It also pissed her off that what Cage did forced her brother to beat him with a club and possibly kill him. Which might have potentially thrown Judge in prison like Ox. And if her brother got thrown in prison for murder, she would never, ever forgive Judge or anyone who drove him to it.
Never.
Judge promised he’d never end up like Ox. He needed to keep that promise.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Jemma.”
“Sorry,” she whispered roughly and opened her eyes, not missing the regret in his. “I know you’ve already taken enough heat. And Dyna will be a reminder for breaking that rule for the rest of your life. But you guys need to stop thinking with the heads between your legs and start thinking with the heads between your shoulders instead.”
“Us guys? Or just me?”
“Whoever it applies to.”
He glanced around the trailer. “I’m the only one standin’ here, Jem. So right now? It only applies to me. And, yeah, I fucked up. I fucked up big time. I don’t need you remindin’ me when my reminder, just like you said, is lyin’ right on that fuckin’ blanket.” He shook his head. “Gonna go grab some shit from the bunkhouse.”
He stormed out of the trailer and, luckily, didn’t slam the door.
Jemma pressed a hand to her forehead and blew out a breath, hoping to relieve some of the tension that had tightened every muscle in her body.
She had given him more shit than necessary for no reason other than to distract herself from how she was feeling. But that wasn’t the only reason.
She was scared.
She was scared for Judge and what the club might do to her brother. She was also scared for all the children who would be raised within that club.
For the first five years of her life, she had been raised in an outlaw MC. She had seen nothing good, but everything bad. That tiny human asleep on the floor didn’t deserve to see or experience the same things she and the rest of the kids belonging to the Originals had.
But pushing Cage’s buttons wouldn’t change anything. However, anger was easier to deal with than fear.
Anger was also easier to deal with than the weirdness between her and Cage. She was sure he didn’t feel it, it was only her.
That bothered her more than anything.
She wasn’t looking for a quick hookup. She wasn’t looking to stay in Manning Grove. She wasn’t looking to get sucked into the MC life.
She was a fortunate escapee and wanted to keep it that way.
But it also scared her that Stella had been older, saw the same things Jemma had all those years ago and let Trip suck her back in anyway.
She needed to shower and get dressed but didn’t want to do that until Cage got back. Instead, she sank onto the couch near the BFMC blanket and watched Dyna sleep.
God, she wished she could sleep just as soundly.
She picked up the stuffed monkey tucked in the corner of the couch and held it tightly to her chest.
She lost track of how long she sat there. She jumped when the trailer door opened and Cage entered, his T-shirt still hanging around his neck, his feet still bare, but now dirty, and a white garbage bag full of stuff in his hand.
He carried it into the kitchen and Jemma popped up off the couch, leaving the monkey behind. She swished his hands away from the bag and began to pull out whatever he had scored.
“Go shower and get ready for work. I’ll make breakfast.” Plus, it was hard to stand next to him and not touch him. Not like a nurse, but like a woman.
She really wanted to shake some sense into him. That was what it was.
Without a word, he went into his bedroom, left the door open and shucked off his jeans, then went into the bathroom wearing just a pair of boxer briefs. Not that she was looking...
She sighed.
She dug fresh cream—in an actual glass bottle—and a bag of generic sugar out of the unorthodox grocery bag and made herself a large mug of coffee, sucking down the caffeine in hopes that it would help her think more clearly.
Her reaction to Cage made no sense.
She searched the lower cabinets and found an old fry pan. In the garbage bag, she also found a half loaf of homemade bread and a container of churned butter. She discovered a dozen farm fresh brown eggs and a butcher-paper wrapped package of thickly sliced bacon. There were only a few pieces left, but it would be enough for this morning.
These guys had access to the best food. It truly would’ve been a loss if the Amish had broken ties with them. She might have to take Dyna over to the bunkhouse later and check out what else these guys had and what she could use. From what she saw so far, the selection was way better than any grocery store.