Whiskey and Country

23

DAHLIA

The four of us sat at a round table in the middle of the pub. The circular blood-red leather backrest of the booth was so high it hid us from the rest of the patrons. Stud had ordered a bottle of champagne and after the server poured each of us a glass, my ex-bandmate lifted his.

“To Dahlia and her great new adventure and to Nick, who I’m happy to call a friend. We have much more in common than our mutual love for woodwork. Cheers.”

Nick bowed his head, and Stud exchanged a quick glance with his wife, sharing a smile.

“Thanks for being here,” I said to my friends. “We don’t see each other often enough. Next time, you gotta bring Tristan along.” Belle and Stud had a boy a little younger than Jack, who’d stayed back in Oregon with Belinda’s parents.

We all drank to that.

The entire time, my eyes were trained on the man sitting beside me. The firm line of his jaw. The tousled blond hair. When he laughed, the amber of his eyes glinted. My heart skipped a beat each time his fingers skimmed mine over the table. Until his arm draped over the backrest behind me and he dropped a kiss on my lips. Not earth-shattering, but big enough to send jolts of desire and happiness all over me. I let myself sink into the familiarity of his touch. In the woodsy scent of him.

And I felt at home. Where I should be. Where I belonged.

Once again, tonight, it was as if Nick had been in my life all this time without my knowledge. But waiting for the right moment to walk in and wake that part of me I believed had been quelled years ago. That spark in me I thought had got lost when my heart went missing. The one that now begged to express itself. To shine. And conquer the world. Nick’s world.

“Okay, one of these days, you’ll have to come to visit us,” Stud said. Lost in the contemplation of my date, I missed most of their conversation. “Our property has a few acres, and we’d like to add a B&B. Right now, I’m building a new barn because my little wood workshop business is really taking off and soon I’ll lack space.”

“Man, we were destined to meet,” Nick said as he fist-bumped with him.

“If you ever get into business, you and I will have a talk. Okay, my brain is in high gear right now,” Stud continued. “I see a future here.”

“The day I decide, I’ll make sure you get the memo,” Nick added.

They clinked their glasses.

Belle watched me, amusement dancing in her irises, and shrugged.

I knew the meaning of every twitch of her lips, every twinkle in her eyes. In the time we’d traveled the world together, she had become a sister to me. A confidante. And a friend.

“Don’t let him go,” she mouthed my way. I knew it. Since the opening night. She had become a Nick fan too. “I’m serious, Dahlia. Hold on to him. He’s good for ya.”

I sipped my drink, etching this moment in my brain, hiding my flaming cheeks behind the rim of my glass.

“I will,” I mouthed back. And the blood pooling in my face now felt ten times hotter as I committed myself in front of my friend.

Five hours later, Nick drove me to my home. I didn’t want this night to end. Keeping the engine idling, we sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, my head resting on his shoulder and his arm around me across the central console. “Thanks for inviting me tonight. I had a blast. Stud and Belle are great. If Tucker was here, he and Stud would be a terrible match. It would be a very tiring night.”

“Yeah, the guy is pretty intense. He’s a true artist. Anything he touches turns into a gem. But he’s the sweetest guy. Now I can’t wait to meet your friends and learn interesting things about you too. I’m sure they have great Nick Peterson life stories to share.”

Whoever that Tucker guy was, I bet he’d have a lot to say about Nick’s antics before he came here. Was I moving too fast, though? I almost asked him to introduce me to his friends. For a short moment, I looked away, breathless, my pulse beating at the realization. First Belinda. Now, this. I swallowed. Nick had clearly said we should get to know each other before moving on. And I’d agreed. I just forgot when he was next to me. “How’s the house renovation project going?” Safe territories. Yes, better.

“Good. I put much of my effort into the exterior so far. The haunted house look is fading away. One wall at a time. Soon it’ll look sharp. The inside requires much less important work.”

“Sorry I couldn’t help you. Been busy. Tonight was nice, though. A deserved respite after the last couple of crazy days.”

His fingers traced the length of my arm, caressing my shoulder until a particularly stiff point caused me to wince.

“Tensed?”

I rotated my head and rolled my shoulders. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Turn around.”

Shifting positions, Nick placed his hands over my upper back. As if my body reacted to every move of his, it relaxed in his grip. With expert hands, he massaged my tension away, using his thumbs to undo the knots of my back.

“Oh, Nick. Wow. It’s even better than what that woman at the spa did the other day. Yes, right there.” I moaned, unable to lock the sensuous sound inside me. My entire body sang at the way his hands traveled over me. “Keep going.” I purred and dissolved under his soothing touch. Nick’s fingers kneaded my flesh, lowered to the length of my arms and my back. “Where did you learn this?” I asked. “No way you’re this good by chance.”

He snickered from behind me, and I loved the intimate closeness we shared in the cab of his truck. “My mom is a massage therapist. Or used to be. She trained my sister and me at a young age. It’s been years since I offered someone a massage, though.”

I turned my head and grinned at him. “I feel like a VIP. Thank you. Do you also offer foot massage? I’m a sucker for those.”

Nick laughed with me, the baritone sound clear and contagious.

“Yeah, my magic touch also goes to feet.” He paused. “And other places.”

My cells tingled at his words. I would’ve tilted my head and locked lips with him, but refrained, lost in the pleasure he brought me. And the commitment to not rush things. Because right now, if I did, nothing would prevent me from stopping until we reached the edge and free-fell on the other side. Together.

Nick’s hands continued their wonder, grounding me to the present.

I gasped every time he undid a knot.

His hands trailed down my arms, stopping on my thighs. Now was the moment where we’d combust together.

Oxygen had a hard time going from my lungs to my brain.

My head turned.

The flutters I had felt the other day multiplied, indulging in a very addictive dance in my lower belly.

One spark and the truck would explode.

Nick’s palms moved to my hips, his thumbs kneading the tender flesh there.

Could I climax just from being touched?

Behind me, I heard his shuddering intake of air.

We were playing a game none of us seemed to know how to move away from.

“Dahlia.” Ohmygod, I could dissolve at the way my name rippled from his mouth.

He kissed the skin of my nape, and I saw stars.