Page 4 of Riding Wild

“You want left over lasagna and apple pie? I was planning to take you…someone… to Mullet’s.”

“You know he just fries up mozzarella and pours sauce out of a jar, right? Arnie made the lasagna fresh this morning, and Millie’s pie was handmade with love.Love,Axel.Isn’t that what you’re looking for?” She bites back a grin.

Have I said this is a mistake?

Then again, I don’t expect a twenty something to understand what a pain in the ass she’s being right now. I contemplate leaving. I’m sure I’d be doing us both a favor, but I’m already out here and I’m starving.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I glance toward May. “Lasagna sounds good. Let me know what I can do to help.”

She adopts a high tone and a southern accent as she swings the door open and says, “Why you don’t have to do a thing, sir? You just sit yourself down and relax. I’ll grab our dinner out of the oven and serve you like the king you are.”

I shut my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to quiet the parts of me screaming to call it a night. I could go home, sit in the recliner, and catch the end of the baseball game. The Rockies are going to the playoffs. I could catch up on the lures I’ve been making to take fly-fishing next month. I could sit out on the front porch in complete silence and think about nothing. All of these options are good, but when I open my eyes again, there she is… beautiful as ever, holding a plate of steaming lasagna and a slice of apple pie.

If I decide to stay now, I’m a hypocrite… right?

Chapter Three

May

Doubting the man is handsome would make everything else I think about him disingenuous. The truth is, he’s hot as hell. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t been swiped up yet. Tall, inked, muscular in all the right places, and his voice has a timbre that sends a shot of electricity straight through me. If he’d agree to never speak again, I think we could have a lovely marriage. Thankfully, that’s how most of dinner has gone… silent.

On the plus side, Arnie did a great job on the lasagna and the pie is spot on. It’s much better than the peanut butter and jelly I’d have made for myself. I’m thankful the owners are okay with me popping in for a late dinner every once in a while. They’re a lot like everyone else in town, really laid back. Well,almosteveryone else in town.

“We should get these questions out of the way.” Axel slides away his plate and glances up toward me quickly before looking away again. “Dinner was great. Thank you.”

Nora didn’t mention anything about questions. “What are you talking about?”

“The questions in the app. We have to ask each other and confirm we finished them before we can be set up again.”

I purse my lips and drag out my phone, pretending to scroll through an app I clearly don’t have. “Totally. Let’s do it. I’ll go first. What, umm… why do you want to be married?” I lean back in the booth after I’ve shot the question out, acting as though I don’t give a damn what answer he gives, but if I’m being honest, my ears are perked. For the life of me I can’t figure out why a handsome guy like Axel hasn’t been pulled off the market by now. Sure, he’s stubborn and set in his ways, but what man his age isn’t?

He draws in a deep breath and sighs. “This is stupid. What other questions do you have?”

I laugh and glance down at the imaginary list. “It’s that or your sex life. I figured marriage was a good place to start.”

He rolls his eyes. “This was a mistake. I’m leaving.”

“Really?”My tone drops. “You’re going to bethatcliché?”

“Cliché?How am I cliché?”

“You ate dinner in silence and the first second I ask you anything real, you bail? The question stuff was your idea, remember?”

He drags another sip of beer and stands from the booth, lifting our plates from the table. “I’m sorry for this. It was my fault thinking I could date.” Dishes in hand, he makes his way to the back of the kitchen. I can’t see him anymore, but I hear the sprayer and the clanking of our plates. At least he picked up after himself. That’s not something a man usually thinks about.At least not the men I know.

I’m happy the night is finally coming to an end, but Nora is going to kill me. As pissed as I am about this entire thing, I promised her a good performance, and I’m being a snarky, little bitch. Granted, it’s in my blood. We come from a long line of women who are… free with their words.

I stand from the table and make my way to the kitchen. This part takes a lot because, little known fact, snarky bitches don’t like to apologize.

“Hey.” I lean against the door frame and stare toward him. He’s wearing a black, rolled up, long-sleeved button down that shows his dark ink tattoos and black jeans. In this light, the man looks like a small-town god, albeit an evil one. “I’m sorry if I pushed too hard. Maybe you should go first… with the questions, I mean.”

A wide smile brightens his face though I don’t get the vibe. It’s not a friendly grin. Instead, it’s awkward and clearly forced. “I appreciate your apology, and if I’m being honest, there’s no denying you’re gorgeous… but we both know this is a waste of time.” He wipes his hands on the towel near the sink and brushes past me. I’m not sure why I drag in a breath as he moves, but when I do, I regret it immediately. He smells like cedar and pine personified. It’s rugged, wild, and draws me much further in than I was planning on it pulling.

He glances back at me. “This is my fault. Can I walk you to your car? It’s dark.”

A walk to my car, how gentlemanly. “Oh.” My voice cracks. “Yeah, I guess.” I grab my sweater off the hook and wrap myself up as I follow Axel out the door, locking up behind us. Nora is going to kill me for not going further with this. We barely walked into the date before we were walking out again. That said, I can’t make the man talk to me. He’s obviously got problems and I don’t have the time or the mental capacity to figure any of them out.

“Look, could you also give that dating agency a good rating? I know the girl that runs it and she’s just starting. A bad review could really drag things down.”

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