Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Leo mentioned a bar that was down the road about ten miles, so we headed that way, squeezed into the front seat of his old pickup truck. Jenny, in a mix of excitement and the seat’s coiled springs, was practically bouncing in between us as we drove down the gravel road. None of us had bothered to change clothes, although I’d borrowed a pair of wedge sneakers from Jenny. She had insisted, showering me with compliments about how great my legs looked wearing them. I took her word for it.

A wooden sign that had seen its fair share of weather pointed us toward a small building that looked like a couple of trailer homes put together. There were a few trucks and cars parked in front of the building, and we pulled into an open spot between two older sedans. Jumping out of the car, I could read the sign on the door that said No Bars in hand-painted black letters.

“No Bars, like no cell service, get it?” Leo playfully pushed Jenny in the arm as he held open the door for us.

The bar was dark, with blinds covering the few windows along the wall. Neon beer signs lit up the space and cast a blue glow in the air. A stale smell hit my nose. I was sure there was poor air circulation in the bar. A long counter dominated the space, with a couple of tables littered about. The counter was surprisingly full of patrons, all male. They all turned around in unison when we walked through the door, as if surprised there were more customers.

Running down the line of faces, my eyes caught a familiar smirk that I had seen earlier today. Oh boy…

“Fumbles! You’re here! Come join us and let me buy you a drink.”

“Who’s that?” Jenny leaned in, whispering.

“The weirdo from the woods today.” I lowered my voice as well, keeping eye contact with Wilder.

He looked good casually sitting at the bar. Balancing on the barstool that seemed too small for his frame, he exuded confidence. Brushing his hair back and away from his forehead, he made a motion with his hands for me to come up to the bar and join him. His two friends who sat on either side of him smiled at Jenny and me with knowing eyes. I felt Leo step next to us in a defensive stance.

“Well, you didn’t say he was cute. He doesn’t look like such a weirdo to me. A free drink is a free drink, right?” Jenny swayed up to the bar and stood between Wilder and the friend to his right. “Are you buying us a drink, or what?”

“Only if Fumbles joins,” Wilder continued, staring at me with his bright blue eyes that looked even more blue because of the neon lights in the bar.

“Come on, Elise! These guys seem friendly.” Jenny looked over at Wilder’s friend, who smiled at her predatorily. Leo walked over to the bar and pulled Jenny to the other side of Wilder’s friend, out of the man sandwich she was standing in.

Left alone by myself at the entrance of the bar, I had no choice but to walk up to the counter. Wilder grabbed my waist and pulled me close. My lower back was in line with the barstool he was sitting on. “So, Elise, is it? I still kind of like Fumbles.” He murmured into my ear from behind me. I could feel his breath against my cheek.

I balked at his overconfidence. “You can call me Elise. I don’t make a habit of falling.” I refused to let him rattle me like he had earlier today in the woods. We were in neutral territory now. I turned to face him, ready to challenge his banter.

Up close, Wilder was the epitome of his name— wild . His skin was tan from the sun, and small thin scars covered his forehead as if he had once run through a thick brush that had cut up his face. His eyes, of course, were blue, and his chin was clean-shaven and defined. White teeth made up a smile that told me everything—he was someone who frequently got what they wanted and was rarely disappointed.

“So, Elise , what would you like to drink? Whiskey? Beer?”

Looking along the counter, I saw that Jenny and Leo already had mixed drinks in their hands. Sighing, submitting to the fact that we were staying here, I ordered a beer. Quickly, a frothy beer appeared in front of me, and Wilder grunted “Scoot” to his friend to the left. The stool opened, and I climbed onto the seat next to him before taking a drink of the beer. It was cold and refreshing, something I’d needed after the intense warnings from Robinson.

Turning to face me, Wilder opened his legs, caging me in with his knees around my barstool. I looked down at his knees and followed his chest back up to his face. His eyes stared me down as he picked up his beer and took a sip.

I couldn’t help but comment on his effort to trap me. “That’s forward of you,” I said, glancing down at his knees again. Wilder turned the swivel seat on my barstool so that my body was facing his, now my own knees pointed toward his seat. Closing his knees, they sandwiched my legs. I knew I couldn’t turn my body away. I didn’t want to move and seem scared. If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to move. There was something about the unwavering attention that kept me captivated.

“I’m just trying to get to know the pretty new girl. Never know when you’re going to run off again.”

Flushing, I blurted out, “You came up to me in the woods! I didn’t know what you were going to do to me!” I looked around the bar for escape routes. Besides the room behind the bar, there were no other doors in the bar besides the entrance I had just walked through. I was fast—I could still make a run for it.

Wilder took in my words and put his face close to mine. I could smell the earthy scent of his skin and see a glimmer in his eyes. It was like he was daring me to run so he could chase me. “I don’t do anything to a woman unless they ask for it,” he said.

Snorting, I tried to turn my body away from him, forgetting my legs were trapped in his. My upper body tilted too far, and I almost fell off the stool.

Wilder caught me, his large hands on my shoulders, straightening me back in my seat. “See why I still prefer Fumbles?”

My stomach fluttered. What was it about him that made me feel so off center? I tried to give him a glare as I grabbed my beer from the counter.

He just smirked and picked up his own drink. “Oh, I think you’ll continue to fall tonight, Elise. I’ll be calling you Fumbles by the end of the night.”

I didn’t have anything to say about that. His boldness was both repulsing and intriguing. I took a big gulp of my beer. I would need more drinks to deal with him. He seemed set on getting to know me. I had experience with guys like him, tunnel vision on me for the night until they got what they wanted. Of course, it wasn’t something that happened unless I wanted it to. I had a lot of practice turning down men during my undergraduate days.

Curly blonde hair entered my peripheral vision. Turning to my right, I looked down at Jenny, who smiled, glancing at me and Wilder, trying to read the situation. “Can you come to the bathroom with me?” she asked.

Thankful for the escape, I chugged the last of my beer and pushed Wilder’s legs apart so I could slip off the barstool. As I landed on my feet, I realized I had put myself in an even more precarious position. Wilder’s knees trapped my body, with my chest in line with the more intimate parts of the male anatomy. Rough fingers caught my chin and tilted it up so my eyes once again connected with the sky-blue ones.

“Hurry back, Fumbles. Don’t go falling into the toilet. I would gladly help you up, but it might be embarrassing for you.”

Hearing Wilder’s comments, Jenny covered her mouth to hide her laugh. This guy was so cheesy. I pushed Wilder’s knee, and he let the barstool turn his body so I could escape his hold.

Jenny linked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the back of the bar, where I assumed the restroom was. I glanced back at Wilder, who had turned back to the bar, clearly gloating with his friends.

We weaved through a few empty tables and walked around the one that held patrons. An eerie feeling came over me as I felt eyes staring at me. The table had four people sitting around it, each with a mixed drink in front of them.

They had stopped their conversation and stared at me as if they were trying to recognize me. Three large men sat facing one smaller woman. All the men looked similar with their dark hair and tanned skin. They all had tattoos on their necks and arms.

The woman, who had long strawberry blonde hair, leaned over and whispered to the largest man at the table. He kept his gold eyes on me, following me as I walked. What an odd eye color. His gold irises stuck out in stark contrast to his tanned complexion. A beard covered his chin and cheeks. The brown hair on his face looked just long enough for me to run my fingers through, and?—

Where did that thought come from? I asked myself. What was it with these locals? Was there something in the water here? I turned my attention back to hiding away in the bathroom with my friend.

Jenny hauled open the restroom door and pulled me inside. “Tell me everything right now. Leo and I have been watching you and that…guy. He’s huge! No wonder he scared you in the woods,” she said. “If a guy like that came up to me when I was running alone, I probably would’ve peed my pants.”

Cutting off her spoken trail of thoughts, I interrupted. “Doesn’t it seem a little weird here?”

“What do you mean? It’s a bar. In the middle of nowhere.” Jenny checked her makeup in the mirror. I suddenly realized I hadn’t put any on.

“I mean, don’t the people seem just a little off to you? Everyone’s staring.”

She dismissed my worries with a flick of her hand. “I’m sure it’s just the locals Robinson warned us about. They don’t seem so bad. Free drinks and good company, right?” Her eyebrows raised suggestively.

“He’s super intense. He obviously wants to take me home,” I said.

Jenny immediately dismissed my estimate of Wilder’s intentions. “Maybe he does? Maybe this is a one-night stand? Who cares? You should do what you want. Enjoy yourself before you lock yourself in your room to write your thesis.”

Ready to get the attention off me, I turned to face her. “Is that what you’re doing with Leo?”

“Leo and I are going to be good friends. If I’m going to be stuck in a cabin in the middle of the woods, I might as well have some fun with the guy I’m stuck with.” Jenny fluffed her hair, posing in the sink mirror. “He’s cute and smart. I need something to do during my time off. I’m not looking for anything serious—a fun summer fling. Maybe that’s what you should have with Wilder too.”

She turned to me abruptly, ending our conversation. “Good girl talk.” Jenny grabbed my hand and led the way out of the bathroom, on the hunt for another drink.

Smiling at her words, I followed. My new friend was right—I needed to loosen up and have some fun before I got caught up in my work. For the last four years, I had been so focused on supporting myself and furthering my education that I’d lost sight of the part of life that was supposed to be fun for a girl in her twenties.

Maybe it was the first beer taking effect or Jenny’s pep talk, but I felt pleasantly surprised to see another beer waiting for me on the counter in front of my empty barstool. Wilder stopped his conversation as I climbed into my seat. Smiling, he clinked his glass on mine and looked into my eyes.

“Glad you didn’t fall in,” he said.

I couldn’t help but smile back.