Page 16 of Animal's Reformation
“Not so good. I don’t know how the fuck to reach her.” Animal pushed up from the bed, walked over to the window, and looked out. A sharp wind swept the trees, blowing snow into crystalline clouds. He glanced at Olivia’s house, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Some windows were uncovered, the light spilling out in golden squares and rectangles across the frost-nipped lawn, but there was no sight of her.
“You need to give it time, Animal. You and Lucy are still getting to know each other.”
“I know, but I can’t seem to communicate with her. She’s so fucking pissed at me because her mom has been trashing me for years.”
“Just be patient with her. I know patience isn’t one of your finer qualities.” Jada laughed.
“It’s not.” Animal blew out, his breath faintly steaming up the windowpane.
“How can I help you?”
He smiled—good ol’ Jada was always willing to lend a helping hand. That was a lot more than he could say about his mother. “You cooking dinner tonight for Dad?”
“I am. Do you and Lucy want to come over? I’m just making chili and cornbread.”
“Sounds better than pizza or that boxed macaroni and cheese shit I’ve been feeding us for the last couple of weeks.”
“Dad would love to see Lucy, and so would I.”
“Is Mom home?”
A long pause. “No … she went out.”
“Out? Where to?”
“With some friends. So you guys can come over anytime.”
“I’ll tell Lucy and we’ll see you in a few. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, but you know you don’t have to wait for an invitation to come over for dinner. I cook at least four times a week.”
“I’m surprised you’re home on a Saturday night. I thought you’d be out dancing with Veronica and Lori.”
“I didn’t feel like it tonight. We were super busy at the carwash because it was so warm most of the day, but it’s really cold out there now.”
“Yeah—it’s snowing.”
Then he saw Olivia in the middle of her living room. Her long hair fell over her shoulders and down her back—untamedcrossed his mind—and she wore a long-sleeved T-shirt that ended a few inches above her knees. The shirt hugged her rounded hips so damn nicely. When she bent over a box, which was sitting on top of what looked like a coffee table, her shirt rode up, and he had to wipe the steam off the window to see out.
“Are you still there?” Jada’s voice brought him back to the phone call.
“Yeah … uh, sorry about that. So, we’ll be by in a bit. Later.”
“Bye.”
Animal held the phone in his hand and watched as Olivia unpacked the box, her lovely ass moving so damn perfectly. All of a sudden, as if she sensed him watching her, she stood up, tugged the hem of the T-shirt down, and gazed out into the dusk. He pulled away from the window quickly, but—he was sure, given the illumination in his room—not fast enough. He switched off the lamp then looked out again and saw Olivia standing in the middle of the large living room window staring right at his house. After a few seconds passed she moved away, then turned out all the lights in the room.
Animal cursed his lameness under his breath as he pulled down the blinds. He’d bet that come morning, Olivia would have coverings on all her windows. He sauntered into the bathroom and splashed cool water on his face several times.Get a fucking grip and stop acting like some damn perverted Peeping Tom.There was no doubt that Olivia was a pretty woman who piqued his sexual interest, but he had the club girls to scratch an itch if he needed it that badly. A nice woman like Olivia was bad news. Women like that wanted the whole fucking package: love, marriage, and babies. He had his hands more than full with an angry, mouthy seven-year-old, so a woman looking for the damn Cinderella dream was something he definitely didn’t need. In his experience, the nice girls always wanted the fairytale endings. He saw that with his sister, Jada, and all her friends, and he’d been pressured more than a few times by women he’d dated to settle down and start a family. Hell, healreadyhad a family, and he was fucking that up big time.
Animal hung up the towel and walked back to Lucy’s room. She was standing by the window looking out, and turned around quickly when he cleared his throat.
“It’s really coming down,” he said.
“If I was at home, I’d be out playing in it with my friends,” she said, her gaze fixed on the pale brown carpet.
“How ’bout I ask Jax to bring Paisley over tomorrow and the two of you can play? You remember her from the rally we went to last month. She’s around your age and she told her mom that she’d like to hang out with you.”
Lucy glanced up. “Really?”
