Page 11

Kade clenched and unclenched his fist and then rubbed his thumb across the old scar on his palm. There was an almost constant tingling there now and it was starting to get on his nerves.

The guys were laughing at something Reed had said, and Cash elbowed him. “Dude, are you even here right now?”

“Yeah. Of course, man.”

“What did Reed just say then?”

Kade narrowed his eyes and took a wild guess. “His crabs are back, and his dick doctor has some concerns with some of the STD resul—”

Reed booed and threw a French fry at him. Kade laughed and leaned back in his chair, then took a long swig of his beer. It was getting warm. He’d been nursing this one for half an hour already.

“You keep messing with your hand,” Wreck observed, his bright eyes on where Kade was clenching his fist on the table.

Kade slid his hand off the table and hid it. “It’s just sore.”

“Liar, liar, your wiener is going to catch on fire,” Cash sang.

The grossed-out expression on Wreck’s face probably matched Kade’s right now.

With a sigh, Kade showed his Alpha the scar across his palm. “Promise mark. It’s been feeling weird.”

“Since when?” Wreck asked.

“Since his Promise came back into his life,” Cash said, smushing his pointer fingers together. He made a kissing sound and Kade shoved him so hard, he nearly toppled over in his chair.

King and Reed were laughing, but Wreck was watching Kade with a completely serious expression. “I think it’s time you invite Jess up to the mountain.”

“We aren’t there yet.”

“If your damn claiming mark is tingling, I’m pretty sure you’re there,” Cash pointed out.

“It’s not a claiming mark.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it isn’t,” Kade gritted out.

Cash pulled up his phone and read aloud, “Claiming mark. An intentional injury or marring of the skin for some shifter cultures that show possession, and sometimes facilitate a mating bond.”

“That sounds like it was written by a human.”

“It was probably written by the damn robots,” Reed pointed out. “The humans love their artificial intelligence lately.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen the movies,” King muttered. “I’m not a fan.”

“I love artificial intelligence,” Cash said. “Hey, AI, make me a coffee and fix my whole life.”

Kade narrowed his eyes at the dumbest of his friends.

“Do you ever think before you speak?” King asked. “I’m genuinely curious.”

“I can’t hear you,” Cash said, typing away on his phone. “Harley just sent me a titty pic.”

Kade sighed and checked his phone again. He wondered what Jess was up to. He held his beer out and took a quick picture. King took that opportunity to photobomb the picture, flipping off the camera, and grinning.

Kade chuckled and sent it to Jess. “I’m sending her the address to this place,” he grumbled. “Drinking is stupid if there are no girls here.”

“Oh, I already messaged Harley a half an hour ago. She’ll be here any minute.”

“Ha!” King belted out, texting on his phone. “I asked Katrina to come out before we even left for the bar.”

“So weak,” Wreck said, but there was a smile in his voice, and he was looking up at the door, and nodding his chin in a greeting.

When Kade swung his gaze to the entry, Timber was dressed in a slinky black dress, waving at Wreck.

“Let me guess, you messaged Sasha?”

Reed snorted. “No. I told her this morning if I have to hang out with you fuckin’ sausages, I need her here. She went shopping today for a new outfit.” He gave a two-fingered wave to Sasha, who was walking in behind Timber.

“Welp, it’s been fun boys,” Kade said, standing.

“Where are you going?” Wreck asked.

“To go pick up Jess. She doesn’t have a car.”

Wreck gestured over at the girls. “The ladies took care of it.”

Confused, Kade looked at the door just as Jess strode in. She was wearing shiny, skin-tight leggings, and a figure-hugging forest green tank top. The neck was low-cut and showed off the perfect curves of her tits, and holy shit, was she wearing high heels?

Kade hovered there, half standing, half sitting, hands gripping the arms of the chair.

Click.

King laughed and showed Reed his phone. “Look how dumb his dumb face looks.”

“Send me that,” Cash said. “I’m going to make it into a t-shirt.”

Kade would be irritated with them a different time. Right now, he just wanted to get to Jess. “I’ll order another round,” he told the guys as their mates filtered over to them. “Margaritas?” he asked Timber and Sasha, who were to the table first.

“Kat, margarita night?” Timber asked behind her.

“Yup,” Katrina said without hesitation as she headed for King, who had his arm out for her already.

“Fruity shit or normal?” Kade called as he walked away.

“Fruity shit. Surprise us with the flavor!” Timber called.

“Not grapefruit though,” Sasha said.

Raynah and Garret stayed home with baby Breah, but Jess seemed to be having fun with Harley. They were chatting and laughing and making their way slowly to the table.

Harley gave him a little wave and told Jess she would see her at the table as he reached them.

“Hi,” he uttered, still shocked she was just…here. “You look…” He shook his head and arched his eyebrows at her. “You’re fuckin’ hot.”

She laughed, and looked down, probably to hide that pretty blush in her cheeks. “No, I’m not. You’re just really nice.”

“Mmm, am I?” he asked, trying really hard to not stare at her perfect cleavage. “I’m headed to the bar to order drinks for the table. Want to come with me?”

“That’s what she said.”

“What?”

“That’s what…” Jess cleared her throat, and her cheeks were cherry red now.

“I’m just kidding. I heard you. I just wanted you to say it again,” he said with a laugh.

“I’m feeling very not smooth tonight,” Jess admitted as she slipped her hand into the inside of his elbow that he’d offered her, so she wouldn’t topple over in those hot-as-hell sky-high heels. “Raynah messaged me in a group text, and I had ten minutes to get ready before your Crew picked me up. They’re really nice,” she said, looking up at him with those pretty crystal blue eyes of hers. God, she was so pretty.

“They’re good people. Annoying as hell but good.”

She giggled. “I can tell they’re nice. They have no ill intention behind the things they say. And they just seem like happy, confident women. Harley brought me this shirt, and the heels. I already had the leggings from what Raynah brought before. I haven’t…” She seemed stuck on her words, and her eyes were full of some deep emotion he couldn’t guess at.

Kade eased her to a stop at the bar top and turned his shoulders to face her completely. “You haven’t what?”

“I haven’t done this in so long. Just had a fun night without a worry about anything.” She tugged at her tank top. “I got dressed and no one had an opinion other than compliments, and I knew I was going to see you, and I just got your picture you texted and I got all excited inside because I knew I was going to see you before you even finished the last of that beer, and I just feel…I just feel…good.”

Kade had never felt a smile consume his body from the inside out until this very moment. He hadn’t even known that kind of feeling could exist. Her feeling good made the damn world make sense. How strange.

She rubbed her scarred hand absently. “Do you know, on the drive here, Harley asked what happened to my face, and I just answered. I didn’t prickle or have flashbacks or hate that she’d noticed the scars. She’d just asked it so nonchalantly, like she wouldn’t judge no matter what, and I just said it. I got in a car accident. A drunk driver hit my car, and I rolled down a mountain, and when I woke up, I couldn’t feel my animal. I just said it without a shaking voice, or tears in my eyes, Kade. I just…said it.”

“You mean you owned it.”

She nodded. “And do you know what she did?”

“What?”

“She hugged me and then squeezed my shoulders like this.” She gripped his shoulders and leveled him with a look. “And she said, I promise you, your animal will come back. You’ll just have to get to know her all over again because you will both be different.” Jess’s lip trembled and she released his shoulders and leaned on the bar top. “And do you know the best part?”

“She was telling the truth?”

“She was telling the truth,” she said through an emotional smile. “A stranger. A stranger gave me more clarity in the first few minutes of knowing me than any of the females in Sister’s Edge were ever able to.”

Fuck, he was going to send Harley a freaking cookie bouquet or something. Atta girl. Good job, Harley.

“What can I get you?” the bartender, a guy in his mid-twenties, asked from the other side of the bar top.

“Another round of Happy Hooker beers for that table over there, and some fruity margaritas,” he said, doing a quick headcount. “Four…wait.” One of Harley’s friends had just come in the door. Tammy was a bartender at another spot but must’ve had the night off. Harley probably texted her. “Five.” He turned to Jess. “Do you want a margarita too?”

“Yes, but look,” she said, pointing to a chalkboard with specials written in neon colored chalk behind the bar. “They have a special on margarita flights.”

“Good eye,” the bartender said as he was pouring beers. “You can pick four flavors.”

“We need six flights,” Jess said. “Mango, strawberry, raspberry, and plain,” she said. Turning to Kade, she asked, “Do you mind if I get this round?”

“What? No, it’s expensive.”

“I have savings,” she said, waving him off. “Plus, I won the bet tonight.” She pulled her wallet from her purse and set her card on the countertop, waiting. “It’s the least I can do. Tonight is probably my favorite night ever. I feel so freaking normal right now. Let me do something for your Crew.”

It didn’t feel right not to take care of her, but he did understand. She wanted to contribute to the fun, so okay. He would find a way to get her back, and cover the next round, but he respected her wanting to be a part of the night and taking care of their group.

He smiled and let her card stay on the bar top, just waiting to be swiped. He respected the hell out of this woman.

That little cactus sure has a sweet center.