In for a Penny Read online

  In for a

  Penny

  The Whiskeys

  Melissa Foster

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  IN FOR A PENNY

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2020 Melissa Foster

  V1.0

  Google Play Edition

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey Designs

  Cover Photography: Wander Pedro Aguiar

  WORLD LITERARY PRESS

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  A Note to Readers

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Ready for More Whiskeys?

  Fall in love with Tracey and Diesel!

  Meet the Colorado Whiskeys at Redemption Ranch

  Ready for More Dark Knights?

  Love Melissa’s Writing?

  More Books By Melissa Foster

  Acknowledgments

  Meet Melissa

  A Note to Readers

  If this novella is your first introduction to the Whiskeys series, each book is written to stand alone, so dive right in to this riveting love story and fall in love with Penny and Scott.

  For avid fans of the Whiskeys, Penny and Scott have been two of my favorite supporting characters since I first met them earlier in the series, and I am thrilled to bring them to their happily ever after. I was taken by surprise, and quite delighted, when they came together in Quincy Gritt’s book, THE GRITTY TRUTH. This story takes place several months after Quincy’s book. I hope you love Penny and Scott as much as I do.

  If you’d like to read more about the Whiskeys and Penny and Scott, I suggest starting with TRU BLUE, the first book in The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor series.

  You can download the Whiskey family tree here:

  www.MelissaFoster.com/Wicked-Whiskey-Family-Tree

  See The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor series here:

  www.MelissaFoster.com/TheWhiskeys

  Remember to sign up for my newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out on future Whiskey releases:

  www.MelissaFoster.com/News

  For more information about my fun and emotional sexy romances, all of which can be read as stand-alone novels or as part of the larger series, visit my website:

  www.MelissaFoster.com

  If you prefer sweet romance with no explicit scenes or graphic language, please try the Sweet with Heat series written under my pen name, Addison Cole. You’ll find many great love stories with toned-down heat levels.

  Happy reading!

  ~ Melissa

  Chapter One

  A WARM SUNNY day, a cool breeze coming off the water, and the hottest guy in Peaceful Harbor all to myself. What more could a girl want?

  Penny Wilson opened her eyes, squinting against the sun at Scott Beckley, her boyfriend of almost seven months, lying beside her on the blanket on the deck of his small cruiser yacht, and she had her answer.

  More.

  With Scotty.

  He turned his face toward her, catching her staring, and a wolfish grin curved his lips. His dark eyes slid down her body, lingering on her yellow bikini top so long her nipples pebbled. His eyes ignited, continuing their stroll down her body, visually devouring her, slowing again when he reached her bikini bottom, the muscles in his jaw bunching. “Mm-mm. Hello there, sexy,” he said, rolling onto his side, giving her a glorious view of his six-plus feet of hard-bodied, work-with-his-hands ruggedness, naked save for his swim trunks.

  His long fingers trailed down her belly, coming to rest on the edge of her bikini bottom, his palm searing her skin. He had the biggest, strongest hands she’d ever seen, and he knew just how to use them. Lust slithered through her core, coiling tight and hot beneath his touch. His eyes climbed slowly back to hers, full of wanton desire. She’d never met a more sexually potent man. From the moment they’d finally come together, they’d been combustible. His fingers curled around her hip, and he hauled her closer. He shifted over her, his hard length rubbing deliciously against her.

  “You were too far away,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “I like you better beneath me.”

  Scott was a man of few words, but he knew just how to use them to make her wet and wanting. He was a master at it, a giver and a taker. That was why Penny had gone on birth control, because she didn’t want to delay gratification any more than he did. It was also why they never anchored too close to shore or other boats. They’d learned their lesson when they’d gotten carried away and were spotted in a compromising position by a passing boat full of rowdy twentysomethings.

  She wound her arms around him, her heart beating so fast, she knew he felt it. “Why, Mr. Beckley, are you trying to seduce me on your yacht?”

  Scott worked at the marina. He’d bought the old cruiser yacht for a song, and he’d spent the last year fixing it up, but he refused to call it by its proper name, referring to it as his boat instead. Penny didn’t give a hoot about money or material things, but she cared about Scott. She wished he’d take credit for his hard work and how far he’d come from the teenage boy who had spent years protecting his two younger sisters from abusive parents. He had been kicked out at seventeen and had made his way in the world working on oil rigs as an underwater welder. His two younger sisters, Sarah and Josie, had later escaped on separate occasions from their parents’ home in Florida using money Scott had left them. Unbeknownst to the others, Sarah and Josie had taken on new identities when they’d fled the state, and the three had lost touch. After a decade of looking, Scott had finally tracked them down almost two years ago and was now an integral part of their lives and a loving and protective uncle to their children.

  Scott arched a brow, unwinding her arms from around his neck and pinning them above her head as he said, “Are you trying to get me riled up, Penelope Anne?” He pressed his warm lips to the swell of her breast. “Because you know how I get when you rile me up.”

  Oh yes, she did, and she freaking loved it. She arched beneath him as he kissed a path along her breastbone and sank his teeth into her other breast just hard enough to send spikes of pleasure rippling through her and draw a needy sound from her lungs.

  “I was just calling your big-boy toy by its proper name,” she said breathily.

  “Funny. I didn’t hear you say cock,” he countered, using his teeth to drag her bikini top off her breast. He lowered his mouth over it, sucking hard.

  She writhed beneath him, pleasure radiating down her limbs. His dirty talk had as much of an effect as the feel of his tongue and teeth, but it wasn’t nearly enough. “If you’re going to taste my sugar, you might as well enjoy my sweetest spot.”

  He ignored her suggestion, his dark eyes flicking hungrily up to hers as he lavished her other breast with the same scintillating attention. He rocked his hard length against her, bringing her every nerve to the surface. Her entire body vibrated with desire.

 
; “Scotty,” she panted out, trying to free her hands. “I need to touch you.”

  His serious eyes scanned the empty waters around them. For as much of a taker as he was, he always watched out for her, making sure she was not only on board with his actions but also safe.

  In seconds he’d stripped them both naked, his eager erection reaching past his belly button. Penny’s body pulsed with the need to feel him buried deep inside her, to be enveloped in his arms, to feel their love exploding between them.

  She reached for him, but he shook his head, eyes dark as night as he lowered himself to his back and said, “I want you on my mouth and me in yours.”

  “Oh, you do, do you?” she teased, rising on her knees, loving the greed in his voice.

  She’d never been shy about her sexuality, but she’d never been with a guy she craved in the ways she craved Scott. When they’d first gotten together, he’d been too careful with her, tethering his desire to hold her tighter, flip her over, take a nip, or tug at her hair. She’d quickly waylaid his worries about hurting her, and now she loved taunting him.

  “Hell yes,” he said, like a curse.

  He grabbed her hips, lifting her off the blanket and lowering her so she was straddling his face. With one yank, he had her exactly where he wanted her, and he took his fill, sending exquisite pleasure coursing through her. Her hips bucked as she rode his mouth, moans streaming from her lips. With the hot sun on her back, he worked his magic, turning her into a writhing, moaning, pleading bundle of raw nerves. She was utterly lost in him. When he put one hand on her back, gently pushing her torso down, she remembered what else he wanted and was more than happy to comply. She wrapped her hand around his length and took him into her mouth, earning a guttural moan. They drove each other wild, sucking, licking, using their teeth. She used all the tricks she’d learned he loved, like heightening his arousal by continuing to pleasure him even as her climax engulfed her. She felt his muscles go rigid seconds before he flipped her onto her back and came down over her, entering her in one hard thrust. His strong arms circled her, lifting and angling, all the while devouring her mouth and pounding into her. She fought against another orgasm, wanting to experience it with him. Everything was better with him. Her nails dug into his back as he stroked that secret spot inside her with mind-numbing precision. Prickles of heat climbed up her limbs, seared through her veins. Just as her control shattered, he gave in to his own powerful release, tearing his mouth away and gritting out her name through clenched teeth.

  As they came down from their high, he cradled her in his arms, showering her with kisses, both of them breathless.

  “So good, Pen. You fucking destroy me.”

  You make me feel whole.

  She lay cocooned in his embrace, thinking about how far they’d come. She and Scott hung out with the same group of close-knit friends. This time last year, when Penny had attended a charity bachelor auction at Whiskey Bro’s bar, that was all she and Scott had been—friends. The Whiskeys were like family to them, and Dixie Whiskey-Stone had put the auction together. It was a no-brainer that their single-guy friends would volunteer to be auctioned off, including Scott and Quincy Gritt, Penny’s closest male friend. Almost everyone they knew had thought that Penny and Quincy would end up together.

  But she and Quincy had always known better.

  They’d become fast friends, but they’d never had the spine-tingling electricity between them that she and Scott had. The strange thing was, Penny hadn’t even realized how much she’d liked Scott until the night of the auction, when he’d strutted his badass self onstage, drawing the attention of every woman in the place. Penny would never forget the tightening of her stomach or the jealousy that had clawed at her as she’d watched women bid on him. She’d thought about bidding on Scott, but he had never seemed interested in her in that way. He’d seemed interested in Cassie Lawrence, who owned the bakery down the street from Penny’s ice cream shop. When Cassie had won the date with Scott, Penny had been shocked at how much it had bothered her. She’d been sure that Scott and Cassie would become an item, and that would be that.

  But they hadn’t.

  And her secret attraction to him had simmered and sparked inside her every time she was around him. But he’d given her no indication that he was interested until last November when he’d been babysitting for his sister Sarah and her fiancé Wayne “Bones” Whiskey’s three kids, Bradley, Lila, and Maggie Rose. Scott had called Penny asking if she would come help him with Maggie Rose, the baby. He’d sounded different, like a man who was interested in a woman, not just a buddy who needed help. The heat in his voice had gotten her all worked up. She’d done her best to play it cool, but after they’d put the kids to bed, he’d looked like a caged tiger, eyes blazing, restraint written in his taut muscles, and he’d practically growled, Are you into Quincy? His question had caught her off guard. Quincy had been hung up on his now-live-in girlfriend, Roni Wescott, for months, and she’d thought everyone knew it. When she’d said, No, Scotty. I’m into you, he’d hauled her into his arms and kissed the daylights out of her. And they’d been hot and heavy ever since.

  “This is the life, isn’t it? You and me, no responsibilities. Clothing optional.” He brushed a kiss over her lips and said, “We could sail away and disappear for a few weeks, just the two of us.”

  “That sounds wonderful.” She gazed up at his handsome face, getting drawn into his fantasy. He’d changed a lot from the closed-off guy he’d been when they’d met almost two years ago. Even his appearance had changed. His hair had been longer, blonder, too. Cut short, it looked more like dark chocolate than caramel swirl. His eyes were more relaxed, less hooded. She was pretty sure shadows of his abusive parents would always be hiding in those gorgeous dark eyes, and she wished she could take those memories away. Scott had warmed to Penny and their friends fairly quickly, but he’d opened up to her even more once they’d come together, letting her into his tortured, loving heart. A few weeks at sea with that brave, loyal, delicious man who deserved everything good in life would be heaven on earth.

  “There’s nothing stopping us,” he said.

  “As enticing as that would be, that little ice cream shop of mine won’t run itself.” Penny owned Luscious Licks in her quaint hometown of Peaceful Harbor, Maryland.

  “You hired three people for the summer. They can handle it.”

  He was right, they probably could. Penny had never needed permanent staff because she hadn’t minded working long hours, and Quincy and Josie had helped out when she was overloaded. But this summer she’d wanted evenings and weekends free to spend with Scott. The two teens and one twenty-two-year-old she’d hired had come highly recommended and had been doing an excellent job. She knew Scott was only kidding, but the idea was so appealing, part of her wished he wasn’t.

  “I don’t think Roni and Quincy would mind if we missed dinner at their house tomorrow night, but Sarah would be upset if you missed her wedding next weekend,” she reminded him.

  Penny couldn’t be happier for Sarah and Bones. While Scott and Josie had found their way to better lives after leaving home, Sarah had ended up in the hands of another abuser. When she and Bones had met, she’d had two young children and was pregnant with her third. Bones had fallen hard for Sarah and her children. He wanted to give Sarah the wedding she deserved, and he’d gone all out, booking the elegant Davenport Estate, forty-five minutes outside of Peaceful Harbor.

  The wedding would be bittersweet for Penny. She’d watched her older sister, Finlay, and most of their friends fall in love, and just as it had for her with Scott, love had come fast. But while the rest of her friends had moved forward and were living together, getting engaged or married, and having babies, she was living out of one drawer in his house, shuffling clothes back and forth from her apartment above her ice cream shop, even though they were together every night. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but he hadn’t said those three magical words that took a couple to the next le
vel to her yet. She didn’t want to say it first and put her heart on the line. Who was she kidding? Her heart was already on the line. But saying it first would make her feel more vulnerable, and every time she thought about why he hadn’t said it, which was a lot more often lately, she felt nauseous. She knew Scott loved her. She saw it in his eyes and felt it in everything he did. Even the way he was caressing her stomach right now was loving. But for a girl who wanted a family and a guy who didn’t, love might not be enough.

  Scott rose on one elbow. “I am looking forward to seeing you in that sexy little dress you bought.” His eyes trailed down her body. “And to stripping it off you at the end of the night.”

  Goose bumps chased up her skin.

  He trailed his fingers around her nipples, bringing them to hard peaks, and his eyes heated. “It’s good to see you’re looking forward to that, too.”

  God, she loved the things he said to her. “Who me?” She laughed softly. “I can’t wait to see you in your tux, walking Sarah down the aisle, and to hear them say their vows. They’re so in love. Aren’t you excited about the wedding itself?”

  “Sure. I’m happy for Sarah. All I’ve ever wanted was for her and Josie to be safe and happy. With Bones and Jed, I know they’ll always be well cared for.” Josie had married Jed Moon in February in an intimate gathering at Bones and Sarah’s house, where they’d first set eyes on each other. Their seven-year-old son, Hail, had been the ring bearer.

  “You’ll never have to worry about that again with the Whiskeys and the rest of our friends around,” Penny said.

  “That’s true.” He brushed a kiss to her lips and said, “I have a surprise for you.”

  “Is it anything like the surprise you just gave me? Because I don’t know if I can survive another yet.”

  He chuckled. “You’re going to love this one. You know the dessert festival at Echo Beach?” Echo Beach was about an hour away from Peaceful Harbor.