

He really was beautiful. His dark lashes framed those big dark chocolate eyes. How many times in her fantasy world had she dreamed of him looking at her like this? It was really happening…here…in her kitchen…for real!

She could smell that familiar heady scent of lemon and spice and her breath quickened. His lips were soft and a burst of desire flared up inside her at the first touch. He was so gentle, his mouth sliding across hers in a slow, deliberate onslaught to her senses.
How could two men be so extreme?
She shook the thought away quickly. She was not going to think about Sawyer. Caleb was the man she’d been dreaming about for the last three months—and here he was now, kissing her and sending waves of warm, simmering desire through her. This is right where she wanted to be.

What about when he finds out who your father is?
A little voice whispered like a pesky mosquito buzzing near her ear. She pushed the thought away and concentrated once more on the surge of lust she was sure was about to wash over her any minute. “Ouch,” she muttered as the kitchen bench dug into her back. “In here,” she said between kisses, determined not to lose the momentum of the moment as she led him toward the sofa.

You think he’s going to be happy that you forgot to mention you grew up in a bikers
’ club?

“
Sonofabitch,” she murmured as Caleb trailed his lips down the column of her throat. 

“
Sorry?” he asked, lifting his head to look at her.

“
Nothing, just thinking out loud,” she dismissed, pulling his head back to her. “Don’t talk.”

His deep chuckle sent a shiver up her spine.
“Yes, ma’am.”

His hand slid down her stomach and under her shirt, and she eased back to take hold of the hem in her hands, breaking their kiss only long enough to pull it up over her head and toss it on the floor.

Caleb groaned his appreciation of her move, gently pushing her backward onto the sofa, removing his own shirt before following her down.

You should tell him before this goes any further.
“Shut. Up.”

Caleb lifted his head once more, to look down at her. “I’m getting the feeling you’re a little bit distracted tonight.”

“No, I’m not. I’m completely here,” she hurried to assure him, running her hands up his arms as he looked down at her.

“You got something on your mind? Something I can help with?”

“You
are
helping,” she smiled up at him.
Oh boy, was he helping
. If she could just stop her stupid conscience from butting in, she’d be feeling all kinds of wonderful. When he continued to stare down at her with an expectant look on his face, she sighed loudly and threw her hands above her head in defeat. “Fine.” She looked up at the ceiling as she tried to figure out where to start. “Caleb, before we go any further, there’s something you need to know about me…well not me, exactly…more like my family…not my
whole
family…just my father really—”

“Sky. Whatever it is, just tell me, okay?”

“That’s what I was trying to do.”

“Then could you do it a little bit faster…It’s really hard to concentrate with you laying there…looking like that,” he said, his voice sounding a little strangled as his eyes strayed to her chest where her breasts were barely concealed behind the spider web–fine lace bra she’d chosen especially for tonight.

“My father’s the president of a motorcycle gang.” There. She’d said it.
That wasn’t so hard,
she thought congratulating herself on just getting it out there. Then she realized Caleb hadn’t said anything. In fact, he hadn’t even moved. His gaze, hot, heavy, and hooded with desire just a few moments before, was now strangely cool.

“Your father’s a what?” he finally asked.

“The president of a—”

“Motorcycle gang,” he finished in unison with her. “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid you said.”

Sky swallowed back her disappointment as he eased off her and sat up on the sofa.

“The thing is,” she started nervously. “He says they’ve gone legit…and I kind of believe him. They’ve turned the old club house into pretty decent bar.” She noticed his face hadn’t lost its frown.

“
Who,
exactly, is your father, Sky?”

“Johnny McKenna.”

“Johnny McKenna, as in the Black Mustangs, Johnny McKenna?” Caleb demanded, jumping to his feet to gape down at her.

“Yes.” Was that really her voice sounding so meek?

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m kind of wishing I was,
now.
”

“You have
no
idea, what this means, Sky.
None.
”

“No, I don’t. Does it
look
like I have any idea what the hell this means?” she snapped, getting angry. “Look, I said he’d gone straight. It’s not a big deal. I don’t even really have anything to do with him…well, other than the fact that’s kinda’ where I’m working at the moment…but only temporary,” she hastened to add as he snapped his head back around to stare at her.

“Oh
, this is just great,” he said pacing the room.

“What do you know about my father?” she asked, almost scared about hearing the answer.

“Nothing.”

“Oh, sure! The minute I tell you who my father is, you throw a fit.
”

“I know he’s a criminal.
Everyone knows about your father. He’s got more than a bit of a reputation around these parts.”

His words hurt. Yes, she may have believed the same thing for a long time, but she’d been angry. This was different. This was someone who didn’t know the real Johnny McKenna. She knew him as a daughter and he was so much more. She knew the softer side to him, the fierce loyalty he had to family and to his club. She knew that he was a good man—even when he’d been involved in some of the shadier deals in the days before the club had cleaned up its act. Underneath, he really was a good man. “He used to be. The club
’s not like that anymore.”

Caleb stared at her and she tried not to squirm beneath his dubious expression.

“Look, I know it’s hard to believe…it took me a while to accept, too. But I’ve seen it. I see the change in them—all of them, my father included. They’re a legit business now.”

“They’re good at covering their tracks,” Caleb said, shaking his head. “They don’t let outsiders see the real club.”

She tried not to flinch at the word
outsider
. Once she was an
insider
. One of them.  “I know these people and I’m telling you, I can
feel
the difference. There’s a whole new vibe around the place. They’re legit.”

“Vibe? Come on, Sky. I
know he’s your father, but you’re not naive enough to ever believe a club can truly go straight,” he shook his head. ”It’s the nature of a biker gang—they don’t follow rules.”