But he didn’t.
He laid there, gritted his teeth and let the man continue, even though his gut kept screaming at him to put a stop to it.
And when the Dirty Angels MC member was finished and Judge took one look at his back in the mirror, a sense of dread filled him.
The path he’d wanted to avoid? He was now following it.
But now Cassie’s fingers traced those colors as she sat up in his bed, the sheet wrapped around her like a toga.
“That’s a lot of ink. Were you required to do this?”
“No. Not a requirement but a strong suggestion. Loyalty is important in an MC. The tat shows you’re willin’ to be loyal to the club and your brothers.”
“Has everyone had it done?”
“Prospects can’t ‘til they’re patched in. The Originals, like Dutch and Ozzy, had it done a long time ago. Deke and I had it done recently. Trip did it before he resurrected the club as proof of how dedicated he was to makin’ it all work. The rest? Don’t know.”
“So, no one might ever see it, but you know it’s there.”
Yeah, he knew it was there. Every time he saw it in the fucking mirror. It reminded him of the responsibility he had taken on as Sergeant at Arms. Which wasn’t a light one. “It’s a reminder.”
“Once you’re in, are you stuck?”
“Can buy out your membership, but you better have a good fuckin’ reason. Or you can have your colors stripped if you do somethin’ stupid. Either way, gotta get rid of your ink. And anythin’ to do with the club.”
Her warm palm pressed flat on his back directly over the center insignia. The bloody skull. While he liked her touching him, he wished it was for a reason other than what they were discussing. “How do you get rid of it?”
“Depends on how you’re leavin’.”
“What does that mean?”
“Either way, it ain’t pleasant. You go voluntarily, gotta cover it with more ink. Black it out.” He shrugged. “If it ain’t voluntary... Then there are other methods.” Methods he’d saw the Originals use.
Fire. Acid. Blades. The offending member got the choice, but none of the choices were an easy one.
“It would take a lot of ink to cover that up. Especially with the size of your back.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s just easier to stay.”
“Death’s the easiest way out.”
Her fingers curled into his skin and she sucked in a sharp breath. “But nobody wants out, right?”
“Right now? Everyone wants to stay. It’s new. Shit ain’t got twisted yet.” He shouldn’t be talking about this shit with her. Club business wasn’t anyone else’s business. Speaking in general was one thing. Telling her specifics was another. Even ol’ ladies shouldn’t know details, and Cassie was a complete outsider.
He moved away from her hand and settled on the bed next to her. “Gonna share that sheet?” He jerked his chin toward the sheet she was wrapped up in. “Or am I gonna have to cuddle with Jury to keep warm?”
Her eyes slid to the digital clock. “I need to go.”
“Got time yet.”
“I need to get back before anyone wakes up.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “What time does your girl get up?”
She smiled. “Too early.”
“How you dealin’ with that when you ain’t gettin’ to bed ‘til the middle of the night?”
Her smile dropped. “Not very well.”
“Sister helpin’?”
Cassie sighed. “Yes. I feel bad she and Tyler have taken on so much of the responsibility. I need to find another way.”
“Family’s there to help.” Family should always step in and help unless they were useless pieces of shit. If it wasn’t for his aunt and uncle, Deke’s parents...
She stared at her lap. “Yes. Family is there to help. Still, Daisy isn’t their responsibility. And they’re trying to have their own baby.”
“She’s good practice.”
Her lips twitched. “They might decide not to have kids after helping out with my daughter.”
“She’s got a sassy attitude.”
Her expression turned pained. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“She got it honestly.”
She twisted her head toward him. “Are you saying I’m sassy?”
“Don’t know you well enough yet.” He wanted to. “But what I’ve seen so far? Fuck yeah.”
She moved to the edge of the bed and began to unwind the sheet from around herself. “Okay, I really need to go.”
“Should get some sleep here before you do. You go now, you’ll get none. Let your sister deal with your girl this mornin’. She’ll understand.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of—”
“Would you do it for her?”
Cassie hesitated and glanced over her shoulder at him. The dark circles from exhaustion were easy to see. Keeping her up for the past few hours hadn’t helped.
“Yes.”
“She knows your workin’ long fuckin’ hours. Not gettin’ much sleep.” Why the fuck was he working so hard to keep her in his bed? He never did this.
He was turning into a fucking goddamn sucker. Trying to keep this woman in his bed because there was something about her that he didn’t want to let go of.