Blue Colla Make Ya Holla (78 page)

“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.”

‡

T
he 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.

“Saved by the food, mister. And you sure are lucky, because I have a whole cup full of ice begging to be hurled at the slightest provocation.”

Kyle picked up a saucy chicken wing and threatened Anna with it.

“Let’s not start a food fight, young lady. Because, make no mistake, you will lose, and I might just have to spank you for being naughty.”

Kyle casually popped the wing in his mouth while Anna stared open-mouthed at him. A fiery burst of heat burned its way from her core to her scalp. Images flashed quickly through her fevered mind of being thrown over Kyle’s jeaned thigh and his rough hands making hard contact with her ass. She squirmed in the wooden chair, her clothes too tight and her body too hot. His words ignited her imagination in a way only her romance novels she loved had. No other man in her life had even once affected her like this.

“Umm…” Anna jabbed her fork at her grilled chicken tenders and shoved a small piece in her mouth. Another image popped into her mind of her slowly savoring his long, hard shaft lovingly with her lips and tongue. Anna mentally kicked herself and tried to focus back on her food. Her one-track mind was now gleefully supplying her imagination with thoughts of their naked bodies coming together in various ways. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as she fidgeted in the seat.

When she looked up, Kyle was studying her intently. She knew he was guessing what she was thinking about. A nervous tilt lifted the corners of her mouth as she looked quickly down again, uncomfortable with the knowledge that broadcasted in his eyes.

“Good tenders,” Anna said simply between bites.

An amused noise of ascent sounded from across the table.

“I am not in a club, by the way,” Kyle managed between bites of dripping drumsticks.

Anna scrunched up her face, lost as to what he was talking about.

“A motorcycle club. Not in one. Never have been, but I know guys and work for guys who are. A Harley is on my wish list though.” Kyle continued to munch on the last couple of wings while talking. “I know a bunch of different people from all walks of life. My tattoos tell a story about where I have been and where I hope to go. I just happen to like the way they look.”

“Me too. I love tattoos on other people. I enjoy hearing about the stories behind each one. It’s wearable, individual art, and it rocks.” Anna once again found her eyes drawn to the incredible human canvas in front of her.

Kyle looked back proudly at her as he moved his right hand along his left arm.

“I wear my life on my sleeves.”

Anna giggled at his play on words. She marveled at the ease in which he made her laugh and made her feel completely turned on. He didn’t have to touch her to make her hot; all he had to do was make one well-placed comment and she turned into a puddle in her seat. No man had ever made her laugh and smile so much and looked half as good as Kyle doing it.

She brushed away the thoughts of dates past, and instead focused on how she needed to get out more. She wasn’t living some version of her favorite stories, she was just a regular girl out with a regular guy, doing regular date stuff. He might awaken parts of her only book boyfriends managed to before, but it didn’t mean he was going to make her burst into sexual flames.