Especially when he shot her a big grin. “Got plenty of wall space upstairs.”
“We also need to finish this conversation.”
“Promise we will. After.”
After. If she was still awake. After one round with Judge, she might not be able to stay that way.
“Then let’s hit it.” Holy crap, did that just come out of her mouth? It had to be the exhaustion and the tequila combo. “I’m fading fast. Especially after the booze. Where’s Jury?”
“Probably with Justice sleeping in Deke’s bed. Will grab her on the way upstairs.”
“He lives here, too?”
“Yeah, one of the rooms in the bunkhouse.”
“Guess I’m getting that tour anyway.”
“Gonna be quick and we’ll avoid the closed doors.”
“Your brothers actually close their doors?”
He snorted and tugged on her hand, directing her to the back corridor. “Sure they won’t mind if you wanna watch.”
“Only if you want me to compare.”
“Can compare all you want. Only one Judge.”
“Is that a blessing or a curse?”
“Blessin’ to other men, curse to all the other women out there who can’t have me.”
Cassie didn’t bother to smother her laugh. She let him hear it loud and clear.
But that laugh quickly disappeared once they got upstairs and he showed her just how right he was.
Chapter Nineteen
Another fucking week and nothing.
Christmas flew by and even though he loved spending every fucking minute of the holiday with Cassie and her girl, including watching Daisy’s face and reactions during the Christmas parade in town, all he had wanted to give Cassie for Christmas—besides his fucking dick—was her freedom from Lange.
He couldn’t give her that until he found the fucker. So far, he’d failed. Every time he tried, he came up empty and it made no sense how a financial nerd and gambling addict had turned into the Invisible Man.
Time was running out on him shacking up with Cassie in her sister’s house, too. The homeowners were coming home the day after New Year’s since both had to get back to work. That meant Cassie was back to sharing Daisy’s bed, unless he could find a place for her and her girl. They hadn’t discussed it, but it would need to be a discussion to have. And soon.
He considered moving them into his apartment temporarily, but it was too damn small for three people. Even with Daisy being pint-sized, her attitude was full-on adult.
Three people, one tiny bathroom and one bed wasn’t going to cut it. Plus, he doubted Cassie would agree since Melanie was heading back to college after the holidays and she’d be relying once more on Heather and Ty to babysit the kid while she worked.
This all added to his fucking frustration.
No Lange. And soon, for him, there’d be no Cassie.
And if he had to, he’d admit the sassy-mouthed Cassie clone had grown on him, too. He actually didn’t mind her waking his ass up to demand he make her dog-shaped pancakes or watch cartoons with her.
There was that, too. Jury had been sleeping in the kid’s bed every damn night. The girls, both two- and four-legged, had bonded.
It got him in the gut every time Cass went to check on Daisy, and he went with her to check on Jury, that Cassie’s girl slept with her arms wrapped around Judge’s girl.
Fuck. He might be losing all his girls. He definitely needed to do something about that.
His eyes tracked Cassie as she came out of the bathroom wearing something he never saw her wear before. Had she been holding out?
“Jesus fuck,” rumbled deep from within his chest.
She stopped in the center of the room, put a hand on her curvy hip and jutted out not only that hip, but those fucking tits. If that didn’t catch his attention, nothing would.
She tilted her head as she took him in lounging on the bed. “Is that a complaint? Shall I return it?”
“You spent scratch on that?”
“Well, I had wanted to give you something for Christmas. You’re just getting it a little late because I had to order it online and shipping got delayed.”
Early, late, that wasn’t the fucking point. He was just surprised to get anything at all, especially after telling her not to spend her money on him.
“You spent scratch on that,” he repeated. She bought that for him, even though she was counting her pennies. She didn’t already have that outfit tucked away somewhere, she went and bought it for him.
For Christmas.
Best fucking Christmas gift he’d ever unwrap.
Hell, best Christmas gift ever.
The only thing better would be if she became his ol’ lady and it was his cut she was wearing over her naked body.
If she did agree to being claimed at the table, it would solve the housing issue. He’d have to move out of the apartment and get a place big enough for three of them. With space for Jury, too.
And maybe a second pup for Daisy so he could get Jury back.