Unexpected Gift(4)



I refuse to give in.





Chapter Two





Molly





“You look hot!” Kenna whistles as she slaps my ass.

I yelp from the sting. “Ow! Hey, what was that for?” I rub the cheek she hit to soothe the warmth of the sting. She got me good with that one. All palm. Nice.

McKenna—or Kenna, as I call her—turns toward me and starts walking backward. She is wearing a red leather jacket and black low-cut shirt that shows off her massive chest tattoo. She has two nose piercings and dark purple hair. Kenna is a badass. We are complete opposites of one another.

I tend to be on the safer, more conservative side. Kenna’s soul burns with a wildness I have never seen in anyone else before. She lives life and doesn’t care what anyone has to say about it. I wish I was more like her. So carefree. And honestly? Gorgeous. She's so gorgeous. I don’t know any other woman who can pull off Kenna's style better than Kenna does. She has an energy about her that infects other people. Everyone wants to follow her lead.

“That slap on the ass is in celebration of the fact that you are wearing the skirt I told you to wear. You have great legs. But you never show them.”

Speaking of the short, blue, skin-tight piece of cloth that barely covers my ass, I pull it down because I swear the bottom of my cheeks are showing. “I show them, but I just don’t show this much of them. There’s a difference.” If a breeze blows, everything underneath this nearly nonexistent skirt will come out to play and say hello to everyone.

“You'd be doing the world so much good if you showed them off more.” She walks through the bar confidently, bypassing the bouncer with a flirtatious smile. He unhooks the red rope, letting her float through with ease and confidence.

I follow close behind, only to have the rope cut me off, stopping me in my tracks. “I’m with her,” I say as I point to Kenna.

“I need to see some identification,” the big, muscular man responds in a deep voice that makes my spine straighten immediately.

“You didn’t ask for hers. Why do you need mine?”

He crosses his massive arms and lifts a bushy brow at me, not saying a word as he stares at me without even blinking.

“Unbelievable.” I shake my head and Kenna hides her smile behind her hand as she waits on me. With jerky, pissed-off movements, I dig through my purse and grab my wallet. I unfold it and shove it in his face to prove that I am older than twenty-one. “Happy?” I huff, tapping my heal on the sidewalk with impatience.

He points his thumb over his shoulder. “You can go.”

I hit my shoulder against his side, never breaking eye contact with the giant oaf. His big brow rises again with a hint of humor before turning around to face the front of the crowd once more.

“You know, that isn’t the best way to get in good with Rocky,” Kenna says, looping her arm around mine.

“Rocky? Of course that’s his name.”

“He is a good guy. You just have to get past all the...”—She waves her hands over her body—“That. You know? I know it’s a lot to get past, but once you do, he is a big teddy bear.”

“A teddy bear?” The stool scratches against the cement floor as I sit down. “I doubt that,” I mumble.

“What can I get you beautiful ladies?” the man behind the bar asks, wiping the counter down with a dirty bar rag.

“Two shots of scotch,” Kenna holds up two fingers.

I stop him by holding my hand up in hopes that he won't make that god-awful drink for me, too. “I’ll take a margarita. She can have the gasoline with ice.”

He laughs as he puts the other scotch glass back and replaces it with a margarita glass. “You got it.” He gives me a wink before taking that awful-looking scotch and pouring it for Kenna.

She slaps my shoulder and turns us around toward the dance floor. “Now, we need to find you someone who can yank that stick out of your ass.”

“Excuse me? There is no stick. That’s rude, Kenna.”

“Dude, you have a stick so far up in there; I don’t know if I can even get it out.”

Right as I open my mouth to defend myself, my phone rings. “I’ll get back to you in a moment, you rebel without a cause,” I say to her before unsnapping the clasp of my purse and reaching in to find my phone. I see it at the bottom of my purse, and I flip it over in my palm as I pull it out. I turn the ringer off when I see a number I don’t recognize.

“What’s that about?” Kenna asks.

“I don’t know. I didn’t recognize the number.” Right as I go to put it back in my purse, my phone rings again. “Weird. They are calling again.”

“Answer it. You never know. It could be important.” She sips her drink, scanning the crowd for a guy to strike her fancy.

“True.” I slide the green button to the side and move my hair away from my ear. “Hello?” I greet the caller as the bartender sets my drink down in front of me.

“Is this Molly Lowell?” a soft, feminine voice asks.

I look at Kenna with confusion and take a sip of my drink. “It is. May I ask who is calling?”

The stranger on the other end of the line sighs, and my gut turns. Something doesn’t feel right.

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