Wicked Flower

by Carlene Love Flores

  “Pump five? Predictable. She’s gorgeous in a next door gorgeous kind of way. Not your type, though.”

  Stefan just grinned and did his best to mess up Will’s mohawk hanging limply to one side.

  “Says who? She’s hot. She’s my type.”

  “Three words. Black, as in her hair, it’s not red. Sober, as in she’s not drunk therefore not falling all over you. And employed, as in…”

  “Wait, how can you tell she’s employed?” Stefan asked, eager to hear this one and ticked that Will insinuated he only got laid when alcohol was involved. Sober sex ranked right up there with safe sex. Both must haves.

  “Well, she has a car and she’s paying for her own gas. And uh, her shoes. The only woman I’ve ever seen in a pair like that was my dental hygienist.”

  What could Stefan say?

  Sin Pointe men knew women and although Will didn’t touch, perhaps he did more looking than Stefan was aware of.

  Rather than argue the mountain of other explanations for those fine points, Stefan conceded. Sort of. Will deserved a little teasing. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. She’s got a job which would seriously get in the way of all those late nights…”

  But he stopped there.

  Something about the way she looked like she’d love nothing more than to kick the shit out of the gas pump some more and strangle someone with the fuel hose killed the playful vibe of his chatter with Will. Something told Stefan she could really hurt a man. And hell, now that thought piqued him too.

  “Hey, you good to get the gas? I’m gonna head inside,” Stefan said, remembering why he’d snatched his drummer up and dragged him on this trip. Neither one of them were doing so hot on their own at the moment with the band’s recent move to Nashville, even though it had been a year. He could pretend all he wanted, but deep down Stefan knew it might be time to take settling down in the band’s new hometown seriously. The thought of his mom’s age creeping up year by year, her need for a live-in helper, it made him wonder how he could keep walking away from her. How many more times could he leave, stay gone and then just assume she’d still be there for the next sporadic visit? That’s where the crazy idea of relocating her had come from. But, Stefan could also feel his mom’s rejection were he to ask her to come with him, her shame for things he’d done in the past. Mom was a proud woman. Independent as shit. The brand new house he’d bought her, only a few miles away from her current home, probably sat empty as the day he’d brought her to it and she’d told him no thank you. The house was on his list of things to check out these next two weeks, especially if he got to Mom’s and their reunion didn’t go well.

  Just as he turned to head toward the shop, he caught the voluptuous woman’s eye as she finished pumping her gas. So brown they were practically black, she looked at him curtly. If it hadn’t been for the complete lack of humor he saw in those eyes, their depth and fire would have turned him hard. But Stefan was a grown man and that didn’t just happen on the fly anymore. The pride he saw in her was strong, though. A strong woman turned him on.

  Some desperate fool whistled at her back, and it wasn’t Stefan.

  A few minutes later, Stefan watched her hurry past the dickwads as she approached him near where he now stood at the store entrance.

  “Excuse me,” she said without bothering to meet his stare. Her coldness shocked him. Maybe even hurt a little.

  Ridiculous, he thought, of his reaction to this stranger.

  Stefan held the door open wider and let her pass. The old him wouldn’t have let her get away so easily, instead having some macho thing to prove. But something about the way she shoved past without so much as a flirty nod told him he should let her be. Too bad it also had him curious. So who was gonna go inside and follow after her? The old Stefan, or the new one?

  He rubbed just under his lip, deciding.

  Maybe it was time to leave the game. Or maybe there was just enough time left for one more round.

  Something told him it would be up to the lady.

  “I guess there’s no better time than the present to find out,” he said to himself and pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head.

  Chapter Two

  The sub shop’s smells used to be some of Dani’s favorites. Now she could do with less baked wheat and pepperoni and more of the peppermint mocha that crusted over the cappuccino machine’s spout. But caffeine was off her list for the time being. She’d finished enough medical assistant classes before dropping out to know what she needed to avoid to give this kid its best shot at being born healthy. Dani headed to the cooler for a bottled water and then back tracked to the snack aisle.

  Grape licorice called to her. She knew better but grabbed a package and a thing of peanut butter crackers. Not the healthiest choices but she needed comfort and the crackers had some protein. At least none of it would give the little one a buzz. Hurt feelings pounded from her heart, making her face tense which she could feel in the tight way she had her jaw clamped shut. Absentmindedly, she walked to the cashier line. Thom’s email had been easy to memorize. It poked fun at her now as she tried to block it out.

  Dani looked to her right at the crusted frosting and stray sprinkles where donuts had been squashed up against their glass case. They were all gone now. Wouldn’t have been good choices for her anyway…

  Truckers needed their sugar too, she guessed, and glanced around the always busy place.

  She wished for about a dozen less people to be crowding around her as she stood squished between the travel-size toiletries and dusty bags of cat food and antacids. Her stomach rumbled and she nearly cried again. The reminder that she needed to eat better, that her stomach wasn’t exactly empty, forced her to fight for a grip.

  But two seconds into that thought and she felt someone brush past her, only the guy made sure to graze her hip on the way by. She ignored it. Not in the mood, Dani simply pulled her arms in even closer to her sides and moved up one slot in the line. Unbelievably however, she heard a conversation taking place behind her that made her want to turn and slap someone. Instead she simply let out loud enough to be heard, “Grow up.”

  The guys behind her in line snorted but she’d had it with their snickering. Yes, her ass was big and yes, her lips too. It didn’t matter what she wore, there was no way to hide all her blessings, as Mrs. C liked to say. Dani pulled down on her hoodie, as far as it would go. She’d have liked to have spun around and decked the two who she assumed were new-school truckers from their lack of manners, but she didn’t. Biting into her tongue, Dani knew a truck stop brawl was not a good idea for a pregnant lady. She’d been ignoring taunts like that from guys her whole life, no need to stoop to their level now.

  Not even in the state she was in.

  Between blanking out through the donut case and these jerks, Thom’s words crept back in.

  Not sure how else to say this Dani, but I met someone over here. The connection is pretty fierce. You’d like her. Didn’t want you to be surprised when I come back. Sorry. I understand if you’re pissed. What you did for me before I left was incredible. I’ll always appreciate that. I just…I really love this girl. You’re great too and I didn’t want to string you along. At least this way you know. Please take care of yourself, Thom.

  The worst part? Dani knew Thom had done the right thing in telling her and that left her anger and hurt running rampant with nowhere to land. She had no idea what to do with it all. She caught the feel of her lip starting to quiver and took a moment for a few deep breaths. No way would she fall apart in this line. Dani had to focus on something else. Anything else.

  Thom’s dismissal had her on edge the same as it had that morning and that mixed with hormones the likes she’d never dealt with before egged her to a dangerous edge. A low, droning chatter filled the snack line. Dani turned to look at the intolerable guys behind her as the line took a collective step forward.

  She started to lay into them, really let them have it, when a thick, deep, male voice pulsed out.

>   It vibrated. It was harsh and bold and full of taunt.

  It stole the words right from her mouth.

  “Shut your mouths, assholes.”

  It was the out-of-towner she’d pegged earlier whose bright white shirt stood out amongst the several darker, dingier truck stop varieties of the crowd. A cursing Superman, she thought and stared. Who would have known?

  “She obviously doesn’t want to hear it,” he said. He touched a fine finger to a pair of expensive looking sunglasses sitting like a headband on top of his mass of dark waves. Up close, the curls were as thick as his voice and the exact reason Dani was pregnant.

  Her whole life, his type of male was exactly her type and when she fell, she fell hard and fast. Her head ached as she closed her eyes and shoved the thoughts out where they wouldn’t be so enticing. What would it take to learn her lesson?

  The two smart mouths seemed at a loss for words now, Dani included. She opened her eyes, focused on getting her things and getting gone. But one glance and she was there again. Was it the intimidating height of the new guy or the unknown air he had of not being from around here? The way his clothes looked like they cost more than what she made in a month taking care of Mrs. C? When he folded his arms over his chest, she saw tattooed hands and forearms that worked to warn her of his danger just enough. Did she thank him for standing up to the two jerks? No. She knew better than to speak to him. Clearly, he was out of her league and would just blow her off anyway. I’m probably his good deed for the day. She was sure the ultra-rich did that, trying to get the balance right and all.

  She just wanted out of there.

  All she had to do was pay for her stuff, visit the restroom and then take the hell off. Dani righted herself to face the cashier counter head on and concentrated on the back of the man in front of her, studying the dates and locations of his concert t-shirt. But jerks one and two started up again and this time she didn’t hear her rescuer piping up on her behalf. No, all she heard this time, still too close behind her, was more mean teasing. “I bet she thought we actually would have given her the time of day. Fuck her and her big ass. Busted out of those pants lately?”

  Dani stood ramrod stiff, disbelieving their blatant cruelty. She couldn’t turn and face them this time and hated the feeling that their stares were fixed on her ass as they let out their harsh taunts. She wanted out of there. Forget it. She dropped her snacks and water on a nearby shelf and abruptly left her place in line to go find solace in the bathroom. A hot tear managed its way down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away.

  You’d like her… I really love this girl.

  Dani opted to walk the length of the truck stop, squeezing her hands as she went, bypassing the busy bathroom closest to her, hopeful there was another one at the far end. Desperate, she picked up her pace. Hunger pangs rumbled around and her stomach growled but right now she needed a minute to regain her composure and hide.

  Finally, she made it to the bathroom. It sounded quiet enough that it could be empty and she let herself hang limply over the sink for a moment. She stood there, hugging her face in her hands.

  Honorable men, shallow men, rude men and kind men. What was wrong with her that she couldn’t get on the same page with at least one of them? She was twenty-six years old. Why hadn’t it happened yet? What was it about her that caught their attention at first until they got bored and then left? She hated her body in that moment. The fact that she attracted a certain type of attention, the kind that called to the wrong kind of man.

  Worse?

  That she fell every single time.

  Her Thom, who she’d thought cared about her, was in love with some woman he was deployed with. How did Dani hate a female soldier out fighting for her freedom? Couldn’t Thom at least have broken her heart with someone less heroic? Now Dani was left behind with his baby growing in her belly and guilt every time she tried to curse him for it. Four months along, four months since he’d deployed.

  What you did for me before I left was incredible.

  Dani’s head now slumped as she gripped the sides of the sink. She turned on the faucet and let the cold water cool her skin. She’d been so dumb, sleeping with him the one time, the night before he left. Just in case he didn’t come home. Her idea, her insistence. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  “Why? Why? I don’t understand. What is wrong with me?” she let out in frustration. Her head swam with insecurity. Thank God she was alone. Surely this was an ugly sight and she didn’t want to be seen.

  ****

  Stefan had to pee in the worst way. Finally, he found a toilet that wasn’t closed for cleaning. As he rounded the entrance to the men’s, he caught the reflection of a bright yellow pant leg poking out from the women’s. The ill-placed mirror probably got lots of complaints from ladies wanting their privacy but he could kiss whoever had screwed up and placed it so perfectly. There she stood, at the sink.

  Fuck my luck.

  Normally he didn’t make it his habit to stalk women at truck stops, but he’d recognize the bright yellow outfit and those shiny, colorful snakeskin clogs for a long time to come. Man, she’d gotten a few deadly kicks in on that gas pump earlier in them. Reminded him not to ever be on the receiving end. At least not unprepared. She had a definite fire inside. He should be preparing to see his mom and everything that entailed, not picking up on pump five’s vibes, but they were impossible to ignore. This peek was the most excitement he’d felt on his and Will’s road trip. Slowly, he scraped his teeth against his bottom lip, deciding.

  At least he didn’t have to wonder about one particular burning question anymore. This is where his mystery woman had gone to. He’d had to leave her earlier while she’d been in line because that’s all he needed was to make a scene and bitch slap those two dildos who’d teased her. His hand had been seconds away from the taller one’s face. Hopefully they’d heard his warning loud and clear and left her alone. He’d bent down in the next aisle over to grab some gum and find some other cashier and when he’d looked back up, she’d disappeared.

  He was contemplating going in there and checking on her right now, crazy as that sounded. She’d stolen his attention right from the jump.

  Stefan stood, glancing around, grateful no one had followed him. He was rarely this lucky. He thought about the dark eyes and the angry kicks. How she’d treated him just like any other stranger, unaffected by him, but so obviously affected by something.

  He’d pee and then if she was still in there, he didn’t know what exactly then, but a friendly gesture of checking in on her didn’t seem so wrong. It’s what Trista would have expected him to do and he loved Tris like a sister. He and the rest of the guys still missed the hell out of her now that she was no longer the sheriff that kept their asses in line on a daily basis. Better known to the rest of the world as a personal assistant. But after the trauma she’d gone through for them, Stefan was happy Trista had made her exit when she did. Now she was in Tennessee too, married to Jaxon’s cousin. Maybe it really was the kinder, gentler place where LA’s bad boys went to become good men. And women.

  Stefan pissed, then washed his hands and dried them using the super blower.

  Trying not to be noticed or taken for a perv, he glanced back at the mirror but didn’t see the yellow pant leg again and the colorful shoe.

  He ducked in the entrance more and hunched over to see if any legs occupied the stalls. Maybe she was a clean freak and liked to wash before and after doing her business.

  There, in the first stall. She appeared to be the only one. He poked his head in further, knowing Will was most likely taking his time in the gift shop. Stefan had a few minutes just to make sure this one was okay. He half expected to find her kicking something.

  “Hey,” he snuck in and tapped on the stall door. “Hey, sweetheart, in the yellow.”

  At first there was just silence.

  “This is the women’s,” she called out. The edge in her voice was hard to miss and even harder to ignore.

 
; “I know, I saw you in line earlier. Are you okay?”

  “What? Who? What are you doing in here?” she snapped back. He was close enough to see her squint at him through the crack in the metal doors. Definitely pissed. But like a moth to the flame as the saying went…

  “I know this is crazy, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. Those assholes in line were just clueless losers.” Why was he in here doing this? Trying to join that scumbag club he’d just mentioned? His charms didn’t seem to be working and wouldn’t the guys love a “perv in the women’s restroom stalking incident” headline splashed all over the trash magazines if she reported him.

  “You should leave,” she said, but some of the bite was gone and he was sure he heard a sniffle.

  Ah man, not tears, he thought. He didn’t do well with those.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. So, I guess that’s what I wanted to tell you, sweetheart. Don’t listen to pricks like that. They don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.” Stefan waited but this time she didn’t respond. He waited another few seconds. “All right, well I’ll let you, uh, finish up. Won’t bother you anymore.”

  “Wait,” came her soft, shaken sounding voice.

  All he could picture were the fleshy plump lips that would have formed that one word. And in true old him form, his mouth watered at the vision she’d left him at the pump and again in line. A woman who didn’t want to be messed with who he couldn’t seem to leave alone.