by Chiah Wilder
With her back to him, she nodded. Animal could tell by the way her body stiffened and how she slammed the pot down on the stove that she was still angry at him. He stood there for a couple of seconds, and when she didn’t acknowledge his presence, he opened the back door and walked out without uttering a single word.
* * *
A SOUND LIKE a car backfiring brought Animal to his feet and reaching for his 9mm in the pocket of his leather jacket laying on the chair. He crossed over to the window and peered through the slats of the blind. A man in jeans and a red hoodie slammed the door of a silver sedan parked in front of Olivia’s house. The guy hurried up the sidewalk and pounded on the door as he kept looking over his shoulder.
The coppery glow from the setting sun shone on Olivia’s face as she opened the door. Animal noticed her facial muscles tighten, and she didn’t look too pleased to see the man. She closed the door slightly and hugged the doorframe with the side of her body.
A sudden uneasiness punched through Animal as he watched the two of them talk. Olivia’s face looked strained as the man took a few steps closer to her and started to wave his hands around.
“That’s it, asshole,” Animal muttered as he backed away from the window. The dude was yelling at Olivia and it was scaring her, and Animal was going to shut that shit down. Now.
“Lucy,” he called out at the bottom of the stairs. “Come here for a sec.”
The girl appeared at the top of the stairs. “What do you want?”
“I’m going over to Olivia’s for a minute, okay?”
Lucy shrugged.
“I’m locking the doors and I don’t want you going out or opening the door to anyone.”
Her eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just want you to be safe. I’ll be back soon. Now go back to your room and finish what you were doing.”
“Okay.” She turned around and disappeared down the hallway.
Animal stepped onto the porch, making sure the front door locked behind him, then glanced over at Olivia’s. The sound of angry voices rose suddenly to a shout, and Animal sprinted across the lawn and up the sidewalk.
“What the fuck’s going on here?” he said.
The man turned around. “This isn’t any of your business,” he gritted. His eyes flashed like an angry bull, and red blotches spotted his face.
“The fuck it isn’t.” Animal looked at Olivia. “You want this fucker to leave?”
She grasped the collar of her turtleneck and nodded.
The man snapped his gaze back to Olivia. “We’re not finished here.”
In one smooth movement, Animal had the guy by the neck, dragging him down the sidewalk to his car. The guy took several punches at him, one that landed on the side of his face. The asshole was a strong fucker, he’d give him that, but Animal quickly bounced back and threw a few punches that seemed to calm the jerk down.
“Get the fuck outta here, and I don’t want to see you back in this neighborhood. You will not bother Olivia again, got it?”
The jerk fumbled with his keys then opened the door and quickly closed and locked it. Animal stood with arms crossed, watching until he drove away. He smelled Olivia’s enticing scent before he saw her approach him.
“Are you all right?” she asked, her fingers gently brushing his bruised skin.
“I’ll live. Who the fuck was that?”
“Brady Sickles—he’s the gym teacher at Slavens. He’s blaming me for my friend Ivy breaking up with him.” She gave him a weak smile. “The creep conveniently forgot to tell my friend that he was married.”
“What a fuckhead. Why’s it your fault?”
Olivia wrapped her arms around herself. “Good question. The guy’s weird, and I never understood what my friend saw in him. I say she’s lucky he’s out of her life. Sickles gives me the creeps.”
“If he comes around again, let me know.”
“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” she said softly.
“Anytime.” He looked over at his house then back at her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and taste her lips, but he wasn’t sure she’d want him to do that, and he didn’t want to piss her off. Instead he stared at her. Damn … she captivated him in a way no other woman had before.
“Is Lucy at home?” Olivia asked.
Animal saw her shaking from the cold and he tilted his head in the direction of her porch. “Yeah, and you should go inside—it’s damn chilly out here. I gotta get back to Lucy.”
“I am freezing.” She laughed and rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to warm them.
“Are you free for dinner on Saturday?”
“I am.” Her green eyes sparkled like a bright, clear emerald, and in the fading light, they looked as though they were deep enough to hold a galaxy. He just stood there intoxicated with their depth. “What time?”
“Uh …?” he replied, his gaze still boring into hers.
“The time you want to meet for dinner on Saturday?”
Animal dragged his eyes away from hers and looked back at his house. “Oh, yeah. I’ll pick you up at seven o’clock. Does that work?”
“That’s perfect.”
“You better get outta the cold. I’ll see you around.” He turned away before he did anything stupid like yanking her close to him and running his hands down to her ass, or telling her that he couldn’t get her out of his damn mind. Shit … the woman had him spinning in circles.
“Bye,” she cried out behind him.
He held his hand up in the air as he walked toward his house. The last rays of the sun faded behind charcoal clouds as darkness crept in. Animal heard her front door close before he jumped up on his porch and went inside the house.
He took out the gun from the waistband of his jeans and went over to the wall safe and put it inside, then he crossed the room and glanced out the window, noticing light seeping through the damn sheets on Olivia’s windows. “When the fuck’s she gonna get rid of those?” he muttered under his breath as he turned around.
Animal walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, then took out a beer, a package of red leaf lettuce, and a large plastic container of food—courtesy of Jada. He unsnapped the lid on the food and put the chicken and dumplings into a pan that was on a burner, and then popped open the beer can.
He was going on a date with Olivia on Saturday. The thought scared and excited him at the same time. If his brothers knew about it, they’d have a heyday with all their joking. The truth was, Animal had never worked so hard to hook up with a chick.
He took a long drink and leaned against the granite counter. The thing that scared the shit out of him was that even though he wanted Olivia in his bed in the worst way, Animal also wanted to get to know her better—to talk to her and share ideas. Yeah … that was fucked up.
He crushed the can and tossed it into the trash, and then ripped open the packaged salad and emptied the contents into a bowl.
Chapter Sixteen
ANIMAL WOULD BE here before long to take her out to dinner. At the thought of that, Olivia’s hands trembled and her insides lurched for the umpteenth time that day. Ever since that morning, her stomach had gone crazy: coffee tasted bad; her favorite almond biscotti tasted worse.
“This is insane,” she said as she tossed the latest outfit on the bed to join the four already discarded ones. “Ugh!” She flopped down on the rocking chair and slowly moved back and forth to try and calm her frazzled nerves.
What was wrong with her? Was it the date with Animal? Ridiculous. Olivia had started dating when she was fourteen and she’d had a steady supply of boyfriends or casual dates until her breakup with Kory when she’d put herself into the deep freeze. So what was the big deal with Animal? She closed her eyes and the memory of the way he held her and kissed her filled her mind. Her lids snapped open. So he was a good, no, great … no, fantastic kisser … so what? And then there was the way he treated Lucy with such love and tenderness.
“Stop!” Oliv
ia pressed her hands against her stomach. “It’s just a fucking date. No biggie. I just have to remember to not make it into anything more than what it is. That shouldn’t be too hard since he’s a biker and I know exactly how those guys are. Right. Just remember that and get over it.” When she was nervous, she talked to herself like a madwoman.
One time when she’d gone on a job interview, Olivia had been so edgy that she talked aloud the whole ride up in the empty elevator, and when the doors opened, the people waiting couldn’t hide their apprehension when no one else exited the car but her.
Olivia leapt from the chair and went into the bathroom once more to check her reflection in the mirror. “Too much eyeshadow,” she murmured as she took a Q-tip and blended some of it away. Satisfied, she padded over to her closet again and stared at her clothes trying to figure out what to wear. Animal hadn’t mentioned the restaurant to which they were going, so she wasn’t sure if jeans would be appropriate. She flipped through her clothes, the metal hangers scraping lightly on the bar. Maybe something ultra conservative. That would keep everything in perspective.
A crimson top with lace along the V-neck collar and sleeves caught her eye. She’d bought it a couple of months before and hadn’t worn it yet. She slipped the top over her head and grabbed a short black pleated skater skirt and shimmed it up her legs. Olivia looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of her closet door. The crimson color accentuated her flawless complexion and made her wavy brunette hair darker.
“Not exactly conservative,” she said, rolling up her thigh-highs before sliding on her black high-heeled pumps.
Olivia put several different sizes of gold hoops into the three holes in her right ear and the two in her left and pushed a few gold and silver bangles onto her right wrist.
“Not bad,” she muttered as she inspected herself in the mirror. “Not bad at all.” She tugged down on the hem of her skirt, then swirled around and looked over her shoulder to make sure her butt and upper thighs were properly covered. The skirt fell mid-thigh, which was just perfect. Olivia was shooting for an elegant look with a hint of sexy, and she thought she’d accomplished it.
Just as she finished spritzing her perfume, the doorbell rang and her gut clenched. Grabbing her purse and coat, she switched off the bedroom light and walked slowly toward the living room, her nerves winding tighter with each step.
Olivia paused to look through the peephole and found Animal filling the small space. She unlocked the door and swung it open to let him in, an unsteady smile plastered on her face.
“Hi,” she said as her eyes skimmed over him. The way he was dressed surprised and warmed her. He wore a button-down gray shirt with thin black pinstripes, the sleeves folded back to his elbows. The pants were black, straight-legged with a small cuff, his belt, black leather with light gray stitching, and his boots were polished. Only his black jacket, adorned with patches and buckles, gave any indication that he was a biker.
Something inside her stilled, then simmered, calming her nerves and quieting the churning in her belly.
“Hey,” he said, taking a step back. His eyes slowly teased over her, all the way down to her pumps, and she blushed when they moved up and met her gaze. “You look beautiful,” he murmured.
“Thanks,” she said lightly, then added, “You dress up pretty well yourself.”
His gaze skimmed over her again, then Animal cocked his head toward his SUV and said, “Are you ready to go?”
“Let me just grab my things.” She turned away to put on her coat that she’d quickly tossed on the couch, then picked up her purse and locked the door after they both headed out.
As they strolled down the walkway, Animal leaned enough that their shoulders brushed, and his subtle touch brought far more tingles skating along her spine than Olivia would’ve liked. When they got to the car, she went to open the door, but his hand landed on hers and the tingles intensified. If her body was reacting this way before they even started their date, she was totally screwed. Drawing in a deep breath, she released the handle slowly as her hand dropped to her side.
Animal opened the passenger door and stood aside, and Olivia stepped onto the running board then slid into the seat. The door slammed shut and she fumbled with the seatbelt, trying to ignore the scent of his cologne wisping around her as he climbed into the driver’s side.
“Let me help you with that,” he said, leaning over.
His hand brushed against hers as he secured the belt into the buckle, and she had the overwhelming urge to bury her fingers in his thick hair and take a deep breath of his spicy, earthy smell.
“I made a reservation for us at the Buckhorn Steakhouse. Have you been there?”
“No, but I heard it’s very good.” And expensive. I couldn’t justify going there on my own, especially since I still have sheets for curtains.
“It kicks ass.” He looked over at her and winked then switched on the engine.
“Speaking of kicking ass, the burger I had at your club’s restaurant was one of the best I’ve eaten. I’m surprised that an outlaw club owns such a …” she struggled to find the right word without insulting him and the Insurgents.
“Is nice the word you’re looking for, or maybe chic or urban?” He laughed. “We got a lot of businesses in Pinewood Springs.”
“Do you have the requisite strip bar?”
“We do—Dream House, but we also have a barbecue restaurant and some other investments. We’re gonna build some apartments with stores on the ground floor. Axe’s old lady is working on the designs.”
“One of your brother’s old lady is an architect?” That’s a first for me—an outlaw that is secure enough to have a woman with a career as his partner. Dad and his club preferred the ones who only knew two words—yes sir.
“Yeah—Baylee. The club’s planning a family grill when the weather warms up, so you can meet some of the old ladies.”
A trill of pleasure skipped through her at his words; he was planning on sticking around until the warm weather, at least. She leaned back against the headrest and looked out the window; dusty pink and indigo clouds stretched across the sky, and houses and streetlights blurred past as the car sped down the road.
“Where do you usually hang out?” he asked.
“My friends and I do a lot of dinner parties at each other’s place, or we go to My Brother’s Bar off of Decatur Street. They have trivia night, and taco Tuesdays, karaoke, and a bunch of other things going on there. It’s fun.”
“I’ve never been.”
She laughed. “It’s not a biker bar, that’s for sure.”
Animal chuckled. “Yeah—it doesn’t sound like my thing. I’m not into karaoke or shit like that.”
“Besides the clubhouse parties, what do you do for fun?”
“The clubhouse is basically where it’s at, you know. My buddies are there and other brothers from different chapters show up—it’s good times. If we go outside the club, Belly’s Blue is cool, but our go-to is Steelers. We have family night there at least once, sometimes twice, a month.”
“I figured Steelers was a biker bar. I always see a ton of Harleys in the lot when I go by,” Olivia said.
“Citizens go there too ’cause the food’s decent and the drinks are cheap.”
By the time they arrived at the restaurant, the sun had dipped behind the horizon, and the shadows of the trees and bushes melted away into the blackness of night. Animal led the way into the steakhouse, and Olivia’s stomach fluttered when he pressed his hand to the small of her back.
The restaurant was packed, and Olivia looked around as the hostess guided them to their table. Linen tablecloths and napkins, rich burgundy leather booths, cherry hardwood floors, lavish Karastan rugs, and two wood-burning fireplaces created an elegant ambiance. The aroma of wine and grilled meat wafted in the air, and her stomach gave an audible growl. A cacophony of cutlery on china, clinking glasses, and chatter filled the air.
“This is perfect,�
� Animal said as he pulled out a chair for her at the table for two.
“Thanks,” Olivia said, sitting down.
He sat down opposite her and took the menus the hostess handed him. Smiling at Olivia, he handed her one. She put it down on the table and looked through the window. Floodlights shone on evergreen and aspen trees, accenting the foliage, and in the distance, the jagged peaks soared into the night, the stars casting navy blue light upon their silhouettes.
After the waiter took their drink order—whiskey for him, a vodka martini for her—Olivia spread the burgundy linen napkin across her lap, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to look at Animal. “I bet the view is spectacular in the daylight.”
“It is.” His gaze penetrated hers.
“Do you come here often?” she asked, looking away.
“Not really. Are you nervous?”
Her eyes snapped back to his. “No,” she replied too quickly. Real cool and casual.
“You don’t need to be. I don’t bite.” Animal chuckled. “Unless you want me to.” He winked at her and her insides melted.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied, grateful that the waiter had arrived with their drinks.
“Do you have any questions about the menu?” the server asked.
Neither of them had looked at their menus yet.
“Give us a few minutes, okay?” Animal said as he picked up the tumbler of whiskey.
“Very good, sir.” The waiter turned away.
Animal leaned back against the chair. “Where’re you from?” he asked Olivia.
“San Diego.”
His eyebrows raised slightly. “You’re a ways from home. How did you end up in Pinewood Springs?”
“I stayed with a friend of mine in Denver for a while, but I wanted to get away from city living, so I applied for the teaching assistant job at Slavens.”
“Why did you move from San Diego in the first place?” Animal asked.
“Just needed a change.” The memory of her brother’s funeral flitted through her mind, replaced by the rough face of Iceman—her dad’s idea of the ideal man for her.
