Whiskey and Country

The ringtone of my phone resonated through the bathroom as I stepped out of the shower, ruffling my hair to get rid of the water beads. My pulse raced at the idea that it might be Dahlia. Toweling myself off quickly, I grabbed the device on the countertop. My glee vanished a tad at the sight of my best friend’s name flashing on the screen.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Tucker greeted me.

“Not much. Getting ready to go out. What about ya?”

“Is that a southern drawl I hear in your voice? The lumberjack effect?”

I let out a heartfelt laugh. “Sure. Why not?” Anything to please him.

“Have you found friends for poker night, or are you having a date with your neighbor’s dog?”

“Neither. I have a real date. Like with an actual human being.”

Tuck whistled. And I hated myself for taking the bait. How could I get so rusty in just a few weeks? I knew Tucker Philips like no other, yet I fell into his trap. Like an amateur.

“Finally,” he hollered through the line, so much that I had to distance it from my ear. Not ready to be deaf, I put him on speaker as I got dressed. “Who is she? Have you got your dick sucked already? Is she hot? Tits. Real or fake? And her ass? You know I’m an ass-man.”

I shook my head, slipping a long-sleeved tee on.

“She’s perfect. I like her.”

“Shit,” Tuck claimed. “I never thought I’d see the day where Nick Peterson would say a woman is perfect. God, are you high? Fuck, what did she do to you? Voodoo magic shit?”

I let out a nervous snicker. “It’s powerful, man. Anytime we’re together, it’s electric. Hard to explain. Never saw this coming—” A chime distracted me.

Dahlia: Addi is gone. Karaoke or bowling?

Karaoke with Dahlia Ellis, queen of country music, not sure I was ready for this just yet.

Me: Bowling.

Dahlia: Great. I know the perfect place. Meet you there?

Me: No.

Dahlia: Why?

Me: I’m picking you up. Twenty minutes okay with you?

Dahlia: Yes.

I pictured her with an ear-to-ear smile in my head.

“Nick? Are you still there, or did you dump me for that woman?” Tuck whined.

I smiled, not indulging in his childish ways.

“Nick? Should I worry? I should’ve known something wasn’t right. You’re going on a date. That doesn’t sound like you. Do you need me to come over? Shake some sense into you? Remind you of who you are?”

I huffed. “God, Tuck. Relax. I’m fine. And you live more than nine hours away. Anyway, I have to go.”

“Wait.” His voice had lost its teasing tone. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yep. I’ll call you later, man.”

I jumped in my truck, ready to pick up the woman who’d been on my mind all day.

Dahlia slid herself into the passenger seat before I had time to ring her doorbell, and soon the floral scent of her permeated the air.

Goosebumps bloomed on my nape. And my body turned hyperactive, then calmed in her presence.

In unison, we leaned over the central console and stared at each other. Every molecule of air fizzed around us. My body overheated. All my senses were attuned to her proximity. Her lips parted. And before I claimed her right there, I dropped a kiss on her cheek.

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” she said, her voice low and cheeks flushed once I pulled away.

I swallowed. Hard. “Me too.” But my body said something else. It pulsated. Attraction for this woman strong. And heady.

Once I parked behind Freddy’s Bowling, I rounded the vehicle to open Dahlia’s door. She laced her fingers through mine the instant her feet hit the ground and pulled me toward the entrance. The contact of our skin messed with all my restraints. Even my dick enjoyed the simple touch of her hand on mine.

We changed our shoes and got set.

Dahlia went first, and her ball landed in the gutter. She swirled to face me, the pink hue on her cheek darker now. “I should’ve told ya I suck at bowling,” she admitted.

I rose to my feet to join her as I grabbed a ball. “Why did you wanna play then?”

She shrugged. “Because it’s fun.”

I mirrored her smile. “Okay, you’re the most fascinating woman I know. Hands down.” No other woman I knew, or person, in fact, would have offered to play something they sucked at on a date.

Dahlia curtsied. “They say it’s one of my charms.”

My fingers brushed her elbow as I took her place on the alley. More electrical discharges. “I have to agree.”

On her sixth turn, Dahlia propelled the ball and hit eight pins. She pivoted on her feet, bouncing around, doing a little dance, glee pouring out from her, as if she’d just won the lottery.

My eyes absorbed the happiness emerging from every inch of her.

“Nick, this is no joke. I must bowl a spare. My bowling skills cred depend on it. I can’t risk it.” She joined her hands under her chin. “Will you help me?”

I pointed to my chest. “You want my help?” My eyes studied the scoreboard. “I’m not even that good, you sure?”

She bobbed her head. Many times.

“Yes. Please help me make this happen. I’ll owe ya.”

Firming my shoulders, I grabbed her ball as the pinsetter rolled it back to us. “Woman, let’s do this.”

Behind Dahlia, her warmth radiating through me, time stopped as I helped her position herself. “Keep your eyes on that little triangle over there. The one that points to the pins still standing.”

She moved to the right. “Like this?”

I nodded, my airways struggling to open correctly to let oxygen flow to my brain.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t let go of me, okay?”

“Never,” I said, my voice husky.

Dahlia sent her ball rolling but lost her footing. My arms clamped around her waist as she swiveled to face me, her hand splayed on my chest.

As if everything froze around us, we stood like this for a long minute, breathing each other in, mesmerized.

I lost the fight in me.

My lips claimed hers.

The softness of her mouth stiffened my body.

Only a kiss could never be enough to quench my thirst for this woman.

Her lips danced with mine. A well-rehearsed tango of lust.

They injected me with a passion unwilling to be contained.

I was in no rush to let go of her. To exit her realm.

Our heartbeats quickened and synced.

This moment we shared, it cemented something deep inside me.

I could surrender myself to Dahlia. Here and now.

But I wasn’t ready to free-fall my heart with no safety net. To abandon myself to love, utterly and completely.

To dive into this headfirst. Heartfirst. Because even if I had healed in many ways over the last couple of months, I still had remaining layers of pain that had to be dealt with. And no way I’d ask Dahlia to tackle them along with me. They were my issues. My bruises. Mine to fix. Mine to cope with.

Dahlia’s mouth, glued to mine, made me believe I could do this, though. Give love a shot and overcome the last fragment of grief sprinkled on my journey.

A flashing sign on the mounted screen over the alley caught my eyes. I ignored it at first. But it flashed again, and my sight drifted in its direction.

“You did it,” I whispered against her mouth.