Honey Whiskey (A Bastards MC Novel) (10 page)

The throat cleared again, but this
time he added, “Mateo, we need you.”

Matty pulled back slightly,
sliding his nose along the side of mine. Staring into my eyes, he
gave me a wink, whispering, “Two seconds, babe.” He straightened,
letting go of me, and turned to face the man that was trespassing
on our very awesome, but private, moment. “What the fuck do you
want, Prospect?” I cringed. His voice was full of irritation and
extremely intimidating. This was a Matty I didn’t know and he was
quite scary.

The young man paled a little under
Matt’s angry glare. “Sorry to interrupt, but I was sent to find
you.”

“Why?” Matty barked back. The kid
swallowed and looked at me as if I was the unwelcome visitor. “Oh,
for Christ’s sake! She’s with me. Spill it,” he growled
threateningly.

“Wiz just got word there’s about
to be a BOLO issued. Rocker wants everyone at the clubhouse.
Now.”

Matty swore under his breath and
glanced over his shoulder at me. “Tell them to give me twenty
minutes.”

He jerked his head towards the
window once, dismissing the young man, and turned back to me.
Stress etched his features and he looked like he was struggling to
figure out what to say. I didn’t know which of his friends was in
trouble or what was going on, but I did know that whatever it was,
it was important. We’d been sharing a pretty great moment, and I
knew Matty wouldn’t leave for anything trivial. When the muscle in
his jaw ticked, I decided to lighten the mood.

“’
Cause twenty
minutes is all it’ll take, right?” I stepped towards him, smiling,
repeating the words he’d said to me after our first night
together.

He didn’t react for a second,
confusion showing in his eyes as he looked down at me. As
realization dawned, he smirked, lips quirking with laughter. “Oh,
babe, you do inflate my ego. Don’t kid yourself, though. It’s been
so long I won’t even need five.”

“Really?” I asked in mock horror.
“I thought guys were supposed to last longer after a dry
spell?”

“Dry spell?” he
scoffed. “Nah, two days is a damn dry spell. The last few months
I’ve been in a sexual purgatory.”

I giggled, stepping into his open
arms. “Awww, Matty! That is just depressing.”

He nodded. “No worries, kid.” He
leaned down, whispering into my ear, “I’ll make sure that five
minutes was worth the fuckin’ wait.” His breath was hot on my neck,
sending tingles down my spine and making me shiver. Mistaking it,
he rubbed my upper arms. “You’re cold. Let’s get you
inside.”

I didn’t argue as he pulled me in
the window, through the living room, and then down the stairs. The
party, while apparently still going, seemed a lot less crowded than
it had been just a little while ago. There were a few men in
leather jackets scattered throughout the rooms and stairway, but
the majority of people I saw were women. I couldn’t help the bitchy
smile I sent towards a few of them when they gave Matty longing
glances or the two of us double takes. I wanted to shout, ‘That’s
right! He’s taken girls, move along!’

Once we were shut into his room, I
pulled his jacket off my shoulders and held it out to him, trying
to find something to say. Butterflies invaded my stomach, and I
wasn’t sure if I was nervous because I was alone with him or if it
was because he was leaving and I didn’t know why. I wanted to ask
for details, but I wasn’t sure the answer would ease my
nerves.

“Hey,” his voice was soft, “I’ve
gotta take care of this and then I’ll be back. It’s club business,
nothin’ to worry about. I promise.” He reached out, tucking hair
behind my ear, shifting. “I don’t know how long I’ll be, but can I
come join you when I get back? We don’t have to…” he trailed off
and cleared his throat, “I mean, I just want to be with you. I
don’t expect you to…”

“Rescue you from sexual
purgatory?” I interrupted, amused at seeing him flustered. Tipping
my head to the side, I ran my hands up under his jacket feeling the
tight, muscular frame. “I better be the only person here you plan
on ending it with.” I chuckled at his uncomfortable expression.
“I’ll be here when you get back, Matty, keeping the bed
warm.”

He beamed, giving me a quick peck
on the lips and then a longer kiss on my head. Backing up a step,
his hand grabbed my chin. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. And,
tomorrow, we’ll talk. Yeah?” I smiled and nodded as much as his
hand would allow. He nodded towards the bed. “Go warm my bed,
woman!”

He was gone before I could come up
with a witty reply. I didn’t know where the clubhouse was, so I
wasn’t sure how far Matty had to go, but I wanted to be ready when
he got back—for whatever our night had in store. Locking the door,
I headed into the bathroom. I was almost through with my shower
before I realized I was still smiling.

*****

“
Good morning,
Sunshine!”

I opened my eyes to find Cris
sitting in the chair next to my bed. I moved an arm behind me,
disappointed to feel only cold sheets. I’d waited up until I could
no longer keep my eyes open, but apparently he never came back.
Before I could greet her, she leaned forward, bracing her elbows on
her knees, and pointed towards a Dunkin’ Donuts cup on my
nightstand. God bless her!

I sat up, swept my hair out of my
face, and reached for the Styrofoam cup. After a couple of sips in
silence, I smiled. “Morning.”

She shook her head. “When you’re
finished with that, get dressed and I’ll take you out to breakfast.
Last night was quite the rager, huh? I won’t even tell you how many
people I had to climb over to find that.” I followed her glance,
seeing my phone next to where the coffee cup had been. I’d
completely forgotten it last night. Grabbing it, I scrolled through
my missed calls, relieved that the only ones were from Matty and
Cris.

“He couldn’t reach you, so he
called me,” Cris volunteered. “He’ll call you later to
explain.”

“Is everything ok? He was supposed
to come home and—”

“He’s fine,” she interrupted.
“Whatever the club is doing took longer than he thought.” She
arched an eyebrow. “It’s about freaking time you two ended your
little spat. I was getting worried.” She laughed. “So, tell me
everything.”

I smiled. “There isn’t much to
tell, really.” My mind drifted back to seeing him yesterday and
within seconds, the tall blonde entered my thoughts. “Cris, who is
Jessie?”

Irritation replaced the curious
look she’d had, and she scowled. “Biker Barbie was here last night?
That explains why I wasn't invited. I wondered why they weren’t
havin’ it at the clubhouse, but I figured they were tryin’ to keep
it small to not overwhelm Tank. Shit! I knew I shoulda blown off my
date and come anyway!” Biker Barbie? I only had a first impression
to go on, but the name actually seemed perfect. I stifled my laugh
as soon as I saw the disgusted look on her face. “Was she glued to
Rocker all night?”

I shook my head. “No, he barely
spoke to her.” She spiked her eyebrows, silently asking me to
continue. “He was with me.” I shrugged like it was no big deal,
sipping my coffee before I explained exactly what had happened the
night before.

Her laughter took me by surprise.
“I bet Matt loved that! Rocker should be grateful they aren’t kids
anymore. A younger Matty wouldn’t have waited for an explanation.
He’d have just kicked his ass!”

“
It’s not like that!” I snapped.
“Rob was just being nice.”

Cris shook her head, smirking.
“You and Rocker know it’s not like that. I know it isn’t like that.
But my brother?” She laughed. “Matty doesn’t play well with others,
Joey. He never has. He only ever shared with me when he absolutely
had to, and never, ever, let me play with his favorite toys. In
this case, you are his favorite toy, and if someone else tried to
play with you…eeee!” She shrieked when I threw a pillow at
her.

"Are you calling me his plaything?"

She giggled. "Yes." I turned to
grab another pillow and she rushed on. "When we were little, he had
this stuffed dog that went everywhere with him. He loved that thing
more than anything. Copper scared away the ghosts and rode in the
basket on his bike. He'd play with other toys, but Copper was
always his favorite. I got mad at him one day and hid Copper. Matt
couldn't sleep, and he wouldn't eat. All he did was mope around
until my parents panicked and bought a new one. But, it wasn't the
same and he never got attached. He needed Copper to be
happy."

The moment had turned serious very
quickly, and I swallowed as her words sunk in. "You're more than
his plaything, Joey. You're his Copper." She stood up, looking
uncomfortable, like she'd said too much. "Get dressed and we'll
go."

*****

The restaurant was beautiful, with crystal on
the tables and a view of the Charles River that was breathtaking. I
scanned the menu, trying not to laugh at the way the waiter hovered
over Cris. His face fell as she ordered and handed the folder back
to him without a glance in his direction.

"So, how was your date last night?" I asked as
soon as we were alone.

She sipped her mimosa, shrugging.
"It was ok." At my concerned look she continued. "Caleb is great,
really. He's very sweet, very proper. He's every girls dream—tall,
dark, and handsome, with the most adorable dimples. He works out
constantly, he's never even lived with a woman, and he's a
lawyer."

"So, what's the problem?"

"I only went as a favor to a friend." She
looked out the window, lost in her thoughts. "He's not my
type."

"You mean he isn't moody, covered
in tattoos, and often mistaken for the hulk." Blue eyes met mine,
no acknowledgment showing on her face. I chuckled at her lack of a
response. Her face was only ever that blank when she was hiding
something. Speaking of…“So, Rocker and Jessie, huh? I didn’t get
that vibe at all when he introduced me.”

"Barbie's a Brat, a club whor—"
She stopped mid word, clearing her throat and glancing around the
room full of people in their Sunday best. Sitting back, she put her
hands on her lap and continued. "Barbie is a club girl, working her
way through the guys until someone claims her. She holds onto one
until the next best thing is suddenly single. She's had her sights
on Rocker for years. I just never thought he was dumb enough to go
for it. Over the last few months, he proved me wrong."

"I'm sorry." It was hard thinking
about Matty moving on. I couldn't imagine having to see it every
day. Slowly the rest of what she said sunk in. "She and Matty
weren’t a thing, right?”

Cris laughed.
“That’s not even a no. It’s a hell, no!” I let out the breath I
hadn’t even realized I was holding. “Naw,” she scoffed, “he
wouldn’t look twice at her. Not knowing who's been there already."
I hoped she was right. I didn't want to have to face other women
that knew him like I did. Something told me that as long as I lived
down here, though, I'd have to deal with a lot of them.

Matty called when we were halfway
through our meal, and I hurried out into the hall, excited to talk
to him.

"Hey beautiful." I smiled at his greeting.
"I'm sorry that I didn't get to come back last night."

"It's ok. Cris told me you
couldn't get away." Someone spoke to him in the background, but I
couldn't understand the words. The roar of motorcycles coming to
life was almost deafening. "Is everything ok?"

"Fuck, I thought I had more time. I'm not
gonna make it back today, Joes. I'll explain everything when I see
you, ok? I'll call you tonight." I didn't know what to say.
Questions swirled through my mind. Where was he? What was he doing?
When would I see him? "Babe? I gotta go, but I'm not getting off
this phone 'til you tell me we're ok."

"I miss you."

I heard him smile. "Not as much as
I miss you."

I grinned at the wall. "We're
fine. Ride safe, Matty."

Chapter 10

Jo

Disappointment settled in after
the call, and even though I tried to force it away, I got cranky.
Blaming it on lack of sleep, I convinced Cris to let me take a rain
check on her plans and she dropped me back off at the apartment
before noon, giving me her key fob for the elevator until Rob could
order one for me. I was relieved that everyone had cleared out and
I had the place to myself. Sinking into the couch, I attempted to
read the chapter I had due tomorrow. After a few hours, I gave up
and settled on watching television, flipping through
channels.

The quiet of the house was
unnerving. When the elevator arrived, I was off the couch in an
instant, excited not to be alone. A smiling Jessie was not at all
what I'd expected. Jeans, a baggy tee shirt, and sneakers made her
almost unrecognizable as the same women from last night. She held
up a paper grocery bag.

"I brought food."

"Oh." I hadn't even thought about the fact
that we didn't have anything here. I could have just ordered
delivery, but after eating in restaurants and take out for the last
few days, a homemade meal sounded heavenly. "Thanks!" She started
pulling out ingredients, filling the counter. "Anything I can do to
help?"