Page 3 of Sweet Whiskey

COLT

I swallow another swig of beer, watching the auburn-haired beauty glance around in awe. She’s from out of town, there’s no doubt about it with her faded jeans cupping her plump ass and her tight tank top showing off her perfect tits. They don’t make them that hot around here.

Rubbing a hand down my face, I shut my eyes briefly, pushing away the inappropriate thoughts. I couldn’t smell her, but given the way my cock took immediate control, I have no doubt she’s an omega.

Marley taps her knuckles on the bar top, getting my attention and pointing at my beer bottle. “Another? ”

“Who is that?” I ask her, nodding toward the blonde talking to Tracy at the other end.

Marley stares at me, a dull expression in her eyes. “Do I look like I would know who that is?”

“It’s just a fucking question.”

“A stupid one,” she says, and grabs my bottle before walking off.

If she weren’t Cooper’s older sister, her attitude would have gotten her fired a long time ago.

But everyone loves Cooper, so by association, they put up with Marley.

Given our family history, I’m surprised she serves me at all, but I’m not dumb enough to bring it up.

After a few minutes, Marley sets my beer down and swings her braided black hair over her shoulder before leaning toward me as the pair of newcomers walk off to a far corner. “She’s inquiring about a job, I guess.”

My eyebrows raise. “At Sweet Whiskey? She know what kind of bar this is?”

Marley smirks. “Tracy told her to hang around and find out.” Pushing off the counter, she takes a step and then turns back. “Oh, and she was asking about your old boss. ”

My old boss? Levi?

Marley walks away before I can ask, and I look back at the beauty that’s captured my attention. Why would she be asking about Levi? My gut twists. If she’s another buckle bunny claiming to be his long-lost daughter, Maverick is going to lose it.

My mind is split between two desires, one to be closer to her and the other to protect the only family I have left.

I watch her for a few minutes, waiting as she slowly sips her drink, and I walk over when it’s nearly finished. Her friend has abandoned her to pick music out of the bright neon jukebox.

“You want another?” I ask, nodding to her empty glass.

She turns around to face me, and her long auburn hair sways over her back, giving me a slight sweet scent that has my stomach clenching.

The air nearly stalls in my lungs when I see her face close up, seeing the freckles lined right over her cheeks and nose.

Her green eyes have a brightness to them, and there’s a familiarity I can’t place.

Her pink lips part when she sees me, and a flush works up her neck, but it’s the dilating of her pupils that gives her away.

I stifle my smirk. Good. She’s attracted to me as much as I am to her.

She blinks, glancing down at her drink, and then shakes her head once. “No, thank you though. I’m just…taking it all in.”

I dip my chin. “Mind if I sit?”

Her head shakes again, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Go ahead.”

“You two just get into town tonight?” I ask, nodding at the blonde scowling at us with crossed arms.

Her eyes track to her friend and she smiles, then glances at me with uncertainty. “Is it that obvious?”

I shrug. “Most of us know everyone around here and the next town over. Fresh faces stand out.”

“Ah, the downside of small towns. Or so I hear. This is my first time,” she says with a small laugh .

“They have their upsides. It’s not all bad,” I tell her. Brackenridge may be nosy, but we protect one another and we provide for all. Clearing my throat, I rest my forearm on the table. “You just missed the county fair. That’s when you get to see the town in all its glory.”

A frown dips on her lips. “Oh, that’s a bummer. I would have liked to see that.”

Why do I have the sudden urge to track down George and force him to put everything up just to give this beauty a night at the fair? I press my tongue against my molars for a second, trying to talk myself out of offering just that.

“The rodeo comes by in a few weeks. Have you ever been to one of those?” I ask instead.

Her eyes brighten. “No. I’ve always wanted to go too, but we never left the city much.”

City girl. That doesn’t surprise me. I wasn’t getting the buckle bunny vibes from her. Still, it didn’t make sense why she was asking about Levi. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask, but she sips at her straw and the loud empty gurgles echo around us. Her cheeks blush .

“So what brings you to Brackenridge?” I ask.

Her hand shakes as she shifts to the side, pulling something out of her back pocket and showing it to me. “I’m looking for someone. I figured I’d start here.”

She slides the photograph toward me, but I don’t pick it up as I glance down, recognizing a younger Levi standing in front of the bar we’re sitting in with his arms wrapped around an unfamiliar woman.

She clears her throat. “Do you recognize him?”

I shrug. “Hard to tell. Lots of faces come through.” The lie tastes like ash on my tongue.

She groans, putting the photo away. “Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t be that easy.”

My heart pangs at her defeated tone. “How about that other drink?” I say with a forced twist of my lips to resemble some kind of smile.

She nods. “Okay, thank you.”

I hold out my hand to grab the glass, but she stays at my side on the walk back to the bar top.

It surprises me, but it doesn’t at the same time.

Being an omega in this world comes with more dangers than just being a woman in general.

My mom had explained some of the horrors when I had been a horny teenager growing into my alpha designation.

Tracy is setting a new drink with a beer for me just as we sit at the empty stools on the far right side. She looks between us and laughs under her breath.

The woman at my side watches her and then turns to me. “What was that?”

It’s my turn to blush. “I think that was more about me. Usually after work, I come here and don’t talk to a soul. It probably surprised Tracy to see us together.”

“Oh,” she says shyly, grabbing the drink to gulp at it greedily.

The need to ask if that’s okay rises. I want to know if she’s just as interested in me as I am in her, but bells ring out in the bar and I lean back on my stool, my eyes moving to Tracy, who is already watching me with raised eyebrows.

I guess she’s ready to test if the newbie has what it takes to work here.

I turn to the beauty at my side and slide off my seat. “You may want to move back.”

She frowns, moving out of the way with me as the men start to crowd the bar top and the waitresses climb onto it.

“What is going on?” she asks. The shake in her voice wavers her confidence from earlier.

“What Sweet Whiskey is known for,” I say.

Her blonde friend saddles up to her side. Their hands tangle together, so they must be close. Both of their mouths drop open when the music blares, and the girls start dancing and the men hoot and holler in return.

“Kinsey, I think you brought us to a strip club,” the blondie whispers loudly.

Kinsey. My heart flutters at knowing her name, having forgotten to ask her earlier. It’s pretty, unique, just like her .

Marley rolls her eyes with a smile, helping the last waitress, Tara, on top of the counter before leaning back to watch the show with crossed arms.

Tara grabs a water pitcher to pour down herself. It’s her last shift before leaving for the summer, so they usually go a little wilder than normal. Kinsey’s mouth drops open. Her friend’s eyes widen before she bluntly asks, “Is this a strip club?”

I snort. “No, just a bit of fun. It helps drive the tips though.”

Kinsey smiles. “It’s brilliant. I can see why my mom was drawn to it.”

Her mom? Now that I think about it, she does seem very similar to the woman in the photo.

She doesn’t look like anyone I’ve seen, but sometimes genetics aren’t so copy and paste, so that doesn’t mean anything.

Or her mom could be someone who simply raised her, but is her mom nonetheless.

I would understand the feeling of that more than anyone likes to admit.

“Kinsey, you could barely handle dancing in front of Jerald Donovan during a social. You think you can work a job like this?” her friend says, and a flash of jealousy courses through me. Who the fuck is Jerald Donovan?

Kinsey rolls her eyes. “Brielle. I wasn’t nervous to dance in front of him, he kept moving his hand off my hip and to my butt. I was trying not to punch him.”

Through my anger, I snicker. “Atta girl. No man should be touching a woman without her permission.”

Brielle, the fiery blonde, turns to me with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, cowboy consent. Who invited you to this conversation?”

Kinsey grabs her hand. “Down, girl. I invited him. He offered me a drink.”

Her friend narrows her eyes before dragging them down my body and then pursing her lips. She steps back, as if she finds me somewhat worthy of continuing to converse with them.

The auburn-haired beauty, who still holds most of my attention, sighs and turns to me. “Sorry, she’s really protective of me, especially from…uh, strange me n in bars.”

A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth. “No worries. I understand.” I nod back to the bar top as the song ends and the girls climb down. “Hope that doesn’t send you running. It would be a shame to never see you again.”