Chapter Four #2
I sigh and rest my head in Cass’s lap. He has to be the most comfortable human being I’ve ever met.
As comfortable as my body is, my mind is nowhere near it.
I can’t stop thinking about what’s going on at home, regardless of Cass’s attempts at reassurance.
Something is off, but I’m not sure what.
Cass said they would retaliate, so why would they go into the bar and not cause a scene, at a minimum? It’s just not adding up.
Cass rubs my shoulder gently. “Psst.”
“Hmm?” I open one eye to look up at him.
“Why don’t you get ready and we’ll see if Clayton’s ready to go eat. I’m starting to get a little hangry.”
“Okay, baby. Oh! Can you go down to the bike and grab our bags from earlier?”
“Yep. I can.”
It doesn’t take me long to shower. I’m now standing in the mirror in my bra and underwear trying to figure out what to do with my hair. I can’t do anything cute with it because my helmet will just fuck it up, but I don’t want it to look like I put in no effort at all either.
I decide to simply blow-dry it and put it in a ponytail. Not the best thing, but hey, I don’t have much of a choice. Now to figure out what I’m going to wear. I pop my head out of the bathroom door.
“Hey, babe?” I call out.
“Yeah?”
“Where are we going to eat?”
“To a barbecue joint down the road. They have a live band and it’s an open patio type place. Why?”
“I was just checking so I knew what to wear.”
“Wear whatever is comfortable, baby.”
I smile at his answer. He’s one of the most indifferent men I’ve ever met.
Most of the men I’ve had in my life before him would dictate, more or less, what I needed to wear and no matter what I wore it was never quite up to their standards.
With Cass, though, whatever I walk out in is always fine with him.
Good thing, too, because my options for what to wear are limited.
I rummage through the bag Cass set in the bathroom for me.
Out of the three tops I have, I decide on the blue t-shirt.
I don’t think sweatpants are appropriate to wear to dinner so the one and only pair of jeans I have with me is going to have to work.
I apply a little bit of make-up. Powder, blush, and mascara.
I’m not going all out. I step out of the bathroom to find Cass sprawled across the bed.
He’s lying on his stomach with his head tilted to the side, shirtless with his jeans and boots still on.
His cell phone is in his hand and he’s snoring. I sit down next to him, rubbing his back gently.
“Hey, you.”
“Hi,” he whispers.
“Are you going to wake up so we can go meet your dad?” I ask.
“Yep. I’m up. I just have to put on a shirt and I’m ready.”
He reaches inside the small black bag beside the bed and retrieves a Hounds t-shirt from it. He keeps it in one of his saddle bags and has multiple t-shirts rolled neatly inside along with socks and jeans. I’m astonished at how well he conserved space.
Cass runs his hands under the sink in the bathroom then runs them through his hair, smoothing out the few stray pieces that were going in different directions. Minimal effort, but sexy as hell as a result. I wrap my arms around his waist tip-toeing to rest my head on his shoulder.
“Can I help you?” he asks, clearly amused by the smirk on his face.
“Nope. Continue what you were doing. Don’t mind me.” I smile at him as our eyes meet in the mirror.
His arms are lifted just high enough that it makes his shirt ride up and I can see that V-shaped line of goodness. My hands lift the hem of his shirt higher, greedily moving it out of my way so I can run my hands over the firm, hard muscles lurking just beneath the thin fabric.
Cass grabs my hand, holding it in place. “Nuh-uh. We have to leave, baby.”
I sigh. “I know. But damn, it’s hard to keep my hands off you when you look this damn good.”
He laces his fingers through mine and leads me toward the door.
We walk in a comfortable silence to the bike, hand in hand.
The ride to meet Clayton is peaceful. The sun shines in the distance, slowly sinking down into the horizon.
The sunset on the beach will always be one of the most beautiful sights I think I’ve ever seen and each time I see it is like seeing it for the first time again.
A light, happy feeling rushes over me. I am thankful that I get to share these moments with Cass. It almost worries me how much I’ve come to depend on his presence. He’s become such an important person to me that I find myself making all of my decisions with him in mind.
We arrive at The Patio, the best barbecue joint in Mississippi, or so they say. Cass parks next to a line of bikes. There’s a space roped off for motorcycle parking near the front entrance.
The band playing on the porch is loud when Cass kills the bike. They’re playing a cover of ‘Wild Thing’ by Tone Loc.
Cass hangs his helmet on one of the handlebars and mine on the other.
“Ready?” he asks, seeming more concerned than usual.
“Of course.” I offer him a reassuring smile and take his hand as he leads me through the packed restaurant.
If it can even be considered a restaurant.
Everything is outside under a large patio.
With a metal roof, no walls and a concrete floor with a multitude of tables and chairs for seating.
The great thing about April in the south is the unpredictability of the temperature.
The weather is beautiful during the day, but after the sun sinks below the horizon, the temperature drops a bit, and it cools off.
Toward the back of the patio, I spot that familiar cut. A Hound from Oklahoma sits with his back to us, with Clayton sitting opposite him and Linc in between the two. The men are laughing and cutting up when we approach. Clayton’s eyes light up when he spots us.
“It’s ‘bout damn time y’all showed up.” Clayton stands up to greet us, pulling me into a hug first then Cass.
I’m almost taken aback by his friendly demeanor, only because I’m not sure what to expect from him.
“Hey, old man.” Cass pats him on the back, mid-hug.
“Easy, son. I ain’t old. I’m seasoned.”
Cass pulls a chair out for me next to Clayton then takes a seat between me and the other Oklahoma Hound. He has dark black hair and looks to be of Native American descent. His chocolate brown eyes are full of life and humor.
“Lilly, this is Brock. He was like an uncle to me when I was growing up. The cool uncle that lets you get away with literally anything.”
“Nice to meet you, Lilly.”
“You too.”
The only thing that makes me believe he’s in a motorcycle club is the fact that he wears a cut.
Other than that, everything about this man says loving grandfather that takes his grandkids fishing every weekend and has never been in trouble a day in his life.
I’m slowly learning that looks can be deceiving, though.
That, and I’m a terrible judge of people.
I make a mental note to question my judgement way more often from here on out.
Linc is grinning like a pig eating shit, listening to the stories that Clayton and Brock are telling. Clayton was talking about when he was prospecting and how different shit was back then than it is now, gaining an eye roll from Cass.
“Can I get y’all something?”
I turn my head to find a short, thick brunette with a nametag labeling her as Sandy standing next to the table.
“I’ll take a sweet tea, no lemon and…” I trail off. I haven’t even looked at the menu.
“Can we have the pulled pork platter? The family sized one with four sides for the table.” Clayton to the rescue with his order.
“And another sweet tea…no lemon,” Cass chimes in before the waitress waltzes off toward what I can only assume is the kitchen. It’s the only part of this place that has walls and a door.
“We were waiting on y’all to get here before we ordered.”
“Thank you. So, what brings y’all into town?” Cass asks, directing his question more at Clayton than Brock.
“Same as you, I suppose. Heard the Highway Sinners were having a big shindig and since they are a brother club of ours, then it’s only right for us to show our faces.”
“Fair enough.”
The waitress returns to our table with our teas, and a refill of whatever Clayton was drinking. She sets them down then rushes off to the kitchen again.
“So, Lilly. What made a pretty girl like you get hooked up with an outlaw like Cass?” Clayton asks, eyeing me curiously.
I almost choked on the sip of tea in my mouth. I cough and put my hand to my mouth. “Sorry, excuse me.” I clear my throat then proceed.
“I guess I just like to live on the wilder side of things in life,” I say smugly, setting my glass down.
Clayton’s serious facade falls away and is replaced by a deep chuckle. “Yeah, you’d have to in order to fit in around here.”
“What about you? What drew you to be an outlaw?” I retort.
“Oh, you know. Prep school was too boring, so I decided to be everything they taught me not to be.”
His light demeanor makes me laugh.
“Alright, Clayton. Quit flirting with my girl,” Cass chimes in.
“What? I ain’t flirting. We just having a friendly conversation.”
“Mm-hmm. I know how friendly you are.”
I laugh at their exchange. They sound like two high school boys.
“Friendly I am? Hmmph.”
“Reminds me of when Cass was a kid. He never met a damn stranger, and you couldn’t shut him up.”
That’s the first time Brock engaged in the conversation. He looks as if he’s gone back to whatever instance he’s referring to. He has a smile on his face as he continues.
“I had only seen him around club for the longest time, but the first time I saw him out in public around other people, it amazed me. Around us, he grew up with us, so we weren’t strangers. I never expected him to act that way with just any Joe Blow off the street, but damn was I wrong.”