Suddenly, the redhead flies backward. Next, Taryn lifts off me. Pushing my hair from my eyes, I find Anders. His face is pure rage. His nostrils flare, his eyes glow, his upper lip curls into a snarl. I have never seen anything as terrifying as the sight of this giant man ready to tear apart the world.
“What the fuck is her problem?” Wyatt yells from somewhere.
Anders swings around and throws his big fist into the smaller man’s gut. Wyatt makes a weird noise as if all the air in his entire body bursts out of his mouth. Then, Anders turns back to me.
I don’t know what he sees on my face, but his mask of rage cracks. The sight of him unhinged a moment ago blinded me. I only felt fear at what his huge body could do to my smaller one. I forgot he was Anders Van Der Haas, and I was Pixie Yabo.
Now, he fears I’ll leave him. Does he think these women have ruined his chance at happiness? I see a million worries raging in his blue eyes.
“Anders,” I say, reaching up for him rather than trying to escape.
Snapping out of his panic, he leans down to help me stand. Then, he keeps lifting until I’m in his arms.
“I love you,” I say, holding his gaze.
Breathing easier now, he carries me from the room. Behind us, some people curse insults while others laugh. I notice Bronco chuckling widely while DeAnna cries next to Wyatt on the ground. Bambi glares at me as she comforts Taryn. I don’t see what the rest of the people are doing, but I think I hear Topanga giggling somewhere.
Soon, we’re outside, where the chill crawls into my wet dress. Anders sets me inside the SUV and stares as if I need to tell him what to do.
“I liked the dumplings, but I ate too much before I got to them,” I say because I don’t know how to explain what happened.
Anders looks around as if I’m nuts. Finally, his gaze returns to my face, and he says, “I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“No, those terrible women shouldn’t have been awful. You did nothing wrong.”
Blinking wildly, Anders takes a deep breath and gets control of himself. He looks back at the building where people stream out. I see a few giving us ugly frowns. Others lean into each other and laugh. I see one woman make a face as if she’s imitating DeAnna as the watermelon hit her.
“Anders, can we go to Bronco’s house now?”
Focusing, he nods and shuts my door. Anders doesn’t acknowledge the other people. He gets into the other seat and drives slowly to the house. I don’t know what’ll happen next. Bronco didn’t seem angry when we left, but Anders punched his nephew really hard. Rooster looked upset. Bambi was yelling at one point. Will Anders get in trouble for my behavior? Should I have sneaked out like Topanga suggested?
No!
Whatever happens next is just the price I’ll pay. Like when I attacked Rusten to protect Anders, sometimes violence happens. I didn’t start either fight, but I won’t be weak just to make people happy. Those women were lucky I didn’t have a rock in my hand, or there might be more than hurt feelings and a few bruises tonight.
ANDERS
Turning this group birthday party into a “Meet Anders’s Honey” party was a bullshit idea. My club brothers have no interest in meeting Pixie. But because their wives are nosy, Pixie has to wear a dress and shoes that don’t fit right. Plus, she’s wearing makeup and styling her hair to look like someone else. Pixie is my flower child, which is why she loves me when no one else can.
Now, people are twisting Pixie into just another beautiful woman. I don’t want someone else. Why can’t they leave us alone?
The only good part of this stupid fucking party is Pixie’s reaction to new foods. She opens her mouth for me as I feed her. Her eyes are so bright when she bites into the foods she likes. They get very wide when she realizes something tastes awful. Learning stuff about each other is what I want for us. Not to be put on display for people who won’t be won over.
Not that Pixie is trying very hard to woo my club brothers and their honeys. She mumbles hello, nods, smiles, and then focuses on me. Back at Bronco’s place, she was much friendlier. Pixie is worse at hiding her disinterest than I am.
I made a mistake letting her drink so much wine. Pixie’s body isn’t used to booze. When she takes even a few hits from a joint, she instantly gets relaxed and a little silly. No way can she handle two glasses of wine.
“You only have to stay another thirty minutes,” Bronco says once Pixie ends up sick in the restroom. “I can see how uncomfortable she is. I also plan to use your exit as an excuse to bail.”
No doubt, Bronco is edgy about leaving Fairuza alone with his girls. Summer could likely take the older woman in a fight. While Pixie’s mom is tough, she’s underfed. Yeah, the biker princess should have no trouble kicking Fairuza’s ass.
I scan the room, taking in the faces of the men and women I’ve known for three years. Most of them barely know me, and I certainly don’t know them. Yet, never before did I resent these people. I kept to myself, stayed quiet, and let others lead. I never pretended to believe they might care about me. Deep inside, I knew they looked at me and saw a man who turned against his club before. Why wouldn’t I do it again?
Maybe I should leave the Woodlands. I have money saved up. Pixie, her family, and I could move away and start over. No
