“She’s sleeping over at her friend’s house. She and Vicki have become inseparable. Thank God.”
I knew Crystal’s story from Jody. Vlad didn’t even know he had a daughter until about a year or so ago. Crystal wasn’t quite nine years old when she was brought to Vlad’s house shortly after her mother had died. She’d had trouble adjusting to her new motherless life and had resorted to cutting herself after being bullied at school. One school and some nice girls for friends later, Crystal was mostly behaving like any other healthy, loved child.
“That’s great, Vlad. I’m really glad to hear she’s got such a good friend.” As nonchalantly as possible, I inquired about Cage. “So, Jody’s in dangerously high blood pressure range since Dalton’s here. Is he still that upset about him looking me over at your wedding?”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. Some of the guys were over our house earlier helping me put up drywall in the garage. Cage was one of them, and Keith mentioned this little get-together, so he kind of tagged along. As much as that little shit gets under my skin, there’s something about him. He seems lonely. Even though I knew better, I didn’t tell him not to come. To tell you the truth, when he found out you were coming for an extended visit, he smiled. Not one of his cocky ‘got the world by the balls’ smiles either. A real smile. So what happened with you two that night, anyway? I don’t dare ask Jody.”
Vlad was entirely too much like Jody for my liking sometimes. It was like having another big, overbearing brother. They certainly shared that dominate male trait, not that either of their wives stood for it. “Even though you know that’s really none of your business, nothing happened. Dalton isn’t who you all seem to think he is. Maybe you should all give him a chance and try to get to know him. Is it possible his flippant attitude is a defense mechanism?”
“Hey, hey. I was just curious. I let the pissant follow me over here, didn’t I?” Vlad stood with his hands up, palms out, looking to the entire world like he was being unjustly attacked—ruining the effect by allowing the corners of his mouth to tilt up.
“That’s another thing. Stop calling him names. His name is Dalton. Or Cage. Not ‘little shit’, ‘pissant’ or even ‘Booker’.” I purposefully called him Dalton out loud hoping they’d start thinking and treating him as something other than a smart ass punk. Even Cage seemed to like that I called him Dalton. I knew I needed to stop defending him so strongly, though. Defending Cage was going to plant thoughts in their heads. And there really wasn’t anything to it. I liked him. He was nice, if a bit pushy. There was no romantic interest there for me, but I could see him being a friend, and from the sound of it, he could use one of those. I was woman enough to admit he was hot as hell, though. It was easy to understand why women threw themselves at him.
Zoe gave Vlad a gentle shove. “See? I’m not the only one who thinks Cage has a good side. You’re all a bit tough on him.” If anyone was going to take my side, it would be Zoe. She had an eerie ability to see right through a person’s BS. Maybe it was a side effect of being a psychologist.
Vlad good-naturedly lifted his hands again in surrender. “Okay. I can see when I’m out numbered. Fine. Tell you what. I’ll give the kid a chance to show me his good side, but don’t expect Jody to do the same.”
As if knowing he were being discussed, Cage came bounding up like a happy puppy—or maybe a wolf in sheep’s clothing would be a more apt description—to stand directly in front of Vlad in order to be the focus of my attention. He was most definitely not shy where I was concerned.
“Hey Karen! I just found out today that you were coming. We have to get together soon. I could show you the sights or something.”
My smile sprang up quickly at Cage’s exuberance. “Hi, Dalton. Thanks for coming on such short notice. I’d love for you to show me around.”
“I don’t think so. We just …oomph!”
I turned my head to see Lacey’s elbow in Jody’s stomach. It was more than a little gratifying to see his look of discomfort as he doubled over, clutching his abs. His lips were firmly sealed as he shook his head once in Lacey’s direction. She tilted her head a bit and raised her eyebrows, causing him to stand up tall, crossing his arms in a stubborn stance. “Jody.”
Under obvious duress, he muttered, “I mean, that would be nice of you to show my little sister around, Booker.” One more sweltering look from his wife, and he amended, “Uh, Cage.”
“And?” Lacey prodded him.
With his jaw still clamped tight, barley separated enough to take in a breath, he looked at his wife again. “Fine.” The air around them sizzled with tension. He took in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. Not knowing what to expect, I looked on, ready to defend Cage again if needed, but Jody stuck out his hand. “Sorry about the whole broken nose thing, all right?”
Lacey laughed. “Well, that’s about as good as it’s going to get, Cage. I suggest you take it.”
Cage took Jody’s hand, wincing when Jody accidentally squeezed his hand hard enough to make him feel the bones move. “Thanks, Chief. Apology accepted, and if it makes you feel any better, Karen put me in my place. She’s a tough girl. Don’t doubt it for a second. I used all my best moves on her.”
“Aw, come on Cage. You think it’s easy to keep my husband in line? Stop poking the bear.”
“Dalton, really. You’re doing it on purpose now.” I chuckled at his prodding and led him away before things could escalate.
“Did you see his face? I thought he was going to deck me again.” Cage laughed from deep down in his gut. “That guy is a time bomb when it comes to his women. Not that I can blame him.” He took my hands and held them out so he could look me over. “I didn’t know it was possible, but you look even hotter now than you did in that dress you wore to Vlad’s wedding.”
I shook my head, pulling my hands out of his grasp. “Stop that. We had this discussion. I’m not one of your puck bunnies, Dalton. We’re going to be friends, remember?”
“I remember. I was just hoping to change that to friends with benefits.” He winked playfully at me, almost making me blush. You need to understand, he was toe-curling hot. His dark hair was on the long side and looked incredibly sexy when it kind of flopped down into his eyes. I was pretty sure he had that hair flop down to a science. And his eyes—his eyes were the most striking shade of brown. They were very light, almost copper in color, and they always looked bright and shiny. And holy cow—his five o’clock shadow. I knew a lot of guys went with that look, but his was pure perfection. I didn’t know how he did it. Whew. Made a girl think about having some whisker burn here and there. But wait—yes, we were just friends. I, um, didn’t think of him like that.
“Well, too bad. You’re going to have to take my plain old friendship.”
Cage pulled me in close for a quick hug, but let me go before I could protest. His smile was gone as he looked into my eyes. “Actually, I’d like that. I could use a friend.” After a heartbeat, the smile he showed the world—the one that didn’t quite reach his eyes—returned. Keeping eye contact with me, he put his hand in his pocket, opening it up to me as he withdrew it. “Want a KitKat?”
Cage and his KitKats. What kind of badass carried KitKats in his pocket? The more I talked to Dalton ‘Cage’ Booker, the more I saw that there was so much more to him than what he let others see. “Still carrying the KitKats around with you?” I learned about his secret love of chocolate on my last visit.
“Always. Don’t tell anyone. It’s my guilty pleasure. I’m a self proclaimed chocoholic. KitKats are my drug of choice. So do you want one?” He waved it in front of me. My hand reached up so quickly, it was gone in the blink of an eye. “Impressive.”
“You’ll never, ever hear me say no to chocolate. I am a woman, after all.”
“That’s a bullshit statement. I hear it all the time, but women don’t have the market on loving chocolate. Men love it just as much; we just show more restraint, is all.” Cage winked at me again and pulled another KitKat out of his p
ocket, unwrapping it like a pro and moaning in ecstasy as he placed it in his mouth.
I won’t even pretend his heartfelt moan didn’t have my knees knocking.
“Damn, these things are good.” He moaned again, closing his eyes as the chocolate coated his tongue.
I quickly reminded myself again that we were simply friends—no benefits. I’d already stated that I had no amorous feelings for him, right? I could have been wrong about that, because he was a really hot friend. “Yeah, yummy.” Hoping against hope, I checked my mouth to make sure I wasn’t drooling. No drool. Excellent.
I watched him, dumbfounded as he opened his eyes and looked at me while he licked the chocolate from his fingers, finally revealing the real smile I’d seen on him a few times before. Jesus, the man really should dial down the sexy. I was only human, after all.
“Okay. Well, thanks for the chocolate, Dalton. I’m going to check and see if my niece is awake yet.” Before I left him, I let him program my number into his phone.
“We have a game tomorrow and then we’re free for three days. Except for practices, of course.” He put his phone back in his pocket and looked down at his toes before he spoke again. “Do you want to come to the game tomorrow? No one ever uses my tickets. You know, my family’s in Dallas, and…”
Cage shifted his feet and let his words quietly trail off. I had to guess that he didn’t have many, if any, friends outside of the team.
I put my hand on his arm in comfort. “I’d love to.”
His surprise at my acceptance made me sad. Did he truly have no friends to give his tickets to? “Yeah? Great. There’re four tickets, so you can bring whoever you want. I’ll leave them at the Will Call window for you.”
“Okay. That sounds great. I haven’t been to a game in ages.”
I eventually excused myself and made my way over to Lacey, who was now holding baby Addie. Lacey whispered to me that Cage’s eyes didn’t leave me until Zoe wandered over to him and started talking to him, blocking his view. She was one of the few people I knew of who had always been on Cage’s side.
***
Day turned to night, and the drinks and laughter continued to flow. I was having a blast. Jody and Lacey’s friends were a load of fun to be around. The stories that circulated around the room were just crazy enough to keep even the staunchest party pooper smiling.
“So after Jody snatched Lacey up right out of her chair and stormed off, I gave that damn Spaniard my meanest look. You know what he did? He laughed at me and gave Zoe a big, shit-eating grin.” Vlad loved re-telling that one. I’d heard Vlad’s story of Lacey and Zoe’s trip to a speed dating affair many times. Both Jody and Vlad had shown up, not pleased with the girls’ method of finding Zoe a date. That ‘damn Spaniard’ wound up becoming a great friend to both of them, and was currently dating a friend of Zoe’s.
Zoe stole up behind me and slipped her arm through mine. “Maybe that’s how Karen will meet her happily-ever-after. That speed dating thing could have been fun. I’m still glad I met Sebastian. And you know, Vlad, he helped push me toward you. You should be more grateful.”
“Yeah, I guess so. How about it, Karen? Want to try speed dating? Maybe Lacey could take you.”
“Over my dead body.” Jody shoved Vlad hard enough to cause him to stagger, getting a laugh out of the crowd.
“Easy, Chief. It was a joke.” Some things never changed. Jody would always be a Neanderthal.
As I turned to assure my brother that speed dating was not in my immediate future, I realized how much I’d had to drink. “Whoa.” Strong arms steadied me as I reached out blindly.
“I’ve got you.” Cage’s chest shook with quiet laughter, and he gave me a quick squeeze before letting me go under Jody’s watchful eye.
My beaming smile landed on Cage. “My hero. Guess I’ve had one too many.” A gaping yawn suddenly escaped me. “Jody, can you take me to my condo? I’m beat. Jet lag is setting in.”
“Um, how about you stay here tonight? I can move the stuff into the other bedroom for you.”
Lacey tapped Jody on the arm. “I don’t have the sheets cleaned yet for that bed. I just bought them.”
Jody held up his beer, one of many he’d had throughout the evening. “I really can’t take you there tonight, Karen. Too many beers.”
“I’ll take you home. I’ve only had two.” Of course it was Cage who made the offer.
“Thank you, Dalton. I’d appreciate it.” I turned to Jody, holding my hand out. “Could I have the keys and directions to my new place, please?”
He took a long swallow of his beer and lifted his chin. “I think it’s better if you just stay here tonight.” His hard gaze drifted over to Cage, then back to me. “We have blankets. I’ll make up the couch for you.”
With both hands on my hips, I demanded he give me the keys. “Jody, I’m tired. I don’t want to sleep on the couch. I really appreciate the party, but I’d like to go now. Keys.” I held one palm up, swaying slightly, and watched as Lacey dug in his pockets for the keys.
“Yeah, okay.” Surrendering the keys to me, he wrote down the address and gave verbal directions to Cage. “Think you can get my sister home in one piece and leave her that way?”
A suggestion of annoyance hovered in Cage’s eyes as he plucked the address from Jody’s meaty paw. “Yeah. I think I can manage that… Chief.”
About done putting up with Jody’s attitude for the night, he gently took my arm and led me toward the door. I could tell by the way his grip tightened on me that he welcomed the pressure of my body as I drifted into him a time or two. I’d think more about that another time.
***
Cage
I already knew about where Karen’s rental was from the directions Jody gave me. It didn’t take long before we pulled up to a blue duplex situated a block from the beach and just about three blocks from my own rented cottage. I’d bet a year’s salary Jody didn’t know I lived so close.
Karen was still gently snoring with her head listing to the side in the passenger seat of my BMW when I turned the car off. I hated to wake her. Could I pick her up without disturbing her? I wasn’t sure, but I was absolutely going to try, if for no other reason than to have her in my arms.
She was so damn sexy. Having her as a friend would be great, but I couldn’t help it that I wanted more. Much more; however, she already turned me down more than once. Eventually I figured I was going to have to stop trying to get her in my bed.
The door opened with an audible click, and her head tilted a bit more, still not waking her. I carefully reached over her sleeping form and unhooked her seatbelt, causing her to lean into me, again without her stirring. One arm slid under her legs and the other wrapped around her ribs. Being ever so careful, I lifted her from the car.
As I knew I would, I loved the feel of her in my arms. She was no wispy waif of a woman. I could actually feel her. She had some substance to her, and I liked it. Her curves were lush. And if my hand ‘accidentally’ brushed her breast? Well, no harm, no foul, right?
As I jostled her to grab the keys out of her pocket, she stirred. “Dalton?”
“Shh. Relax, sweets. I’m just going to open the door here.”
She woke up with a start, almost causing me to drop her. “Sweets? Wait. What are you doing here?” She looked around in a sleepy, confused state, rubbing her eyes. “Where are we?”
When I squeezed her as she moved around to keep from dropping her, she freaked, catapulting herself out of my arms. “No! Don’t touch me. God, please, don’t touch me.”
I backed off immediately. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. See?” Hands held aloft, I took another step back, dangling her keys. “You fell asleep in the car. Now we’re here at your place. I’m just going to open the door for you and then I’ll get your bags. Okay? Are you all right?”
She gave her head a strong shake and then shrugged casually as if she hadn’t almost completely lost it just seconds ago. “Yes. I’m sorry, Dalton. I guess I was sti
ll a little bit asleep. Thank you.”
“Sure.” I knew her reaction wasn’t simply from not being fully awake—she’d shared a bit of her past with me. I let it go as I stuck the key in the lock, turned it, and the door swung inward. The inside glowed in welcome as I reached in and flipped the light switch up.
Karen toed the door open further and admired her new home for the next several months. “Oh, my God. Look at this place!” Wide awake now, she walked straight over to the floor to ceiling windows in the living room and pulled open the curtains. “I can see the ocean.”
Even though her place was a block off the beach, it was right on the corner, so her view wasn’t completely blocked. With the full moon hanging over the water, it glistened, winking through the shadows caused by the waves crashing against the shoreline.
I walked over to her and opened the sliding doors, enjoying the breeze that came in. There was nothing better, in my opinion anyway, than hearing the sound of the ocean. That sound brought me peace no matter what was going on around me. I snuck a glance at Karen standing next to me and wondered what it would be like to have a woman constantly by my side. Not a new one all the time, but the same woman. Someone like Karen maybe, who I could share those moments with.
“It’s really nice, Karen. Jody did a good job picking it out.” I didn’t particularly like the guy, but it was good to know he took care of his family.
“I’d be willing to bet Lacey picked this place out.” She spun around and pointed to the living room. “Look at the couch. It’s purple. And the chairs are striped with purple and green. Jody would have picked something furnished all in black leather.”
I could feel the frown creasing my forehead. My house had black leather furniture. It was nice. “Hey. What’s wrong with black leather?” All on their own, my arms crossed as I waited for her answer.
Karen grinned and shook her head at me. “Oh dear lord. Nothing, Dalton. Don’t get your panties in a twist. It’s just that it’s such a masculine look. So unbending and severe. We women are simply more partial to softer looks. I meant no offense.”
Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) Page 3
