Page 1 of Whatever Lola Wants (Odyssey #2)

L ola Wright tossed her duffle bag over her shoulder and headed for the exit. “ See you next week, Marcello ,” she called and sent her jujitsu instructor a wave.

“Wait,” he called back, and she paused at the door.

He jogged over, coming to a stop in front of her.

At five feet, nine inches, he wasn’t a tall man, but she was an even shorter woman, so she had to tip her head back to look at him.

He had warm brown skin and curly black hair, hazel eyes that twinkled with humor, and deceptive strength in a wiry build.

Newcomers to the gym sometimes thought he would be an easy takedown, though it usually took less than a minute for the smarter ones to realize his lack of bulk didn’t translate to lack of strength.

The more stubborn ones had to hit the mat a few times before the message got through.

She shoved at her platinum blonde hair, still damp at the roots from her post-workout shower. “ What’s up?”

“You look good, gatinha.” His words carried the music of Brazil . “ You got a hot date?”

Only her great affection and respect for Marcello —as both an instructor and a friend—kept her from rolling her eyes. “ No , just dinner with friends.”

He grinned, a quick flash of teeth. “ Is that like Netflix and chill?”

Lola snickered. “ No . My friend Anna and her boyfriend just bought a house. They’re having me over for dinner.”

He shook his head, giving her an up-and-down look. “ You take the time to look this good for friends?”

She cocked an eyebrow. “ It’s a skirt and blouse and some lipstick, Marcello .”

“And it looks good on you, gatinha,” he replied with a flirtatious smile. “ All that smooth skin calls to a man. And this?” He tapped a finger on the subtle curve of her biceps, bared by the sleeveless white blouse. “ Softness over strength. Irresistible .”

She controlled the twitch of her lips. “ Is that right?”

“Of course.” He winked. “ What do you think attracted me to my Flavia ?”

“Oh, I know what attracted you to her,” Lola said drily. A professional beach volleyball player and a former Miss Brazil , Marcello’s wife was easily the most beautiful woman Lola had ever seen. “ I’m still trying to figure out what attracted her to you.”

He spread his arms wide, his grin alive with charm. “ My handsome face and winning personality, of course.”

Lola let the laugh loose. “ I’m sure that was it.”

“You should come for dinner, and you can ask her yourself. You haven’t seen my Gabriela in weeks. She’s getting so big, and is as beautiful as her mother.”

Lola thought of the little girl with her mother’s looks and her father’s charm. “ I can imagine.”

“Don’t imagine.” He bumped his hip against hers. “ We have a birthday party for her next month, and Flavia wants you to come.”

Lola bit back a wince. She’d landed on that hip more than once during their sparring match, and it was sore. “ I can’t believe she’s a year old already.”

Marcello’s chest puffed with pride. “ She’s walking and talking, too. The other day she said ‘ Papai ’, clear as day, but I didn’t tell Flavia . She will be upset if she knew her baby said Daddy before she says Mama .”

Lola laughed. “ A daddy’s girl already, huh?”

“Of course,” he said with a grin and another wince-inducing hip bump. “ All the ladies love me best.”

“The fact that you sneak her candy every chance you get has nothing to do with it, I suppose.”

He shrugged, unrepentant. “ She only sees me a few hours a day, while her mama is there all the time. I have to create an advantage.”

“You better hope Flavia doesn’t catch you.”

“I am very stealthy,” he assured her with a wink.

She snickered. “ Yeah , stealthy. Okay .”

“Flavia will email you the details of the birthday party. You will come.”

“I will come,” she agreed with a smile, thinking of tiny, adorable Gabriela , with her bouncy curls and big brown eyes. “ I wouldn’t miss it.”

“You better not, or next time you come to spar I won’t take it so easy on you.”

He bounced away, and Lola pushed open the door.

The late May sunshine was bright, and the wave of accompanying heat announced that summer had come to Chicago .

Grant and Anna’s new home wasn’t far, a thirty-minute walk she’d intended to take as a wind-down from her workout.

But the sidewalk was crowded with Chicagoans eager to enjoy the sun after a long winter, and a quick glance at the time on her phone told her she was already running late.

And since she’d forgotten to pack sunscreen in her workout bag, her pale, winter-white skin would be pink with sunburn by the time she got there.

Decision made, she pulled out her sunglasses and tapped her phone to bring up her rideshare app.

Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the car in front of Anna and Grant’s new house, took two steps toward the front door, then hit the sidewalk.

Well, someone hit her, then she hit the sidewalk.

She landed on her sore hip, hard enough to make her teeth snap together, and her bag landed in the flowers. “ What the fuck?”

“Oh, hell.”

Oh, hell, indeed. She knew that voice. Hip throbbing anew, she tilted her head back and looked up into the ridiculously handsome face of Simon Hastings .

Chestnut hair glinting in the sunlight, broad shoulders blocking half the damn sky.

The pale gold eyes of a big, sleek cat, currently narrowed as he frowned down at her.

The man had predator eyes, she thought, and they suited him.

“What are you doing sitting on the sidewalk?”

She sent him a sunny smile. “ Oh , just enjoying the weather.”

His scowl deepening, he reached down, grabbed her by the upper arms, and hauled her to her feet. “ What ?”

She tugged free and smoothed her skirt over her aching butt. “ You knocked me down.”

“I barely bumped you.”

She bent down to lift her duffle bag from the flower bed, then looked up at him. Jesus , he was tall. Tall and built and sexy. He wore casual slacks and a black t-shirt that looked like it was painted on. “ You’re a bit bigger than I am.”

He looked her over, his expression unchanging. “ That’s an understatement. Are you all right?”

“Apart from the skid marks on my ass,” she drawled and turned to stride up the walk to Anna and Grant’s front door.

He fell into step behind her. “ I didn’t know you were coming.”

Since he couldn’t see her face, she allowed herself a brief grin before schooling her voice to cool indifference. “ I didn’t know you were coming,” she replied, and shot him a bland smile over her shoulder. “ I guess we’ll both just have to deal.”

His face got that pinched look, the one that made him look as though he smelled something rank and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. “ I don’t care if you’re here.”

She let her smile widen and knocked on the front door. “ Good for you,” she said encouragingly.

He scowled in a very satisfying manner, and the door opened on Anna’s beaming face. “ You made it!”

Lola laughed as she was pulled in for an enthusiastic hug. “ You look so good, Anna .”

Anna tossed back her hair, a sassy red that bled into orange and red and blue halfway down, making it looked as though it had been dipped in flame. “ I feel so good.” She snagged Lola’s hand and held out her other to Simon . “ Simon , I’m so glad you could come.”

Lola watched the change come over Hastings with amusement. His predator’s eyes warmed, the corners crinkling, and his mouth curved into a genuine smile as he took her hand and kissed her cheek. “ It’s good to see you again, Anna .”

Anna hooked an arm through his, and with her other hand still locked onto Lola’s , tugged them both into the house. “ Come on in, you two. Grant’s grilling.”

“Red meat, I hope,” Lola said as they made their way through the house. Boxes lined the hallway, sat stacked nearly to the ceiling in the living room. “ God , Anna , you guys moved in two weeks ago. How are there still boxes everywhere?”

“We’ve been busy.”

“Uh-huh.”

Anna gave her a shoulder bump. “ Grant’s been out of town for work twice, and I added three new clients. Getting up to speed has been taking some time.”

Anna had finally ditched her soul-sucking corporate accounting job a few months before and branched out on her own, something Lola had been nagging her to do for a few years. Not that she was going to say I told you so. “ That’s great.”

Anna grinned. “ It really is. I love being my own boss.”

“I knew you would,” Lola said. Okay , maybe a little I told you so. They stepped into the kitchen and Lola’s mouth fell open. “ Holy crap.”

Anna bounced on her toes. “ Isn’t it amazing?”

“Wow.” Lola turned in a circle, taking in the gleam of tile and appliances, the acres of marble counters.

The cabinets were a bold blue, the pendant lights above the island were a polished copper, lending a softening glow to all that cool marble.

The effect was elegant, stylish, and warm—and completely Anna .

“Anna, this is…”

“It’s my dream kitchen,” Anna said and, arms spread wide, bent forward to drape herself across the island.

“What are you doing?”

“Hugging it.” Cheek pressed to the marble, Anna sighed. “ I want it to know how much I love it.”

“Is she hugging the island again?” Grant asked, stepping into the kitchen with his dog at his heels.

“Yep,” Lola said, watching her friend croon to the marble with amusement.

“She do this a lot?” Simon wanted to know.

“I find her like this at least once a day.”

“Weird,” was Simon’s opinion of that.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Grant strolled up behind his girlfriend to press his hips into her ass. “ It has its advantages.”

Simon snorted, Lola snickered, and Anna let out a rolling laugh. “ I love this island for many, many reasons,” she told Lola .

“Can’t blame you.” Lola looked down at the dog, who’d wandered over to sniff at her. She patted his head, which was nearly level with her waist. “ Hello , Henry . Don’t eat me.”

“He will not eat you,” Anna chided and pushed off the counter.