Page 39 of Worthy

Fuck.

″Tell me when you’re ready, I’m going to see if anyone else needs anything.” I jerk my head towards the rest of our group sitting further down the bar. Before I head in that direction, I sneak a quick peek at Maddox. He’s deep in conversation with Ally, but suddenly looks up at me like he can feel me watching him.

He doesn’t smile or laugh or give any sign of what he’s thinking. I hold his gaze for a second, trying to understand if it means anything, before Deacon interrupts.

″The ladies will start with a Pink Panty Dropper, and we’ll see where the night goes from there.”

I groan inwardly and make the drinks, doing my best to be polite without encouraging them further.

Chapter eleven

Maddox

“Disgusting, isn’t it?” Ally says.

″What?” I sip my drink, a plain old vodka tonic, just like my grandpa used to drink.

″You know.” Ally rolls her eyes. “No wonder these guys are perpetually single, women literally fall at their feet.”

I look down the bar to where two women are blatantly throwing themselves at Deacon and Cade. If Cade weren’t standing behind the bar the blonde would be climbing him. I think under normal circumstances he’d let her, but according to Ally he’s not acting normally.

I want to believe that’s because of me, but I can’t let myself go there right now. Things are too fragile after last night, and I’m resolved to give him the space he needs to figure his shit out. Although, if I want him to realize that he’s worth more than a good time, these women certainly aren’t helping my cause.

″Do they do that to everyone, or just Deacon and Cade?” I’m slightly afraid of the answer.

″I think Deacon and Cade are the first choice, and let’s be honest I get why. I mean, Finn’s hot and I love him, but those two are on another plane entirely.” She looks at the two men in question.

I nod, agreeing with her.

″But really any attractive guy in this town will get hit on by the women coming through. And they’re only too happy to be noticed since there aren’t many women here year-round.” She gives me a sad smile, almost like she’s apologizing for their behavior.

A flirty laugh pulls my attention toward the women, and I see one smiling and batting her eyelashes at Cade. He’s smiling back, but it’s not the flirty one he wore the first few times I met him. It’s not even a genuine one. It’s polite. Forced. It’s not easy to watch women throw themselves at him after what we shared last night, but it’s marginally better knowing that he’s not enjoying it.

″Now this is interesting,” Ally says, following my gaze. “Cade doesn’t look like a man on a mission tonight.”

″No?” I inquire.

″No. And I gather, based on the tension between him and Deacon earlier, that he hasn’t been on a mission in a while.” She pulls the straw between her lips, letting that little hint linger.

″By mission you mean…”

″Yes,” Ally interjects. “That’s exactly what I mean. And that’s not like him at all. Neither is bartending.”

″He doesn’t bartend? He seems to be doing a good job of it. Whatever drinks they wanted he knew how to make.”

″He’ll help Dex out when needed, but he doesn’t usually stay behind the bar, and he’s usually close enough to be groped.” She seems on the verge of elaborating but takes a sip of her drink instead.

″Women do that?” I gasp, my gaze shooting around the room. “Here?”

″I’ve seen it happen more than I care to admit. That’s why I usually only go out when town is a little quiet. My eyes don’t see things they don’t need to see that way.” She shudders.

I swallow a laugh. Ally in no way strikes me as prude, but she definitely doesn’t like watching her friends get manhandled.

I look up to find Cade studying me. Apparently, I didn’t do as good a job at containing that laugh as I thought. I watch him thoughtfully, curious about the almost pained look on his face, which Ally latches on to.

“Okay, that’s like the third time I’ve caught you two staring at each other, not counting what happened in my store yesterday. Spill,” she commands.

″Spill what?” I take another sip of my drink.

---