“Not that it’s any of your goddamn business, Cage, but… I didn’t chase her. She came to me.”
“Then you shoulda told her to get fuckin’ lost,” Cage insisted.
“Shoulda but didn’t.” And there was no point in discussing that since it was too late. Easy sucked on his teeth. “Now what?”
“Want my advice? You end it or come clean to Trip.”
“Told her that. She don’t want that.”
“She don’t want which one?”
“Either.”
Cage’s eyebrows pinned together. “Why you leavin’ it up to her? You’re the one with the most at stake, brother.”
“Tell me somethin’ I don’t know.”
“How about how much The Punisher tickles?”
Okay, that was something he didn’t need to know. He was sure he’d find out soon enough.
Luckily, Cage wasn’t a snitch. Easy knew that much. If prison taught you one thing, it was to keep your fucking mouth shut. Especially if you wanted to keep your tongue attached or shanks from sliding between your ribs.
“Tessa’s my fuckin’ house mouse, E.”
“Know that, brother.”
“Well, do you fuckin’ know that makes me partially responsible for her ass? She’s a part of my household and my family. If Trip finds out that I fuckin’ knew about this and didn’t say shit to him?” Cage shook his head. “Christ. I ain’t goin’ for another round with The Punisher just so you can stick your dick where it don’t belong.”
While Cage might end up knee deep in shit just like Easy, he could argue that last point. His dick did belong in Tessa. Nobody else’s did.
He decided it was smart to keep that shit to himself. “Look, just askin’ for some time. Still got shit to figure out before we decide what we’re doin’. We don’t wanna be forced into making any hasty decisions that we’ll regret later. She’s fuckin’ young.” Maybe even too young at this point. “She don’t wanna be tied down yet.” She wasn’t the only one.
“Know you don’t, either, brother, which is why this is so fucked. Never expected this outta you.”
Easy rubbed a hand over his heart. “Never expected for her to punch me in the chest, either.”
Ah fuck. He hadn’t meant to say that shit. He regretted it the instant it crossed his lips.
“Punch you in the chest? Punch you in the fuckin’ chest?” Cage’s eyebrows rose and he scrubbed a hand across his mouth. “Damn. So, this ain’t just sex between you two?”
“Don’t know what the fuck it is, that’s what I’m sayin’. We need time together without people like you or Trip or, hell, even Stella, stickin’ their fuckin’ noses in our goddamn business like they know better than we do. ‘Cause you and I both know that’ll happen.” Guaranteed.
“You’re forgettin’ something important.”
Did he even want to ask? He sighed out a, “What?”
“As my house mouse, Tessa is my business and she’s certainly Trip’s as his sister. As things stand right now, you’re the only one who really don’t got a say.”
Fuck that shit. “That’s where you’re wrong, brother.”
Cage stared at him with his head tilted to the side. Easy didn’t like that look. It made his ass cheeks clench. “How long’s this been goin’ on?”
Was this a fucking test? “She didn’t tell you?”
“Wanna hear it from you.”
“Honestly, don’t know. Lost track.”
“So… not just a few times?”
Is that was Tessa told him? “Depends on what you consider a few.” He groaned mentally at that lame-ass answer.
“You’re a fuckin’ idiot,” Cage said, shaking his head. “A total fuckin’ idiot. You got access to,” he counted the sweet butts off using his fingers, “Billie, Amber, Angel, Brandy and even Crys would still pitch hit if you needed. Five goddamn women at your dumbass fingertips. And all you gotta do is walk into Pete’s and twenty more will fall at your fuckin’ feet. But no, you had to fuck a stick of dynamite instead. You think that explosion on Hillbilly Hill was crazy? Just wait.” Cage sucked in a deep breath. “Just wait. And just like her, you want me to keep this shit a secret. You risk my goddamn family, hell, my colors the same as yours. And what the fuck am I gettin’ outta it? Nothin’ but a headache and heartburn.”
“Jem know?”
“Fuck no!”
Easy winced, hoping Cage’s explosive shout didn’t wake up anyone else in the bunkhouse. An audience was the last thing they needed.
“Then it’s just the three of us. You cover for us, we’ll cover for you. If it comes out, no one’s ever gotta know you knew. I ain’t gonna snitch if you don’t.”
Cage dropped his head and scratched behind his ear. When he lifted it again, he asked, “Brother, you sure this is how you wanna play it?”
“I ain’t sure about shit. Got no fuckin’ clue how shit’s gonna go from here. But I can promise you this… I ain’t out to hurt her.”
“Yeah, you better not. Forget Trip. Forget me. Stella and Jemma will both crush your nuts ’til they’re nothin’ but dust. That alone should scare the fuck outta you.”