Chapter 8
Steel
Violet.
For God’s sake. Did her name need to be Violet? Of all names in the world, she had that one. I couldn’t get over it. Maybe it was a moment where destiny was shaking my ass. Maybe that’s why I’d had a near violent attack a couple of nights before.
And maybe that’s why the yard looked better than it had in a long time.
Sure, my brother Will had been gone for a year so I shouldn’t be so bothered by a woman’s name, but good golly, the coincidence was uncanny. I flew off the track, feeling the burn today.
Maybe because the day off hadn’t been so relaxing. I’d cleaned up the yard until dark.
Why?
Because of her. Because of the level of testosterone I had left in my body.
I’d almost kissed her. She’d bashed my head in and I’d thought about passion. More than that, I’d wanted to rip off her clothes. I’d had visions of pushing her down on the couch and thrusting my cock so deep inside her tight pussy that she screamed.
The salacious images and desires were unusual, especially after our less than illustrious meeting. She also had a kid, and people had told me I wasn’t kid friendly in the least.
“Did you hear the latest?” Axe asked as he barreled beside me from where we’d done a five-mile stint. He’d been my jogging buddy, although I hadn’t dared admit I’d met some chick. Thankfully, he hadn’t bothered me about the cut on my lip or the huge scratch on my face.
“What news?” I stopped long enough to bend over, stretching out my back. Damn it, either the runs were getting longer or I was getting older.
“Remember the photos?”
“What photos?” I took a few deep breaths and headed to where I’d put my bottle of water.
“The ones from the rodeo, doofus?” He laughed and yanked his Gatorade from the ground.
Half laughing, I sucked down half the bottle before pouring the rest over my head. “What about them?”
“I overheard the cap’n mentioning there’s been a few calls about them from the local media. One of them wants to do an interview.”
When I lifted my head, staring at him, he chuckled and twisted off the cap to his drink. “You’re shitting me.”
“I am not. We’re celebrities.”
“Like hell we are.” I grabbed my towel, wiping sweat from my face.
“But you’re such a pretty boy. That face could sell calendars.”
I acted like I was going to punch his face and he grinned, acting as if the shit a few days before hadn’t occurred.
His tease prompted me to threaten him with the towel. “Cut that crap,” I barked. “Besides, you’re the pretty boy of the family. If Kenzie doesn’t mind, go for it. A legacy for your kid.”
“Kenzie thinks it’s a hoot so she probably would save it for our baby. I was thinking,” he pressed while rubbing his jaw, which meant he was up to something. “Maybe it’s time for you to find a hot chick and settle down.”
“You sound like our mother.”
“Well, you’re not getting any younger. Or better looking either.”
“Very funny.” We started back toward the hangar, taking our time doing so. “You know how I feel about women.”
Axe chuckled. “Yep. I do. although you need to get over Tanya.”
“I am over her.”
“Sure you are. It’s me you’re talking to. Remember? The one thing we can’t do is tell each other lies.”
He was right about that. We walked along and I shook my head. “You know what drives me crazy? That I still haven’t purchased any new furniture.”
“Maybe that’s the first step.”
“Yeah, maybe so. I just…”
“I know. What she did to you was shitty.” He glanced at my face, scrutinizing my split lip and I could feel it coming. “So what happened? Did you get drunk last night?”
“No, I worked in the yard trying to clean up after the storm.” I involuntarily touched my lips, immediately thinking about wanting to kiss Violet’s and you bet he noticed.
The change in my tone was something my brother could easily catch. “Who is she?”
“Who is who?”
“The woman who scratched or punched you.” Lying to my younger brother would only resort in him hounding me for days if not longer.
We were almost to the door and his comment about lies lingered in my mind. “Just a neighbor who thought I was going to shoot her kid.”
“You don’t have any kids on your street.”
I threw open the door and sighed. “I do now.”
“Oh… Interesting.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t you dare do that. I thought the kid was breaking into my place.”
“Now I’m curious. Why? Drugs? Did he have a gang of kids with him because I overheard one of the local officers talking about a gang of teenagers using vacation properties, setting up lucrative business operations inside.”
“Not this kid. He’s maybe seven, eight years old. But a fierce little dude who was about ready to bust into my shed to try and save a puppy who’d gotten tangled in some rope.” When he didn’t say anything right away, I finally threw him a look. My brother was grinning like some big oaf.
“So you pulled out a gun?” Axe was incredulous.
“Yeah, that’s what you do when criminals come onto your property.”
“Let me get this straight. A seven-year-old boy was trying to rescue a puppy and you decided to be a big, bad man and whip out your gun to teach him a lesson. Does that about sum it up?”
“Very funny.”
“Jesus, dude. You need to get out more.” My brother was thoughtful as we walked into the hangar. “You need to consider going out on a date. Kenzie has some friends.”
“Oh, no, you don’t. Have you seen Kenzie’s friends? Mary looks like she stepped out of a serial killer school.”
“What?” Axe snorted, throwing me a hell of a lot of shade.
“Yeah, she wears all black and is proud to sport a weapon.”
“She’s a park ranger, dude. What about Ashley?”
“Are there any brain cells inside her pretty little head?”
“Does it matter?” We headed into the locker room.
I shook my head. “Of course it matters. There is something to be said for having a decent conversation. You know, conversing about something other than the weather or what show on Netflix to binge watch.” There was no reason for me to be frustrated, but I was irritated as hell.
When I opened my locker door, I did so with enough force the metal slammed against another locker.
Even Denver jumped. “Someone’s in a pissy mood.”
“He was bested by a seven-year-old yesterday,” Axe happily told my team member.
“You son of a bitch,” I said under my breath while ripping off my shirt.
Denver burst into laughter. “I always knew your brother was a softie.” He clapped me on the shoulder before heading out.
I merely turned my head toward my brother. “Are you finished yet?”
Axe huffed. “Maybe. Just answer me this. Is she pretty?”
“None of your business.” Around my brother, it was impossible not to feel his happiness. He kept telling me that’s why I needed to find a woman, so I could see the world with a brighter light. The classic example of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.
No, thank you.
“Talk or the entire Zullie team will know you were bested by a child.”
I ripped off my gym shorts, tossing them into my bag. “Fine, not bad.”
“Not bad in your language usually means hot as shit.” Is that the case?”
Why should I answer him? Because my brother was a damn needler.
“Fine. She’s incredible. Tall and voluptuous with long copper hair that gleams when hit by a ray of sun, you know, like spun gold.
She has long legs that are so shapely, they fill out a pair of jeans just perfectly.
She even has a voice of an angel, unless she’s screaming at me, which she did a lot.
But it’s her eyes that just… I never knew a woman’s eyes could captivate me so much.
They do.” I glanced at the floor until I realized he hadn’t said anything.
“What? Just say it. Get it the fuck over with.”
Axe lifted his eyebrows and the shit-eating grin on his face was one he was lucky he was keeping. And that I was in a decent mood for a change.
“I’m not saying a word. Not one word.”
“Shut up, dad to be. How’s Kenzie?”
“My guess is she’s made a nest in the bathroom since she can’t keep any food down.”
“Take her flowers to make her feel better. Trust me.”
My brother rolled his eyes. “Female advice from a man who hates women. Maybe heed your own suggestion with your sexy new neighbor.”
Still grinning, he walked away and grabbed a towel, almost to the shower when he turned and spun around mimicking some prom queen. “Okay, a few words. I think my big brother might be in luv. And that I’m following your ass to Ziggy’s because I know you. You’ll decide not to show.”
He laughed heartedly, the sound echoing as he headed into the shower room.
How fascinating. All I could think about was that it was the first time he called me his big brother. I’d been the middle brother, the one never referred to as anything but my name. And only if I was in trouble. Maybe our discussion on the mountain had done us both some good.
The thought hit me hard, more so than it should. So I shifted my thinking to my neighbor. Should I take her flowers? Wait a minute. I’d made a promise to myself that I intended on keeping.
Violet Livingston wasn’t just a troublemaker. She was karma kicking my butt.
And I wanted no part of it. None.