Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery 2)

“I must have an inspiring teacher. I’m already more fun.” When he took her hand, inspiration tingled up her arm and spread down from there. The sidewalk felt rough and cool beneath her feet. As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the air nipped at her skin. And Olivia felt utterly, completely alive.

She tightened her fingers in his. “Tell me about the brewery.”

“Hey, I’m done with my work for the day.”

“No, I mean, who started it? How long has it been in your family?”

“My father started it twenty-five years ago. He had a brother who’d died in Vietnam, and he named the brewery in his honor.”

“That’s really lovely. Though I’m sorry about your uncle.”

“Thanks.”

“And your dad? I think you said he’d died….”

For a moment, Jamie’s hold on her hand loosened. She thought he was letting go, that she’d stepped over a line. But then his fingers tightened again. “Yes, he died when I was sixteen.”

“But you said your mom—”

“They died in a car accident.”

Olivia pulled him to a stop, too shocked to go on. “I’m so sorry, Jamie. You were sixteen? That must have changed everything for you.”

“It did, yes. But at least I was almost an adult. Tessa was only fourteen.”

“So, what happened to you? Who did you live with?”

He tugged her until she started walking again. She could barely see his face now in the dark, but maybe he preferred it that way. “My brother, Eric, moved back in to take care of us. He took over the brewery until Tessa and I could do our part. Now all three of us run it.”

“Is that why he has so much trouble letting you lead? Because he’s done it for so long?”

“I’m sure that’s a big part of it.”

This was a sore subject. She didn’t need to see his face to pick up on that. So Olivia dropped it. “Your sister seemed really nice.”

“She is. Too smart for her own good, but she held us together as a family, even when she was young.”

Olivia wondered what role that had left him, but she didn’t ask. That seemed an awfully serious question for a fun night. She’d accidentally stumbled into something deep and sticky. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you have an affinity for beer. I wonder what would’ve happened if you didn’t.”

“Not possible. It’s a gift passed through the blood.”

She bumped him with her hip. “A gift, huh?”

“Some of us are born with it, but anyone can be taught.”

“So there’s hope for me?”

His thumb rubbed the sensitive skin of her hand. “Oh, there’s hope. I know for a fact that you’re a quick learner.”

Maybe she was a quick learner, because she’d already dropped all her worries about the time, and she was just enjoying it. A barefoot stroll through the night with a sweet man. The nearly sure knowledge that they’d make love. The hot, heavy weight of anticipation low in her belly.

She’d experienced a lot of nervousness with Victor when she’d first started dating him. A lot of trembling, anxious want. But she’d never felt this languid melting. Not even close. This was a want so strong that she felt almost powerful with it.

Jamie took her to a restaurant she’d only been to once. They shared a bottle of wine

and managed to avoid any more sticky subjects. He didn’t ask about her divorce. She didn’t ask about his family. Instead they spoke of music and university gossip. Then Jamie told her ridiculous stories of customers who’d had too much to drink or simply wanted free therapy from a friendly face. By the time they stumbled from the restaurant, Olivia was breathless from laughter, her sides on fire from the workout.

“Please tell me that isn’t true,” she gasped.