Truly, Madly, Whiskey(30)

Her stomach sank. “Bear…”

He raised his brows with an apologetic expression.

“Don’t do that, okay? Please don’t treat me with kid gloves. I know you mean well, but that will only make me feel weird. I didn’t tell you what happened so you would back off. I told you so we could get closer. I like who you are. And believe it or not, I like that you’re presumptive. Just, maybe don’t be too overly aggressive? At least until I’m able to deal with being intimate like a normal person, which I think I am, but after my reaction to our kiss, who knows.”

He placed a gentle hand on her hip and smiled, a fiercely sexy smile that told her he might be treating her differently, but he didn’t feel differently about her.

“Babe, you are a normal person. Normal people have shit to deal with. I do. Gemma and Tru did. Kennedy and Lincoln will. We all do. We may have different issues, but it’s still there. I’ll try not to be overly aggressive, but I worry that with you, I might get carried away. I’m only human, and being close to you, holding you in my arms. That’s all I’ve dreamed about for months. So if, or when, I get carried away and kiss you too hard, or hold you too tight, or forget that I can’t strip you naked, toss you down on that sofa, and love the hell out of you, please smack me in the head, or bite my tongue, or do something to tell me to back off.” His eyes flamed again. “Wait. Don’t bite my tongue. I might like that.”

She laughed. “You’re awful. Shouldn’t you tell me that you’d never get too carried away or something?”

“Only if you want me to lie. I’ll never push you past your comfort zone again, but if we’re kissing and my hands wander, that’s out of desire, not aggression. I’ll need signals, like a flashing neon light that says, ‘Today you may not go past second base.’”

She rubbed the kitty’s back. “Bear?”

“Yeah?”

“I have no flashing lights, but please kiss me hello.”

He touched his lips to hers in a feathery kiss, and she laughed. “A big-girl kiss, please.”

His strong arms circled her, the kitten cradled between them. Her body tingled with anticipation as his mouth descended on hers in a smoldering kiss. She waited for panic to barge in, but the longer they kissed, the less she worried. Bear’s kisses knocked the strength from her knees, caressed her mouth as much as he possessed it, and just when he eased the kiss and she thought he was going to pull away—No, not yet—he took it deeper, scrambling her ability to think. She’d kissed enough men to know that there were kisses—and then there were kisses. This was different from a sweet kiss, more powerful than a hot kiss. This was an intimate kiss that evoked trust and desire.

He lavished her with a series of tantalizing, shivery kisses, making her feel light-headed and swoony.

“Hello, sweet girl,” he said in a gravelly voice that electrified her as much as their kisses did. His warm eyes moved over her face. “Was that okay?”

“Um. I’m not sure. I think we should try again.”



GEMMA WAS BUSY rolling out the red-carpet runway for the first party when Crystal arrived at the boutique. She set Harley’s cat carrier down inside the door. Another gift from Bear, which had been hiding in his truck.

“Did you see my text?” Crystal had texted to ask if it was okay if she brought a kitten into work, but Gemma hadn’t responded.

“No. Sorry. My phone must be in my bag. I was running a little late. Tru and I were deciding on paint colors for the playroom. I still can’t believe we’re getting married in less than three months. And I’m so glad we’re doing the wedding in the backyard. It feels right with the kids.” Gemma smiled as she rose on tall, knee-high black boots. A black and red bodice hugged her curves, flaring out into a short black skirt. She wore long purple gloves and a black and red cape trimmed with gold.

“Whoa, mama. The Queen of Hearts princess has never looked so hot. Want me to handle the party so you can go surprise Tru for a little playtime?”

“No, but maybe I’ll wear it home tonight.” Gemma waggled her brows. “What did you text me about?”

Crystal picked up the kitty carrier.

“You got a kitten?” She came around the benches that separated the runway from the entrance of the store and took the kitten out of the carrier. “This looks just like Harley.”

“It is Harley. Bear gave her to me.”

“Bear gave her to you? He loves that kitty as much as he loves Lincoln and Kennedy.” She gasped, her eyes wide. “Ohmygod. You’ve been holding out on me!”

“No. Maybe a little? But not on purpose.” He loved the kitty as much as he loved the babies? And he gave her to me? Her heart filled up a little more.

“Crystal Moon, I tell you everything and you’ve been hooking up with Bear and keeping me in the dark?”

“No, no, no.” Crystal waved her hand. “That’s not what I meant. We haven’t hooked up. I promise. We’ve only kissed. We’re…testing the waters.”

“Testing the waters? That sounds like something I would say. I seem to remember you teasing me about Princess Swallows and Prince Cunnilingus.”

“You have to admit, that was funny.” They’d always joked like that. Crystal had even made up jokes about the guys she’d pretended to go out with.