Chapter 2 #2
“Figured I’d stay a while longer, then head to the clubhouse, get some sleep before going to the ranch tomorrow.”
I don’t know how it was gonna go in the morning, but we’d see. I’m just delivering the message to Maddox now that my brother and I have sat down, discussed, and voted on whether the club would help the man.
I open my mouth to say something to Lucifer when the opening of the front door catches my attention. I give a low whistle at the sight of the woman who steps in. She’s hot, and I haven’t even gotten a good look at her face yet.
Way fuckable.
She’s dressed in black jeans, heeled boots that make her legs even longer, and a top that seems to be molded to her tits.
Yeah, she was sexy, and she knows it. You can tell from how she was dressed.
She was also not from around here. With the way her hair shielded her face, we can’t see her features from this far away.
“Now, that’s a pussy I wouldn’t mind tapping tonight,” Lucifer says, letting out a low whistle.
“Same, brother, same.” I nod in agreement.
I watch as she glances around the bar, scanning.
“Della,” Amelia shouts from behind the bar, and I look to see she’s looking at the woman with a huge ass grin on her face. She waves her arm in the air in a come-on motion, as if she knew this woman.
Like she knows this woman. It’s then I realize Amelia called the woman Della.
That’s Della?
Fuck me. Little mousy Della ain’t mousy any more.
At the funeral, I’d seen that she’d grown and was beautiful, but looking at her now, she’s more than just simply beautiful. She’s got every man in this bar glancing in her direction. Where she’d not worn makeup the day before, she now wore it, enhancing her beauty tenfold.
Watching as Della moves across the bar, I take in my cousin. Amelia isn’t one to show enthusiasm toward women like that. For that matter, she doesn’t show a smile that huge toward just anyone.
Della grins back at my cousin as she gets closer to the end of the bar, where Amelia points for her to go. Two local cowboys make space for her in front of Amelia while taking in Della’s body, grinning at her.
“Is that—”
“Della Meadows,” I finish for Lucifer as Phantom and Tormentor join us at the table.
“Who’s the chick talkin’ to Amelia?” Tormentor asks, leaning back in his chair, lifting the beer bottle to his lips, eyes on Della.
“Maddox’s sister. Amelia and her used to be close. Tight even.” The answer leaves my lips while I continue to stare at her ass in those jeans. She looks good.
Other than her being my cousin’s friend, I don’t really remember her. I mean, I remember her since she’s Maddox’s little sister, but she’d always been mousy. Since she left for college, neither Maddox nor Amelia has talked about her. So she became forgettable.
“That’s Maddox’s sister?” Tormentor grunts, shock filling his eyes as he turns to look at us, then back to the woman.
“Yep,” Lucifer confirms. “Amelia shouted her name when she walked in. Not many people with the name Della.”
“Oh fuck,” Tormentor murmurs, eyes going back to the woman. “I remember Della. She was a year behind me in school. Smart as shit, but a total plain Jane, one of those girls you look over and don’t pay attention to. If I’m not mistaken, she was valedictorian or something at my sister’s graduation.”
Tormentor was a few years younger than me, so it would make sense for him to graduate when she did. He was just a year older than my cousin.
“She ain’t a plain Jane now,” Phantom remarks, pointing out the obvious.
No, she definitely wasn’t.
I can’t take my eyes off her. Watching the way she throws her head back, laughing at something Amelia says to her.
I want to go over there and find out what the hell is so funny, but I also take in the smile on my cousin’s face that is still bright.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen her look so happy.
I figure I’ll leave it be for the time being.
Taking my eyes off the women, I turn my attention to my brothers, keeping them in my peripheral vision while we shoot the shit.
While talking, I laugh and point out that Lucifer had called it about the roughnecks as the girls move on to a few cowboys who came in from Meadows Ranch.
I was wondering if they were here to keep an eye on Della, but they didn’t seem to pay her any mind.
Don’t even think they saw her sitting at the bar.
Amelia worked, taking care of the customers, and in between, she spent time talking to Della.
The closer it gets to closing, I decide to get up and head over to make my presence known to the woman who’s captured my attention since she got here.
I should have left a few hours ago, only she held me transfixed in place. No way could I leave her here without protection. Didn’t matter whether the men from Meadows Ranch were around or not.
My cousin’s eyes lift to mine, and she stops in the middle of what she’s saying when I get close. Della twists, her head cocking ever so slightly, also looking in my direction.
“Ladies,” I call in greeting, my eyes staying on Della. “How’s it goin’?”
Fuck that sounded lame in my own head.
“We’re good,” Amelia remarks. Della nods and turns her attention back to my cousin.
“It’s getting late. I should head out,” she says, getting to her feet.
“Okay, when do you head back home?” Amelia asks.
“Don’t know.” Della shrugs. “I’ll call you later, and we can figure out a time to hang out again. Next time, when you’re not working and I can see your son again.”
“That would be great.” My cousin grins, slaps her hand on the bar top, and starts down the way to take care of a customer.
Della turns and nearly steps right into me.
“Excuse me.” Her sweet voice fills my ears, and my hands itch to touch her.
With her all but in my space, the smell of sweet honey fills my nostrils. Funny to have that hit me when mostly it’s sweat, smoke, and alcohol that you smell around here.
Still, it hits me, and I bite back the instant need to groan. Fuck me, little mousy Della smells good.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” I tell her, blurting it out without stepping away.
“I’m good to make it to my car on my own,” she says, her words terse. Definitely not friendly.
“This late at night? You should have someone walk you out.” It’s not like anything would happen to her out in the parking lot, but I had the urge to talk to her. Maybe talk her into coming to the clubhouse with me. Or even to my place.
“If you’re worried about me drinking, I’m not drunk. I only had one drink, and the rest was water. I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own two feet and taking care of myself.”
The way she snaps those words and pushes past me has me confused as fuck. Where the hell did little mousy Della go? Can’t say it doesn’t cause a reaction out of me. The attitude definitely piques my interest all the more.
“Didn’t say you couldn’t take care of yourself. Besides, if you had been drunk, no way Amelia would’ve been okay with you leaving intoxicated. What I’m saying is I’ll walk you out to your car, make sure you get out of here safely because other people are drunk, and you look the way you do.”
“Look the way I do?” The way her brows furrow is kind of cute. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Babe, you gotta know how you look. Every man in the room has taken notice of you. The last thing you want is for someone to harass you in the lot.”
Della scoffs and shakes her head. “No one here has paid any mind to me. There’s plenty of other women still in here, dressed more provocatively than I am. You gonna walk them out too? Or is that just a privilege you’re giving me?”
“We got security that will walk them out if they need it.” I shrug, trying not to think of the reasons I want to walk her out.
“Right, well, I’m a big girl and can handle myself,” she mutters snarkily and walks off. “Follow if you want.” Those four words were thrown over her shoulder with enough attitude that I felt it in my dick.
I do enjoy a woman who’s got fight in them.
“Shadow,” Amelia says in a warning tone. “Leave her be. She’s had a rough few days.”
Amelia’s words hit me harder than they should. She knows I’ve never been one who yields to caution, and I’m not about to start tonight.
“She’s not the same girl she was ten years ago. She can handle herself,” my cousin states and wipes the bar top.
“Yeah?” I question, brow raised. “I think I want to find out for myself,” I announce straightening further, eyes trailing after Della.
I turn my attention back to Amelia to see she drops the bar rag.
“You good?” I ask, taking my cousin in. It’s not lost on me the way she looks. More than one cowboy or biker has tried hitting on her.
“Of course, I am,” Amelia cocks a brow. “Why do you ask?”
“Just asking, seeing as you got a hickey on your neck.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen Amelia move so fast as she slaps her hand over the mark.
“It’s not a hickey. I burned myself this morning with the curling iron.”
There’s no stopping the laugh that bellows out of me at her comment. “Babe, seriously? Your hair is fuckin’ straight,” I point out.
“Whatever,” she mutters, dropping her hand and wiping the bar top in front of her.
“You good to get home tonight with the prospect?” With her car broken down and Shade looking at it, I’ve got Stretch, one of the prospects, seeing to her getting home.
“Yeah.”
“Do you want me to get him to come stay in here in case Russell shows up?” I ask, wanting to make sure she was good on all fronts, including the piece of shit ex of hers. I can’t stand the fucker.
“No, I don’t need him in here. I’ll meet him out front when I lock up.”
“Okay, you sure?”
“I’m fine.” She nods and glances toward the door Della had just walked out of and changes the subject. “It’s good to see her. It’s been years.”
“Right,” I grunt, tap the bar with my knuckles, and stalk toward the door, my attention returning to the task of following after Della. I’ll at least make sure she gets out of here safely since she wouldn’t let me walk her out.
The thought alone should cause me to pause, but it doesn’t. We have security and prospects to do this kind of thing. So, why am I doing it?
This isn’t like me.
What I don’t understand is why the hell does that thought bother me so much?
I could easily pick from any of these women here at the bar or go to the clubhouse and find a saddle bunny to fuck.
I don’t need to be fixating on some blonde who wants to give me lip because I was gonna walk her out to her damn car.
The moment I step outside, the cool night breeze hits me.
I welcome it while scanning the parking lot, eyes catching on Della as she gets into her car.
Gritting my teeth, I stay planted where I’m standing, watching her back out of a spot, and pull out of the lot.
She doesn’t look in my direction as she passes by, which grates on my nerves in a way it shouldn’t.
“What is it about her that’s drawn me to follow after?”
Not wanting to answer my own damn question, I shake my head and walk along the building to where my bike is parked. No need for me to go back inside. I’m sure if I did, my brothers would all give me shit for this stunt. No doubt they’ll do just that when they catch up with me at the clubhouse.