Blue Colla Make Ya Holla (79 page)

“Speaking of sleeves and tattoos, wanna meet some of my people tonight?”

Anna bit her lip, distracted temporarily from her thoughts. “I don’t know…” Her fingers drummed on the table beside her plate.

“My buddy’s band starts in about forty-five minutes out at the bar on Old Louisville Road, and I figured since we were having such fun here we could go have some more fun listening to some music.” His voice was hopeful, and Anna couldn’t deny she wanted to spend more time with him.

“Just as long as you protect me from rowdy, drunken rednecks.”

Kyle belly laughed and took her hands in his. “Who, then, is going to protect you from me?”

The waitress chose that moment to drop the check for the meal, and Kyle snatched the generic black folder before Anna could protest.

“I am going to pull my man card out on this one and pay for both of us. Don’t you go looking at how much I am spending on you,” he teased.

Anna hid a giggle behind her hand and quickly shook her head.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. You just do what you gotta do.”

Kyle gave her a lopsided smile and went about settling the check.

Anna took the time to think about what a great time they were having and if she wanted to continue it with a little bit of music. A night out sounded like an excellent plan.

‡

“W
elcome to The
Holler Bar and Grill, dive bar extraordinaire,” Kyle greeted as he met Anna at her car door. Both had agreed that driving separately was a good idea in case one person wanted to call it an early night. It lessened the pressure for both of them, and Anna was secretly pleased that it meant she didn’t have to shut the bar down if she didn’t want to. She had no doubt he would have gladly driven her back to her car anytime she wanted, but this way she could still have a good time without feeling guilty when she wanted to leave.

The Holler was a typical redneck dive bar. A parking lot settled against the road, placing the nondescript white building back further on the lot. An awning covered the front door, which was brightly lit, illuminating a tight cluster of smokers. Anna hadn’t been to a bar in ages, so she was feeling a bit out of her element as Kyle grabbed her hand and led her through the doors.

Once inside, the smell of humans and beer assaulted her senses. Conversations blended in with the sounds of musicians warming up on stage, wiping both her ability to hear and think. Anna leaned towards Kyle’s ear and whisper-yelled.

“Please don’t leave me alone.”

Kyle smiled tightly at her and softly squeezed her hand. “I won’t. Let’s get beer and fight our way up front. I think I see some people I know up there.”

They stepped together to the bar, and Kyle ordered them both longnecks. Within a minute, Anna was next to the stage, being introduced to Kyle’s friends. All their names passed in a blur as she struggled to hear and process anything through the noise. She finally gave up trying to keep up with the conversation and instead just watched. Kyle’s friends were a mixed bunch. A few of the guys looked like they could be bikers or tattoo artists. A couple of the women looked like life had ridden them hard and put them up wet. All of them just looked like people out to enjoy some music and some beer.

A voice caught her attention over the mix, and Anna turned to face another woman. Lana, she believed the woman’s name was. “Hey, sweetie, I figured I would give you a heads-up.”

Anna looked this other woman up and down. Kyle was deep in conversation with two guys, so he couldn’t bail her out of talking to this strange woman. She thought maybe Lana was the wife of one of the men.

Anna scrunched up her face and concentrated on the dimly lit figure in front of her.

“I have known Kyle a long time, and he is a good guy, but he has a problem.”

Anna groaned at the well-meaning woman. One date in and his friends were already trying to warn her off.

“What is it?”

Lana pointed one long finger towards a knot of people at the opposite end of the bar. There, a young blonde woman stood out, decked out in a black leather vest and tight leather pants. She had on sky-high black heels and venom red lips. The woman looked like one of the many women who hung around all the Harleys at the Harley drags in town during the summer, and she was currently shooting Anna death daggers with her eyes.

“Ummm…” Anna felt uncomfortable under the woman’s stare. Her skin suddenly felt hot and tight. A tough-looking man stepped to the other woman’s side, putting his arm around her and breaking her glare.

“That’s Ariana, Kyle’s evil ex, and her new boyfriend, some wanna-be who likes to fight named Colt. He owns a rival landscaping company, although word is out that it’s failing. Colt blames Kyle for his loss in business, saying he steals it, and shit talks him. Frankly, Colt is a dickhead, and Kyle does honest, good work.”

Anna gaped at Lana. What kind of situation did she get herself into tonight?

Lana patted Anna’s shoulder. “Kyle is oblivious, but the rest of us aren’t. Just thought you should know.”

Lana walked back to her man’s side. Anna suddenly no longer wanted to be anywhere near this bar. She needed a few minutes to herself before the band started so she could process this new information.

Anna tapped Kyle’s arm and leaned up into his ear. “Ladies room. Be back soon.”

Kyle smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

As Anna walked away from Kyle, she wondered if it was okay to just leave Kyle without saying a word. She couldn’t deny the obvious chemistry they had and the way he made her laugh, but she was honestly scared of his psycho ex. She thought he had been joking about her being crazy, but she could tell now she was mistaken about how crazy this other woman might be. Ariana looked like real trouble, and trouble was not what she needed. Maybe it was time to just cut her losses and bow out now before she got too attached to him.

Anna was deep in thought while in line for the tiny bathroom when she felt a small tap on her arm.

“Hey, slut,” a shrill voice called out from behind her.

Anna turned around with fire in her blood to confront the voice and came face to face with blonde bimbo Ariana.

“Excuse me?” Anna said incredulously. “Do I even fucking know you?” She eyeballed the several-years-younger woman, from her fake tits to her faker shoes.

“You don’t get to know me, hooker, because you are leaving.” The tremble in the other woman’s voice betrayed her seething rage.

“Once again, excuse me, but who are you, Leather Barbie, to tell me what to do?” Anna raised her voice, hoping one of the many bouncers in the bar would hear her and come see what was going on. She wasn’t going to back down now that she had been confronted. She just wanted some backup in case the situation dove straight to Hell.

“I am going to be the one to kick your skinny ass if you don’t keep away from Kyle.” Ariana jabbed a red claw towards Anna.

Instinctively, Anna backed away from the other woman and into the wall. Anna was cornered now and better sense refused to take hold. She was going to give this woman a piece of her mind.

“Bitch, he is a grown man who can make his own decisions.” Anna’s rage grew.

“Did you just call me a bitch, bitch?”

“I think I did, fucking cunt.” Anna didn’t know where the words came from. All her nerves from being confronted poured out of her mouth.

“You did not.” Ariana tossed her cheap hair extension over her shoulder and smiled like a mad woman. “I am going to enjoy messing up your face so you are too ugly for anyone to fuck.”

The first swing connected with Anna across her jaw and took her by surprise. Pure white-hot fury at the unheeded violence being directed at her had her ducking away from the second blow and landing one of her own in Ariana’s stomach. Ariana doubled over in pain, and Anna brought her knee up to crush the other woman’s nose. A sickening crunch sounded, and blood began pooling on the floor below them. Instinct had taken over, and the need to make sure she didn’t get punched again had prevailed.

Big hands gripped Ariana’s waist and dragged her back.

Anna looked up to see Kyle hand the still-doubled over and cussing form of Ariana to a bouncer.

“Bitch,” she spat out behind clenched teeth. Gingerly, Anna ran her fingers over the spot where the other woman’s single punch had landed. It felt like her jaw was swelling swiftly and would leave quite the bruise tomorrow. What were the women at work going to say when she told them about getting into a bar brawl with her date’s stupid ex?

Anna giggled to herself as her legs gave out and she slid to the floor. Hysterical, hot tears began leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Anna simply let the spent adrenaline flow out of her system in a rush. She buried her head between her knees and let the world wash over her.

A few long seconds later, someone was shoving a plastic baggie full of ice under her arms and against her jaw.

Anna looked up and met the concerned green depths of Kyle’s eyes.

“Hey there, my little fighter.”

A small, strangled chuckle escaped Anna’s throat.

“Hey.”

“Sorry I left you alone, even if you were supposed to just be using the ladies room.”

Anna furrowed her brows at the sound of deep regret in Kyle’s voice. Without moving her aching jaw much, Anna managed a few words.

“Not your fault. Jumped by crazy ex. Had to pee. Not now.”

Kyle’s face twisted with concern. “I should have known she would do something like this though.”

Anna reached out her hand and caressed Kyle’s face. “Not your fault.”

When Kyle’s eyes fell away from her face, Anna took his hand in hers, trying desperately to comfort them both.

“I am okay. Not your fault,” she insisted. She took away the bag of ice from her jaw and flexed the joint to test it out. While she knew it would be sore for a few days, she also knew nothing was broken or really hurt.

The gentle touch of Kyle’s fingers along the swollen spot on her jaw nearly had Anna coming undone.

“Do you want to call the police or get to a hospital to check out your jaw?”

Anna shook her head no and began to stand.

“No sense. Too much paperwork, and she is in worse shape than me. I don’t want to call the police after a silly fight over a guy.” Anna smirked as she took Kyle’s offered hand to stand.

Kyle laughed a huge belly laugh and pulled Anna tight against his hard body.

Anna sighed and allowed herself to be comforted by his hard body and his rich, masculine scent. Her body was still consumed by the adrenaline from the fight, and all she could think about being this close to him was the feel of his body against hers. He just felt right. Her lips kissed delicately above his collar as his hands balled into the back of her shirt. She felt him inhale a deep breath and rest his chin on the top of her head.

“No need to fight over me, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.” His hands began rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. Anna let out a deep breath she didn’t know she had been holding and sagged against him. She was about dead on her feet, and suddenly her bed at home seemed like the most wonderful place on the planet.

“Let’s get you out of here before we make a bigger scene,” he whispered into her hair. Anna simply nodded and stepped out of his embrace. People were still watching them, but only the bouncers were actively making them their business. Anna looped her arm into Kyle’s as two of the big men fell into step behind them.

Once at the door, Kyle shook both of the men’s hands and thanked them for keeping people away while he attended to Anna. She had no clue anyone else had even been around once Kyle dragged Ariana off. She blushed madly and thanked them also for not getting the police involved. They simply nodded and allowed the two of them to step out onto the gravel lot.

Anna breathed big gulps of the fresh night air into her lungs and fought a renewed wave of tears. This was not the way a first date was supposed to go. She had never come to blows with anyone else before, but Ariana had been determined to pick a fight with her no matter what.

“What happened to Ariana?” she asked, listening to the way the gravel crunched under her feet. The bar sounded far away. Maybe the night would soon be far away for her too.

Kyle scoffed and patted her hand with his big calloused one. “Colt rushed up behind me as I grabbed her, and I assume he took her out to his truck and hopefully back to her trailer.”

Anna chuckled to herself. Ariana was a walking stereotype. She was embarrassed for the younger woman now.

Walking around another vehicle to get to where they were parked, both Anna and Kyle were surprised to find Colt leaning against Kyle’s truck.

“Fucking bitch,” he muttered, pushing his lean frame away from the driver’s door. He sauntered lazily towards the couple.

“Really, Colt, you gonna start that shit out here?” Kyle’s voice sounded annoyed as he gently unlooped his and Anna’s arms.

“She broke Ariana’s nose.”

Blood covered the other man’s jean shirt. It was spattered across his thighs, and some was even pooled on the top of his brown work boots.