“I’ve never been with anyone in this town.”
“Until me,” I whispered, then lowered my eyes, the look in his too intense for me to take at that moment.
I began studying the rings on his hands, suddenly fascinated by the chunks of silver adorning his fingers.
“Until you,” Cade said softly, then brought one of those big hands to my chin and tilted my face back up to him. “What happens at the club won’t touch you. If things get serious and we start playing meet the family, then I’ll take you to a barbecue or a dinner, and introduce you to the guys and their old ladies, but that’s it. I don’t want my woman hanging out at the clubhouse, or taking to those bitches who hang around the compound looking for a good time. Your kids will never see it, and that life will never touch your life. You got it?”
“Yeah,” I replied softly.
“I won’t always tell you what goes down when I’m at work. I’m a guy who gets stuff done, and not all that stuff is good, but like I said … it won’t touch you.”
“Okay.”
“And while we’re talking, I’ll say this. I already told you that I’m not a man who does flowers, but you gotta know, I’m also not the type of man who gets a dog and has a white picket fence.”
“I don’t need that,” I replied honestly. “I had it once, and it didn’t take.”
Cade gave me a slight nod, and ran his thumb along my lower lip.
“What about a chain-linked fence and a cat?” I asked, needing to lighten the mood.
“Fuck no,” he said with a scowl. “I hate cats.”
“Why?” I asked. “They’re low maintenance and have personality.”
“They shit in the house and stare at you with their freaky-ass eyes. No way, no cats.”
I laughed and he smiled along with me.
“Thanks,” I said, reaching my hand out to his free one and giving it a squeeze.
“For what?”
“For being here, for running after sleazy Hector, and for being honest with me.”
“You can count on that,” he promised, and I really hoped he was telling the truth.
“Hey, Elin, how about you help me man the grill?”
I looked over from my perch at the counter in Amy May’s kitchen and mouthed, thank you, to her husband, Jason. I watched with a smile as Elin put down his tablet and went out to help Jason make dinner. The girls, Elena and Amy May’s daughter, Cassidy, were in Cassidy’s room doing Lord knows what, while Amy May and I were in the kitchen, drinking wine and catching up.
When the guys went outside, Amy May put the knife down on the cutting board and leaned closer to me.
“So what you were saying earlier…” she whispered. “Do you think that’s true, about the Country Club wives selling drugs?”
“That’s what it sounded like, and that’s what I told Bea. She hasn’t heard of this Hector before, but she said she’d talk to some of the other cops … have them get with their informants.”
“What did Moose say?”
“He said the shot of all the women was good, but that he needs more. He needs to see an actual hand off.”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of dangerous?”
“Yeah, of course, but Bea and the cops are looking into it, and Cade knows about him and said he’d see what he can find out.”
“You need to be careful. That Hector guy has seen you, twice … Maybe you should tell Moose to get his own shots for this one.”
I shook my head and insisted, “I’ll be fine. This client is paying big bucks and my cut is the largest one I’ve seen.”