Page 83 of Animal's Reformation
“You’re telling me—it fuckin’ sucks.” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, and failed at it. Loud guffaws filled the room, and Smokey’s anxiety morphed into anger.
“Fuck you,” he gritted while Animal continued to laugh. “So who was the bitch you were with?”
Animal’s merriment stopped abruptly and needles of fury pricked at the back of his neck as he clenched his fists.
Smokey shook his head. “You started this, dude. So who was the chick?”
“How is any of this your damn business?”
“It was your neighbor, right?” The fine lines around his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
For several long seconds, Animal sat there, breathing deeply, trying to control his heartbeat while waiting for his ire to subside.No onesaid shit about Olivia, but none of his fellow brothers knew how he felt about her, so he decided to give Smokey a free pass from getting Animal’s fist in his fucking face.
“Yeah. Her name’s Olivia, and before you say something’s that gonna really piss me off, I gotta tell you that she’s not just a sweet piece—I like her.”
Smokey threw him an incredulous stare, then a bark of laughter escaped his lips. “Never thought I’d hear those fuckin’ words from you.”
Animal shrugged. “Me neither, but now you know.”
Smokey didn’t have to answer: there was an unspoken code in the brotherhood that all the members treated their brothers’ women with respect.
“Do you want to join Helm, Shadow, Wheelie, and me for a ride after work?” Smokey asked.
“I’d be down for it in a minute, but I gotta take Lucy to the dentist. Another time, dude.”
Smokey pushed up from the chair. “Sure. I’ll ask my niece if she knows anyone who can help you out.”
“Thanks. Tomorrow I’m meeting up with Hawk, Bones, Klutch, and Shadow for lunch at Ruthie’s around noon. Do you wanna come along?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then, dude.” Smokey lifted his chin then walked out of the office.
Animal figured that in less than an hour, the news that he had a woman would spread like wildfire among the brotherhood. There was no way he could be pissed about it. Animal had his fun ribbing Wheelie with Sofia and Ryder with Savannah, and all the other members who ended up having their women wear their patch.
He and Olivia had a long way to go before he’d ever ask her to wear his patch, and there was a real possibility it would never happen, but for now, Animal just wanted to get to know her and spend more time with her.
Animal picked up the receipt book again and started plugging the numbers into a spreadsheet.
* * *
Lucy and ablonde-haired girl with several colorful barrettes in her hair skipped over to the SUV. His daughter opened the passenger door, and the two girls giggled between pants as Lucy pushed herself up on the running board.
“Can Aria come over for dinner tonight?” Lucy asked.
Animal’s gaze darted to the young girl standing on the grass in front of the car, her blue eyes sparkling, and red blotches dotting her cheeks and chin.
“You got a dentist appointment,” he replied.
Lucy slumped her shoulders and threw her book bag on the floor. “I forgot. Can we change it, please?” Her whole face crumpled up.
Animal shook his head. “We can’t. It took more than a month to get the damn appointment. Sorry. Maybe your friend can come to dinner another time.”
“Her name’s Aria,” Lucy snapped as she flopped down on the passenger seat.
“Whatever.” His jaw hardened.
“Aria,” a woman’s voice called.
“I’m over here, Mom,” the young girl replied.
