“Bet that plan didn’t include workin’ in a bar.”
“No, it didn’t. But I am grateful that Stella hired me. It’s a start. And it’s giving me more than what I had. Which was nothing.”
“Somethin’ is better than nothin’,” Judge mumbled.
Cassie’s head snapped up. “Yes. Something is better than nothing.”
“It’s a sayin’ Trip lives by. He resurrected our fathers’ club not long ago. It had been destroyed, burned to the ground, and he had a plan to rebuild. You remind me of him. Startin’ with nothin’ and tryin’ to make your way. Takin’ what little you have and buildin’ on it.”
“I thought my future was set.” She shook her head. “I was dead wrong. And it’s hard to start again with what Dennis did still hanging over us. I need this divorce. I need to be able to start fresh without worrying if every dime I make will be taken from me to pay off Dennis’s debts. I shouldn’t be responsible for the crimes he committed. My only crime was being blind to it all.”
“Wasn’t your fault.”
She sighed. “Yes? Well, tell that to everyone else.”
Chapter Nine
His fingers slid over her bare feet, over her warm, smooth skin. She had tensed while talking about the shit Lange had created for her and their daughter and he was determined to get her moaning again, even if it was just with his hands on her feet.
“So, you were following me to find Dennis, thinking he would search us out? Or that we might be planning to go on the lam with him?”
“Yeah.”
“Now you know he won’t. He isn’t stupid. He probably figures someone would be watching us. Plus, I’m sure he knows I need him to sign those damn papers.”
Judge traced his fingers around her ankles, moving up slightly to squeeze and massage her lower calves.
“Oh,” she groaned, her eyes fluttering for a second as he moved his hands higher. “Uh... So, you no longer need to follow me. Or sit outside my sister’s home.”
He moved back down to the soles of her feet and then worked his way partly back up her calves. “Started to follow you to find Lange. Soon as I knew your divorce was pendin’, the reason changed.”
She lifted her head from the armrest and searched his face. “What was the new reason?”
“Make sure you made it home safely.”
She frowned. “Why? Why would you care about my safety?”
“Got a little girl to take care of.”
“So do a lot of other women. Do you follow a bunch of women home?”
When he ran into her at the municipal parking lot that first day and then again at the old warehouse lot, he thought she may be shy and submissive. He was quickly finding out the woman had some bite to her. And exactly where her daughter got her sass. “You leave late at night.”
“So? This town seems safe. Way safer than Rochester and sometimes I used to get home late at night while I lived there.”
“Didn’t have me to watch you.”
She sat up and began to pull her feet from his lap, but he grabbed her ankles and held her there.
“It’s not your job to watch me.”
“Didn’t say it was.”
“How about you give me your number and, if I see Dennis, the first thing I’ll do after I get him to sign those damn papers—and kick him in the nuts for all the shit he put me through—is give you a call so you can haul his ass back to the pokey.”
Judge fought to keep his expression blank. “The pokey?”
He lost that fight. Especially when she asked all sassy-like, “What? You don’t call it the pokey?”
He smirked. “Baby, no one calls it the pokey.”
“I do.”
“Yeah, got that.”
“Okay, back to business...”
Yeah, Judge was good with getting back to business, but not the business Cassie was talking about.
Pulling on her ankles, he slid her down the couch until her ass was against his knee. Until she was nice and close.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Gettin’ down to business.”
“I said back to business.”
“Okay, then. Gettin’ back to business. Whatever you wanna fuckin’ call it.”
“I didn’t come up here for that.”
“Didn’t bring you up here for that, either.”
“We were supposed to be talking.”
“Done talkin’. Lange ain’t comin’ to Manning Grove. Nothin’ left to talk about.”
“This is more than that.”
“Wasn’t gonna be ‘til you said you kicked his ass out a long time ago. He was a stupid fuck and gave you up.”
Cassie’s mouth dropped open. “I have a daughter.”
“Yeah? And I have a son. Didn’t you fuckin’ notice? It’s just me and you on this couch, Cassie.”
“I need to go.” But she made no move to get up.
He released her and held up his palms. If she wanted to go, he wasn’t going to force her to stay. He wanted more from her than just conversation, but that would be up to her. “Then go. Key’s in your coat pocket. Can go at any time. Ain’t holdin’ you here. Your choice.”