Anna climbed into his white F-150 and looked around. The floorboard was covered in grass clippings and dirt. The dash had various catalogs for power lawn equipment and blank invoices. She saw a black leather datebook that had some dirty fingerprints on it. A lone McDonald’s cup sat in the cup holder.
“My truck, my music, by the way, so if you don’t like Brantley Gilbert, I’m afraid you are going to have to suffer.”
Anna giggled and looked over at Kyle. He was not a man she would have pegged for a country music fan.
“What? You think someone like me wouldn’t listen to some country?”
Anna shook her head. “I figured Metallica or Korn, but not Brantley.”
He laughed and glanced at her. “Oh, I like them too, but some days I just enjoy myself some country.”
Anna nodded in agreement. “Me too.”
“I am glad we are in agreement on what to listen to at least. Music is generally the first way you learn if you will get along with someone or not.”
Anna nodded again. “It is. I can’t be friends with people who regularly listen to Kenny G or Michael Bolton. They remind me of my grandma too much!”
“Now, now, there are some good Michael Bolton songs. How ’bout ‘Jack Sparrow’? You can’t lie and say that’s a bad song.”
Kyle began to belt out several lines of the Lonely Island song causing Anna to clutch her stomach in a fit of giggles.
“Oh my geebus! Stop! That song is too funny!” His Michael Bolton impersonation was killing her.
Kyle laughed too.
“Another Lonely Island fan, I see. Let me serenade you with more!”
Kyle sang lines from at least three other songs, causing Anna to snort.
“Ha ha ha ha, I made you snort! That’s awesome!” Kyle blurted. He banged his steering wheel in amusement.
“Oh, shush!” Anna continued to laugh. She was enjoying his company and was regretting that they were now pulling into the parking lot of the auto parts store.
A few minutes later they were done recovering the part and were back at her car, pulling the old part off.
“Tell me why you have an old Camaro instead of some little compact car. Don’t get me wrong, I love these cars myself, especially since my old man drove one when I was younger, but there has to be a reason why you are driving some unruly, gas-guzzling beast that’s hard to drive in rain and snow,” Kyle said while banging on the small part he was replacing.
Anna leaned against her blue baby casually and folded her arms against her chest. Her father had asked her the same question a few weeks ago, and she was tired of having to explain it.
“I just love these things. My dad bought one when I was fifteen, and I was only allowed to drive it on weekends when I was in high school. I fell in love with Camaros then and wanted one of the new ones when they first came out. But when I drove one, something was missing. I dunno what it was, but once I found this old man, I knew I would never be happy driving any other car. I might eventually get a little Honda or something, but for now, this is enough for me.”
Kyle looked up from under the hood of her car and nodded.
“I get that. People sometimes ask me why I am driving around some beat-up, seventeen-year-old pickup, but I love it and plan on driving it until it falls apart.”
Kyle wiped his hands on some napkins Anna had recovered from inside her car, and slammed the hood shut.
“Well, we are done here. Want me to follow you home? If you still wanted one, I could give you a quote on your lawn too.”
Anna pushed off from her car, happy this afternoon was going much better than she could have expected when she first couldn’t start her car. “Sure. Let’s go!”
It took them ten uneventful minutes to get out to Anna’s house on Otter Gap Road. Since her place of employment was already on the edge of town, her house was well into the country. Dwarfed by an acre of field in the front and two acres of lightly wooded backyard, her small two-bedroom house was perfect as far as Anna was concerned. It was far enough back no one could see into her open windows but not so far back she couldn’t see someone pulling into her paved driveway. Eventually she wanted to start a garden on part of the property and dig a pond, but for now she was happy with her overgrown flower beds and shade trees. Her house might not be new, and it might not be large, but she had bought it for the land. She was lucky a family friend was moving to Florida and had wanted to sell it cheap.
“Welcome to Casa Mara, home to Anna and Chester, the big ginger tabby.” Anna gestured, welcoming Kyle to her home when he got out of his truck.
“Damn, lady, got enough yard?” Kyle clicked his tongue, taking in the fence row separating her property from the rolling cow pasture next to it.
“Yeah, it’s a bit much for me to maintain, obviously, since I don’t have one of those big riding mowers you landscapers do.” Anna surveyed the six-inch high grass. “Takes me all weekend with my tiny push mower, and it died last weekend cutting the weeds along the fence row, so yeah, I need help.”
Kyle chuckled and jotted down some notes on a scratch pad he had taken from his truck.
“I can fix you right up. Let me walk around for a few minutes, and I can give you a price, okay?”
Anna nodded and headed towards the house. “Kyle, just come right on in the front door when you are done. I will have some tea waiting out for you.”
Kyle simply grunted and walked around the side of her house, mumbling. Anna was a little worried he would quote her some outrageous price now that he had seen her yard, but then she remembered he hadn’t even mentioned what she owed him for the part for her car. Maybe he would give her a discount for being a hot mess.
Anna deposited her purse on the small end table inside her front door and headed straight to the kitchen, where her howling ball of fur was waiting by his food dish.
“Chester, my main man, how was your day of napping?” she cooed, opening a new can of food for him.
A simple meow was his only response as Chester dug in.
“Does your cat talk back?”
Anna jumped and turned towards the voice. “Kyle! You scared me to death. I wasn’t expecting you in so quickly.”
Kyle smiled and slid into a seat at her kitchen bar. “I didn’t need much time. I have a pretty standard rate for property like yours. I was mainly just looking to see if you had any thickets or sinkholes out there.”
Anna busied herself getting down tea glasses and pouring their refreshments.
“So how bad is it?” she asked, putting the glass of tea down in front of him. She remained standing comfortably on the other side of the bar.
“Not bad at all. Your land is pretty flat with no major obstacles, so a crew should be able to get in and out easily.”
He then quoted her a price that was about what she was thinking it should cost.
“Oh, excellent.” Anna was relieved. “When can you guys come out here?”
Within a few minutes, Anna and Kyle had a date, time, and method of payment worked out for lawn care. She was excited to finally not have to worry about at least one item in her life.
“I guess I should be going,” Kyle finally said. He sounded slightly disappointed, and Anna suddenly didn’t want him to go. She reached out her hand and placed it on his colorful forearm. She could feel him tense under her fingers. Her blue eyes met his green ones.
“Wait, what do I owe you for helping me out today? We didn’t discuss it.”
Kyle shifted in his seat and looked down where she was touching him. Anna studied his handsome, chiseled face while he was momentarily distracted. He had a small scar running beside his slightly crooked nose. It gave him a tough-guy look. Another small scar ran through his right eyebrow, as if it had been split in a fight. Long, dark lashes framed rounded eyes. A dimple parted the two halves of his perfect chin below two inviting lips. Anna’s brain began thinking about what it would be like to kiss this man and take him back to her bed. She wondered if the nipple rings she c
ould see pushing his shirt out made his nipples really sensitive like some of the women she knew had said.
“I was secretly hoping you would forget about that.” He chuckled.
“Nope, not forgetting.”
She really liked the deep sound of his voice. It did interesting things to her body. Hearing it now, after imaging him over her in bed, made parts low in her body tighten. All should think about between their banter was what he would sound like whispering what a dirty girl she was in her ear.
“I know how you can make it up to me then.”
“Hmmm?” Anna leaned forward and placed her elbows on the counter between them, still lost in her naughty thoughts of her hot landscaper.
“You could go out to dinner with me on Friday.”
Anna jerked up and went wide-eyed.
“Or not. Sorry. Too forward. What was I thinking? Maybe being single for so long addled my brain. Sorry. Sorry,” Kyle babbled as he stood, turning towards the door.
Anna moved quickly around her bar top and grabbed Kyle’s arm, spinning him around to face her. His face was flushed red in embarrassment.
“I have this crazy ex who seems to know everyone, and I figured maybe you knew her and you didn’t want to go out with me because of that and…” Kyle blurted.
Anna was momentarily confused but recovered quickly. “I don’t know your crazy ex, but she can’t be that bad.”
“Sorry, I babble sometimes,” he said sheepishly.
“No need to be sorry, silly man,” she said, playfully slapping his bicep. It was like slapping a piece of wood. “I was lost in thought and was startled. Of course I will go out with you on Friday, even if you have a crazy ex. I can handle myself.”
Her smile was met with a sigh of relief.
“How about Rooster’s at five then? I will meet you there?”
Anna nodded and both of them began the short journey across her living room towards the front door.
“I will see you then,” she said, watching him walk away.
Just as Kyle climbed into his truck, he called back to her. “Can I call you before then?”
“Yes!”
Anna smiled and turned back into the house at the sound of him backing up in her drive. She sighed deeply as the door shut behind her. Chester ran up to her legs and head butted them.
“I have a hot date, kitty man. Finally.” Chester looked up quizzically and walked off.
“Pfftt, just like a cat to not be excited about anything.”
Chapter Three
‡
The next day, Anna’s harrowing tale of broken-down cars and landscaping quotes was analyzed and rehashed by all the ladies at her work.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you got a date out of all that.” Sam squealed from beside Anna. “Actually, I can, because, lady, you are smokin’ hot and you are the sweetest. I am glad it was with someone just as good lookin’ as you, finally.”
“You flatter me!” Anna replied, continuing about her work. A small buzz rattled her desk. A text? she wondered. No one ever texted her at work. All her non-work friends knew better than to try to get a hold of her during daylight hours. Maybe it was a doctor or nurse practitioner asking questions about their billing? It was possible since it was in her job description. Anna tried not to freak out as she flipped her phone over to see who it was.
Anna made a pleased noise as she read the text.
“I know that giggle,” Liz stated from behind her. “It’s gotta be something good. I heard your phone buzz, so it has to be him. Am I right?”
The whole office erupted in curious and well-meaning questions as well as laughter.
“You nosey old bats! Of course it’s him.” Anna shushed them all and tried to focus back on work again. Kyle had sent her a text telling her he couldn’t wait until Friday to talk to her again. She had just been thinking about texting him before she received his text.
For the rest of the day, Anna alternated between grinning like a villain and working. Kyle continued to text her back and forth, talking about cars, music, and Lonely Island songs. Anna was amazed when it was time to go home, because the last time she bothered to look it was lunch.
The rest of the work week flew by in a haze of laughter and texts. Anna was excited to see Kyle when Friday rolled around. She wasn’t nervous, just curious to see if they could keep up the obvious chemistry they had whenever they texted each other.
Pulling up to Rooster’s at fifteen till five, Anna was happy she had a few minutes to herself. She double-checked her makeup in the visor mirror and applied a bit more berry lipstick. The makeup look she had gone for tonight looked good in the low light and made her eyes look like dark ocean-blue pools. She had decided to leave her hair down and naturally wavy, trying not to look too made-up or like she was trying too hard. Now was not the time to be overly glam, no matter how hard it was to put down the eye shadow and gel eyeliner. She didn’t want to look completely different from how she looked when they first met. She just wanted to draw his attention to her best features. Her cobalt blue dress top looked perfect with her black boots and dark jeans, showing off her curves and hiding the places she wanted hidden.
Finally satisfied with her appearance, Anna texted Kyle to let him know she had arrived and where she was parked so they could walk in together. Within five minutes, an answering text popped up on her screen letting her know he had just pulled in.
Anna hopped out of her Camaro and walked over to his truck.
“Hey there, beautiful,” Kyle greeted.
Anna blushed and replied, “Hey there, yourself. Ready for some chicken?”
“Hell yeah.”
Grabbing his hand like it was the most natural action in the world, Anna walked inside with Kyle to eat some chicken and have fun.
At the table, Anna took in Kyle’s choice in attire. He was wearing a close-fitting black shirt that barely hid his massive muscles. She could see hints of his piercings also, loving that little bit of naughtiness. While he was occupied with the menu, she took her time staring at his visible tattoos. Each arm had a definitive theme, as far as she could tell. His left arm held images of the devil, darkness, and horror. A Cthulhu and a stylized devil were the main pieces on it, with serval small zombies and evil clowns filling the spaces. Anna found the small she-devil on his wrist hilarious. She was poking some poor, horrified man in the ass. On his right arm, beings of light covered his skin. Mostly angels, but he had some Technicolor fairies and birds filling the spaces. A mermaid fanning out her long hair was the centerpiece on his bicep.
“You like em’?” Kyle asked, extending his left arm across the table. Anna nodded and began to trace the outline of the she-devil. She felt him shiver under her light touch.
“Does that bother you?” she asked shyly. She didn’t have any tattoos herself, but she enjoyed the slightly raised feeling of the outline of his.
Kyle tipped one side of his mouth up in a half grin. “Nope. I just like the delicate way you touch me. Reminds me of other places I would like for you to touch.”
Anna gasped and mock clutched her necklace. “Why, Mr. Wilson! You are being too forward!” She lowered her voice. “For before dinner conversations. Maybe after our food has arrived, we can continue that line of thinking.” She waggled her eyebrows playfully.
Kyle burst out laughing and grabbed her smaller hand in his calloused one. Anna felt her heart jump like a rabbit at the contact. It just felt right, her hand being in his. Both of them were still hand in hand and in stitches when the waitress came and took their dinner order.
After ordering, Anna debated asking a question that had been bothering her since she first saw his tattoos when he was at work. She pulled her hand out of his and grabbed her drink, taking a hesitant sip.
“Spit it out,” he said. “I can see those wheels turning inside your head.”
“Are you in one of those biker gangs here in town? I know Bowling Green has a few. I see those Heaven Hill boys riding around, and you know�
��” Her words dropped off as she looked away from Kyle. She knew it wasn’t polite to ask him, but she had to know.
Kyle sniffed loudly and sat back in his chair, folding his arms. “What’s it to you? Don’t associate with those kinds of people?” His sneer took Anna aback.
Anna tried to recover. She leaned forward and looked him dead in the eyes. “I was just curious because of your tattoos. The only guys I’ve ever met before who had as many tats as you were either tattoo artists or in biker gangs.”
Kyle’s body language didn’t change. Anna huffed and sat back in her chair. “Sorry if I offended you by asking a simple question. I have nothing against anyone. Bikers just seem cool. You’re cool. Figured the two might go together.”
Anna began lifting her straw out of the glass and stabbing it through the holes in her ice cubes mindlessly. She wasn’t going to say anything else until he did. She had already apologized; now it was his turn to speak.
After about a minute, Kyle leaned forward quickly and put a stop to Anna’s ice stabbing.
“You really shouldn’t do that anymore.” She heard amusement in his voice. When her eyes met his, she felt her heart drop. Laughter tipped up the corners of his mouth and amusement brightened his eyes. He was so handsome when he smiled.
She found herself answering his grin with one of her own.
“Why shouldn’t I, Mister Grouchy?”
“Think about it—a straw through a rounded hole in ice. Got something on your mind?” His dark brows wiggled suggestively.
A gasp escaped Anna’s lips. She quickly speared another ice cube on her straw and flung it out of her glass, landing a direct hit in the center of Kyle’s chest.
“You pervert! It’s just ice!” Anna doubled over laughing as Kyle brushed the ice from his shirt.
“Says the one who was straw-fucking ice holes.” Kyle shook his head, obviously trying not to laugh.
“I didn’t mean for it to look like that!”
Kyle snorted. “Yeah, yeah. Say what you want, I know you were thinking about wild monkey sex.”
Anna flung another ice cube at him just as a hurried waitress dropped off their orders.
Blue Colla Make Ya Holla Page 54