Repercussions (The Hot Mess Duet Book 1)

by B. L. Olson

  His question is met with icy silence. My mom looks ashamed at the fact that she has let this man into her house while my father looks like he wants to throw him out by the scruff of his neck. Both reactions are tame compared to the murderous look that is being directed at him from across the table. Leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his defined chest he spits out, "I believe it's Thor's hammer. Which would make yours irrelevant, would it not? Probably overrated, too." Scooting back from the table, he slowly unfolds his tall frame from the table. He glances at my mom and gives her an apologetic smile, "I apologize, Mrs. Ellis, I can't sit here at the table with this man. Thank you for dinner and I hope you can accept my apology for my rudeness."

  Mr. Hayne's is halfway to the door when Odin turns to me and not so subtly whispers, "I can assure you there is nothing irrelevant or overrated about my hammer."

  If you're bragging, then you sure as hell aren't packing buddy. From the corner of my eye, I can see my neighbor frozen with one hand on the doorknob. His broad shoulders are tense and he seems more irritated by my dinner date than I do. I never put much stock into these men, mostly just humoring my mom by showing up and making non-committal small talk because it is easier than battling with her. He isn't used to the winners that I frequently dine with, and it is clear in his stance that he does not approve of Odin and his philandering ways.

  My focus completely catches on him when I see him whirl around and stalk back towards the table, his predatory gaze locked on his prey, Odin. Without warning he roughly grasps the collar of Jesus's cotton shirt and hauls him out of his chair, dragging him in the direction of the door. Feeling my jaw drop I sneak a glance at my parents to see if their jaws are unhinged like mine is. My dad looks more amused than anything and my mom just continues to eat her dinner unfazed by the fact that her guest is being thrown out.

  Mr. Hayne's swings our front door open, drops Odin onto the stoop and slams the door in his face without a word. One look at him should tell me that this is not a man to mess with, he has a storm in his eyes that screams he could fuck shit up if so inclined, but I still I feel angry enough to try. Who the hell does this man think he is?

  I scoot my chair back and stomp up to my neighbor in a huff, poking him in his chest, man he is as defined as he looks, and snap out, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

  The anger and storm in his face slowly recedes and is replaced with confusion that I am confronting him about tossing out a complete and utter loser like Odin, "Uhh, throwing out drunk Jesus? I thought that much was obvious."

  Continuing to poke him in his chest like I am angry, but really just a junkie for the muscles beneath his shirt, I bellow out, "You don't even live here. What gives you the right to throw out our houseguests?"

  "I don't need the right when you're sitting there looking like you are going to stack cans of soup in front of your windows and door as an alarm tonight. Besides, you can't seriously tell me you are interested in that guy." He gestures to the door where I can only assume Odin is no longer standing by the silence on the other side.

  "Maybe I am! It shouldn't matter to you or not, you don't live here and you cannot just decide who is allowed at dinner or not! First, you embarrass the shit out of me last night, and now you are making decisions for my family." Here I am arguing with him for the sake of arguing. I am angry that he just took control of a situation he had no reason to insert himself into, upset that my dad hadn't done it sooner, and confused over the fact that I feel even more attracted to the Gunslinger after watching him pick up pudgy Odin and toss him onto the porch like trash with ease.

  His look of confusion at my outburst is slowly being replaced with one of amusement. Is he seriously laughing at this stupid situation? "Stormy, that was all you last night. I was minding my own business unpacking when you decided to get frisky on the fence." My neighbor leans against the door and his eyes search my face for a reaction.

  Which he gets when I stamp my foot in irritation, "I was not getting frisky! I told you I was stuck! There was a power line across our yard, did you expect me to brave my driveway and crisp up like bacon?" If I ever had a reason to move out of my parent's house, it would be because of this man living next door. I swear he was put on this earth to exasperate me at every turn.

  He gives me a lazy smile, a twinkle in his usually sad eyes, "Even in the dark it looked like you were enjoying yourself tremendously."

  I fling my arms in the air in exasperation, "I was not! Stop being impossible and turning this around on me. You're the one crossing boundaries right now."

  The amusement never leaves his face, his eyebrows rising he teases, "You mean like how you crossed my boundary line last night when you trespassed?"

  Rolling my eyes at him I retort, "You're never going to let this go, are you, Mr. Haynes?"

  "Not in your lifetime Stormy." Turning to my parents, Gunslinger gets suddenly serious and says, "I apologize if you think I am out of line Mr. and Mrs. Ellis. I feel like that man was not only disrespectful of your daughter but the woman he promised to love and cherish. I really must be getting home to finish unpacking, but thank you for having me over for dinner." Turning to look down at me, his expression once again sad, "And my name is Wyatt." He opens the door and leaves me in a wake of outrage and confusion.

  Chapter 5- Wyatt

  Repercussion # 294: Don't ever assume that when a woman tells you she is fine, that she actually means it. You'll end up in a battle of the century for not pushing, and you're an instant-ass for not doing so.

  Outwardly I leave the Ellis household in a calm state, but inside I am a mess of emotions. I am infuriated at the man who Natalie invited to dine with her daughter. It became clear to me it was a blind date the moment the man walked into the house. One glance at him and Annie had frozen up like a toddler caught with one hand in the cookie jar.

  I can't believe that someone who puts me at ease so well fails to see how uncomfortable her own daughter was with the prospective man she invited for dinner. Part of me wonders, even hopes a little, that Natalie is doing it to push Annie to get out and find her own man.

  In just under twenty-four hours that family has broken all sorts of my barriers. I started to allow myself to feel something other than sadness and regret for the first time in several years, and I am not sure if I like it. I have been torturing myself for so long over what I lost, that I'm surprised that someone could tear through the walls I erected so quickly. I definitely need to watch it around the Ellis women.

  Especially Annie. My curiosity only increases the more time I spend with her and tonight gave me more questions about this mysterious woman. I crave to know more.

  ****

  The morning after the disaster of a dinner started off as usual. Turning off my alarm, I take a quick shower and dress in my typical attire of jeans, t-shirt, and work boots. The nice thing about making the change to construction is the lack of a uniform. I could wear just about anything and fit right in on any job site, and luckily that is the case because I have yet to unpack the majority of my clothing.

  I just moved in a few days ago, my dad's buddy had reached out to me to let me know he had a spot on his crew that needed to be filled immediately, and I jumped on it. After everything that happened in my old town, I wanted a fresh start. The place my dad relocated to after my baby sister Maddie graduated and joined the military seemed like the perfect place. It is on the smaller side, nobody besides my family knows what had occurred, and I can go places without having memories of her wrapped up in everything I do. It is also a nice change of pace from my old job, which triggered the accident every single day.

  It was more to you than just a job Wyatt, and you know it.

  Shaking off the negative thoughts, I lock up my front door and head out to my truck. I sneak a quick glance at the house to my left and luckily don't see Natalie hovering this morning, fearful that she may ask me to another dinner where I would be forced to sit and interact with Annie. The less I run i
nto her the better, I don't need her stirring up more trouble. Or my dick.

  I climb into my Ford F-250 and crank over the engine, the loud diesel sound permeating the air in my quiet neighborhood, and back slowly out of my driveway. I was lucky to find a house up for rent so quickly, and not too far from my parent's house either. Or rather, my father's house since my mom passed away from breast cancer back when I was in high school. Even though I am now thirty-two, it still doesn't take the sting away that she is no longer around.

  She was an amazing mother, somehow juggling all the schooling and extracurriculars of four kids. I have two older brothers and a younger sister, and my mom handled anything and everything with ease. My father worshiped the ground my mother walked on, and I still remember the look of devastation on his face the day my mother was diagnosed. From then on he always tried to put on a brave face for her and us, but I know hearing my Mom's terminal diagnosis broke him. Something I understand a little too well now that it has happened to me.

  Just a few years ago my rather eccentric grandma, my dad's mother-in-law, moved into the house with my father. When her health started to decline, the family got together and determined nobody could really afford assisted living, so she packed up her house and put it on the market, and is now bunking down with my father. They have been driving each other, and the rest of us, batshit crazy ever since.

  I think my grandma's antics are about the only thing that I allow myself to feel any sort of humor or happiness over, at least until I met the Ellis family. Annie herself could give my grandma a run for her money, insane old broad that she is. I hope one day those two get to meet, I can only imagine the shit they would say to each other. That thought stills me and my blood freezes in my veins. I cannot allow thoughts of her to pass through my mind. Maybe I made a mistake in moving because Annie has been there too much for someone I just met. She is a serious temptation living just next door.

  Pulling up to my job site that is luckily on the other side of town, I park against the curb and turn the key in the ignition. Grabbing my tool belt from the passenger seat beside me, I hop down and lock up. Glancing around, I notice some men have already gotten a start to the day and head to the trailer that temporarily serves as the office. We aren't allowed to hold onto the plans for the house we are building for a family moving to town, and have to get them from the office manager at the start of each day and drop them back off at the end.

  While it makes sense considering the plans are pretty freaking important and we only have so many copies, part of me knows that the only reason they are under lock and key is because of the jailer. The office manager Charlene is the definition of a cougar. You just know she took this job to oggle the burly men on the site, but the joke's on her because half of these men could give Odin a run for his money if they compared beer bellies.

  Maybe the joke is on me though, because as I walk into the office the first thing I feel is Char's hungry eyes on me. While I am no stranger to women eye fucking me, it never ceases to amaze me when they give me these heated looks. Especially by a woman who is over two decades older and looks like she smokes a carton of cigarettes a day. Her face is lined with wrinkles, overdone in makeup, and her clothes are just a little too snug for someone who is pushing sixty.

  Letting her eyes linger just a little too long on my crotch, Charlene finally looks me in the eyes and gives me a lazy smile, "Good morning, sugar. Did you sleep well all by your lonesome last night?" While most of the crew know I am single, they don't know what happened to make me so. Char is constantly trying to get me to forget my rules and get her into bed. So far no woman has tempted me, at least not until I came across Annie on the fence.

  "Morning Char, coffee ready?" I am going to need a whole vat of it to deal with her today. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, the spitfire of a woman next door keeping me awake as well as the shame of letting her affect me so much. There should be only one woman disrupting my sleep.

  In place of answering me, Charlene spins in her chair and pours me a cup from the pot that sits on the table behind her. Normally I would make it at home rather than having to ask her for it, but my mind was on anything but coffee when I got up and left the house this morning.

  She slides the cup to me and turns back to the filing cabinet to retrieve my plans for the day. I take that first glorious sip and I swear I hear angels break out in a chorus of hallelujah. Plans in hand, Charlene passes them off to me and attempts to grab my hand in the process. Even though we have only worked together for a few days, I have already caught on to her handsy ways. It is no wonder this woman has been married five times and is patrolling for husband number six.

  Charlene tries to pout but ends up looking more constipated than adorable, "Sugar, you know you're lonesome being in a new town. Why don't you let me keep you company? We could lock the door on the trailer for a little bit." She seductively plays with the necklace she has settled into her gigantic fake breasts, her push up bra making them even more ridiculous looking on her aging body

  "If I am lonesome I think I am more than capable of finding someone to keep me company, but thanks for the offer." Giving her a small smile and saluting her with my coffee in appreciation, I rush out of the office as quickly as I can. That woman needs to get laid but I sure as hell won't be the one to do it.

  You couldn't pay me enough to go near her, not that I would ever support prostitution. Especially not when I spent a lot of my previous career trying to rid the city of it. With thoughts of my old job came reminders of the woman I lost, and the horror of what I witnessed. I will always be reliving it, no matter what I am doing or where I am.

  Fuck, this is going to be a long day.

  Chapter 6- Annie

  Repercussion #710: Lusting after someone you shouldn't just means you are going to do it even more. You just can't help yourself when it comes to forbidden fruit. Or rather, that forbidden dick.

  Sleep last night was impossible, even after I started to come down from the high of fighting with the Gunslinger. Wyatt, his name is Wyatt I remind myself. There is just something about the man that pushes my buttons and ignites an inferno in my veins that I never really experienced before. I was conditioned to let Travis talk down to me and treat me like crap for years, and maybe that's why I don't put up with shit anymore. That or Wyatt just knows what buttons to press in all the right ways.

  Button pressing was another reason I didn't sleep very well last night. Watching him manhandle Odin and throwing him out on his ass, it had me imagining him scooping me up and tossing me onto a bed. His strong chorded arms barely straining to pick up my curvy butt. His soft and delectable looking lips grazing my neck, down my chest, to my breasts.

  Even knowing the man is frustrating as hell, I couldn't help lusting after him. The man is fine and something about the fact that he stood up to Odin for his indiscretions had me moaning into my pillow with only the thought of him.

  Wyatt, not drunk Jesus. Shudder.

  When I finally get up and ready for work, I feel a little shame at thinking about my neighbor in such an intimate way. This is quickly replaced with panic and scrambling when I realize I turned my alarm off in my sleep, and I have just a few minutes to get out the door.

  ****

  A few hours of screaming kid hell later, lunchtime finally arrives. Choosing to take advantage of the sunshiny day, I decide to walk up the street a block to get some lunch in lieu of starting up my car for the short distance. Some vitamin d might just wake me up a little and get rid of these stormy thoughts blowing around in my head. If I hadn't said it before, some peoples children really are the best form of birth control.

  Or you know, abstinence. That's been working exceptionally well for me as of late. Getting it on with Harry doesn't count since he is sterile. And mechanical.

  Walking to the restaurant proves a quick trip, and I push the door to Solstice open. I rarely eat here due to being on a stringent budget, but after waking up late and dealing with demon
spawn all morning, I decide to take a page from Tom and Donna's book from Parks and Rec and treat myself. I am craving their beer battered fish and chips and just want it in my belly already.

  I only get a few steps into the restaurant before the site in front of me brings me up short, the poor woman coming in behind me slamming into my back. Towering over the hostess stand is the man himself who has been running through my mind since our encounter on the fence, and draped all over him is a woman who is old enough to be my mother.

  I have no right to feel the sudden flare of jealousy, absolutely none at all, but still here I am with my mouth agape and the licks of fire racing through my veins tempting me to pick another fight with Wyatt. Pushing back those feelings, and taking several calming breaths, I approach the hostess stand. The couple doesn't seem to notice me, and the longer I stand and study their body language the more apparent it is that one of them is uncomfortable with the handsy contact.

  Wyatt stands rigid and everything about his demeanor just screams cold, not touching this woman at all. While she rubs her hands up and down his arm, grips his bulging bicep, and even has the audacity to go for his ass. It's when he moves so she doesn't reach her trajectory that he finally notices me motionless and observing from behind them. I can't help but smirk over the humor that for the first time since we met, Wyatt is the one in an embarrassing situation.

  Ignoring the haggard looking woman next to him to incite her just a bit I titter, "Morning Gunslinger." His eyes find mine and I jolt at the overwhelming sadness that reflects back at me. I don't know if I will ever fully be prepared to see it there, but take some comfort in the fact that every time he looks at me I can see it lessen. Especially if I am doing or saying something he finds particularly amusing. What has this man been through to carry such a weight?