Page 9 of Entangled in the Woods
CHAPTER SIX
Leo mentioneda 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 saidNo Barsin 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 wassurprisingly 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.” Hemurmured 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.
