by Karen Renee
“I just love how you kiss me, but I can’t believe I was ready to push you aside because of your temper.”
His nose slid along mine, but in doing so, his whiskers tickled my lips and chin. All of those feelings were delicious and heady.
In a low voice, he said, “I know it’s a problem. And I promise, I’m going to work on it, Cassie.”
I sighed.
“What’s that about, darlin’?”
“I just love everything about you so much, Gabe. And I think admitting that makes me a dumbass.”
He pulled his face back. “Why would you think that?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. It’s partly me holding your past against you. I mean, it seems so easy for you cast women aside, and part of me figures I’m not different. But, more, I think telling you how much I love you opens me up for a world of hurt.”
“Honey, I would never hurt you purposefully.”
I pressed my lips together as I debated sharing my thoughts. “Bet my father thought the same of my mother, didn’t he?”
His chin dipped and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “No, baby. I suspect your father was completely blindsided by your mother’s actions.”
He pulled away from me, but grabbed my hand leading me into the apartment. “Your choice. Couch or bed? But, fair warning, I insist on choosing dinner.”
I rolled my eyes, though Gabe couldn’t see it. “For your information, my stomach is a little ‘off’ since the surgery, so I’m not down with any form of take-out, much as it pains me to say it.”
He stopped to look at me. “Honey, I’m a master at PB and J’s, and chicken noodle soup hasn’t been so good since Mrs. Grass herself hit the shelves. I got your modified diet, so which is it? My comfortable bed or the more public couch?”
I chuckled even though it hurt my side. “Good to know you’re not heading for a job in sales, Gabe. I think I’ll opt for your bed, but I was serious about Cecilia and when she might be able to get my things.”
His chin tilted dramatically. “And I was serious about doing that for you. You got a box of tampons, I’ll get ’em. Hell, if you’re out of maxi-pads, I’ll go buy the damn things. None of that shit fazes me, Cassie. Whatever you need, I’m gonna take care of it. Got me?”
I couldn’t fight my smile. “I got you, Gabe. Thanks. And, yeah, I have a box of tampons and other things I’ll need if you can go to my place for me.”
He grinned like the goofy man he was. “Consider it done, hon.”
I rolled my eyes. “Good thing DJs don’t go for such obvious rhymes, yo.”
“Like you would know, seeing as you’ve been in a club precisely twice in the last nine months.”
“Shut up.”
“Get in my bed, and I will, baby.”
AFTER SOME OF THE BEST chicken noodle soup I had ever had, I called my Dad while Gabe went to my place for my things.
Except, Dad didn’t answer his phone, so I had to leave him a message instead.
Gabe sauntered back into his room carrying my largest suitcase.
I shook my head. “Why did you bring so much stuff, Sullivan?”
His brows crunched down. “One trip, Daughtry. I don’t want to go back if I don’t have to.”
My eyes shot to the luggage. “Well, I don’t see myself staying here that long.”
He glowered. “Why the hell not?”
I shrugged. “I don’t want to—”
“Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t care. You’re staying here, dammit.”
My eyes widened. “You can dial it back on the bossy there, mister.”
He climbed into the bed next to me. “Woman, you just had major surgery and you survived a gunshot wound. Either of those puts shit in perspective, but surviving both means you’re not leaving my side for a while. Comprende?”
I shot him a small smile. “Okay, okay. When you put it that way, I get it. But I am going to have to go back to class.”
“In another week or so, maybe. Email your professors. I’ll collect all the shit you need if they can’t get it to you online.”
I pulled his face to me and kissed his lips. “You are the best, Gabe Sullivan.”
“Don’t you forget it, Cassandra,” he murmured against my lips before he kissed me.
My phone rang, I tore my lips from his to see my Dad was calling.
“Hey, Dad. Did you get my message.”
“I did, sweetie. Listen, I can’t talk long, but don’t worry about me. This is between your mother and I.”
My eyes widened. “Dad, my sister is —”
“Still your sister, Cassandra. I’m staying at a hotel tonight, but I’ll see you in the morning—”
“Sorry, Dad, but Gabe insisted I stay with him.”
He went silent for a couple beats. “Warren’s son... I thought he had an upstairs apartment?”
“He carried me up, Dad,” I admitted.
He sighed. “Well. I’ll call you tomorrow, honey. Warren just got here, so I really have to go. I love you, Cassie.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
Gabe grabbed my phone from me and twisted so he could put it on the nightstand. “How’s he holding up?”
I twisted my lips for a moment and shrugged. “Okay-ish, I guess. I think your Dad is meeting him for a drink. He said Warren was there.”
Gabe nodded. “Sounds like something Dad would do. Probably got back in touch, not knowing all the shit that went down today. We Sullivans have nothing if not impeccable timing.”
I grinned. “Well, in this case, I think his timing couldn’t be better. I mean, everyone needs a shoulder to cry on or whatever men do when they’re hurt.”
“Yeah, and Dad’s an excellent listener. But how are you doing with all this shit?”
My grin faded. “Trying not to think about it. Does that make me a wuss?”
He shook his head. “Not at all, but your mother better not make you feel like shit when you talk to her.”
I gave him a look. “That’s a tall order.”
34
A Proposal for You
Gabe
CASSIE’S ISSUES WITH her mother forced me to contemplate my relationship with mine. I texted Vamp to find out when he might be back in town. He didn’t normally respond very fast, but to my surprise he got right back to me.
No idea. Why?
I texted back: Thinking of having dinner with our mom.
As I watched the dots jumping around on my screen, I wished I could’ve seen his face when he read the text.
The dots stopped and my phone rang.
“You couldn’t just text me back, big bro?” I chuckled.
“No, shithead. You made me spit out and nearly choke on my beer at the same time, you’re lucky I didn’t get my phone wet or you’d be paying for that shit.”
“Whatever. Not my fault you can’t hold you liquor better, and what the hell are you doin’ drinking this early anyway? It’s not even lunchtime.”
“It’s eleven-thirty, Gabe. Close enough to lunch for me. Now, when are you planning to take our mom to dinner? And why?”
I looked at the clock and realized the morning had gotten away from me. “I don’t know. Thursday, maybe Sunday. Whichever day works better for her.”
“You’re bringing your girlfriend, right?”
“I guess, but I thought it might be better if it was just us with her.”
“You’re not bitter any more, are you?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s not good to hold that grudge.”
He hummed questioningly for a moment. “I guess you might be right about that. Well, either of those days works for me. Just let me know.”
Half an hour later, I ended a call with my mom, and I was surprised when it rang in my hand. The number wasn’t one I recognized, but I answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
“Gabe? This is J.P. Daughtry. How are you?”
My eyes widened. “I’m fine, sir. How are you?”
He chuckl
ed. “I’m well. Listen, I heard you made an offer to invest in Club Eclectic with Ryan Pruitt.”
“Yes, sir, I did. But—”
“Don’t finish that sentence. I also heard why you made the offer. In light of everything I’ve found out recently, I’ve had my lawyers examine my contracts. My gut said to get out of that club and be done with it, but I have a proposal for you.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Ryan is facing charges and my investment is possibly subject to legal claims. However, the original contract between us included a clause which allows me to fire him in the event of criminal activity. To make my money back, I need a manager for the club. Someone who knows a thing or two about the club scene would be nice. My daughter tells me you’ve been working various clubs for quite some time.”
“Yes. It will be four years in October.”
“Excellent. If you have time tomorrow morning, I’d like to interview you for an assistant manager position for Club Eclectic.”
I grinned. “Thank you, sir. I can meet with you in the morning. Will we meet at the club?”
He chuckled. “I wasn’t planning to be so formal, though we can do it that way if you prefer. I planned to see my daughter and thought two birds, one stone, if that works for you?”
“That works for me. Thank you, Mr. Daughtry.”
“You love my daughter?”
His question brought me up short. “Yes.”
I could tell he was smiling from the tone of his voice. “Then, I think you can call me Johnny like your dad does.”
I exhaled my relief. “Well, thank you, Johnny.”
Brock walked into the room as I tucked my phone into my pocket, and a strange look crossed his face. “Does our mother have a boyfriend named ‘Johnny?’ Because I’m not down with meeting him on Sunday.”
I chuckled. “No. Or at least, not as far as I know. That was Cassie’s father. He’s dropping by tomorrow to see her and to interview me for an assistant manager position at Club Eclectic.”
“Really?” Brock asked as he sprawled on the couch and shoved his feet into his shoes.
“Yeah. And don’t sound so damn surprised, man.”
He cocked a brow at me. “That wasn’t surprise, Gabe. I’m impressed. Not many people can say they’re working for J.P. Daughtry.”
“He does have an unfair advantage,” Cecilia said as she sauntered into the room with her high heels dangling from her fingers. Her cheeks were flushed and I didn’t have to ask how she got such a rosy glow.
I closed my eyes for a beat. “You two need your own place.”
Brock chuckled. “Maybe you need your own place.”
I shook my head. “Gotta get through school before I’m ready to do that.”
Cassie moved into the room. “I told him we could stay at my place—”
“My bed’s better, Daughtry. We’ve been over that.”
She blushed, and I chuckled. “I said my bed. Not my headboard, though there’s that, too.”
“Christ. You really do need your own place, numbnuts,” Brock muttered as he stood from the couch.
Cassie sat down at the dinette table. “So, are you guys meeting your mom or are you taking women along as sidekicks?”
I grinned. “She’s leaving that up to us. If Vamp feels like bringing Rainey, then that’s cool. But I thought I’d spare you the awkwardness of meeting my mother so soon.”
She laughed so loud it surprised me. “Gabe. Legitimately, me meeting your mother is not going to be half as awkward as you meeting my mother.”
I crossed my arms on chest. “That won’t be awkward. It’ll just be tense, assuming she treats you poorly. Otherwise, not awkward at all.”
A sweet smile curled her lips. “I love you.”
“On that note, we have jobs to go to, and don’t bother cooking. We’re eating out tonight,” Brock said as he guided Cecilia to the door.
“Excellent. Beef Wellington for sure,” I said.
From over his shoulder, Brock narrowed his eyes at me. “You ain’t got the cash for that any damn way.”
I turned my head a touch. “Dear old Mom wired me my money, man. I do have the cash for that. But, I didn’t buy it, so you’re only half right.”
“Later,” Brock said, closing the door behind him.
Cassie shook her head at me, but she had a huge smile on her face. “I don’t know if I’m jealous or worried about you two.”
My head reared back. “Jealous? Of what?”
Her brows arched. “Your relationship. You guys give each other so much grief, yet it’s clearly from a place of love. It makes me crazy jealous because on some level I should have that with Sera, but I don’t.”
I sighed, then moved to her, grabbed her hand, and I pulled her out of her chair. Wrapping my arms around her, I said, “I’d say that’s fucked up, but after everything you’ve found out, is it possible Sera resented you from the start because you’re the legitimate child?”
She leaned back, her face full of skepticism. “Gabe, she had a test done, but that wasn’t until she was eighteen.”
“You remember shit from when you were three? Or even when you were four? You’d have been three when she had the test run. When’s your earliest memory, Cassie? ’Cause my guess is that it’s when you were four or five and she’d have received the results back by then, right?”
She leaned forward and planted her forehead on my sternum. “You’re right, honey.”
I lightly cupped her chin to tilt her face to me. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. You couldn’t help how you were born. Says a fuck-ton more about her than it does about you for her to treat you that way.”
Cassie
ON THE ONE HAND, GABE was right. On the other hand though, he kind of wasn’t. It didn’t say more about her to treat me that way. It said she resented me being Dad’s daughter. In some ways, I didn’t blame her, but she should’ve been more mature about things.
Gabe’s intense blue eyes stared at me and I started to feel uncomfortable with need and wanting. I tried to pull away from his hold on my face, but he glided his nose against mine.
“What’s your issue now, Cassie? Why are you pulling away from me?”
I blinked. “No reason.”
He chuckled. “You’ve never been good at lying to me, baby. What is it?”
I sighed. “You’re turning me on... the way you stare at me and put things so bluntly. But, I’m in no shape to have sex, so I don’t want to own up to that.”
His face went from intrigued to amused while I spoke and I fought rolling my eyes. Then to my dismay, he laughed anyway. Loud and long.
He sobered when he caught sight of me and my unamused expression. “Baby, there are ways to get a release without the physicality of sex.”
I tilted my head. “Yeah, but my ribs aren’t ready for that yet. And really none of that is as satisfying. I mean, I love the Rolling Stones, but that doesn’t mean I want to embody one of their most popular songs.”
Gabe’s chin dipped and his eyes went serious. “You ever find yourself not getting satisfaction while you’re with me, you tell me. Got it?”
I fought a grin. “Gabe, I didn’t mean that as an affront to you.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, Daughtry. It’s out there, and it’s wrong.”
I couldn’t fight the laughter bubbling out of me. “Okay, okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”
IN THE MORNING, DAD swung by at quarter to eight, and he looked like he hadn’t slept well, if at all.
“You want a cup of coffee, Dad?”
He shook his head and moved to the couch. “No thanks, honey. I had a large latte from Dunkin’ Donuts on the way here. Are you in any pain when you walk around?”
I shook my head. “Sometimes, but I have the pain meds if I need them. What about you? Are you going to talk to mother today?”
He pursed his lips. “I will be. Spoke to Sera last night.”
“You did?”
He gave
me a look. “Of course. No matter who’s DNA she has, she’s my daughter. I raised her alongside your mother. Doesn’t make what your mother did right, by any means, but Sera needed to be reassured that none of this changes anything between us as far as I’m concerned.”
I nodded, but failed to hide the skeptical look on my face.
“What are you thinking, Cassandra?”
I shrugged. “I just have to wonder if it’s the reason for her animosity toward me? And now that things are out in the open, will she and I have a better relationship?”
He sighed. “I don’t know, honey. I never liked the way she treated you, but chalked it up to sibling rivalry. The age gap is hard, but all these years she’s known and never said anything to me. Now I see it a little differently.”
Gabe sauntered out of his bedroom, wearing khaki pants and a short-sleeved, white button-up shirt. I shook my head at him, but he winked at me.
With his hand outstretched he approached my father. “Mr. Daughtry, it’s nice to see you again.”
Dad shook his hand. “Johnny, Gabe. Call me Johnny.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
Dad looked at me. “You’ve loved him a whole lot longer than you realize, Cassie.”
I closed my eyes for a beat. “Dad, that’s not cool.”
He shook his head. “Life’s too short to worry about what’s cool, honey. Now, would you mind giving me and Gabe some privacy? I want to discuss the assistant manager position at the club.”
In all the family drama, I had forgotten about the money-laundering.
“You’re not cutting your losses?” I asked.
He shook his head again. “Not at all. My instincts were right; something was off, and the money-laundering was it. You were right about that radio station invoice you flagged, so thank you. I have someone willing to manage the club for the next eighteen months, which is why I want to discuss an assistant manager position with Gabe. ”
I nodded and slowly stood up from the couch. “Well, I’ll get out of the way.”
35
Strobe Lighting
Cassie
IT HAD BEEN SIX WEEKS since I got out of the hospital, and a light knock sounded from the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but it might be Brock or Cecilia since they knew Gabe would be here. Though, as I debated that, they would’ve texted first.