Taking Risk Series Read online

  When we are done, we clean up what mess we made before heading to the malting room, the grinding room, the brewing room, then the aging room, until we are in the distillation room.

  “This is my favorite room.”

  She looks around before glancing back at me and asks with confusion lacing her voice, “Why?”

  I try to look at the room through her eyes. It is basically just a room with huge pot stills but to me, it is home. This is where Kane and I would hide from Lena. Where I smoked my first fag. Where I kissed my first girl and drank my first shot of whiskey. I was eleven, and my grandda had to hold a bucket to my mouth since I was vomiting so bad. This was my home…my place…and it is unbelievable to share this with her.

  “Because I love how quiet it is, and I love how beautiful it is. It also hides my whiskey.”

  “Your whiskey?” she asks with a grin.

  I nod as I reach for my bottle, bringing it out for her to see. “Yup, took me seven years to brew it.”

  “Wow,” she says, taking the bottle from me. “Is there like a barrel of it?”

  “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten permission to manufacture it yet.”

  She unscrews the top, taking a swig, and then grimaces as she tries to smile. “That’s strong.”

  “Yeah, but good right?”

  She takes another swig, moves it around in her mouth, making a face as she swallows. Laughing, she hands me the bottle. “I mean, yeah, the best whiskey I’ve tried all day.”

  Pride flushes through me as I lay the bottle down. I know she isn’t lying or teasing me, her eyes are sincere and her words mean the world to me. Taking a step toward her, I wrap my arms around her waist with all the intention of showing her how much that means to me. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s good, spicy. Why can’t you sell it? Does your dad not like it?”

  I lean my head against hers, not wanting to get into my family drama. “It’s a long story.”

  “I have another hour before I gotta be back,” she says, moving her nose against mine.

  “Maybe another time.”

  She nods, moving her hands into the back pockets of my jeans. I close my eyes, holding her tighter against me. “Okay, well, when you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”

  “Thank you.”

  She smiles before looking up at me. “What do you want to do now, then?”

  Desire is swirling in the depths of her aquamarine eyes. It’s such a sight to see. One that hits me square in the chest. She is so beautiful, so amazing. My da has no clue what the hell he is talking about. “I can come up with a few things.”

  Her eyes drop to my lips as her breathing hitches. She whispers, “Would it involve you kissing me?”

  I’m lost. Completely and entirely lost in her eyes. My heart feels like it is coming out of my chest. My body is tingling, and I want nothing more than to do what she just asked. So I do. Capturing her mouth with my own, I kiss her, hard. She molds herself to me as I bring her off her feet and closer. She wraps her arms around my neck while I hold her around her middle, kissing her with all the pent-up lust I’ve kept hidden from her. Every second I’m around her is another second my control is tested. She drives me wild and makes me feel so free. I’ve always felt like I’m in a cage, but with her, it isn’t like that. I don’t have to hide who I am. Even when we first met, she had such a welcoming smile and inviting eyes. I’ve always felt at home with her.

  Dropping my hands to her thick ass, I squeeze her against my growing erection, and she gasps against my mouth. Moving my tongue with hers, I want to groan in satisfaction when her hands come up, knocking my beanie off before tangling her fingers in my hair. She feels so good. So perfect. Removing my mouth from hers, I run my lips down her chin, her throat, to the valley of her breasts, kissing each one softly before I run my tongue slowly up the hollow of her neck. Her gasps of breath fill the room as I go crazy with lust.

  Fuck, I want her, and I don’t know how to stop.

  “Whoa! My bad,” I hear Kane say.

  I didn’t mean I wanted to stop!

  Inwardly, I groan as I remove my mouth from her neck as she cries out, “Eeek!”

  She hides her face in my neck as I slowly drop her to her feet. Turning to look at my sheepishly grinning best friend, I say, “This better be good.”

  He shrugs. “Your da is on the way here.”

  I had every intention of killing Kane Levy, but now I want to buy him a pint. I nod as I put some space between Amberlyn and me. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” he says before disappearing out of the room.

  Once the door shuts, Amberlyn looks up at me and I’m utterly speechless. Her hair has somehow fallen out of the bun it was in, her lips are swollen and red, and her eyes are bright with excitement and lust. Taking in a deep breath to compose myself, I smile. “Mo stór.”

  Her face reddens more as she breathes against my lips. “That’s superhot and totes-ma-goats sweet.”

  I scoff. “What the hell is ‘totes-ma-goats’?”

  “Totally awesome,” she says, and then she kisses me again. I love the taste of her mouth, it’s sweet, like candy, and I want to feast for hours…but we have to go. Pulling away all too soon, I cup her face.

  “As much as I want to sit here and kiss you until my lips are raw, I have to take you back before my da gets in here.”

  Her face falls as she says, “Oh, okay.”

  “Don’t think that,” I say, because I can see it in her eyes. She might possibly think I’m embarrassed by her, when that is so far from the truth it isn’t even funny.

  “Think what?” she says with a shrug.

  “That I don’t want you to meet my da. Well, that is kind of true, but it’s not because of you. It’s because of him. He can come off strong, and I want you to like me.”

  Moving her fingers with mine, she says, “I already do. No stopping it now.”

  Cupping her face, I smile against her lips before kissing her hard. Once we part, I whisper, “Good to know, but I don’t want to test that theory today. Let’s go, another time.”

  She nods, but I don’t move until she smiles. It only takes a second before her lips curve and she grins. Kissing her nose, I lead her out of the distillery and then to the car, thankfully without any run-ins with my da.

  Chapter 17

  Amberlyn

  “You’re a fuckin’ arse is what you are, Kane Levy, and I am done with you. Stay the fuck away from me.”

  Kane throws his hands up and shakes his head. “You are overreacting. She’s a friend.”

  “A friend? You kissed her!”

  “I kiss all my friends!”

  With that statement, I know that Kane Levy is a dead man. Fiona’s eyes go wild as she throws the bottle of pop she has at him. He ducks out of the way and tries to reach for her, but she dodges his grip while I just sit here and wish like hell we could leave. Why I agreed to ride with her to the park to find Kane is beyond me. I felt like it was my duty though. She is my best friend, and when they beg you to go see if the guy they are dating is cheating on them—you go. I just wish we wouldn’t have found Kane with another girl.

  “Fiona. Please, calm down!” he says, reaching for her and pulling her to his chest. She slams her fist into him and pushes him away.

  “No, you won’t cheat on me and then expect me to be like oh, no big deal!”

  “I am not cheating, but also, I won’t point out that we’re only seein’ each other, so even if I was here getting it on with Ellen, it wouldn’t be cheating. I’m not doing anything wrong here.”

  I want to jump out of the car and wrap my arms around Fiona because I can see she is about to lose it. Her eyes fill with tears and her lip wobbles as she slowly nods her head. “Yeah, you’re right,” she breathes. Kane smiles before reaching for her, but she swats him away. “We aren’t together. How stupid of me to assume the guy I’ve been going out with, slept with, and slowly fallen for could actually feel the same for me, but do