Chapter 66
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IPULLED UP to my brother’s house and slid my kickstand down, I allowed my emotion to take hold again as I dragged my helmet off. I’d buried my rage, unwilling to risk myself or my Haley on the drive over. But Cassidy fuckin‘ Dennis. Shit.
She’d always been rail thin and muscular, the perfect ballerina, But now, she’d filled out. She had an ass I wanted to grab and tits I wanted to bury my face in. She was still just as gorgeous as remembered, her blonde hair a mass of soft curls that I wanted to run my fingers through. She used to keep her hair at shoulder length, but now it was halfway down her back and it suited her. She’d worn dark jeans that hugged her heart–shaped ss, and a tight, long–sleeved T–shirt that showcased every gorgeous curve. Fuck!
I stomped up the stone steps and pounded on the door. Jaxon didn’t answer right away, so I pounded again.
“What the fuck?” Jaxon snapped as he slammed the door open, his gun at his side. “Carter?”
I shoved my brother back and stepped inside. “Did you fuckin‘ know?”
“Did I fuckin‘ know what?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Jax. Did you know where she was?”
My brother sighed and closed the door, locking it before sliding his gun into the holster he’d left on the kitchen counter. “Yeah. I knew where she was.”
“Did Aidan?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
I slammed my helmet and gloves onto the sofa and scowled. “God damn it, Jax. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you asked me not to.”
“And you figured that would be the one fuckin‘ request you’d listen to?”
“Beer?” Jaxon asked, pulling open the fridge.
“No.” I paced the great room.
Jaxon shrugged, grabbing himself a bottle and flopping onto his recliner by the fireplace. “So, what happened?”
“She showed up at the club.”
“Fuck. Seriously?”
“Where the hell has she been this whole time?” I demanded.
“Vancouver.”
“Do Mom and Dad know?”
“No idea,” Jaxon said, and sipped his beer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, but then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they
didn’t
“Helpful, Jax, thanks.”
“Sit down, Carter, you’re making me dizzy.”
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1 lowered invoel om the sofa and dropped my face into my hands.
What are you pang to dor
“No Turkin duci admited.
“You don’t have to see her again, right?”
Tshook my head.
aim pressed.
“But, how do I never see her again when I know w/
“I know,” Jason admitted.
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is?” Ianced at my brother. “She named her kid Maverick.”
“Tank, she’s a good girl, Carter. She made a mistake when she was seventeen and she lost you in the process, but she doesn’t dare, she doesn’t do anything except take care of her son. You can’t fuck that up unless you’re willing to forgive her and move on”
“Thave”
Jaxon raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“What? she fuckin‘ shut me out!”
Shy fuckin
“You left, brother,” Jaxon reminded him.
“She fucked some douchebag Frog and had his fuckin‘ baby! What choice did she leave me?”
“You act like she cheated on you, Carter.”
“What would you call it, Jaxon?”
Jason shrugged. “She didn’t know how you felt about her. And how many women did you fuck before her?”
“She knew about them!”
“And that makes it better? Any scares with a busted condom, Carter? Any time where you might have said, “Fuck it, I’ll go ungloved tonight?”
“Fuck you, Jaxon.”
“You’re not my type.” He drew in a sip of beer. “How ‘bout you cut her some slack?”
I dropped my face in my hands again and squeezed my eyes shut. Jaxon was right. He was always right, but what I still wasn’t ready to admit was that I was more to blame for Cassidy’s mistake than anyone. If I’d just let her know how I’d felt, confirmed she felt the same way, then none of this would have happened. She may have still gone to Paris, but she sure is hell wouldn’t have slept with someone else. Of that, I was certain
“Better?” Jaxon asked.
“No” I sat up and sented my ankle over my knee. “I fucked up.
Jaxon took another swig of my beer and nodded. “You gonna tx
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Chapter 66
“Won’t know unless you try.”
I studied my brother. “She really doesn’t date?”
Yep.”
“Do I want to know how you know that?”
“Nope.”
“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that right?” I retorted.
Jaxon grinned and nodded.
I grabbed my helmet and stood. “Well, as fun as this has been, I’m gonna get out of here.”
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Jaxon pushed out of his chair and followed me to the door. “I’ll run by your place and grab the dog for the night… give you a chance to figure some shit out.”
“Thanks.”
“Love you, dumbass.”
I chuckled. “Love you too, asshole.”
I climbed on my bike and made my way back to the club. I hoped Cassidy was still there, because if she disappeared on me again, I might destroy something.
***
Cassidy
I was in the club kitchen wiping Maverick’s face with a wet paper towel when I felt the temperature in the room change. I glanced up to find Carter walking toward me and my heart raced as he approached.
“Ow, Mom,” Maverick whined.
“Oh, sorry, honey.” I focused back on him and lifted his chin. “You’re good to go play if you want.”
He took off into the playroom and I made myself busy with washing dishes and loading the dishwashers. I hadn’t been alone
in the room, but within seconds I was…the rest of the women scurried out quickly and quietly.
“Cass,” Carter said, and settled his hip against the counter next to me.
“Hmm–mm.” I stepped to the side, not wanting to look at him.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I asked, scrubbing a plate a little harder than it needed.
“Shut me out.” He laid his hand on top of mine and pushed the plate back in the sink. “Can we talk?”
Still not looking at him, I shook my head. “No.”
“I guess I deserve that,” he said.
“And a whole lot more,” I mumbled. I noticed out of my peripheral that he crossed his arms which just made him appear even bigger than he was. Good lord, he must have put on a hundred pounds of muscle.
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Chapter 66
“Talked to Jaxon,” he continued.
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I paused in my scrubbing, a little taken aback by what he said. Had he not talked to Jaxon before? I set the plate in the dishwasher and went about scrubbing the next one.
“He filled me in on everything,” Carter continued.
Scrub, load, scrub, load.
“He thinks it’s all your fault.”
“What?” I gasped and glared up at him. “He does?”
“No.” Carter smiled. “I just wanted you to look at me.”
“Jerk.” I wrinkled my nose and stared back down at the sink.
Carter chuckled, and I don’t really know what came over me, but the sprayer was right there, and he was also right there, and, well, he deserved it. A great sense of relief settled over me as he jumped away from the sink and let out a strangled expletive.
I smiled smugly and went back to the dishes. My mistake. I shouldn’t have turned my back on the beast. Without warning. I was lifted and gently thrown over his shoulder, his hand landing with a smack on my bottom.
“Carter!” I squealed, only I couldn’t quite get enough breath to say anymore.
I felt air move through my hair as he walked me across the common room and up the stairs. He put me down in front of a door and then unlocked and opened it, guiding me through. “We’re gonna talk.”
I crossed my arms and waited while he turned the light on and closed the door behind him. “I need to check on Maverick.”
“Your son’s fine, Cass. Payton will make sure.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I just sent Hawk a text,” he said, and dropped his phone on a nightstand next to a very large bed. He waved a hand toward the chairs at the end of the bed. “Have a seat, babe.”
“I’m not your babe,” I grumbled, but did sit down.
“Your family still call you ‘Sassidy‘?”
“What’s that got do to with anything?” I snapped.
“Nothin‘, ba–I mean, Cass.” He dragged the chair next to mine to settle in front of me, folding his humongous body into it and leaning forward. I studied my lap. Carter covered my hands with his and squeezed gently. “Hey.”
I met his eyes and forced back tears. “What?”
He grimaced. “We have a lot to talk about.”
I shrugged and dropped my head again.
“Look at me.” When I did, he smiled gently. “I’m sorry, Cassidy.
Those three words broke me. Shattered me into a million pieces and I found myself pulled onto his lap and sheltered in his
embrace while I sobbed into his chest.
“Shhh, baby, it’s okay,” he whispered.
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“Why didn’t you marry her?” I asked.
“Who?”
“The woman you emailed me about.
“What woman I emailed you about? I didn’t email you about any woman.”
I shoved myself off his lap with a frustrated growl. “Yes, you did! You said you met someone and it was serious.”
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“Cass, I never sent you a fuckin‘ email. There was never any other woman. It has always been you. I should have told you how I felt,” he said sadly. “If I had, you would have waited.”
I dragged my hands down my checks in an effort to dry them. “What do you mean, you should have told me?” I asked with a sniffle. “How long did you feel that way? Was it before… you know?”
“Yeah.” Carter sighed. “Remember Shelly?”
“Your senior year girlfriend… the one you took to prom?”
He nodded, pulling me back onto his lap. “I shouldn’t have taken her to prom.”
“What?” I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I should have taken you.”
“Ohmigod Carter, don’t be a dork.” I pushed at his shoulder. “You were totally into her.”
“No, I was totally into sex and she gave it up… a lot.”
“Ew, okay, I didn’t really need to know that,” I ground out.
“I thought I could deal with my feelings for you and still screw around. What I realized on prom night was that I loved you and there would never be anyone else.”
I scrambled from his lap again. “What?”
He rose to his feet, but I held my hand out to keep some distance. He crossed his arms but didn’t come any closer. “I had this misguided sense of something, I don’t know what… bullshit really, that if I said out loud how I felt, I’d take your virginity before you were ready, and then I’d feel guilty because I knew I was leaving. I guess I just wanted you to have the freedom to get through high school without that weighing on you.”
I shook my head. “You loved me back then?”
“Yeah, Cass. It’s why Shelly was the last one… well, until…”
I blinked back tears again. “God! I am so sick of crying!”
“Sorry, babe.”
“Still not your babe,” I snapped. “Is that why you came over that night? You said Shelly had gotten sick and you drove her home.”
“Kind of true… I broke up with her.”
I gasped. “You dumped her on prom night?”
“Yeah.” He had the good sense to look contrite,
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