Beyond the Cut (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #2)(41)
“I’m with you there, except I told Cade I would use a gun on certain delicate parts of his anatomy.”
“You can hurt a man worse by breaking his heart,” T-Rex said. “We’re not made of stone. Take Zane, for example. He was hurt so bad, he can’t even look at a woman.”
“He doesn’t have a heart.” Tank snorted a laugh. “It was ripped out, rubbed in salt, stomped on…”
Laughter rang out around them as the brothers shared their impressions of Zane muttering about the inconstancy of women.
“We need to get him out to a strip bar,” Tank said. “He doesn’t even go to Peelers and Cade’s got a table—”
T-Rex cut him off with a sharp, indiscreet jab to the ribs, but Dawn forced a laugh.
“I know about Peelers. And was thinking I might get some of the ladies to join me over at Lucky Larry’s on Thursday nights. They have free booze and male strippers, and for an extra twenty dollars we get a private dance.”
“I’m in.” Arianne licked her lips and grinned. “I wonder what Jagger will do.”
But her smile faded when Cade staggered into the room, his face bruised and bloody, and his shirt torn.
“What happened to you?” she said.
“Ambush. But we managed to take a prisoner. Zane’s locking him up downstairs.” His gaze flicked to Dawn and his mouth tightened. Aside from the fact he’d been badly beaten, Dawn could tell right away he’d overheard the conversation, and he wasn’t pleased. The cords in his neck were standing in sharp relief, and he looked like he wanted to punch someone.
She hoped it wasn’t her.
“You’re here.” His voice cracked and in that moment she knew this wasn’t meant to be a good-bye. But knowing where he’d spent the night, she wasn’t about to jump into his arms.
“You summoned me so nicely, I couldn’t say no.”
Seemingly oblivious to her sarcasm, he gave an almost imperceptible nod and then his face tightened. “No strippers.”
Dawn swallowed hard. Well versed in biker politics, she knew she couldn’t challenge him in front of his brothers. Not even a lady could do that. But despite her lack of status, this was their first public interaction and everyone was watching. She couldn’t disrespect him, but she didn’t have to toe the line either, especially if this was their last time together. Arianne would never have tolerated Jagger sleeping with anyone else.
“I don’t go to watch. I’m just there to drink and talk with the girls.” She threw his words back at him, then stood and closed the distance between them, working her dress like she just couldn’t wait to get him into bed. “Watching all those sweaty, ripped guys, dancing and showing off their tackle, makes a girl all kinds of hot.” She breathed out the last word and ran her hands along her curves, then looked up at him through the thicket of her lashes. “We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?”
Cade’s heated gaze drifted down her body, then up again. He licked his lips and beckoned her toward him, his voice dropping to a husky growl. “How hot?”
She slid one hand over her hip, her fingertips dangling suggestively over her mound, and trailed her free hand down the vee of her dress to the crescents of her breasts. “Ditch the panties and take care of business in the restroom hot.”
Tank and T-Rex whooped in delight. Arianne snorted a laugh. Cade choked back a grunt, and then his lips thinned. “You wanna go see strippers, I go with you.”
“What are you going to do in a bar full of male strippers?” she teased, stopping close enough for him to appreciate the low-cut neckline, but not close enough for him to touch.
“I’m gonna be there to f*cking take care of business.” He reached for her and she turned out of his grasp, giving him a naughty glimpse of her bare back before facing him again.
“So does that mean when you go to Peelers, I can come, too?” She met his smoldering gaze and licked her lips. “Just in case there’s business that needs to be taken care of?”
Cade growled low in his throat and then he pounced, yanking her against his chest. “You got business to take care of right f*cking now.”
Dawn pressed her hips against the bulge in his jeans. “If you’re wanting something,” she said softly, “and I feel you are, maybe you should have turned down the hospitality last night.”
She heard murmurs of appreciation from behind her, male and female, and her lips quivered with a repressed smile. Damn this was fun, but she had a point to make, too. She might not be an old lady, but she wasn’t a sweet butt, either, willing to sleep with any of the bikers in exchange for their protection and a place to stay. And if they were to have any sort of future together, which it sounded like he wanted, but which she still hadn’t decided was a good idea, she wanted the kind of respect she hadn’t had with Jimmy. And that respect wouldn’t come if he thought it was okay to spend the night in another woman’s bed.
Cade’s arm tightened around her, almost cutting off her air. “What happens on the road, sweetheart…”
“Isn’t anywhere near as good as what could have happened upstairs in your room, honey.” She arched her back and hooked one arm around his neck, her breasts lifting for his viewing pleasure, and then she lowered her voice to a soft whisper only he could hear. “But maybe you weren’t interested in seeing what’s under this dress. I love lingerie, but some men just don’t get off on red lace garter belts—”