denim-covered leg.
“No ol’ lady anymore, either. You a dancer here?”
Darko answered for her, his voice a bit cross. “Elena doesn’t dance anymore, Whiskey. She hires my dancers and has her own agency. She recently had a baby.”
Whiskey still had his hand on her leg as he looked Elena more closely. “Is that so? I’d never have thought that. Good body.”
Elena found her voice finally. “I have a riding stable and I train horses and rescue them. We have some track horses too, my partner and I. It keeps me in shape.”
Whiskey’s dimples showed as his smile deepened. “Is that so? I’m a fan of the track myself. Some of the best thoroughbreds come from Maryland.”
Elena smiled at him. “Yes, I know. We have a horse named Moon Glow from Maryland. Maybe you’d like to see him one day.”
Whiskey wanted to see more of Elena, and if seeing a horse made it happen, he was fine with that too.
“I’d like that a lot. How about lunch tomorrow? Then you can show me your horses. I haven’t been on a horse farm in years.”
Elena bit the inside of her cheek. After she had realized Thrash was not for her, she hadn’t thought of where she was going next in her life. This amber-eyed, mahogany-haired biker made her feel sexy and alive again. Thrash letting a tattoo slut climb over him had done her a big favor.
She was ready to live again, and she heard herself agreeing to lunch. Whiskey’s smile made her feel really good inside.
Whiskey was surprised she’d agreed to lunch so fast. He rubbed her wrist a bit more as they made small talk. Whiskey watched Elena drink the slammers and wondered if he ought to drive her home. He noticed Dusty and Darko arguing and figured it was probably over him talking to this chick. He truly didn’t give a fuck what Darko thought. In his bones, he felt Elena was special, maybe even the woman of significance that Rebel had yammered about.
“I met Dee at my farm when she came over with Willie—that’s Black Dog’s ol’ lady. They have the shop together, you know, W and D, Art by the Sea.” Elena was telling him shit he didn’t have a clue about.
“Deidra is involved with a shop now? Hmm, she didn’t tell me, but we don’t talk much lately. I hope now that I’m a widower that can change.” His hand stroked the top of her hand, trailing his rough fingers over her soft skin.
“I’m sorry to hear of your wife’s passing.” Elena wasn’t quite sure what to say to him.
Whiskey laughed a bit harshly. “I’m not. She wasn’t a nice person, not like Deidra’s mother, my first wife. I named my baby daughter after her: Shanna. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with an infant.”
“Who takes care of your baby?” Elena asked.
“My niece Lacy-Jane is taking care of her. She’ll be at the wedding. Are you invited?” He pressed his thumb on the pulse of her wrist. He noticed how she reacted to that and smiled inwardly.
“Yes. I’ve been friends with Jack for a very long time, and his family.” Elena’s voice quivered slightly as tingles ran through her body.
Whiskey took a sip of the ice water next to his glass and Elena watched as his tongue traced the wetness across his lips.
“Are you going with anyone? If not, I’d like you to go with me.”
His eyes were mesmerizing. “I’m was going with Jersey and Joy,” she answered. “She and I jointly own the farm. Actually, I own most of it. Joy put down very little.” Suddenly, she was telling him all about herself. “I left Hunter when I sold my old farm. I was pregnant with my daughter, Rhiannon, and he was dying of cancer. It was a very bad time for me, but Hunter and I had grown apart long ago. It was easier to stay together if that makes any sense to you. Anyway, Hunter didn’t want me or the baby, and he didn’t want me taking care of him. I’ve finally come to terms with it all … and his death.” Elena looked at him a bit anxiously. “I’d rather go with you,