Sunshine and Whiskey: A Garden Falls, TN Romance Read online

  "Sean?" My heart rate slowed down when I recognized the man. The fear from a moment ago slipped away on the breeze, leaving behind a different emotion, a yearning for the man moving my direction.

  "Talia? What are you doing on the beach alone at two a.m.? You okay? Come on, let me take you home." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and tried to steer me back toward the public beach. Always so protective, like he’d been the night we’d first met.

  "I'm here with my brother and his friends. I don't need a ride tonight." I didn't shrug away from his touch, but I didn’t let him move me in the direction he’d turned either. Instead, I stopped and stepped in closer to him. He'd initiated the contact and I wasn't complaining one bit. I waved a hand in the direction of the bonfire. “That’s our bonfire.”

  The wind kicked up, blowing across him before reaching me. Damn, he smelled good. Leaning against him, a little bit of his warmth seeped into my chilled skin. Yes, I should have brought a sweater, but a sweater wouldn't warm me the way Sean's body heat would. Every ounce of the attraction I’d felt for Sean still lingered. More than lingered, it now blossomed with his touch.

  "Well, where is this brother of yours? I want to make sure you're with him before I take off. I've invested a lot of time into protecting you this year." His smile said he teased, but an underlying tone lent seriousness to his words. Sean would make sure I was safe. I knew that as well as I knew my own name.

  Choosing to focus on the light-hearted comment, I slipped an arm under his open jacket and attempted to flirt a little. I'd never be a temptress, but maybe some innocent flirting would boost my still fragile self-esteem. Sean was safe. Like he said, he'd protected me. He would never hurt me. Some flirtation, even knowing it might never lead anywhere, couldn't hurt. I needed this. The quiet protection, respect, and manners…

  I laughed at his comments. "I'm not sure where Zane is at the moment, but he's around somewhere. He wouldn't have left me here without a word. He's not like Karly. Even if he had, my house is visible from the other side of that bonfire.”

  “Right.” His hand rested lightly on the small of my back.

  “I don’t need rescuing tonight, but you know what? You’re starting to make a habit of trying to rescue me."

  With a chuckle, he replied, “Guess it’s just who I am.”

  “I like that about you though,” I said softly, knowing he could probably only just hear me over the water. “It’s a refreshing change.”

  He changed the subject. “Wanna walk with me?”

  Stepping away from his warmth, I slipped my arm into his. We walked out onto the rocky outcropping and I sank down onto the large stone. He sat beside me without a word.

  “It’s beautiful out tonight, isn’t it?”

  He made a little noise that I took as an agreement. When I glanced at him, he was staring out over the water into the darkness. The water and an occasional laugh from the direction of the bonfire kept the evening from being too silent.

  “This is my favorite spot this time of year. During the really warm months, it’s too crowded out on the water, even in the evenings to be out here. The boats… between the added noise and the wake, well, yeah. You can see how that could be bad.”

  “Yeah.”

  I found myself rambling more. “Have you always lived in Garden Falls? I grew up here. My family’s been here since it began. I don’t remember seeing you around before. At least not before we met. I’ve been hoping to see you again since. Oh God, I mean… Well, you know what I mean. Can you please say something so that I can shut up now?”

  He reached out and covered my hand with his. “Shh… You don’t have to talk. Let the quiet, the peace of the moment, roll over you like the waves over the sand.”

  Easy for him to say. My mind raced faster than the ski boats littering this lake in summer. What was he thinking? What brought him out here to the lake? Was fate throwing us together intentionally?

  Would he ever kiss me?

  I glanced over at him again. He turned his head and our gazes met. I licked my lips and tilted toward him.

  Beep. Beep. Beep beep beep. My phone startled us both and I nearly dropped it into the lake when I fumbled it out of my pocket.

  Zane: Where’d you go?!?

  Me: For a walk. Be back in a bit.

  Zane: K

  “Does it bug you as much as it does me to get just a ‘k’ in response?” Sean asked, and I realized he must have read my messages over my shoulder.

  “It does.” I poked him in the ribs. “Nosy. Reading my texts.”

  He laughed. “You were hardly trying to hide them.”

  “True.”

  Rising to his full, imposing height, Sean held a hand out to help me up from my stone perch. “Come on. Let’s get back over by that fire. That wind over here is something else.”

  Once we got back on to the sand, I walked alongside him. “You know, most guys want to get a girl alone. And here you are trying to take me back. What’s that about?” I bumped my hip against his thigh.

  6

  Sean

  Talia bumped in to me, teasingly, and an intense longing slammed into me like a beer bottle in a bar fight. Crap. I thought I'd squashed that. But clearly not if she still had me twitching to hold her.

  When she shivered, I shrugged out of my jacket. I raised my arms to flip it over her and she shrank away. My fists clenched at the look of fear on her face. It might just be worth going back to prison to rip that damn Caleb's arms off and shove them up his ass.

  "You don't have to be afraid of me, remember?"

  She nodded and shivered again. This time when I raised my arms to wrap the warm leather jacket around her, I saw the steely determination in her green eyes. She was not going to flinch away from me again. Damn, she was beautiful.

  With my jacket hanging loose around her shoulders, I walked with her to the bonfire. Her brother wasn’t there. Asking around, someone finally told Talia that her brother had headed the opposite way down the beach with his girlfriend. It figured. Can't say I'd have done much different if I'd come to a bonfire with my girl.

  I should leave. The more time I spent with Talia, the more I wanted her. And fuck, I knew I couldn't have her. But Talia looked like she didn't want to be alone. And damned if I could force myself to leave her on this beach alone.

  All the logs around the fire had been claimed, so Talia took my hand and led me down to her parents’ dock. “How’s this?” she asked.

  “Good by me.” Sinking down next to her, my denim-covered thigh brushed hers and the heat from her body scorched through the layers of fabric. With our gazes focused out over the water, neither of us spoke for a moment. I stretched my legs out, letting them dangle off the wood decking, still maintaining that sweet-hot contact with hers. I stared out over the water, enjoying the quiet of the night.

  She broke the silence without looking at me, "So, what brings you out to the lakefront tonight?"

  I’m not sure she could be quiet if her life depended on it. Shrugging, I answered, "Rough night at the club. Couple of guys got into it over this girl in this tiny little dress. I had to break it up. Cops showed up."

  "That sounds fun," Talia responded dryly.

  "It's never a good night when the cops get called. I like to come down here; the sounds of the waves help me relax. It's either walk it off here or punch something some nights."

  "Walking is probably the better choice."

  I chuckled. "For sure. Punching stuff hurts sometimes." I flexed my hand in memory of a few ill-timed hits.

  Talia laughed and nudged my knee with her own. When I glanced over at her, she smiled and ducked her head. She slid a little closer and laid her head against my shoulder. I moved to put my arm around her and her muscles tensed. Slipping my arm around her waist, I drew her up against me with a slow, gentle motion. My hold was loose, and she could move away from my touch with only the slightest of effort. Even still, I shouldn't hold her like this. I needed to keep my distance. But
a few minutes couldn't hurt, right?

  I was just making sure she wasn't cold. That justification sounded lame, even in my own head. "You warm enough?"

  "Mmmhmm," she murmured. She relaxed into my side and brought her hand up to rest on my chest. I ached for her to slide that little hand inside my shirt like she did the night we met. I’d been dreaming of getting her on my bike, pressed against my back, and her arms wrapped tight around me once more.

  Her gaze came up to meet mine in the soft moonlight. "Sean, I have to ask…"

  I brought my hand up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaned into my touch, and I groaned. If she’d moved away at all, I could’ve controlled myself. But when she closed the gap, I was a goner. Her soft curves pressed against my side when she shifted against me. She tugged at my neck, pulling my head down toward her. Even a saint couldn't resist her when that little tongue darted out, licking her lips in anticipation.

  And I was no saint.

  One kiss wouldn't hurt…

  "Talia?" a man's voice called from a few feet away.

  Fuck.

  She jerked back from my touch like I'd thrown her in the bonfire. A couple stood behind us on the dock staring down at us—at me—and the concern on the man's face made me think this was the missing brother.

  I rose up and introduced myself.

  “I ran into Talia down on the beach.” I told Zane as we shook hands. “I just wanted to be sure she made it home safely.” Why did I feel the need to explain myself? Shit. I’d done nothing that warranted any explanation. And yet I couldn’t stop the explosion of words pouring out of my mouth.

  “Uh, yeah. Talia, you okay?” He asked the question of his sister, but his gaze never left mine.

  "I'm perfect. Sean is determined to become my knight in shining armor, lately." She stood next to me and leaned against my arm.

  I snorted, shaking my head. "I'm no knight." I gave her a shy smile. No one had ever called me a knight before. And fuck if I was shining, more like tarnished beyond redemption. "I'm just a sucker for a damsel in distress, I guess. I should go.”

  “You don’t have to,” she said softly.

  “It’s late and I have work tomorrow. You take care."

  I wanted to kiss her goodbye, but the moment had been broken. Couldn't let that happen now. So, I stuffed my hands in my pockets, said my goodbyes, and walked away.

  I wasn’t even a little superstitious, but the fact that she kept reappearing in my life had to mean something. At this point, I just wasn’t sure if Talia was going to be my salvation or finish my damnation.

  7

  Talia

  Moving into the Downward Dog position, my gaze drifted out toward the main area of the gym. I tuned out the yoga instructor and missed moving into the next pose when my eyes landed on a familiar face in the weight area. My first glimpse of Sean since the beach had to be when sweat poured down my face and pink yoga pants clung to my damp thighs. Of course. Just my stinkin’ luck.

  A sheen of sweat glistened off him. The muscles in his chest and arms bulged as he lifted the weights. I couldn't look away. I licked my lips and watched him, completely ignoring the instructor and class moving on without me. The class wasn't hot yoga, but Sean sure turned up my heat.

  When walking out after class, my gaze stayed on the weight area across the gym. Specifically on the tattooed dark-haired man who stared right back at me. His attention was fixated on me every bit as much as mine was on him. That little grin on his face made me want to cross the gym and see how sweaty we could get.

  Karly's laughter cut through my lusty haze. I glanced over at my sister. Mom swatted Karly and admonished her to leave me alone. Heat rose in my face and I ended up walking right into an elliptical trainer. Karly smirked while Mom wrapped an arm around my shoulder to lead me from the gym before I could do serious injury to myself.

  "Well, well, he sure looks interested in you and from the looks you are giving him, the feeling is mutual. Do we know him?”

  “That’s Sean…”

  She smiled knowingly. “And who is Sean?”

  “He’s a friend.”

  “A friend, huh? I think he’s more than a friend.”

  I shook my head. “No, well, at least not yet.”

  I struggled to maintain eye contact with Sean even though Mom pushed me toward the exit. When we got to the door, I sent a little wave at Sean and smiled when he returned it.

  My mom's arm squeezed me into an awkward one-armed hug as she whispered, "I think I just laid eyes on my future son-in-law. With his dark hair, and your complexion, you two will have the prettiest babies."

  “Mom!”

  “What? My children are all grown and now it’s time I turn my attention to my grandchildren. Oh, wait… not a single one of my adult children has given me a grandchild yet. It’s an absolute tragedy, I tell you.”

  Giggling at my mom's comments, I climbed into the car.

  "What in the world is this?" Mom pulled an envelope from under the wiper, opened the flap, and a picture fell out. The photo was dark, but clear. In the photo, Sean tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as we snuggled at the beach. A note on the back read:

  Playing with fire will get you burned.

  Remember that before you let him between your legs, bitch.

  "Oh my God, Talia. Where did this come from? Is that you and Sean?" Karly snatched the photo from my trembling fingers and read the words on the back out loud.

  Mom gasped and grabbed her phone. "Jess? This is Helen Richmond. I just found a threatening photo on my car. Mmmhmm. Yes. No. Okay, we will meet you there." She dropped her phone into her purse and pulled out. "Jess said we shouldn't touch it or the envelope more than necessary. She wants to see it immediately."

  We met Jess at the station and she took the photo. She helped us file a police report.

  Tapping her fingers on the desk, Jess stared down at the photo. "Talia, honey, do you have any idea who might have done this? Any place we can start with this?"

  I could only think of one person. "I had a bad breakup not long ago. Caleb... He could be behind this." Why couldn't Caleb leave me alone? Hadn't he done enough to make my life utter misery? The bastard just wouldn't quit. To this day, I wondered how I’d been so blind that I missed his domineering ways, his need for control, and his unbending opinions.

  Jess promised to look into it and sent the photo to get fingerprinted. Hopefully they would get a good print from it and do something before the situation escalated. We all had to get fingerprinted, since we’d touched the photo.

  I stared out the window, tears in my eyes the entire way home. Even Karly remained quiet for once.

  When we got home and Mom told Dad, he lost it. "That guy looks like trouble. He probably set it all up."

  "Sam, how could he take a distant photo of himself? He was in the picture with Talia."

  "I don't know. But he's to blame. I feel it in my bones." My dad stomped out and slammed the door behind him.

  He came back after a walk, calmer and more rational. His logic made sense when he insisted that me, Mom, and Karly all sign up for a self-defense class immediately. None of us argued. I actually wished I’d thought to take a self-defense class earlier. Maybe then I’d have been brave enough to stand up to Caleb.

  8

  Talia

  A few weeks later

  Karly's birthday rolled around, and I couldn't wait. I’d insisted Karly have a party at Garden after we did cake and presents with our parents. It gave me a legitimate reason to see Sean again.

  I dressed with care for the party. The last time I saw Sean—wearing sweaty yoga pants, no makeup, and a haphazard ponytail—I hadn't exactly presented the best of impressions. Tonight, I went for a more sophisticated look. I bought a new dress, white eyelet with a cute brown belt. It emphasized my curves, without being skimpy. Hair and makeup, I kept simple. Never one to dress slutty anyway, this outfit was typical me—girly, but not overdone.

  Sean stood behind th
e bar when I walked in. When we made eye contact, I waved and sent a shy smile his way. His broad smile, and the hand he raised in greeting, warmed my heart. Telling my sister I would be right back, I took up an empty seat at the bar.

  Sean ambled over and leaned forward onto the counter in front of me. "Hey, sunshine, it's good to see you again. I wasn't sure you'd come back, but I've been hoping that you would."

  My pulse ticked up and heat rose in my cheeks. "Do you call all the women in here some sort of flirty pet name?"

  “Maybe I do, but you’re my only sunshine.” He chuckled. “You need a drink?”

  "No, I just wanted to say hi. Look, I don't need rescuing tonight," I said with a flirty flip of my hair.

  Throwing his head back, he howled in laughter. "The night is still young."

  Joy filled me at the deep sound of his laugh. I twirled on the barstool and watched Sean pour drinks. He had a smile for everyone. He came over to chat with me every chance he got, and I enjoyed the conversation even though it was interrupted by his work. I didn't even mind the times when he walked away to mix drinks for others since it gave me an opportunity to look at him. I couldn't stop staring.

  He wasn't the type of guy I would have dated in the past, not being slim and somewhat preppy. No one would ever call Sean preppy, that's for sure. The blue plaid button-down he wore brought out the blue of his eyes, and his sleeves were rolled up to mid-forearm, giving a view of the bold tattoos on his arms. The shirt fit snug against his firm muscles and emphasized the width of his shoulders. And those jeans? I bit my lip more than once as I admired just how perfectly they cradled his behind.