The same with Cassie. Even if she never said it, he felt it. And that right there was everything and made him want her even more. “Ain’t a hard woman to love, Cass.”
“Oh, another compliment!”
He smirked. “Ain’t bad to look at, either.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Got a smart mouth sometimes, though. That’s a con.”
“A con for what?”
“For lettin’ you move in with me.”
“Letting me?” she squeaked.
“Yeah. ‘Cause now I’m gonna have to find a bigger place for all of us.”
“Judge… I’m not sure I’m ready for that. With Daisy…”
“Yeah, get that. We got time. Just wanna know you’re okay with the idea.”
She gave him a smile. Soft just like the way her eyes looked. “I’m okay with the idea.”
“When you’re ready.”
Her fingers shifted to mindlessly trace the tattoos on his chest. “When I’m ready.”
“Like soon.” He knew he was pushing but he wanted her to know how important she was to him. Daisy, too.
It took her a few moments before she said, “When you find a place.”
“Want you and your girl in my life.”
“Ain’t goin’ nowhere,” she echoed his earlier response.
“One of the best things I ever heard besides you lovin’ me.”
“Oh, wait. That’s what you heard?”
“Swore that’s what I heard.” He wiggled a finger in his ear. “Do I need to clean out my fuckin’ ears?”
“I don’t know…” She pulled herself across his chest and put her mouth to his ear. “I love you.” She pulled back. “Did you hear that?”
“Not sure. Try again.”
She smiled and did it again and when she drew back the second time, he captured her face and pulled hers to his. He gave her a slow kiss, taking his time exploring her mouth and sliding his tongue over her lips.
When he released her mouth, she asked, “What did you hear?”
“I love you.”
“That sounds about right,” she said with a grin and a tug on his beard.
“Yeah, it does.” He wouldn’t argue that.
Because it was true.
Chapter Twenty
Judge sat back in the folding chair outside of his apartment and blew the smoke up toward the night sky while the fat snowflakes fell down around him.
Sig sat next to him, his feet kicked up on the railing and sucking back a beer. “My fuckin’ balls have gone into hidin’.”
Yeah, a late-night January snowfall wasn’t the best time to sit outside and get high, but Sig didn’t smoke inside his apartment because of Autumn. And Judge came outside while Jury was somewhere out there in the dark doing her business.
He offered the half-kicked joint to Sig, who took it and tucked it between his lips, taking a couple short puffs, then blowing the smoke out of his nose like an angry bull.
“Red sleepin’?” Judge asked him.
“Nah. Readin’. Soon as I’m done out here, gonna go in, find my balls and fuck her. Then she’ll be sleepin’.”
Judge snorted and shook his head.
But he wished he could say the same thing. Cassie was still living at her sister’s house and sharing Daisy’s bed. Which sucked the fucking big one. But it was what it was until she was ready to share a roof. Though, he’d first need to find a roof big enough to fit them all so he was ready for when she was.
He’d talked to Trip about building a little house somewhere on the farm and Trip seemed to be okay with it. However, mid-January in northern Pennsylvania wasn’t the best time to start building and he wasn’t waiting until the Amish could build him what he needed. He needed to find something else in the meantime.
Again, once she was ready.
Judge didn’t think she’d be ready until Lange signed his fucking name on those divorce papers. Which made him more determined than ever to find the fucker. He had even called Diesel, a Dirty Angels MC member and fellow enforcer, to see how much it would cost to hire one of his Shadows to find Lange.
His asshole had puckered when he heard.
He had a decision to make: build a fucking house or find Lange. He couldn’t afford both. Hell, if he paid for a Shadow, he wouldn’t even have enough to temporarily lease a place for him and his girls.
It fucking sucked. His business did well, but not well enough to plunk down the kind of cash needed to hire an expert from In the Shadows Security. Justice Bail Bonds had a lot of overhead and Deke also had to live off whatever they made.
He ground his molars at the thought of Lange getting off scot-free and leaving Cassie behind with the mountain of debt and a valid marriage certificate.
His girl ran up the steps, squeezed under and between Sig’s legs and jammed her nose right into his junk. “Jesus fuck. Savin’ that for Red, Jury. Damn dog.”
Judge grunted. “Maybe she was lookin’ for your lost balls.”
Jury gave Sig’s beer bottle a lick before coming over to him for an ear scratch.
“Did she just lick my fuckin’ beer?”
“Better than lickin’ your dick.”
“Know that for a fact?” Sig cocked an eyebrow as he took another big hit off the blunt before passing it back over.
Judge studied the lit joint in his fingers, watching the smoke swirl into the air from the tip.
Sig took a long chug of beer and belched loudly when he was done. “Whatcha doin’ about Cass and the kid?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Claimin’ her, right?”
“Plan on it.”
“She’s into it?”
“Fuckin’ hope so.”
“Nice havin’ pussy in your bed every night.”
Judge twisted his neck toward the man sitting next to him. “That what Autumn is? Pussy?”
“Know what the fuck I mean.”
Yeah, he knew what Sig meant. It was his delivery that sucked. Sig would be the first to admit Autumn saved his ass. But then, Sig saved hers, too.
Just like Stella saved Trip’s.
Two of his brothers had found women who fit them perfectly.
So did Judge.
But he wasn’t feeling settled like them. He was feeling goddamn restless.
He missed Cassie. He missed having her curled against him as they slept. He missed waking up in the middle of the night and fucking her. He missed Daisy pounding on the door in the morning with her tyrant demands.
He missed it all.
For the past two weeks, it had been just him and his Fleshlight in his apartment and it was lonely as hell. Cassie’s sister agreed to watch Daisy overnight a couple of times, but it wasn’t nearly enough for Judge.
Not enough for Cassie, either.
She missed him as much as he missed her.
Fucking crazy for him to fall so fucking hard for a woman he’d only known for about six weeks. Cassie said the same.
That’s why she was in no rush to move from under her sister’s roof. Plus, she was still putting money away. He hoped it was so they could get a shared place and not one on her own, but it would be up to her.
He wouldn’t rush her. Not only because of her but because of her girl.