Page 30 of Cocky

Kade glared at the man as he walked off, and this time there was a bit of heat behind it. “When did you two get close enough for pet names?”

Angel rolled her eyes and accepted one of the beers. “He was just being nice. You should try it sometime.”

Kade drew back, offended. “I’m nice.”

“Sometimes,” she conceded. “But there’s always room for improvement.” She winked at him to let him know she was just yanking his chain. Kade was a bit rough around the edges, but he had plenty of soft spots to keep her satisfied.

“So why’s he lurking around tonight?”

Angel followed his gaze toward the bar. It was like trying to find Waldo, but after a moment, she spotted Cricket rocking back and forth on his heels, his smile wide and his eyes bright as he chatted enthusiastically with a drop-dead gorgeous, exotic woman that instantly made her feel like chopped liver.

“Uh, I think she’s why,” she said, tipping her head toward the couple.

Kade assessed them for a moment before releasing a long, slow whistle. “Wow,” was all he said, and Angel narrowed her eyes at him.

“‘Wow,’” she mocked. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that kind of reaction out of you before.” Made her feel downright fantastic.

Kade ripped his gaze away from the beauty queen and set them on Angel. “Now that’s a downright lie, and you know it. You’re the sexiest woman in here.”

“Says the man who just eye fucked his friend’s date…in front of his own date.”

“I did not eye fuck her,” he said with a heavy note of disapproval in his voice. “A man can appreciate the opposite sex without meaning anything by it.”

“If I did what you just did to another man, you would shit your pants,” she accused, and the way his eyes darted away told her she was right.

“Look, Mouse. If I wanted her, I’d have her—”

“What”

“Shit, not what I meant,” he was quick to correct. “I just mean, I don’t want her. I want you. That’s why I’m here with you and not her.”

Angel wanted to lay into him about how arrogant he sounded right now, but she understood what he was trying to say, so she cut him a little slack. But only a little. “Fine. You’re with me. So as long as you keep your eyes right here at this table, I won’t cut your balls off later.” She gave him a saccharine smile that was intended to convey the warning.

“Hearing you loud and clear, Mouse. Now, what do you say we drink these beers and go have us a dance.”

Downing his first bottle in a few long gulps, Kade pushed the second bottle toward her and indicated that she’d better hurry and catch up as he picked up his own.

As Angel drank her beers as fast as she could, all she could think was,Kade? Dance? This I gotta see!

***

He was a handsome devil. Victorjia couldn’t stop sneaking peeks at his tattoos as he talked, hoping that she wasn’t being too obvious. She didn’t want to offend the man after only just meeting him.

She’d bet he was covered in ink underneath that Army green Henley. In fact, she was almost certain of it. He’d done a good job covering as much skin as possible, but aside from his hands, she spotted a bit of color popping out from his shirt collar too.

Sexy. That was the main word she attributed to him this evening. Along with handsome, quiet, friendly, well-mannered, gentlemanly, and the total opposite of anyone she’d ever dated before. Not only was he a gringo, but he had that whole dangerous vibe going on the surface. Beneath it though, she didn’t get that impression from him at all. “Cricket,” as he’d introduced himself initially, before quickly correcting to Heath, struck her more as the teddy bear type. He was just…nice.

Victorjia had been raised in a very strict Christian home. She’d always been told who she could be friends with and who to stay away from. She knew instinctively from her very limited interactions with her father that it had everything to do with him. She’d never known anything significant about his background, but she understood inherently from the way her grandmother whispered about him behind closed doors and the disapproving tone of her voice when she’d hand her the phone to speak to him that he wasn’t one of the good guys—despite that being the only impression he’d ever left her with.

Being in his home for a single night and seeing how tightly he kept his ship running lent credence to her abuela’s fears, and Victorjia wasn’t dumb. No one would keep that kind of security if they weren’t afraid of someone from the outside coming in and taking what wasn’t theirs. Unless it was. Both were distinct possibilities.

She would be lying if she said that it didn’t unsettle her a bit to know that her father was into some shady dealings. Especially now that she was in the center of his world. If he was ever made a target, she could get caught in the crossfire.

But so far, this little town he’d settled on the outskirts of seemed quiet. It didn’t strike her as a hub of criminal activity. And despite Heath being an obvious part of a biker gang, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d run around committing crimes. In fact, she felt oddly safe with him, as if something inside of her knew that he would throw himself between her and danger if it came down to it.

“I got this one for my sister,” Heath said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He was pointing to a white rose with a light pink blush around the edges riding his left hand.

That’s when she realized she’d been staring. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to gawk.”

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