Beyond the Cut (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #2)(79)

“Mom.” Maia’s voice grew louder and Dawn’s eyes widened.

“Pants.”

“Door.” Cade reached for his jeans and Dawn threw herself at the door, just before Maia arrived.

“I’ll be out in a moment, darling.”

“Hell … I mean … damn, this is going to take some getting used to.” Cade pulled on his shirt.

Dawn grabbed some clean clothes from her drawer and slipped on her robe. Her PJs were lost somewhere in the bed. Or maybe on the floor. “I need to take a shower. Are you going to be okay with the girls for a few minutes? You’ve never been alone with them before…”

“I know everything about big girls,” he said. “I figure they gotta be much the same.”

*

After ten minutes alone with Maia and Tia, Cade revised his assessment of little girls. They were nothing like big girls. And the fact that they seemed totally immune to his charms this morning just made the situation worse. Winks and slow smiles, a slight drawl and a full-on swagger didn’t even come close to winning them over like he had at the zoo and the park. In fact, the harder he tried to engage them, the more cutting Maia became. Tia hadn’t said a word to him since he’d joined them in the kitchen. Maybe they didn’t like him sleeping over.

“Do you have a car?” Maia sat on the counter and kicked her legs, her little heels banging against the dishwasher while Cade searched the cupboards for something to give them to eat.

“Just my bike.”

“Bikes are cool,” she said. “But men who don’t have cars are not cool. Real men have cars. That way they can get groceries when it rains.”

“Good to know.”

“I saw your bike when you came to the park.” She slid off the counter as Cade pulled out a box of cereal. “I liked it. Tia thought it was too shiny. Maybe you can give us a ride sometime.”

“I don’t know if your mom would like that.” He found the bowls and filled them to the top. How much cereal did kids eat? He had no clue, but if he filled the bowls to the top they wouldn’t go hungry.

“She lets us do what we want because she doesn’t get to see us very much. That’s Jimmy’s fault. He’s a bastard.”

Cade found milk in the fridge and filled up the bowls. “I thought you weren’t allowed to swear.”

“It’s not a swear if it’s true and that’s what everyone calls him. Even Shelly-Ann. Jimmy’s a bad person. He hurts people. He hurt Mom and us. He hurt Shelly-Ann, too, because she lost his money, but then she remembered Mom had it so he left her alone.”

Was that the money Mad Dog was after? Why hadn’t Dawn told him about it?

“You call him Jimmy, not Dad?” He put the bowls on the table and puffed out his chest. Success. This wasn’t so hard after all.

Maia fiddled with the strap of the bag slung across her shoulder, a small black beaded purse with a skull emblazoned on the front. “Just because we’re related to him doesn’t mean we have to call him Dad. He doesn’t act like a dad. Dads look after you, and take you places, and spend time with you, and make sure bad things don’t happen. Plus, Jimmy hates us. He tells us that every time we see him.”

Lost for words, Cade stared at Maia. He didn’t have the heart to tell her good dads were few and far between. His dad sure wasn’t one of them.

“Sucks,” he said, for lack of anything better to say, or any wisdom to impart.

“Spoon.”

“What?”

“Spoon,” Maia said. “Are we supposed to slurp the cereal out of the bowl?”

“Maia. Manners.” Dawn appeared in the doorway wearing a filmy white blouse he could almost see through and a short, tight skirt that hugged every delicious curve of her body. Her hair was loose and partially dried, the soft golden curls hanging just above the crescents of her breasts. His groin tightened and he turned away to get himself under control.

“You got some sweats, babe? Maybe a sack?” He turned on the cold water and splashed his face. “We’re a dress-down kinda club. Like hide-all-the-good-bits kinda dress down, especially when you’re in public or there’s brothers around.”

“Why is your face red?” Maia chewed her cereal staring at him with the kind of gaze that could send a man to his knees. Christ. If they were his, looking as pretty as they looked now, he’d have to barricade the door when they were teenagers. He couldn’t imagine how his brothers with teenage girls handled the boys who came around. He’d probably just fire off a coupla shots and keep the bastards away.

“It’s … hot in here.”

Tia lifted an eyebrow but said nothing. He had a feeling that he’d just been judged and found wanting although he didn’t know how. After all, he’d managed to fix them breakfast.

“Gotta get going,” he said. “Got some work to do. See you later, ladies.” That got him a few smiles and giggles. At least he hadn’t totally lost his touch.

Dawn followed him to the door and leaned against the wall while he pulled on his boots, her folded arms highlighting the delicious curve of her breasts.

“You working at the florist this afternoon? And then at the bar?”

“Yes.” She ran her hand through her curls and her blouse opened just enough to send all his blood rushing to his cock.