Apparently, Mr. Dillinger wasn’t used to women standing up for themselves, promptly firing me on the spot for insubordination. I’m not sure what he viewed as insubordination, but apparently the fact that I wouldn’t spread my legs for him was reason enough.
It’s not like I really enjoyed my job. I was a lowly administrative assistant to several corporate suits, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t need it. That paycheck was the only thing between Talon and I and eviction, and Mr. Dillinger terminating my employment brought that about in the matter of a few short weeks.
Focusing back on the subject at hand, I shake my head to dispel the murderous visions of what I’d like to do to Mr. Dickenger given half the chance, and glare at Cash.
“Not only was that uncalled for, but don’t even try and pretend to know the first fucking thing about my life or how I live it.”
I shove my chair back so that I can stand and find myself face to face with Cash, who is amused and angry in equal measure. At this point, I would also be lying if I didn’t admit that angry Cash is a massive turn on. He so is.
“If you try and leave, I’ll hunt your ass down and drag you back. And don’t even think about taking off in the middle of the night because Sarge’s alarm system is better than the fucking Pentagons and it’s always set,” he smirks, knowing he’s got me cornered. Dammit.
Stepping into my personal space, so close I can smell the soap he used this morning, the subtle scent of his cologne, and the minty freshness of his toothpaste, Cash dips his head until his face is scant inches from mine.
Lust, desire, and something I can’t distinguish has my panties dampening and my heart racing. I know if he looks down, he will see my nipples trying to push through the thin fabric of my tank top, and for a second there, I swear he does just that.
The heat Cash exudes from his body is incredible, and tests all my self-restraint not to throw myself into his arms and absorb it. I’ve been cold for so long, desolate and alone that I would give almost anything to feel the comforting heat of a man’s warmth.
Locking his eyes with mine, Cash drags one finger over the apple of my cheek, saying,
“All I’m asking for is some time, Kennedy. Not much, a few months, maybe more, but just enough to show you that you and your boy can have a good life here. You want a job, I’ll get you one. If you want to stay home and take care of your kid, I’ll support you. There’s a high school about five miles away you can enroll Talon in. Blaine’s one of the gym teachers there, and she’ll be happy to put in a good word for him to the football coach. Sarge already told you this house is yours for as long as you want it, he stays at the clubhouse or Emily’s every night anyway. He only uses this place to store his shit, and as a tax write off, but if you’re uncomfortable here, then you can move in with me. My place isn’t nearly as big, but the four of us will fit, and if we don’t, I’ll buy something else.”
Gasping at his words, I interrupt abruptly.
“No. Oh my god, no. Please don’t do that. I’m fine here. We’re fine here.” Sighing heavily, I consider my words carefully before conceding, “I’m not promising anything, I can’t, instead can we just take each day at a time and see what happens.”
I’m not willing to make a commitment I can’t keep; I never have. Keeping Talon safe and loving him to the ends of the Earth is the one promise I made to myself when I found out I was pregnant with him, and the one promise I haven’t managed to screw up yet, so I don’t want to tarnish my track record by making them frivolously.
Cocking his eyebrow, Cash asks,
“I’m sure you get that Talon’s grown on all the boys, which means you’re going to be seeing a lot of them, right? My brother loves that kid, so don’t think he’ll take it lightly if you up and leave on us. Jump doesn’t care about many people, not like he cares for Talon. So do me a favor, will you? Don’t do anything to prove him wrong for giving a shit. He might come across like a joker, incapable of having a serious conversation, but Jump’s been through a lot, and this is a first for him.”
“But I thought, but I mean, he has Meg,” I stutter.
A dark chuckle escapes Cash’s full lips as he says,
“Yeah, he has Meg, but for how long? That woman is like a fucking tornado; builds quickly, touching down for a brief time and destroys everything in her wake. I’m just waiting for her to do the same to my brother.”
I hadn’t thought of Meg like that, but I suspect Cash is right. Meg does come across that way, but that’s not to say she isn’t a lovely person because she is. I just don’t think she’s a permanent fixture in anyone’s life but Aislinn’s.
Not knowing what else to say, I mumble,
“Um, okay then.”
“He’ll figure it out eventually,” Cash grumbles under his breath. “It will probably take a broken heart and a case of bourbon, but he’ll get over it when she goes.”
Curious I prompt,
“Do you know something you’re not sharing?”
“All I know is that Meg got a job offer yesterday, and she’s thinking about taking it. She hasn’t told anyone yet, not even Aislinn, but it doesn’t take a genius to know she’ll accept,” Cash admits. “It’s a year in Paris, she’d be stupid not too.”
“Wow,” I exhale airily. “I would love to see Paris. The Eifel Tower. The Louvre. Actually, I’d love to see all of Europe, but I don’t see travel in my future, unfortunately.”
“You never know, baby. Stranger things have happened,” Cash replies grinning. Changing the subject, he pushes, “So you’ll stay? At least until you've got a solid plan, somewhere to live, and some money behind you.”
Seriously, his grin does things to me. Things that should be illegal. However, those thoughts are way off topic, and I need to learn to control them before I get myself into more trouble than I know how to handle.
Agreeing that I need to sort my situation out, I nod.
“I want to work, though, Cash. I can’t stay here without contributing, and I’m trying to set a good example for my son. Talon needs to learn the value of a hard days’ work, and the best way to do that is through my actions, not words.”
“The MC bought Crest Ridge Motel just before you hit the highway at the edge of town. We’ve been looking for someone to run the place since we reopened after refurbishing it. You can make your own hours, whatever works with Talon’s schedule, and if you need help, most of the boys have taken shifts there so any one of them can give you a hand,” Cash offers.
So after a lot of back and forth and asking a million questions, I reluctantly sealed mine and Talon’s fate because I knew as soon as I agreed to what Cash was suggesting it would never be a simple matter of packing up and leaving Furnace if this didn’t work out.
*****
That conversation transpired over a week ago, and my first official day as manager of Crest Ridge Motel is tomorrow. I’m nervous, no doubt – this job carries more responsibility than I’ve ever been entrusted with – but at the same time, I have a good feeling about it. I couldn’t tell you why; I just do.
“Out of the way old man, I want to see my best girl,” Jump growls, playfully shouldering Sarge aside.
Flopping his ginormous body down onto the bed beside me, I try unsuccessfully to hide the grimace of pain that comes with him jarring my thigh. For the most part, it’s healing well, but occasionally, like now, sudden movements cause sharp, stinging sensations to travel the length of my leg.
“Watch what you’re fucking doing, asshole,” Cash growls menacingly from where he’s appeared out of thin air.
It’s almost as if he has a radar for when his brother is in the room with me because Cash mysteriously shows up every time without fail. If I didn’t know better, I would say that he’s jealous of the time Jump spends with me, which admittedly is a great deal.
“Shit,” Jump hisses, raising himself up on an elbow. “Sorry, buttercup. You okay?”
Winking at him, I pat Jump’s head condescendingly.
�
��Yep, I’m perfect. Now, what are you doing up here? Talon said something about you taking him to football try-outs today.”
“Sure am,” he grins, looking remarkably similar to his older – I have to admit, hotter – brother when he does. Shuffling closer, Jump rests his head on my belly and wraps one muscular, heavily tattooed arm around my waist. “I could get used to this, you know. Fuck you smell good.”
I giggle at him, or I do until I hear the animalistic sound that comes out of Cash’s mouth. Jump doesn’t mean anything by it, he isn’t interested in me like that. Or at least, I don’t think he is.
Jump is playful by nature, very touchy-feely too. He’s always throwing an arm around my shoulder, hugging me by way of greeting, or curling into me when we’re watching movies on the couch downstairs. Granted, this is the first time Jump’s every laid on my bed with me, but I don’t have a problem with it so why should Cash.
At hearing his brother’s unmistakable warning, Jump turns his head, that is still mind you, resting on my stomach to look at him.
“Something stuck in your throat there, big man,” he teases.
Sarge doesn’t do anything to diffuse the tension building when he chuckles if anything he makes it worse.
“Remember boys, she’s a woman, not a toy. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunshine,” he throws over his shoulder as he leaves.
“Great,” I mutter, pulling a pillow over my head, missing Cash and Jump’s silent exchange moments later completely.
“Ow, fuck,” Jump snarls. “What the hell was that for, you violent sonofabitch?”
Saved from further violence by my teenager, Talon yells from downstairs,
“Jump, come on we’re gonna be late.”
“Did you take your medication?” I shout back, remembering I have to fill his prescription today.
“Yeah, mom. About half an hour ago,” he returns quickly.
Patting Jump’s back to signal him to move, I plead,
“Can you please make sure he’s careful? I know it sounds stupid since I agreed he could try-out, but I couldn’t bear it if he got hurt.”
“He’s gonna get knocked around, babe, but I’ll do my best,” he reassures me.
Much more tentatively, Jump hefts his significant bulk off the bed and strides toward the door, giving me a salacious wink before disappearing down the hall.
That leaves Cash, and me alone in a room with a bed and me barely dressed in only boy-short panties and a tank top. Of course, he doesn’t know that seeing as I’m partially covered by a sheet, but I do, and that’s already enough to have my pulse spiking and my nipples tingling.
CHAPTER THREE
~ Cash ~
“The chains on my mood swing just snapped. If I were you, I’d run.”
– T-shirt
Jesus fucking Christ! I have never wanted to kill my own brother as much as I wanted to just then. Sure there have been plenty of times, especially when we were growing up that I would have liked nothing more than to kick the shit out of him, but murder him? Never.
Staring at the cause of my inner turmoil, I take in the soft silk of her long, chestnut hair. The rise and fall of her full tits straining against the cotton of the tiny scrap of fabric parading as a shirt, and her mesmerizing gray eyes so wide and innocent regardless of the horrors they’ve seen. And when I do, I remind myself of all the reasons I can’t have her. Why I can’t make her mine.
Don’t think I haven’t fought with myself over it. I’ve done nothing but imagine what it would be like to take Kennedy in my arms and promise to give her what she’s missed out on and everything she deserves. But every time I find myself reaching a decision, the glaring reality of my situation swings back around to smack me in the face; I’m not, nor ever will be good enough for her.
Kennedy deserves a man who isn’t tainted by his past; someone who can put aside his demons and focus on her and her son without fearing that one day the ghosts that haunt him will rear their ugly heads. That man is not me, and if further proof was needed, my inability to walk away from her and allow my brother to have a chance with Kennedy is.
Jump came to me two days ago and asked if I’d mind him taking Kennedy out. He’s never been known to date in the past, and if it were any other woman I would have been proud of the fucker for taking a chance on someone. But as it is, it’s my girl he wants to try his newly found monogamy skills out on, and that shit just isn’t going to work for me.
I wished when I said it I was wrong, but I wasn’t. Meg did leave, the day after I mentioned it to Kennedy actually, but what surprised me was how well Jump took the news. It was as if he was waiting for it – knew it was coming somehow – which I know for a fact he didn’t.
Meg’s reasoning was that the job helping to design a new shopping complex in the heart of Paris is just too good an opportunity to pass up, but I know better.
Her feet were itchy from the second Aislinn announced her engagement to Gage, and every day after, Meg only became more determined to find a way out. I don’t doubt that this job is a dream come true for her, but if she were truly happy here with my brother, she’d have turned it down in favor of staying with him.
Meg’s farewell was met with tears from her best friend and a few of the other women, promises that she’ll be back when all of us know nothing could be further from the truth and a long, heated conversation with Jump. A conversation that signaled the end of their brief relationship and whatever friendship they’d spent months building.
I won’t lie, I’m surprised Jump is willing to get involved with any woman after being burned so recently. But honestly, Meg leaving him appears to have barely affected him, which in and of itself is fucking odd.
My brother has a huge heart and an even bigger appreciation of beautiful women. Kennedy, however, will never be one of the women I allow him to appreciate in any way. How can I? I can hardly tolerate their friendship without wanting to rip him apart, let alone stand by and watch them hook up.
“Are you going to stand there and stare at the wall all day, or are you going to tell me what you want so that I can get up and get on with my day?” Kennedy asks quietly.
I hadn’t realized I was just staring off into space, but I suppose I have been. For a while now too.
“Yeah, sorry,” I grunt, shaking off the images that are beginning to bother me more than I’d like to admit.
“Well?” She prompts, pulling the sheet tightly to her chest.
What I wouldn’t give to be able to tear the almost see-through fabric away from her, rip her shirt over her head and lick every inch of what I know would be delicious skin. I want to feel the weight of those heavy tits in my hands, and work her nipples until they’re diamond-hard points, begging for the relief only my mouth can give them.
Instead, I groan and try to adjust my aching cock discreetly so that Kennedy doesn’t see the evidence of just how much I want her.
“Talon told me you need to go get some new clothes and shit before you start tomorrow, and seeing as you still can’t drive for a couple of weeks, that makes me your ride.”
Her eyes flash in defiance before she masks it with a well-practiced look of defeat.
“Um, okay, sure. Just give me a few minutes to shower and get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs in what, half an hour?” She mumbles, swinging her legs off the side of the bed, running her hands through her sleep-tousled hair.
Fucking hell this is going to be a long day, I just know it.
*****
“We can leave, Cash,” Kennedy offers after three of the most painful hours of my life.
Shopping and malls are not my idea of a good time and never will be. But for this woman, I’d do anything, and I do mean anything, even if that means spending hours listening to giggling teenage girls talk about the latest fashions and who their dates to prom are.
“Nah, babe. You’re good. Just make sure you get what you need this time round because I can promise you this is the last fucking time I volunteer to take your sexy
ass shopping,” I reply without thinking.
Kennedy’s gasp at my mention of her ass has my head snapping down to take in the expression on her face. It’s a mixture of embarrassment and lust, but at this moment, it’s the lust I choose to zero in on.
“You’ve got to know you’re sexy as hell, babe,” I say, cupping her cheek with my palm. “Everything about you was designed to make a man’s mouth water.”
She tries to dislodge my hand by shaking her head rapidly back and forth, but I won’t be deterred. Kennedy deserves to know what she does to me and every other man who looks at her.
In the few weeks she’s been here in Furnace surrounded by my brothers and our friends, she hasn’t once reacted to the attention men have shown her. In fact, Kennedy behaves like she hasn’t even noticed the way men’s eyes follow her when she walks past in painted on jeans she loves to unknowingly tease me by wearing.
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8) Page 31