Page 15 of Wicked & Wildflower

“Have you heard from…” He pauses, eyes darting to the backseat where my child sits.

“No, I haven’t.” I know what my father wants from me, but I also made it clear that as long as he left us alone, the thing he’s so afraid of would never see the light of day. I should’ve known the man couldn’t handle being blackmailed, but I’m hoping once he realizes I’m keeping my word, he’ll let us move on.

Everett nods, leaning against the car door and rummaging his eyes over the interior. “You need an oil change.”

I glance at the service light on my dash. “Thank you for the observation. I’ll get it taken care of eventually.”

He shakes his head with a sigh. I watch as he reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and pulls out his wallet. He fishes something out of it before handing it to me. I grab a business card withRamos Automotivesprawled across the top.

“The address is on the card. Bring it in as soon as you have time. Ask for me.”

“And if I don’t?”

He raises a brow. “If you don’t bring your car in, it’s eventually going to take a shit. If you don’t ask for me, then you’ll be putting whoever does help you on their boss’ bad side.”

I roll my eyes.

He braces over the top of my car, giving me a front row view of his flexing, tattooed arms. He drops his head between his shoulders, flashing that mischievous smile. “Goodnight, Wildflower.”

The way he looks at me takes my breath away, and I have to remind myself where I am.WhoI am. I’m no longer just a girl in a bar. He’s no longer just a guy. We’ll never get to be those two people again. I swallow, reaching for my door handle and slamming it shut.

Everett quickly steps out of the way before I can crush his fingers. I hear him laughing through the closed door.

He stands on the curb, watching me drive away until I’m completely out of sight.

8

Wicked

New Bitch In Town

I’m going to killthe motherfucker calling my phone at seven thirty in the goddamn morning.

There’s a reason I don’t open either of my businesses until ten o’clock.

I hazily reach across my nightstand for my cell phone, groaning as I force open my eyes and squint at the brightness. An unsaved number with an out-of-state area code is on my screen. My mind immediately filters to Dahlia, who I know wouldn’t be calling me for anything less than a true emergency.

“Hello?” I answer.

“I’m sorry. Were you still asleep?” Her voice sounds calmer than I expected but more frantic than I’d like it to.

“Hi, Wildflower.” A smile forms on my mouth at the nickname. It’s an involuntary reaction. I have no control over it.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“I know your voice,cariño.”

“What does that mean?Cariño.” She’s practically purring through the phone, and my morning wood does not need the reminder of the way her tongue can roll.

“Dear. Darling. Sweetheart. Whatever you want it to, really.”

A soft laugh echoes on the other side of the line. My cock jumps at that too. “How about you just call me by my name instead?”

“Okay, Wildflower.” I smile. “What’s going on?”

I can almost see those pretty blue eyes rolling in my mind.

“I…I’m sorry to bother you. It’s my car… It won’t start. Today’s Lou’s first day of school, and she’s already going to be late, which issonot a sign of good parenting for the new bitch in town. Plus, she’s already the new kid, and I don’t want to make things worse for her by making her late. I tried calling your mom, but I think she’s at her Pilates class and—”

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