Beautiful Moves(Shifting Steel Book 3)(13)

"Kudos to her for finding it in your size," Ella giggled as they walked to the parking lot.

"She was rather proud of herself. It was a toss-up between this shirt, or ‘I'm with stupid,' with an arrow pointing up."

Ella snorted. Wolf obviously had a good sense of humor, if he was  rocking the self-deprecating clothing that his sister hoisted on him. It  didn't really matter. Wolf could wear anything and still look mind  numbingly hot.

"No, this was a good choice."

Ella patted Wolf's chest, feeling the rock-hard pecs beneath his shirt.  She pulled her hand back when the zing, characteristic of her gift  gearing up, surged through her fingers and up her arm. Touching him was a  bad idea.

"You care if we go to the clubhouse and order a pizza?"

"Sounds good. That's the best place to look at what I've come up with. I  have several ideas, since we never got a chance to talk about your  budget."

"We're not taking the bike today," Wolf announced as Ella walked toward his motorcycle.

That's probably for the best. I don't think I can hold onto you and hold it together.

Wolf pointed toward a shiny truck. "You got a driver's license?"

"Of course. I can even work a stick."

Ella realized what she'd said the moment Wolf's eyebrows rose. Ella's  cheeks flamed. She hadn't meant it to sound dirty, but it came out that  way.

Why are you constantly embarrassing yourself in front of this man?

"Can you now?" He winked then tossed her a set of keys.

"Zip it, buster."

"But you're such an easy mark."

"I know. Thanks for pointing it out. So, you want me to drive?" she asked slightly confused.

"Yep."

"Alright."

Ella jumped up into the Chevy cab. It took no time at all to get to the clubhouse. Ella parked and handed Wolf the keys.

"Nope, keep those."

"Huh?"

"I got the truck to haul things, but I also figure you can drive it. I  was serious when I said I didn't want you walking around after dark.  Hell, I don't like you walking around in daylight."                       
       
           



       

"Um, Wolf." Ella didn't know what to say.

"Come on. Stop thinking so hard. It's not like I'm giving it to you." Wolf led her into the clubhouse.

"Thank you, but it's still not necessary."

Wolf waved her off. Ella shook her head in disbelief.

"You guys spend a ton of time here, don't you?" Ella asked as she saw another car in the lot.

"Yeah, we're a rather social pack. My grandfather built the building to so everyone would have a place to get together."

"It's a nice location."

The clubhouse was far enough from anyone else, who might complain about the biker's rowdy behavior.

"Yeah. He liked the woods beyond," Wolf pointed to the stand of mature trees, as they headed inside.

"Hey, Char." Ella waved when she entered the main room of the clubhouse.

Ella found Char more personable than she expected. She was a woman you wouldn't mess with, but she was kind.

"How's it going, Cotton Tail?"

"Seriously, Sis, that's not nice," Wolf admonished.

"No, no, no. I earned the nickname fair and square. I'm gonna own it," Ella insisted.

"Well, whatever floats your boat, Princess." Wolf shook his head. "So,  Char, where's the brain trust with dinner? My cousins are still on my  shit list, since this happened on their watch," Wolf said as he pointed  to the wrecked wall.

"I'm sure they'll be along any time now."

"Let me show you what I have." Ella approached the island.

She was excited to see Wolf's reaction to her designs. With Char there,  it would only add to the fun. Ella pulled the binder out of her bag, and  started laying pages on the counter. Wolf was quiet as he stared at the  paint and fabric swatches. Char sidled up to Wolf and glanced down at  the inspiration images. His sister started to smile a broad, rotten  grin.

"Shhh," Ella mouthed silently to her co-conspirator.

Ella spent almost as much time working on her little joke, as she had  the real design. The fake design wasn't overtly feminine, but it also  wasn't uber masculine either.

"This color is called Amaretto." Ella pointed to the dark cherry paint  swatch. "I was thinking we'd apply it in a suede texture." Ella swept  her hand toward the walls. "Oh, and these tufted leather armchairs  should be easy to clean. In black, they'll look nice with the burgundy  tone on the wall."

Wolf looked at her with one brow raised ever so slightly. Ella was  having a hard time not laughing. She didn't know how much longer she'd  be able to string him along.

"Since you liked my mural, I sketched this," Ella continued.



Wolf

There was something off about Ella. Her scent was different, lighter  somehow. Wolf didn't know her well enough, to know what it meant …  yet.  However, Char was fidgeting the way she usually did when she was up to  mischief.

Ella's design wasn't awful. It was actually very good, just not for the  clubhouse. The deep sultry red she picked out, was better suited for a  high-end strip club. Wolf imagined sitting back in the leather chair  with a cocktail, as Little-Miss-Straight-Laced treated him to a private  dance, wearing those thigh-high stockings and not much else.

Ella unrolled a large drawing and Wolf just stared at it with a mix of  amusement and awe. Ella was screwing with him. She sketched the royal  coat of arms from England, but instead of the lion, she substituted a  wolf opposite the unicorn.

"Oh my god, Cotton Tail, I can't hold it in anymore," Char burst. "You  seriously broke out the unicorn. And I think I have lipstick that  color," she snickered as she pointed at the paint.

"I couldn't help myself after our conversation," Ella giggled.

Wolf loved the sound. He took a deep breath, savoring the sweet scent Ella exuded.

Wolf looked back down at the drawing. For a joke, it was damn  impressive. The way the wolf reared on its haunches, claws out, and  fangs bared, it looked ready to attack. Even the unicorn wasn't bad. But  it was the motorcycle engine she'd drawn in place of the shield, that  floored him.

"Ella, is that a Harley knucklehead engine in the middle?" he asked.

"I thought the engine with those two barrels on top had nice symmetry."  Ella traced the design with her delicate manicured finger.

It may have been a prank, but she put a lot of thought into it. She  created a real work of art. Wolf couldn't believe Ella did all this,  just to tease him. Something about that got him hard, not that he needed  much help where Ella was concerned. Wolf shifted to adjust himself, his  jeans tighter than comfortable.                       
       
           



       

"I like it," Wolf finally said with all seriousness. He couldn't resist turning the tables on her.

"Wait huh?" Ella's eyes flew to Wolf's. "Wolf, this isn't the real plan.  I've got something else I think you might like better. You can't  seriously want a unicorn painted bigger than life on the wall. The  leather chairs are nice and sturdy, but not enough to withstand a pack  of bikers, who did that to a wall." Her hands fluttered as she spoke.

God, she's so damn sexy all flustered. Wolf let Ella dangle. He liked  the way she blushed and squirmed when he pinned her with his gaze.

"I didn't say I like it for the clubhouse. I was thinking about my bedroom."

Wolf stepped closer to Ella, invading her personal space. Her mouth hung  open, and the flush on her cheeks moved to her chest. Was she imagining  his bedroom?

I hope she is.

"Can you frame this drawing?"

"Well …  yeah, I guess I can frame it." Ella looked damn cute when she  scrunched up her nose, as she tilted her head, and scowled. "This didn't  go exactly the way I planned."

"Char you've been slacking in the practical joke department. Ella here, has turned it into an art form," Wolf chuckled.

"My pranks are more spur of the moment. I don't think I have the staying power to pull off something like this."

"I like the shirts." Ella nudged Char.

"Don't encourage her," Wolf admonished. "So, you said you have something else to show me."

After seeing what Ella considered a joke, Wolf couldn't wait to see what  she planned for real. Ella pulled out another binder and laid it open  on the counter. Her demeanor changed, and she took on a professional  stance as she pointed to the first picture.

"I kept things simple. We'll pull up the old chipped linoleum floor, and  finish the bare concrete. We'll do the counter and bar in concrete as  well."

"Nice. Is that wood paneling?" Wolf pointed at a magazine clip.

Ella nodded.

"The reclaimed wood, installed horizontally on the walls, will take a  ton of abuse. I don't know if it can withstand a motorcycle, but what  can. If something happens, you can easily replace it." Ella pulled out  some pictures printed off the internet. "I found this awesome  furniture." She looked excited, as she pointed out a rugged wood-frame  couch. "This sofa is constructed so the wood pieces can be replaced if  an arm or leg is broken. The cushions can be replaced too."