Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries)

viper’s tongue wasn’t through inflicting damage. “I’m going to enjoy moving into that little house you’ve had your eye on. I think it’s just perfect for newlyweds starting out. Maybe you’ll have the money to buy it from us when we’re ready to upgrade.”
    “That’s my house,” I said, eyes squinted and adrenaline pumping.
    And before I knew it, my arm developed a mind of its own. In slow motion, wine flew from my glass and splashed all over the front of Veronica’s silver gown, making the thin material even more indecent.
    She took about five seconds to assess the damage and let out with a screech that would do a banshee proud.
    “You cunt!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
    You could hear the collective gasp run through the entire ballroom. The C word was never used outside of bars or gaming halls and certainly not by a woman.
    I never saw her coming. The next thing I knew I was on the ground with chocolate cake squished between us and her bony knees in my stomach. I screamed in pain and pulled her hair, bucking my body from underneath to try and dislodge her. I’m sure we made a sight, rolling around across the ballroom floor.
    I scratched and clawed, and it was the only time in my life I’ d been sorry for being a girl because that’s exactly how I fought. I heard fabric rip and got a face full of bare breasts. I did the only thing I could before being suffocated and poked her in the eyes just like I’d learned from The Three Stooges .
    Greg loomed above us, trying desperately to break up the fight. He grabbed Veronica under the armpits and tried to lift her off me. I could tell he was thinking this episode was going to be hell on the insurance business. Veronica’s head snapped back and flattened Greg’s chiseled Roman nose and I started to laugh uncontrollably.
    I finally levered myself up to my knees and was able to get a solid punch to Veronica’s face. I had enough time to hear the satisfactory crunch of bone and cartilage before I felt a jolt on my ass and my brains scramble.

CHAPTER NINE

    Saturday

    I cracked my eyes open and looked through hazy vision to see Nick staring down at me, his face inches from my own.
    “Am I dead?”
    “Not yet,” he said.
    When I woke again, bright light was streaming through my bedroom curtains and every inch of my body ached. In fact, it had been so long since my body didn’t ache I was getting used to the feeling.
    My brain was fuzzy and I had a monster headache, so I carefully got out of bed and climbed into the shower. It was after I’d gotten in and turned on the water that I realized I hadn’t had to take my clothes off. Someone had already done that for me.
    Nick.
    I began searching my memory for what could have possibly happened the night before. Surely I didn’t have the only wild night of sex I’d ever experienced and then promptly forgotten it. I stuck my head under the hot spray and winced as the water hit the open scratches on my chest and arms.
    Oh Yeah.
    It was all starting to come back now. I’d made a fool of myself. Again. And Nick was lying scum, just like Greg. I was starting to see an unhealthy pattern develop and somehow I needed to change things. I vaguely remembered visions of Nick at some point during my unconsciousness, but that’s where it ended.
    I wrapped a white towel around my head and put on a soft cotton robe, since that would be the least painful to my wounds, and headed into the kitchen.
    “You need to put some antiseptic on those scratches so they don’t get infected. I put some on you last night, but you need to keep applying it.”
    I whirled around in surprise and clasped a hand to my throat at the sight of Nick sitting at my breakfast table with the newspaper in front of him and a bowl of cereal in his hands. His hair was still damp from his shower and his feet were bare a nd propped up on another chair.
    “Thanks for the medical advice. Now get the hell out of my apartmen t,” I said, turning my back on him to get a cup of coffee. I should have known he wouldn’t listen.
    He was silent as he moved close behind me. I don’t know whether it was his sexy scent or the way I began to tingle as he approached, but I knew he was there. Still, I jumped when he placed his hand on my shoulder.
    “Would you like to share why you’re so angry with me, when in my opinion, it should be me that’s angry with you? After all, it was my date that got into a knockdown drag out fight in the middle of the