Page 8 of Lucifer's Hounds

I drag myself out of the comfort of this hotel bed and bask in the shower until I’ve washed all the grime from my body. My agenda for the day is to take pictures and see the city. I pull on a pair of blue jeans and plain black tee, tie my hair into a high pony, slip my feet into my flip-flops, and head out the door. It’s noon and the streets of Houston are crowded with people on their lunch breaks. This is why I don’t live in a big city. I hate traffic.

I finally find a place to park that isn’t too far and walk to the Project Row Houses. The art depicted in and around the houses is beautiful. I snap photos of everything from every possible angle I can muster. Some shots require me to lay in awkward positions, but the results are stunning. My heart is happy with my camera in my hand, freezing time with the push of a button.I spend most of the day shooting, taking pictures of houses, and passersby on the street. After the amazing night last night, my mood has been much improved all day.

I can feel the glow radiating off me. Thoughts of the night with Cass play in my mind. I get to do what I love all day and when the sun begins to set, I pack up my things and head back to my room. The drive to the hotel is a bit hectic. Baton Rouge has nothing on Houston’s five o’clock traffic. After two hours, I finally make it back to my room.

I glance at the time. Shit. It’s seven-thirty. I was supposed to meet Cass at Skeeter’s an hour and a half ago. I set my camera equipment down and rush out the door. As I’m pulling into the parking lot, the knot in my stomach eases when I spot his blue Harley parked in front of the building. I walk to the door, trying to contain my excitement at the fact that he’s still here.

I open the door and step inside, spotting Lacey behind the bar again.

“Double Crown and Sprite, ma’am?” she asks as I approach the bar.

I nod and smile. “Yes, please.”

My eyes scan the bar in search of Cass. I find him standing by the same pool table we played on last night, shooting alone.

“Can I also have a Dos Equis with a lime?” I ask as Lacey hands me my drink.

“Sure.” She rushes off to fill my request. Cass had been drinking one last night and there’s a half-empty bottle sitting on the table next to him. He hasn’t noticed me yet and I don’t know why that makes me grin, but it does.

I grab the beer when Lacey sets it in front of me and walk over to Cass.

“Hey you,” I say.

He turns around, his eyes drinking in my entire body before focusing on my face. The corner of his lips tugs upward, a smirkplaying on his face. His eyes close slowly and when they open, that same fire I wanted to play with last night is blazing in them.

"Hey yourself."

He pulls me to him, his arms wrapping around me. He kisses me lightly on the lips and pulls back, looking at my face. "You're stunning.”

“Thank you. Here, I grabbed this for you when I was at the bar.”

I hand him the cold beer in my hand.

“You’re pretty good, you know that?”

“Yes, I do. I sort of serve beer for a living, so I’d better be decent at it. Do you want some competition, or do you just want to keep beating yourself all night?”

"Rack 'em, rack girl," he taunts.

I kneel down and put the quarters that are sitting on the side of the table into the table and drop the balls.

“Oh, so it’s like that now? Hmm.”

Cass laughs a hearty laugh. “Yes ma’am.”

I set the rack in its rightful place beneath the table and step away. Cass breaks and runs the table on me, not missing a single shot.

“Ya got me,” I say, throwing my hands up in a playful surrender. I sit down at the table where our drinks sit and take a sip of mine. I gesture at the chair across from me, inviting Cass to join me. He obliges and downs the half of the beer he had left when I walked in. I watch his throat move as he drinks every drop, making me swallow hard.

I look away, averting my eyes before he catches me eye-fucking him from across the table.

“I thought you stood me up for a minute there.”

“No, I got caught in this hellacious traffic. Houston drivers can’t drive worth a fuck, by the way.”

“You damn right they can’t. Anyway, I’m glad it was just the bad drivers and not a bad night last night, because I felt like it was a damn good night.”

“Last night was beyond amazing. I wasn’t sure you would be here, though. You left without saying goodbye this morning,” I state.

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