Going Wild (The Wild Ones Book 2)

by C. M. Owens

  “I do too,” Benson quickly says as the man asks him the same question.

  “You tricked me!” Lilah accuses, and Benson laughs as he kisses his bride without permission, subduing her once again.

  “You may kiss the bride,” the man sighs. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. And blah blah blah. Damn Wild One weddings,” he adds, grumbling as he walks away.

  It’s almost a roar of howls that break free around me, and I laugh, clapping as I watch Kylie howl with the rest of them. Hell, even I’m tempted to howl.

  But before I can decide on that, everyone is suddenly moving chairs. It turns into a frenzy as tables come out of nowhere, getting setup around the edges.

  I’m still sitting in the middle, me and my lone chair, completely dumbfounded by how fast they’re changing the whole setup.

  Idly, I spot Kylie as she’s pulling her boots off, carefully placing them in a box like they’re fragile, then places the box in a wooden chest, before shutting the lid and latching it.

  My lips tug up in a confused grin, because as always, she’s an enigma.

  I slowly stand, lift my chair, and move it to a table as the altar area turns into a small platform stage. They pull sheets off of it, revealing amps, and microphone stands come next.

  They pull back the small curtain that is hung on two poles to reveal a piano, drums, and a couple of guitars.

  My eyebrows go up, but I’m distracted when Becky is suddenly beside me, handing me a beer.

  “Did you like the cobbler?” she asks as I take the beer, admittedly checking the cap for puncture marks before I twist it off.

  “Killian loved it,” I tell her tightly, looking around for Kylie.

  This won’t look good, and I definitely need to look good on day one of our reunion. In the back of my mind, there was always this really stupid hope that she wouldn’t care about Felicia or the fact I was an absolute fucking dick to have forgotten her.

  “Oh,” Becky grumbles, then brightens immediately. “I’ll just bring you another one. They won’t be at your house later, will they? Because—”

  “Walk away, Becky,” Kylie’s voice interrupts as she comes up on my other side, smirking at Becky.

  Becky looks between us as Kylie steps against my side, and of course I drop my arm around her shoulders. Because, Kylie is jealous. And there’s no reason to be.

  I didn’t fucking move here for Becky.

  Becky swallows hard before backing away carefully, as though she’s watching for Kylie to attack and trying not to make any sudden movements.

  I can’t help but grin.

  “How many girls from Tomahawk have you fucked already?” Kylie asks me.

  And my smile dies.

  “None. Though one did fuck me with her mouth. I ended up chasing her to this…place.”

  I gesture around me as the madness ensues, and two girls get on stage in front of us with two guys.

  “You mean the girl you forgot to tell you were in a relationship?” she asks dryly.

  I knew that was coming.

  “I really did forget about Felicia—”

  “Not helping your case,” she butts in.

  Deep breath, Liam. “I haven’t been with anyone since you left that day.”

  That has her beer pausing at her lips, and she looks up at me.

  “What about all the girls who’ve been bringing this sexy, beardless, new guy daily gifts of food?”

  I smile slowly, reaching over to twirl one of her curls around my finger.

  “None. Kept wondering if you were ever going to get in on that action. I really did expect to open my door one day and find you there, burned homemade cupcakes in hand.”

  She snorts and looks away as people start dancing.

  Lilah shouts something to one of the girls singing, and she nods, grinning as Lilah and Benson take over the middle of the dance floor.

  Half the people are dancing. Half are eating.

  Kylie and I are just standing in the middle of it all, almost like that first night when people danced around us and I tried to pry into her head. I was worried she was a liability in over her abilities on that dive.

  Then I was just fascinated with the way she handled me, instead of blushing and stuttering like her look made me think she would. I was fascinated by how different she was from what I kept expecting.

  Then fucking addicted.

  “I don’t take men perfectly edible food just to get laid,” she says, and I tense.

  “Have you been with anyone since you left?”

  She smirks before drinking her beer, not answering that. Just as I start to grow agitated, she turns to face me.

  “I haven’t wanted to be with anyone. But that doesn’t mean—”

  I cut her off, pulling her to me so I can kiss her again. Because I can’t help myself. It’s been a long damn year.

  She melts against me just like she did earlier as catcalls emerge. She’s the one to break the kiss again, even as I try to resume it.

  She takes a look around at several people who are watching us, and my arms stay fastened around her, keeping her from getting too far away.

  “Well, at least you won’t have to worry about anyone bringing you any more food,” she says, patting my chest before smirking up at me. “You just made yourself unavailable by kissing me. Only the brave will venture near you now, Liam Harper. Or the unknowing.”

  My eyes flick back down to her lips. “I’m not sure how many more ways I can prove that I’m here for you. I mean, I’ve already gone to extreme, possibly insane measures that would terrify most people.”

  Her gaze flicks over my shoulder, and I turn my head to follow the path.

  Five massive men are staring at me, all of them glaring with their arms crossed over their chests. Ah fuck.

  Normally I wouldn’t back down from any sort of confrontation, but five-to-one are never good odds.

  Kylie pats my chest once more. “This night just got interesting,” she chirps, then sashays away, leaving me to dread my impending death on my own.

  But weirdly, I recognize the older of the five, and his eyes narrow on me like he recognizes me too. In fact, I’ve seen him twice. And twice, he told me to keep my mouth shut.

  I did, since I had no reason to risk my life for some gossip.

  I’m only distracted by a woman in a classy pant suit as she walks by in full-on hind-catcher gear. What the hell?

  This is my Wednesday.

  Chapter 11

  Wild Ones Tip #52

  When our song plays, shit’s about to go down. Rawr.

  KYLIE

  The Wild Ones have made it to the dance floor now, and people are getting launched into the air, making it more of a circus act than actual dance.

  “Who’s that?” Jason asks, glaring over at Liam as Liam watches me without subtlety, staring over the rim of his beer as he drinks it.

  “That is a guy who wants to date me,” I say, grinning darkly as I wait for him to go back to my father, who will then implode and scare Liam off.

  Which is what needs to happen.

  I can go back to trying to forget about him before he decides—on a whim—to suddenly move somewhere else, and breaks my heart in the process. We only knew each other for three weeks. I’m crazy, so I understand it taking me much too long to move on. But what’s his excuse?

  Jason, as expected, stalks off to go to my father and report back to him like a good little predictable giant.

  I watch, drinking my beer, and notice how Liam seems unconcerned with the whole scene as he joins Killian and Hale…who are doing a keg stand. On two separate kegs.

  Hey, where did the kegs come from? No one told me there was keg beer.

  Quickly, I look around, noticing I’ve lost sight of the Wilders. Never, ever lose sight of the Wilder brothers. Their sister is a little more on my crazy level. But the guys? Remember that whole wildcard thing?

  My eyes dart back to my father, noticing he’s drinking a beer with Bil
l, both of them looking at Liam, probably plotting his demise.

  Liam steps up and…does a keg stand. In his Armani suit.

  And it’s really freaking sexy.

  My eyes drift over to where a woman is walking in…is that a hind-catcher’s mask? It looks like she’s about to cop a squat behind a batter to catch the strikes. Even I find it weird.

  “Who’s that?” I ask while pointing obviously, not even looking to see who’s beside me.

  “That’s Benson’s mother,” Penny says, and I turn to face her, my eyebrow arching. “Lilah may have forever scarred her, so she’s…prepared now. Benson warned her there’d be paintballs.”

  That’s when I hear Krysta as she steps up to the microphone and says, “I’m a real wild child.”

  The music starts playing, and we all howl in unison.

  Barefoot, I spin around, diving under the table nearest to me as the first shot gets fired.

  No, not a gunshot. We’re not that kind of crazy. Well, not in this situation, anyhow.

  I grab the paintball gun strapped to the bottom of the table, and I roll back out, laughing uncontrollably as I start firing rapidly at anything that moves.

  “Stop!” Lilah shouts, and everyone stops immediately, fingers poised on triggers. Even the band stops playing. “This was my mother’s dress!” she loudly adds.

  Krysta grins as she speaks into the microphone. “Lilah’s in her mother’s dress. Don’t you fuckers dare get it dirty.”

  Everyone nods like that’s a perfectly understandable request, and the war resumes as the music starts again.

  Lilah walks through the chaos, and everyone shoots around her. I giggle like an idiot when my paintball blasts Hale right in the chest. That never gets old.

  My eyes widen when he turns his rapid-fire airsoft gun at me.

  I tuck and roll, diving out of the way, hoping everyone isn’t getting a shot of my fugly undies. Yeah, they’re not the Garfield ones I thought they were.

  Tate Nickel pointed out they have some other really scary cat on the crotch of them after I sailed over his head on the way to Penny’s. I’m not sure how I grabbed the wrong panties.

  Totally not the point right now.

  I take cover beside my dad as he fires at the Wilders who are…zip-lining toward us.

  When the hell did they get zip-lines installed?! This is why you aren’t ever supposed to lose sight of them!

  They’re shooting some ridiculous PVC thing, and fish are flying from it. Smelly, dirty, disgusting fish. Everything from minnow-wads to bream are flying through the air.

  Another Wilder comes sailing through on a rope swing, yelling like Tarzan as he rapidly fires more of the fish.

  Lilah takes a seat with a piece of cake, not even concerned with the madness as she eats it, ducking for a stray fish to fly over her head without ever looking up.

  I slide across the ground, firing at the next Wilder who comes down the zip-line. I hit Kai in the chest, and he turns that fishy shooter right at me.

  My eyes widen, but before I can scream, a fish comes flying at my face, slapping me right in the mouth.

  I gag. A little. Because it smells like they let the fish get real raunchy for a few days before deciding to use them for ammo. It tastes like warm garbage.

  I dive again, deciding I’d rather tangle with an airsoft gun than rancid fish. Nickels are using airsoft guns too, so I pop a few of them with my paintballs, snatching a refill canister from Jason’s hip as he runs by.

  Krysta continues to sing, dodging the occasional stray fish, and I tuck and roll right in front of the stage, popping a few of her brothers, before rolling again.

  I spot Liam firing an airsoft gun next to Hale, their backs together. He’s laughing too hard to really aim, and I can’t help but grin like an idiot.

  I never thought he’d fit in, yet he’s hanging with the Vincent brothers—of all people—like he’s their missing sidekick.

  Smirking, I crouch, making sure my dress isn’t showing anything it shouldn’t be, as I shoot him five times in the side before he can swing toward me.

  His eyes flare with excitement, and suddenly he’s shooting that damn thing rapidly at me. Those fuckers hurt too.

  I laugh, running back toward the Malone corner…but scramble to a halt when I see Jason holding up a grenade. My mouth opens in a silent scream, and he sees me too late, already throwing it.

  I try to jump out of the way, but I feel the wet blast of it against my legs, arms, and face as I fall to the ground, curling into the fetal position, and making myself as small as possible, while they launch five or six more.

  It’s like one wet blast after another, my body right in the kill zone.

  Paint is all over me now.

  Those dicks better be glad I put my precious suedes up nice and safe.

  I’d kill them. For real.

  Two arms grab me, and I look up as Liam hoists me up, dragging me quickly back to where he and Hale are firing toward my family.

  Normally I wouldn’t shoot at my own, but those fuckers just launched a grenade arsenal while I was in the line of fire.

  I prop up beside him, and I start ticking them off, hitting them hard in the chests. That’ll leave some pretty bruises because they didn’t wear the thick chest plates.

  My dad yelps when I catch him right smack dab in his arm pit, and he narrows his eyes at me. I shoot him again right on his thigh, smirking when he drops to the ground. Then I hit Jason right in the balls.

  Goliath collapses with a pale face. I actually hope I didn’t hurt him too bad, because I didn’t aim for that.

  Hale and Liam both groan with sympathy, but I don’t stop firing until the song ends.

  All the while, Lilah has finished up her cake, and now she’s dabbing the corners of her lips like a dainty little princess. Not one drop of dirt or paint is on her beautifully white dress.

  I’m panting heavily as I drop the gun.

  “That’s all?” Liam asks, sounding oddly disappointed when he notices everyone putting away their weapons.

  “End of the song. Don’t worry, sharp shooter; they’ll sing it again,” Hale tells him, laughing as Liam frowns, reluctantly relinquishing his weapon.

  “Come on. We’ll get a drink,” I say on a sigh.

  Liam smiles down at me, one of his hands going for my curls again. I let him. Somehow the paint avoided my hair. At least I think so. It better have, or so many Malones are going to pay.

  “Kylie Malone never lets anyone touch her curls, so I have to be nosy,” Nila Wilder says as she joins us, reaching past us to use the keg.

  I roll my eyes as Liam’s hand falls away from my hair.

  “I stalked her here all the way from LA, so I guess she takes pity on me, since I love those curls.”

  Nila’s eyes finally turn to take him in, and they widen as she says, “Hibbida Hibbida.”

  Don’t know what that means? No one does. She tends to mumble gibberish when she finds someone attractive and tries to speak to them.

  “What?” Liam asks with a grin.

  Her eyes widen more as she blushes and darts a panicked gaze at me. Since she came over here to mock me, I just grin, enjoying the moment. It’s always fun to remember Nila is just as human as the rest of us, since nothing else seems to faze her.

  Penny joins us, smiling wildly as she saves Nila. “All the hearts of the non-Wild Ones just broke,” Penny says on a long, mock sigh, gesturing back at a few women who are watching us with annoyed eyes.

  I shake my head, not correcting her, because I want the she-wolves at bay. Only the Wild Ones should howl. Yeah. I know that sounds lame, but I’m in a mood. Lame is all I have right now.

  “Non-Wild Ones?” Liam asks, frowning as he looks back at me.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I wasn’t saying Kylie doesn’t still want you,” Penny laughs.

  When I give her the eye, she stops laughing immediately, catching on.

  “Anyway,” she goes on, looking back over at him
. “I meant the non-Wild Ones would never be brave enough to go after a man in challenge. But a Wild One…wouldn’t back down if they wanted something, right, Nila?”

  She elbows Nila, who clears her throat and nods, turning five more shades of red. She has no clue what she’s even agreeing with. She’s just ready to get the hell out of here.

  Penny flashes a grin at me again, and I try not to smile back. Wouldn’t want Liam’s head swelling.

  “Good thing you’re all friends, though. Otherwise, life would be complicated,” Penny goes on.

  Nila squeaks a sound, then curses under her breath, giving up the hope of speaking as Penny leaves.

  Nila finishes filling up her cup, and Liam looks adorably confused.

  The young Wilder bumps her hip with mine, glaring at me like she’s mad I didn’t warn her. I hold a very straight face, even as she silently tells me all the things she knows her mouth won’t.

  Then she’s gone, and I silently laugh to myself.

  “She’s a Wild One?” Liam asks, confused.

  Nila, for all intents and purposes, looks anything but wild. Her hair is blonde and beautifully straight. It hangs down to her waist. And her dress is actually a really nice one, for a change.

  She looks completely polished and put together, despite the fact we just went to war. She’s the kind of pretty that makes you instantly hate a girl, but then she’s also really awkward and adorable, so you hate her more for making you adore her. And at the same time, you sort of freaking love her too.

  She’s complicated like that.

  Usually, she goes for the whole Jane of the Jungle look just to scare the hell out of people—make them worry about just how wild the Wilders have gone. Then she’ll have spells where she gets tired of that and dresses normal.

  “Yep,” I say with a frown, noticing how he’s staring after her. “And her brothers would kill you dead for looking at her like that.”

  His lips turn back up in a grin that is taunting as he faces me again.

  “I’m just confused by the gibberish she spoke. I’m only into girls with Shirley Temple curls, who stay covered in paint.”

  I grimace, remembering that I am, in fact, covered in paint. How did I forget that?