Chapter 3 #2
“Aw, he saves animals? That’s so sweet.” Millie holds her hands over her heart and pouts her lips.
It doesn’t take much to impress Millie. She’s the sweetest out of all of us, trusts everyone, loves everyone, and would do anything for anybody.
I lock eyes with him again, both of us staring at each other as if we are searching for answers. My surroundings fade away. Dixie, my friends, my brother—no one exists. I can’t hear them asking me questions.
I swear, I almost feel him. His energy, his presence, it’s big and powerful. Goosebumps pebble across my skin at the exact moment he steps in my direction.
“Oh my god, he’s coming over,” I blurt, frantically trying to seem unbothered by him.
As if that’s possible, but a girl can try.
“Well, we can’t say he doesn’t look good.”
“Reina, him?” Ruka scoffs, shaking his head in disagreement. “If he wasn’t a moody asshole. That is what’s so great about personalities. You can be the prettiest person in the room, and if your personality sucks, you become the ugliest.”
“He still might be the prettiest person in the room.” Reina sips her tea, knowing her words will annoy Ruka. “Isn’t that right, Nariko?”
I stir my drink with my straw, shrugging a shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess.”
She’s absolutely right.
Oklahoma is the prettiest person in the room. Hell, he might be the prettiest person in the entire state—in the country—no—in the world.
I can’t take my eyes off him, along with every other person in the room. Oklahoma commands attention naturally. His friends trail behind him, and they also have an air about them that has the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
There’s something about them—especially Oklahoma—that absolutely terrifies me. I’m intrigued. Fear is the one emotion I’ve always liked to confront.
Oklahoma stops at the edge of our table and takes off his hat, pressing it against his chest. “Ladies.” He eyes Jess, Millie, and Reina. “Ruka.” He nods at my brother.
His eyes land on me, and I swear, everything in his demeanor changes. His broad shoulders relax, his eyes crinkle at the corners when his lips tilt. “Nariko. It’s good to see you again,” he greets me last, the smooth, delicate baritone feeding my starved soul.
Somehow, my spirit settles when he is near. He brings me the peace I’ve been chasing all these years. That silence I get after a tornado, the way my heart pounds and pounds from adrenaline, then slowly and quietly, it calms to its normal pace—he’s that.
He’s the in-between wild and untamed.
I make a living off that feeling, and I know that means loving him would be easy. Too easy. My heart will tumble right into his hands.
“I saw you over here, and I wanted to apologize.” Oklahoma clears his throat, and my attention falls to the deep bob of his Adam’s apple.
Thunder shaking the windows pulls my gaze from his strong, muscular throat. No one should look this good. It’s distracting.
“Apologize?” I know exactly what he wants to apologize for, and he is out of his mind if he thinks I’ll make this easy for him. “What for, Oklahoma?” I bite down on my straw, taking a big gulp of my drink while never looking away from him.
The brightness of his blue eyes unearths parts of me I’ve long buried. Every second his gaze lingers pulls the loneliness to the surface, sucking it straight from the bone to claim it for himself.
His friends cover their mouths to hide their smiles, and he turns his head over his shoulder when he notices my attention is no longer on him.
“How rude of me,” he grits through tight teeth, agitated. Is he really bothered by me looking at his friends? “This is Westin.” He points. “And Jazz. Dead Man’s Ranch right-hand men.”
Westin throws his arm around Oklahoma’s shoulders. “Oakley means well. He can be a bit of a grump, is all.” Westin grins, his eyes falling on Reina. “I’m not though. I’m a shot of sunshine.”
Reina acts like she isn’t impressed. “I’m allergic.”
Westin holds a hand over his heart. “You wound me.”
Oklahoma steps between them to bring the attention back to the matter at hand. “Anyway, I wanted to say I’m sorry for how I treated you. All of you.” He waves his hand around the table. “That wasn’t very kind of me. You’re more than welcome to use the ranch’s property.”
I lift a brow at him, my heart pounding faster with every second he remains close. “Really? Just like that?” I’m skeptical. “Out of the kindness of your heart? I find that hard to believe, Oklahoma.”
“I’ll come back in a minute. Seems y’all have some catching up to do.” Dixie gives a forced, awkward smile, stepping away from the tension that’s building between the two groups.
Cowboys vs. Dust Bunnies.
Who will win?
Oklahoma scratches the scruff on his chin. “No, not out of the kindness of my heart. I’m hoping you’ll agree to go out with me.”
I almost choke on my tea. “Go out with you? On a date?” I swing my index finger back and forth between us. “You and me? Alone? That kind of date?”
Ruka snorts. “That’s typically how a date works.”
“Shut up, Ruka.” Reina nudges him in the ribs, and my brother holds his side.
“I love this show so much.” Jessica settles in her seat, keeping her arm around her wife, who is currently reading the menu.
Millie’s eyes appear to be bigger than they really are.
She shoves her glasses up and scrunches her nose as she reads.
Jessica is obsessed with her and is very protective.
Millie is a sweet soul, awkward, massively gullible.
She believes anything anyone says because her heart is so trustworthy.
Jessica takes her job seriously when it comes to protecting her wife.
“Access to your property to chase storms if I go on a date with you? Seems like an ultimatum to me.”
“Perhaps,” he agrees, setting his hat on his head. “But even without you using my property, I’d still really love to take you out, Nariko.”
Jessica kicks me from under the table, swinging her eyes from me to Oklahoma, urging me to say yes.
No one needs to urge me to do anything.
Yes.