Whiskey Lullaby(17)

“Leave him alone, Max!” Hannah shoved her hands against him, but he didn’t budge.

“Aw, that’s cute.” Max laughed. I thumbed under my nose, bristling with anger. God, I’m going to beat his ass. “Guess you’ve turned into a whore now, huh, Hannah?”

That’s it! My temper snapped, sparking like a live wire. I drew my arm back and slammed my fist right into his cheek. He fell against the wall, stunned, and I hit him again. He attempted to throw a weak punch at me, but I ducked and nailed him right in the gut before I grabbed him by the shoulders and pressed him into the wall. Leaning into his face, I said, “Don’t say shit like that about her.” I gave a final push then let him go. He sank to the floor.

My chest heaved with anger when I turned around, my knuckles pulsing and throbbing.

Hannah’s hand was clasped to her mouth and she had one arm held tightly across her chest. I wasn’t sure whether she was pissed or scared, but she took hold of my hand and dragged me from the room.

One of the bouncers stopped us in the doorway. “Gotta problem, Greyson?”

Hannah held her hand up. “Don’t, Billy. Max started it.”

“Ah, right. Max.” Billy clapped me on the shoulder. “Dude’s a dick,” he said before heading into the room buzzing with excitement.

Without another word, Hannah pulled me through the bar toward the exit. A stream of cigarette smoke drifted in front of us when we stepped through the doorway. She swatted it away from her face. There was a moment where she just stared across the parking lot, gnawing at her lip. Finally, she huffed. “Thanks.”

“That guy’s a piece of shit. I’ve already beat his ass once.” I dropped Hannah’s hand and swiped my hand through my hair, worried the bastard was going to file a charge against me. Again. That’s all I needed, I thought as I paced underneath the flickering neon light of the bar. “Fuck!”

“Hey, it’s fine.” She placed her hand on my arm. It was such a simple touch, yet it provided so much comfort. Damn. She’s getting me good.

“Can you…” She rifled through her purse with her free hand before pulling out her phone. “Can you take me home? I just kinda want to get outta here and Meg’s in there with her ex and she’ll probably—”

“Yeah, of course.”

Smiling, she jabbed her finger over the screen of her phone then put it to her ear. I nodded toward my truck and we walked side by side through the gravel lot.

“Hey,” she said into her phone. “Where are you?” I unlocked the door and held it open for her. “Yeah, yeah. I figured,” she huffed. “Okay, well, I’ve got a ride so—”

She closed the door, and I went around to the driver’s side. When I cranked the engine, she was still on the phone. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I promise.” And then she hung up, looking over and shooting me a nervous grin while she wiped her palms on the legs of her jeans.

“Meg warning you about me?”

“Huh?” Her brow wrinkled.

“I know she told you to stay away from me,” I said as I pulled onto the two-lane highway. I glanced over, and she’d narrowed her eyes. I would almost bet money she was wondering how I knew. I didn’t. What I did know was that most girls warn their best friends to stay away from the Big Bad Wolf, and Meg knew I was no good for Hannah. Hell, obviously, she wasn’t wrong.

“I know she did, so, why are you talking to me?”

“Maybe I don’t believe her.”

“Oh really?” I laughed. It was cute.

“Should I?”

The traffic light turned red and I stopped. The moonlight crept through the windshield and over her face. That raw beauty that radiated from her, it made me weak. “Maybe.” My gaze fell to her lips, and all I wanted to do was kiss her. Maybe I could have kissed her. Possibly, have done a lot of things to her, but for the first time in my life, I was scared I’d screw something up, so I swallowed and settled on grabbing her hand, lacing my fingers through hers. I didn’t want to taint her innocence. I wanted to drown in it, instead.

“I’ll take my chances,” she said. The light changed, and I turned my attention back to the road. The engine sputtered, nearly stalling when I pressed the gas.

“It’s good to live on the edge.”

“There’s a first for everything…”

The little town faded into nothing but fields of tall grass. Cow pastures. Fields of cotton in full bloom. “You do know I’m not taking you home yet, right?”

“Really?” A smile inched across her face.

“It’s bad manners to take a lady home before midnight.” I tapped the clock on the dash. “So, I’ve got another hour and fifteen minutes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on, you know you don’t want to go home yet.”

“You’re right. I don’t.”





16





Hannah





We parked underneath an oak tree beside Lake Mitchell. One of those cliché lake trees with a tire swing hung from its branches. The interior light buzzed to life when Noah threw his door open, smiling. Bad boys really shouldn’t have dimples—it makes it all the harder to not let them break your heart in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, you could have theirs.

Noah opened my door and pulled me from the truck. The spicy, redwood scent of his cologne caught in the warm breeze whipping through my hair.

The hum of the cicadas echoed from the lake almost in rhythm with the slosh of the water hitting the banks. “Where are we—”

“Shh,” he whispered in my ear, the heat of his breath blowing through my hair before his hand grabbed mine and led me into the dark.

In Rockford, the night wasn’t just dark, it was what we called country dark. No streetlights, no glow from a nearby city. There was peace in that. Sometimes peace comes from the simplest things we often take for granted. The cicadas, the muggy heat. The dark.

We followed the dirt path that led between a house and the woods until we stepped onto a rickety pier with a little dingy tied to the end. The worn boards creaked under our weight, and for some reason, it sent a rush whizzing through me.

We stopped at the edge, and he squeezed my hand. “Go on, get in.”

“Noah…”

He grinned and even though I knew I shouldn’t, I gave into him. He helped me into the boat before hopping in behind me. Water splashed up from the bow and he tripped over the bench seat, throwing his arms out to keep his balance. The boat rocked from side to side and I grabbed onto each side of the boat like that would keep it from dumping over. Laughing, he untied the boat, grabbed a choke chain and pulled. The small engine whirred to life. And then, we were off, gliding over the black water.

The cool breeze from the lake swirled around me, and I closed my eyes, breathing in the brackish smell of the water. When the motor cut off, we were plunged into silence and I opened my eyes. Puffy clouds drifted across the moon, casting us in a sudden, deep darkness before bathing the water in a pale, silver light.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“That you’re crazy.” I focused my eyes on him.

He laughed before moving across the small boat to take a seat next to me. “I love the serenity.”

I tapped the side of the boat. “Let me guess, this isn’t your boat, is it?”

“Hell no.” He smiled.

I rolled my eyes. “So you steal people’s boats?”

“Borrow is a more appropriate term.”

“Fine. Borrow…and why?”

“I told you, I love the serenity.” There was so much more to that boy than he ever let on.

“So tell me, Noah Greyson, a guy who loves serenity, why do you have such a bad reputation?”

“Well, I already told you I was the bastard child whose parents didn’t want him.”

“That does not a bad boy make.” I laughed.

“Alright, Shakespeare… I used to steal stuff. Got expelled from school.” Studying me, he inched closer. “And I tend to break girl’s hearts,” he whispered.

A small heat crept over my face. “Maybe they shouldn’t have given their hearts to you then.”

Amusement flickered in his eyes. “I break everything I touch, Hannah Blake.” He traced a finger over my arm. The warmth of his touch created an unwarranted form of peace. “I’m no good for you,” he whispered so close to my lips I could almost taste him.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Please, don’t make me prove it to you,” he said, straddling the bench seat. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned back, dragging me with him.

Maybe I should have said something, maybe I should have sat up, but I didn’t. I rested against him, and it felt easy. It felt right. Noah Greyson let me melt into him. “You smell nice.” The stubble on his jaw tickled my face when he pressed his cheek against mine.

“Thanks,” I whispered. “So do you.” I felt him smile against my neck and my heart went crazy, hammering against my ribs like a caged hummingbird.

He shifted behind me, and before I realized it, I was, lying on Noah Greyson’s chest in the middle of a lake, staring up at the stars. My moment of peace in a tumultuous world.