a good time, you drunken fool?”
He grins stupidly, and his glassy eyes move to Ashlynn. “Well, hello, doll. Where have you been all my life?”
She cuddles closer to my side, and I throw an arm around her. “Relax, Hot Rod.”
“Who’s the babe?” Quick asks with a sloppy grin. He can barely keep his eyes open and looks like he’s about to pass out. “You a friend of Butterfly’s?”
“She’s with me,” I tell him, then turn and shout over the music to the room in general. “There’s a yellow Porsche parked outside. You touch it, you’re dead.”
Ashlynn whispers in my ear, “Who’s Butterfly?”
I grin down at her. “That’s what we call Kara.”
“Oh.”
“You want another whiskey, babe?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “Sure. Are you having one?”
“Yeah, I’ll have one with you.” I pull her behind me through the crowd toward the bar. She scoots up on a barstool, and I can’t help checking out her legs. I slide one hand to her thigh and squeeze as I lean across the bar. “Prospect, bring me a bottle of Jameson and a couple of glasses. The lady wants hers on the rocks.”
He moves off to grab a bottle off a shelf, then sets a glass in front of me and scoops ice in the other for Ashlynn. From somewhere behind the bar he comes up with a couple of coasters that I didn’t even know we had.
“Would you like a water chaser, ma’am?” he asks, leaning to be heard over the noise. She nods, and he sets her up.
I grin at his eagerness to please her and am proud he’s treating her with the respect she’s due just for having walked in the door with me. I pick up the bottle and pour an inch in her rocks glass, then do the same for mine. I set the bottle down and lift my glass. “Here’s to brown-eyed girls who drink whiskey.”
She smiles and comes back with a toast of her own. “To men who stop and help damsels in distress.”
We clink glasses, and I watch her take a sip as I down half of mine.
She glances around. “I like what you’ve done with the place. Concrete, brick, and steel beams. Good decorating choices.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
“Maybe.” She lets out a tinkling laugh that I could listen to all night. “So, your clubhouse is a converted old warehouse. Interesting. Who’s idea was that?”
I shrug. “Hell if I know. This has been the Devil Kings clubhouse since long before I joined.”
“You’ve certainly got room, but it’s kind of bleak.”
“You should have seen it a few months ago. This is the new improved version.”
She cocks a brow. “Really. What were the improvements?”
I chuckle. “We cleaned, for one.”
Her gaze drifts around the twenty-foot ceilings. “Like what, the cobwebs?”
“You’re a laugh a minute, kid.”
She smiles. “Sorry, it’s a long way from the Del Sol where I spent most of my days.”
“I’ll bet it is.” I lift my chin. “Finish your drink, and I’ll show you where some major improvements were made.” I see the curiosity behind those dark eyes, and she lifts her glass and takes another slow sip.
My hands on her knees, I pull her around to face me, and hold her gaze as I run a palm up her leg until I find the bare skin at the top of her stockings. I quirk a brow, and she smiles. I skate my fingertips along the edge until I locate that garter strap.
At that point she bops my hand with a popping smack. “Hands to yourself, mister.”
I slide my hand free and cup the back of her neck, hauling her close to plant my mouth over those soft plump lips. She tastes like the smooth whiskey she drinks with its honey and spice notes. I glide my tongue over hers, and she goes soft and compliant, letting me take the kiss as deep as I want.
It only drives my need higher.
I break free and stare at her, bumping my nose to hers. Then I put her glass in her hand. She gets the message and finishes it.
“Come on.” I take her hand and pull her off the barstool and lead her toward the back. It’s dark, but there are some lights every so often in the low ceiling. I stop and key one of the doors on the right.
“What’s in here?” she asks.
I just smile, open the door, and pull her in.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ashlynn—
I walk in behind Rusty and look around.
The room is big, with a king-size platform bed, a