Bear, who had been about to raise his beer to his mouth, paused before handing it to her. Jane’s silvery eyes glowed with happiness, as if he had given her a damn diamond ring.
“Thanks, Bear,” she said, taking the beer. “Crazy Bitch will appreciate it.”
Cade almost laughed out loud at Bear’s expression.
“You have food at the table?” Stud questioned sharply.
Cade thought Stud was overly concerned about Jane drinking on an empty stomach.
“Yes, Crazy Bitch brought us all sandwiches from the Vegan Factory.”
“Cool.”
“Can I get a bottled water?”
“Sure thing.” Stud handed her one.
As she turned away from the bar, their eyes met before she jerked her gaze away, catching Calder’s.
“Hey, Calder, it’s nice seeing you again.” Her honeyed voice had his balls clenching into a vice.
“Hi, Fat Louise. You’re looking sexy as usual. Makes me realize what I was missing in prison.” Calder took a step forward, grabbing her to pull her into his body, hugging her close as his hands went to her ass.
Cade couldn’t prevent his jaw clenching when he saw the blatant sexual touch.
Jane merely laughed, pushing him away and then nodding her head towards Gina and Demie. “I see you’re making up for lost time.”
“You know it.” Calder’s expression darkened as he lifted the bottle of whiskey he was holding to his mouth.
Cade couldn’t hide his countenance quick enough to prevent Calder from seeing his reaction.
“Well, enjoy yourself.” Jane left the men all staring as she walked away, clutching the drinks in a tight grip.
Calder placed his arm around Gina’s shoulder yet looked towards Cade.
“We gonna have a problem if I take Gina out back?”
“Hell no. You can fuck your brains out with any bitch here, and I wouldn’t care,” Cade answered him. The exception being the woman he was still watching walk away, Cade thought to himself.
Calder stared back at him astutely. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“In that case”—he placed his other arm around Demie as she slid from the stool—“like Fat Louise said, I’m going to make up for lost time. But I’m not a brother who minds sharing.”
“Me, either.” Cade placed his beer on the counter before following Calder from the clubroom, unable to keep his gaze from Jane’s table as he passed.
She refused to glance up, but her friends at the table gave him disgusted looks. Although they couldn’t be more disgusted with him than he was with himself. Still, he didn’t stop going in the direction he was heading, despite knowing nothing was going to happen in the bedroom that could compare to the night he had shared with Jane.
When he had been a kid growing up in Arizona, his mother had made him stand next to her as she stood on a corner holding a sign “My son is hungry.” He had been forced to stand there without shoes on because she said it made people feel sorry for them. In the burning heat, she had begged for money to feed her and his father’s habit. Even now, he remembered the burning heat scorching his bare feet until he couldn’t take it any longer, and his mother would let him stand in the shade until the stoplight turned red. The humiliation burned almost as badly as the pavement as they handled those who gave them money, forced to endure their pitying gazes until he had grown too large to generate their sympathy.
Life hadn’t become any easier after that. He had taken a job in a local restaurant as a dishwasher until he had graduated high school. He had sworn as he had stood at that metal sink that, when he turned eighteen, he would leave and never look back at the family he left behind, never let himself be tied down with feeling responsible for anyone again. He had lived by that code ever since, and he had never regretted it once.
Until now.
Chapter 21
Cade pulled his bike into the small gas station. Looking around, he saw the gas pumps didn’t take credit cards and the station itself was run down.
Getting off his bike, he walked toward the open bay, seeing Stud working on a bike.
“Hey, Stud.”
Stud paused with the wrench in his hand. “What brings you out here?”
Cade moved closer to the bike Stud was working on. “My bike is a piece of shit. Dozer told me you built the one you ride. That’s a nice one you’re working on now.”
Stud stood up, picking up a shop rag to wipe his hands. “It’s already sold. I make custom bikes, but I only build two a year. This year’s orders have already been taken and paid for.”
Cade stared down at the beautiful bike. It might be worth waiting around for, although he had already stayed in town four months longer than he had thought he would. Each day, he had woken with the intent of getting on his bike and leaving; instead, he had found some lame excuse to stay for another day.