Chapter 9
ANNALISE
I’ve never worn jeans for a girls’ night before. Not that I’ve been on that many girls’ nights that didn’t involve my sister and two bags of butter-drenched popcorn.
Going out on the town in Vancouver usually meant dressing up in an outfit you found earlier that day hidden in the back of your closet and a pair of shoes that you know will have you limping home afterward.
Maybe I ran in the wrong crowd of people not to spend my Friday nights in small pubs or easygoing bars.
I’m sure there were more than a few of those near my condo in the city, but none I ever ventured into.
It was always uppity clubs with guest lists and long lines out the door.
Peakside couldn’t be further from what I’m used to.
Bryce and Poppy don’t hesitate to saunter inside, both dressed like I am in jeans and simple tops but somehow managing to pull it off in an entirely different way. Naturally, almost.
Never in my life have I seen a pair of pink cowboy boots like Poppy’s.
They’re slightly scuffed near the sole, but not a single one of the dozens of glittering studs lining the sides is missing.
A pair of deep blue skinny jeans are tucked inside the boots, and a white puffed coat that falls just past the swell of her hips hides the black shirt she’s wearing beneath.
Bryce is dressed similarly, but instead of pink boots, she has a pair of black sneakers peeking beneath the legs of her jeans and a coat to match. Neither of them chose to leave their hair down tonight like I did, and I’m beginning to wonder if that was a mistake on my part.
“Don’t stand out in the cold, Anna,” Poppy says, pausing in the doorway, urging me inside with a wave of her hand.
Bryce is already inside, hopefully securing us a table. My legs still don’t move. “Are you sure we can’t just go to my place? I’ll let you win at Monopoly.”
“I blame Bryce for you knowing about my love for Monopoly. But no. We’re going inside. You look too good to spend the night at home.”
“Do I?” I cringe at my lack of confidence.
“You have the ass for those jeans. Trust me, you look hot.” Her wink makes me choke on a laugh.
“Thank you.” I mean it. Really, really do. Finally, my legs cooperate, and I move in her direction. “I know I must sound pathetic.”
“You absolutely do not sound pathetic. You sound like a woman who’s just gotten out of a relationship with a man who diminished her confidence. It won’t come back instantly just because he’s gone. You’ll have to grow it back up.”
“Well, let’s hope that it doesn’t take forever because I can’t stand this feeling,” I admit.
“You’ve got this. We’ll be here to shower you with compliments until you can start giving them to yourself.” The words sound like a promise, and I believe her.
When I reach her side, the smell of the bar hits me square in the face. It’s not necessarily a gross smell, just a strong one. One I wasn’t anticipating. A mix of frying oil and beer.
There’s a sticky sort of heat in the bar as we walk further inside, the previous topic dropped. Conversations drawl on around us from the several packed tables. A few of them halt for a breath before continuing when we pass by, as if they’re slightly surprised to see us here. Or me, I suppose.
We catch up to Bryce as she lingers near the bar, and then I follow the two women, letting them pick where we sit for the night while secretly hoping for somewhere a bit out of sight.
A momentary sense of relief crashes into me when I see them turn for the booths lining the wall behind the bar before noticing that they’re heading to an already occupied one, one so full of men that the two on the outside are nearly falling onto the floor.
“Poppy—” I start, but it’s too late. The first man catches sight of us and flashes a sparkling grin, his hand rising to wave us over.
“If it isn’t Darren’s little sister, Poppy,” he shouts, drawing dozens of eyes in our direction.
Poppy doesn’t balk at the attention. Instead, she waves back and says to the entire table, “Don’t forget Bryce and our new friend, Anna.”
Bryce slings her arm over my shoulder when the entire table of men looks at me, checking me out from bottom to top. It’s with curiosity more than interest, and while that still makes discomfort flare, I’ll take it. I use the opportunity to look at them right back.
The man who called us over looks like he could be the youngest, with a smooth baby face and bright green doe eyes.
Beside him, the man watching us looks slightly older, as if he could be Poppy’s twin.
He smiles at me, a dimple popping in his right cheek.
He has the same swooped nose and naturally swollen-looking bottom lip as Poppy.
Brown hair and brown eyes. Gosh, maybe they’re twins.
“Anna, meet Darren, my brother,” Poppy says, pointing to the man I suspected could be her brother. I greet him a bit awkwardly before she introduces the other men.
Across the table, three guys sit shoulder to shoulder.
The one on the end has red hair and a sly grin, the type that I’d bet more often than not gets him whatever he wishes whenever he wishes it.
Sandwiched in the middle, the next guy is maybe the oldest-looking of them all, maybe thirty years old or close to it.
My throat tightens to the point it’s a struggle to breathe when I finally slide my eyes to the last man on the bench. A squeak escapes me, and two deep blue eyes slowly slide my way. Annoyance ripples across his features as he takes in my sudden shock, and I bristle beneath that look.
I hardly catch the next three names until finally, my attention snags on the last one. The one who appears completely bothered by my presence. “—and finally, Brody.”
I’m not one to get starstruck, but I would love to meet a single person who wouldn’t gape at Brody Steele the way I am right now.
God, that’s exactly what I’m doing, but I can’t seem to look away.
It’s the striking, rugged beauty that does me in.
The scraping of stubble along the strong lines of his hard jaw and the backward baseball hat with messy hair jutting through the cut-out and curling around his ears.
Lips that I’ve watched purse around pretty lyrics on TV but I bet kiss hard and demanding.
Even the bags beneath his eyes can’t take away from how beautiful he is.
I wonder if he were to smile right now if he would have dimples like Poppy’s brother or if it would be harsh instead.
It’s dangerous for a man to be so good-looking. A goddamn crime that I plan on keeping myself well away from.
Pulling myself together, I shut my mouth and flash a weak, close-lipped smile.
Brody Steele only scowls at me, eyes tracing the length of my body once before he’s diverting his attention to the plate of chicken wings in the middle of the table.
My stomach turns over when I catch what appears to be disgust in his tight expression.
“Hi,” I croak.
“Nice to meet you, Anna. Poppy hasn’t stopped blabbing about you since you guys met. I was just telling the guys how crazy it is that you’ve moved to Cherry Peak from BC,” Darren says. His smile is sweet and friendly, and while it doesn’t help me relax, at least it doesn’t make anything worse.
“Don’t talk about my friends when I’m not around, Darren,” she warns lightly. “And it’s not crazy that she moved here. We might be a bit small, but we’re good people.”
Bryce, the woman who never seems to miss a goddamn thing around her—including the expression I swore I saw on Brody’s face just now—keeps her arm tight around my shoulders and says with a sharp tongue, “Brody is all bark and no bite. Don’t worry about all the scowling.”
I highly doubt that, but instead of saying exactly that, I look at Brody and smile saccharinely. My next words just explode from my mouth before I can think twice about them.
“My sister’s a vet, so I’m not afraid of rabid animals.”
The howl of laughter fills our side of the bar, and I don’t shrink from it this time. The guy on the edge of the left booth raises his arm and offers me his palm. I step forward awkwardly and slap it.
“Pull up a couple chairs, ladies. I’m all up for watching the new girl spank Brody’s ass,” the man squished between Brody and the redhead hollers.
“We would, but we don’t want to,” Bryce says, patting my shoulder. “It’s girls’ night, Caleb. Anna doesn’t have time to entertain you beer fiends tonight.”
“What about another night?” the redhead beside him asks, that dangerous smirk attempting to sway me.
“Doubt she’ll be in town long enough to entertain you, Trev,” Brody grunts, not so much as flicking his eyes in my direction.
“What makes you say that?” I snip, my cheeks flushing red.
Another look at my body, or my outfit, maybe. “You really want me to answer that, sweetheart?”
Steam nearly shoots from my nostrils as they flare. “You’ve known me for five seconds.”
“I only needed three.”
My fingers curl as my lips twitch. “To finish? And that’s something you’re proud of?”
Silence, and then Bryce’s body begins shaking, her laugh forcing mine out. I look at Poppy and find her grinning, approval sparkling in her eyes. Neither of us pays any mind to the fuming celebrity who’s no doubt planning his comeback.
I don’t care about whatever he wants to throw back at me.
Brody Steele is just like every other guy I’ve ever met.
An arrogant piece of work with a stick so far up his ass I bet he can taste it.
I moved here to get away from my ex, not to wind up a verbal punching bag for someone far too similar to him.
He doesn’t know me. His judgment can kiss my juicy ass, even if it disappoints me to know someone with his talent is so careless of his treatment of others.