“Yo!” came a male shout from the bar. When Cassie’s head spun in that direction, she saw Cage giving Judge a look but pointing at her.
Judge’s head slowly swiveled from Cage to Cassie, his brow dropping low and his mouth turning downward. He jerked the shorter woman’s arm from around his waist and said something to her quickly as he began taking long strides in Cassie’s direction, leaving the other woman in his wake.
Oh no.
Nope.
She didn’t want to hear any damn excuses from him.
He came from the back of the building, which she could only assume had private rooms, and had a woman hanging on him. She didn’t care if it was or wasn’t what it looked like.
He texted her.
He wanted her to come here.
He wasn’t even around when she got there.
He came out of the back with another woman.
Why did that piss her off?
Why did that make her stomach turn?
Why should she even care?
Because, damn it, she did.
But she wasn’t the type of woman who would be spread naked across the bar or bent over a bus bench between two men or have sex in a hallway where anyone could see it.
She wasn’t one of them at all.
Didn’t he know that?
Shoving her phone into her pocket, she spun on her heels and practically sprinted toward the exit. As she reached for the handle, a sob bubbled up her throat, but she quickly swallowed it back down.
Strong arms hooked her around the waist, and she was yanked against a tall, hard wall of muscle and leather.
“Know what you’re fuckin’ thinkin’, but you’re wrong.” Cassie’s heart pounded in her throat at his low growl in her ear. “Believe it or not, glad you’re here, babe.”
Babe.
That was new. The overwhelming smell of pot and whiskey permeated from him.
“Are you?” Damn the shake in her voice.
His arms tightened around her waist, immobilizing her against him, and his beard and potent whiskey breath tickled her cheek. “Wouldn’t’ve told you to fuckin’ come if I didn’t want you here, Cassie.”
And that was true, but... “Are you excited to see me, or did she give you that?” If he denied he had an erection, she would elbow him in it. Then there’d be no denying what pressed against the small of her back.
“You think I fuckin’ want her?”
She was glad he couldn’t see her face when she asked, “You ever sleep with her?” And, damn it, her voice broke asking that.
She shouldn’t feel betrayed that he was touching another woman, even if it was the woman who had her arm around his waist and not the opposite.
Even so, she didn’t like that deep-seated hurt. She had felt it once before, before she lost almost everything. She was about to lose again. And disappointment once again saturated her down to her bones.
She had to remind herself she came to Manning Grove to collect herself, straighten out her life, not complicate it even further.
Judge, his club, and his way of life was a complication.
“Ain’t gonna lie, fucked her in the past, but...” His jaw shifted and he growled, “I sleep with you, Cassie, and there’s a fuckin’ difference.”
Oh, was he getting a little angry? Good.
“Is there?” She pulled free from his arms and spun on him, pressing her hand to his gut under his cut. “Tell me what the difference is.”
“Cass... Was in the head takin’ a piss and she followed me in.”
Why was he avoiding her question? “And you let her.”
“Had my fuckin’ dick in my hand and was pissin’. Walked out soon as I was done. She followed me out and offered herself up. Told her you were comin’ and she needed to land in someone else’s bed tonight.”
“If you didn’t know I was coming, would she have landed in yours?”
He set his jaw. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Fuck, baby.” With his eyes narrowed, he shook his head. “You don’t fuckin’ get it, do you?”
“Get what?” She flung her hand out. “What don’t I get? What’s going on in this place? How you guys just fuck women whenever and wherever? I can’t imagine tonight is the first night of this type of party. It’s pretty eye-opening, actually.”
His jaw moved again like he was grinding his teeth. “You’re fuckin’ right. It’s not the first goddamn time and won’t be the last. It happens a lot. It’s a fuckin’ celebration. This is the way we celebrate.”
This is the way we celebrate.
So, this was normal to them. To him.
The whiskey smell on him was so overwhelming, it made her nose wrinkle. “Are you drunk?”
“Don’t gotta drive, baby, so fuck yeah.”
She’d never seen him intoxicated before. Not even on the nights he’d hung out at Crazy Pete’s, waiting for her to finish her shift.
“My apartment’s upstairs around back. Remember it? You followed me home that night. That first night we spent together.”
She didn’t need a reminder. She’d never forget.
“You ghosted before I could show you the place. Remember that, too? I fuckin’ do. But if you want, will give you a fuckin’ tour now before you ghost this time.”
Before you ghost this time.
That still bothered him. Or it could be the alcohol talking.
Either way, she should be leaving. “Not sure I want a tour right now. Not with what I’ve seen so far tonight. We could come across more surprises I don’t need to witness. It’s bad enough I won’t be able to look Dodge in the eye ever again. Doesn’t seem like anyone’s shy.”
“Yeah, nobody’s shy here, Cass. The point of life is to fuckin’ live it. That’s what we’re doin’. There ain’t a right or a wrong way, long as no one’s gettin’ hurt.”
Long as no one’s gettin’ hurt.
Problem was, seeing that woman with her arm around Judge hurt.
“Do you do this type of stuff?” She waved her hand toward the bar and then the bench where the woman was sandwiched between two bikers, except Dodge had now switched places with Ozzy.
“Now?”
She looked up at him, her mouth gaped open. “Ever.”
He rubbed a hand over his mouth and stared at a spot above her head.
Well, that answered her question, so he no longer needed to. She lifted a palm when he tried. “Never mind. Why did you want me here, Judge?”
“Wanted you to see this part of my life. To know what it’s about.”
“For what reason?”
“Just in case.”
“In case of what?” she prodded.
“In case you decide to stay in Manning Grove. And this is the part you ain’t fuckin’ gettin’... In case you decide you wanna stay,” he grimaced as if what he was about to say was painful, “with me.”
Once again, she found herself gaping up at him. Stay with him? “Stay with you? In what way? I thought... I... I wasn’t expecting you’d want more than what we have.”
Especially after seeing the casual sex tonight. It had cemented the realization that might be all they had. Something fun but not serious.