Whisky State of Mind (16 page)

“Thank you for the ride.”

He didn’t reply, but his eyes crinkled a little around the edges as he studied her and a small grin touched his lips.

Sky dropped her eyes quickly, digging in her bag searching for her keys, holding them up triumphantly when she finally found them. “Well, I better get inside.” She hated the way she sounded so nervous.
What the hell was wrong with her?

“Invite me up, Whisk,” he said softly.

“Why would I do that?” Was that
her
voice that came out sounding like some breathless bimbo’s…
really?

“Because,” he said
, taking a step closer. “You missed me and you want to say goodnight properly.”

She swallowed uneasily. It was happening again, she could feel her body melting…
melting!
God damn him.

Slowly he took the keys from her fingers and unlocked the door, sliding his gaze back over her , their hooded knowing look making her buckle at the knees.

She had no idea what she was doing, she wasn’t even sure she remembered  climbing the stairs or opening her door…all she knew was suddenly he was kissing her, and their bodies were slammed tightly against each other.

As his hands ran over her, a low groan reverberated through his chest and into her own. “You’re killin’ me, Whisky,” he broke their fevered kiss to murmur into her hair. “The whole time I was gone, this was all I could think about—you, the way you smell, the way you feel…I need you so bad,” he whispered and sent a flutter low in her stomach that had nothing to do with nerve and everything to do with hot, burning desire.

She pulled at his shirt and he wasted no time in helping her take it off, quickly followed by her own. They hadn’t left the hallway and she didn’t even care. The rest of their clothing melted away and within moments, it was hot, scolding skin on skin. The wall behind her back was cold—making her gasp as he pushed her back against it, but where their bodies pressed together, hard muscle and soft curves burnt like fire.

She couldn’t get enough of his mouth, his hands, his touch…there was no thinking this through—it was as though instinct drove her. Her body reacted automatically to his. In one smooth movement, he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, a long, rugged moan mingled with a masculine
one of his own as he slid into place. Sky threw her head back and felt her body shatter into a million pieces time and time again. It was all-consuming…fast…hard, and yet unbelievably sensual. At some point they moved into her bedroom and through the night their lovemaking took on a slower, gentler pace. Sky ran her hands through his hair, holding his face as he braced himself above her and the tenderness she saw reflected in his gaze made her tremble. For a long moment they simply stared at each other as she searched his gaze for something that could explain this intensity…the connection they had. Slowly Sawyer began moving inside her and her eyes fluttered closed as she lost herself in the soul-clenching intensity of the feeling.

“
Open your eyes, Baby. I need you to see me…I want to watch you come undone,” his gravelly voice washed over her, “ and then I want to do it all over again.”

She couldn’t have denied him even if she’d wanted to. He was like a very bad, very sexy addiction…and she wasn’t sure she wanted to fight it anymore.

****

The phone rang and woke Sky the next morning and she fumbled, blindly on her bedside table until she located it. As she turned on her side, she winced at the tightness in her muscles. “Hello?” she grumbled. She
really
didn’t want to be awake yet.

“What’s wrong? Do you have a hangover or something?” Bella’s, too chirpy for this hour, voice demanded.

“What?” she eased into a sitting position and forced her eyes open…then slowly let out a faint breath as she stared at the wide, naked back beside her on the bed. Her sheet rode low over his hips, showing a hint of buttock and she withheld a gasp.
Holy crap he was hot.

“Sky? Are you okay?” Bella cut into her wandering thoughts.

Grimacing, she carefully slid from the bed and crept from the bedroom. “I’m fine. I just had to…what are calling this early for?”

“I was just laying here wide awake and
realized we hadn’t talked in ages. I missed you… is that a crime?”

Sky rolled her eyes and held back a sigh. “I’m really glad you decided to wake me up to tell me that,” she added dryly, taking down a mug and reaching for the kettle.

“So what’s going on with you? You sound…weird…why are you whispering?”

“I’m not whispering…I’m talking quietly…it’s early.”

“Oh my God… you’ve got him there haven’t you…”

“Ah, depends on who you think
he
is,” she said, spooning coffee granules into the cup.

“OMG! Sky?”

“I can’t get into this right now, Bell.”

“Just tell me who…don’t worry, I’ll say a name you can just reply with it’s very windy today, if I guess the right one
…okay?”

“Oh for goodness sake,” Sky muttered.

“The cop?”

Sky didn’t comment and smiled when she heard her friend
’s excited gasp. “The
biker?
”

“Yes, it is a bit windy today,
” Sky grinned, taking the milk from the fridge. She heard movement from in the bedroom and felt a moment of nervous excitement. “I gotta’ go, talk later.” She pressed end and put the phone down just as a sleepy-looking Sawyer came bare footed and bare chested into the kitchen. He’d pulled on his jeans, but she found herself mesmerized as she watched him scratch his stomach idly, eyeing her with a slow, sexy grin. “Morning.”

“Morning,” she managed, then had to clear her throat and lift her gaze from the light
colored strip of hair that trailed from his belly button down to disappear below the band of his jeans. “Coffee?”

“Is that what that is?” he asked, moving across the room.

“It’s the closest I have without going out for it. Trust me—it’s enough to get you by in an emergency.”

He took the cup from her hand and leaned across her, placing it on the counter. His arms trapped her against the sink and she was sure he must be able to see her heart about to burst through her chest cavity at any moment.

“I think we need to say a proper good morning.” His voice dropped low and gritty as his lips brushed her ear lobe, before making a path to her mouth.

Yeah, she could get used to saying
good morning like this every day,
she thought as he slid his mouth across her lips in a slow, seductive caress that spiked her heart rate and made her dizzy.

“It’s too early to be awake…I think we should go back to bed,” he murmured against her mouth.

Sky managed a nod. Who was she to argue? She hated being an early riser…and bed seemed like a
really
good idea right about now.

Chapter
14

“You know, at some point, we have to get out of bed,” Sky sighed as she traced the tattoos on Sawyer’s wide chest, later.

“Says who?”

She grinned and lay back on the pillow beside him. “Said my boss who’ll fire my ass if I don’t get ready for work soon.”

“I happen to know your boss, and I think he’ll understand…besides, I have some big plans for that sexy ass of yours,” he said running his palm across her butt slowly.

“I was talking about my
father
—not you, being my boss… and I hope to God you don’t plan on telling him your kinky plans for my ass,” she scoffed.

“I’m pretty sure he can use his imagination.”

“Eww, gross. I don’t want my father to imagine anything to do with my ass, thank you very much…
or
what his number two man may, or may not, be doing to it!”

“True. I think I’d prefer not to have anyone else picturing your fine ass.” His hand stopped moving across her skin briefly and she glanced up at him.

“What?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow at his frown.

“The cop…how serious are you about him?”

He had to go and bring that up
, she thought irritably, giving a frustrated sigh. “Do we have to talk about this now?”

“Yeah. We do. I need to know where you stand.”

Sky pushed herself up in bed, and stared at her hands as she flexed them slowly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for anything serious…I don’t even know what
this
is,” she said, indicating between them with a nod of her head.

“It doesn’t have to be anything serious right now…but I can’t share you with him, Whisk.”

“Christ you make me sound like I’m some kind of whore,” she snapped, more angry at herself and the fact that she wasn’t entirely certain she
wasn’t
acting just a tiny bit like a damn whore lately.

“I don’t care who you’ve slept with in the past…all I’m sayin’ is if we keep doin’ this, I want to be the only one you’re sleeping with
now
. Works both ways, baby. I might be a lot of things but when it comes to women—I’m a one-woman man,” he shrugged. “I expect the same in return.”

“Contrary to what you may think, I don’t usually find myself juggling men on a regular basis,” she said primly. “I have no idea what kind of alternate universe I’ve fallen into lately, but this is definitely not normal for me.”

“Good to know,” he said kissing her shoulder with a sexy grin.

“Look, I don’t know where Caleb and I are. He’s…been kinda
’ distant lately. Maybe it’s his job or something. I need a bit of time to think all this over. You have to stay away for a while.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I can’t think straight when you’re around, that’s why,” she snapped, and rolled her eyes at his slow grin.

“Really? I like that. I think I’ll stick around.”

“I’m serious, Sawyer. I need a clear head to think this all through. I didn’t expect…you.”

“You know, not everything in life goes the way you plan it…sometimes you need to just accept things are out of your control and go with it.”

“I like things controlled.”

“You like them controlled? Or your grandparents
’ controlling ways have rubbed off on you?”

“That’s not fair. You don’t know my grandparents. They took me in and they loved me…maybe they were a little…overbearing at times, but at least they were there for me when I needed them. Besides, it’s nothing to do with them. I need to make careful decisions about my life. I’ve seen what
“going with it” can do. It can wreck lives. I need responsibility and stability in my life…I’m not my mother, I can’t just throw away my life for the club.”

“You don’t think I can be stable?”

“I don’t know…maybe stable is the wrong word…I just…I want a
normal
life. I don’t want my kids growing up like I did. Everyone knew I was different. I just want…normal.”

“Things have changed in the club now. It’s more
normal,
whatever the hell that is, than it’s ever been.”

He wasn’t completely wrong on that score, things had changed…but it was still a club.
Oh hell,
she thought, closing her eyes wearily. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted any more. What happened to her nice, quiet…
organized,
life?
Sawyer happened, that’s what.
Everything had started going wrong the day Sawyer walked into the diner.

She felt him rubbing his thumb across her palm gently and opened her eye a crack to watch him. He seemed lost in his own thoughts as he stared up at the ceiling quietly.

“Okay. I’ll give you some space. I’ve got some shit I need to deal with anyway, but after that, we’re having this conversation again.”

“What kind of shit?” she asked suspiciously.

“Nothing you have to worry about,” he said, propping himself up on one elbow, dragging her down the bed with his other so that she was lying beneath him.

“Hey, I thought you agreed to give me some space,” she pointed out.

“I did…which is why we better make the most of now.”

He had a point. No doubt she’d have plenty of time to agonize over last night when she was alone…

Chapter
15

Sky toyed with the hem of her skirt nervously as she sat in the back of the cab outside the large home.

“This the place?” the cab driver asked, eying her in the mirror.

“Yeah…this is it,” she said on a long sigh. She couldn’t blame the guy watching her warily from the front of the cab; she’d been struck by an attack of nerves as soon as they pulled up and she’d been sitting here debating whether or not she should turn around and go home for the last five minutes.

“Lady, the meters still running.”

Sky took the money from her purse and handed it across the seat before pushing the back door of the cab open and sliding out. She watched the car drive off and clenched her hands in order to stop from waving him back.