14. Chapter 14
fourteen
A s Cooler twirled his partner, Heavy saw her face.
His heart gave a hard thump, and beat on, faster. Like deja vu, the little blonde was Cassie–looking even better than she had last time he’d seen her at his gym.
Her little red dress kinda sparkled in the lights, making her almost glow, like some kinda living Christmas ornament. A hella sexy one, too.
And no sooner had the song segued into another, than Rav stepped in and grabbed her hand. He swung her off into another dance, this one a two-step. He caught Heavy’s eye over her shoulder and smirked evilly, having caught his bro watching her again.
Heavy shook his head at the southern brother. He was just glad to see Cassie having a good time, that’s all. She deserved it, she was a cute kid.
Matter of fact, he’d have liked to dance with her himself. At least he would’ve before she went and got her damned crush on him, and roped Della in to try and cook up shit between them.
He’d known Cassie liked him, the way her face always lit up when she saw him, at the gym and such. Well at least, it had when she used to come around all the time.
His gaze narrowed on her over his beer mug. He hadn’t seen her there at all for the last coupla weeks. And that was not cool. Sure, she might be busy with her new job, ‘cause Cooler had said she found one downtown Spokane. But they were Flyer family, and friends, and she’d blown him off.
So he would let her know in a nice way, that she was welcome to come around whenever she wanted, just as long as she got that they were just friends. Yeah, just buddies.
Once they had that settled, they could dance once in awhile, ‘cause she liked that. And it was fun dancing with a gal who got the moves and didn’t have to be hauled around like a sack of spuds.
Back at the bar, breathless and flushed from dancing with Rav, who knew some serious moves, and did not slow down till the music stopped, Cassie sipped her margarita, which was delish. She giggled and groaned with Della as Rav told a succession of Santa jokes, each dumber than the one before.
Finally Cassie held up her hand. “Okay, bathroom break. Hold my seat.”
“We’ll do it,” Della promised.
“Unless someone offers us cash, then it’s gone,” Rav added, shaking his head sadly.
Cassie snorted. “Like anyone here would pay up.”
“To sit by my hot Chili?” he waggled his brows, sliding an arm around his wife, who leaned back in his arms, laughing. “‘Course they would. But then I’d have to knock ‘em off the stool anyways, so it’d still be free for you, li’l Carson.”
“Maybe I’d knock ‘em off myself, Southern,” Della was saying as Cassie walked away—carefully, because the tequila had hit her right in the balance.
“You could, too, baby,” Rav agreed.
It helped when the music changed to one of her favorite Christmas songs, ‘So This is Christmas’ by that old British dude. She hummed along and swung her hips to the music as she maneuvered through knots of people and into the wide hallway that led to the restrooms.
Someone had rigged up colored twinkle lights over the hallway lights. With the music pouring from the main room, the effect was that of a darkened dance floor, intimate and shadowed.
Her head down, watching her feet, Cassie was nearly to the women’s restroom when she heard a distinctive giggle, and a familiar deep voice that hit her square in her middle. Her head whipped up, and what she saw sent shock waves through her.
She would know those impossibly wide shoulders and that tall, brawny body anywhere, even with his back to her. It was Heavy. And he held … was that Piper? Yes, it was—Drew’s Piper, crowded against the wall between the women’s and men’s restrooms. And she was apparently loving every minute of it, judging by the way she was giggling and clutching at him.
“What the hell?” Cassie demanded, her voice carrying over the music. “What is going on here?”
Heavy turned with Piper still clutching his far arm, and looked down at Cassie, still laughing a little. Piper did the same, looking surprised. “Cassie—hi,” she breathed.
“Hi,” Cassie replied sarcastically.
“You got a problem?” Heavy asked her.
Cassie turned her glare on him, upping the intensity. “Not that I want to discuss with you, no. But I would like a word with Piper.”
He heaved a deep sigh, a man put upon by an unreasonable woman. “Cassie, put away the claws. Piper’s a nice kid, and so are you, but I’m not interested.“
Seriously? He was going there, now? “Oh, spare me,” Cassie shot back. “Not everything is about you.”
“Right,” he muttered, in a way that said he didn’t believe her. He turned back to Piper. “You good?”
Piper nodded, biting her lip.
Heavy glowered down at Cassie again, then shook his head and stalked away without another word, which was just fine with her. She moved closer to Piper, hands on her hips. “You mind telling me what the hell that was?”
Piper blinked owlishly. “Oh-hhh, are you… do you like Heavy?”
“What? No! No, of course not.” Cassie's cheeks burned. Gah, how many times did she have to say that! “I could care less about that big muscle-bound ass. But Drew is my friend, and if you think I’m going to turn a blind eye while you flirt with Flyer brothers behind his back, trying to work your way up the food chain, you better think again. You cheat on Drew, chickie, and I will gut you with a dull knife.”
Piper blinked again, and then opened her mouth. She waved her arms awkwardly, and then lifted one stilettoed foot, giving a little shriek as she nearly lost her balance.
“No, no,” she breathed, on a tequila-laden gust. “Omigod, no, I would never! It’s these shoes. They’re so pretty, and Drew bought them for me, so I love love love them, but I can’t walk in them very well, and I—I kinda ran into here, and almost fell. And he grabbed me, to hold me up till I got my balance, and he said, ‘Watch your step there, pretty girl’,” Piper imitated his deep voice and then giggled, hunching her neck like a turtle, and snorting a little. “And then I got the giggles, and he started laughing too. Thass all, hon'st.”
Which was when Cassie realized the other woman was totally telling the truth, because she was way too drunk to lie and get away with it.
She sighed. “Oh, for fork’s sake. I’m sorry, okay?”
“'kay,” Piper cried happily, and flung herself at Cassie for a hug.
Except that she was taller than Cassie, which meant their center of gravity was now dangerously high, and Piper was very drunk. A-and Cassie had had a few shots herself. She did a kind of sideways dance step, trying to balance both of them, but only manage to swing around, Piper’s weight swinging with her.
With a muffled shriek, Cassie lost her balance and the two of them toppled against the wall of the hallway, and from there to the floor, with Piper on top.
Cassie had a face-full of Piper’s hair, a sharp knee in her groin, and her shoulder was throbbing from hitting the wall or the floor, she wasn’t sure which. She was pretty sure she’d bruised her ass, too.
“Ow-ww,” she groaned. Why couldn’t Piper have landed on the bottom? She was the one who’d caused the whole thing.
“Hey!” bellowed a deep voice overhead. “Chick fight back here! All hands, this oughtta be good.”
Raucous laughter followed, and footsteps pounded closer.
“Hey, that’s lil Carson and Drew’s new gal,” another man commented. “I’m bettin’ on li’l Carson. She’s scrappy.”
“I’ll bet on the new gal,” called another voice. “C’mon, girls. Get to it! Lessee some hair-pullin’ and shit.”
“What the hell?” demanded a familiar, and furious voice. “You bozos git outta my way.”
Cassie shoved at Piper, who was wriggling, but not making much headway in getting up. “Piper, can you get–off of me?”
Piper was lifted bodily away. Finally free of the other woman’s voluminous hair, Cassie squinted up into her father’s quizzical face.
“You takin’ up a new wrestling hobby I need to know about?” he asked her, even as he helped her to her feet, and held her steady, his hands warm on her upper arms.
“No,” she said, rolling her eyes at the laughing crowd gathered behind him. “Piper’s wearing stupid stiletto heels, an’ she gave me a drunk hug and knocked us both right off our feet.”
“Uh-huh. Reckon she’s not the only inebriated one in the pair of you.” He turned, and scowled at the grinning bikers crowded into the hallway. “Awright. Nothin’ to see here. The girls just lost their balance on their fancy-ass shoes.”
“Scrooge,” someone muttered. “Ruinin’ all our fun.”
Rav pouted exaggeratedly at Cassie. “Shucks, y’all could’ve at least rolled around a few times for us, put on a bit of a show.”
“Yeah, I wanted to see some ass, at least,” Pete said, winking at Cassie.
The other guys laughed and then drifted back into the bar. T-Bear’s voice rose as he reminisced about an all-female jello wrestling match he’d once seen.
Drew held Piper close, murmuring to her as she hid her face against him.
“Is she okay?” Cassie asked.
He nodded. “I think she just needs to lose the heels, and she’ll be fine.”
“Best get some food in her, too,” Cooler advised. “And both you gals cut the booze, stick to soda or sparkling cider.”
“Yessir. I’ll make sure Piper does.” Drew walked Piper back into the bar.
Cassie followed them, stopping by the corner of the bar. Cider sounded good, and she’d use it to wash down a couple of Ibuprofen. She rubbed her bottom, wincing. She was gonna have a bruise for sure.
“You need some help with that?” said a deep, all-too-familiar voice over her head.
She whirled, and glowered up at Heavy. “No,” she snapped. “I do not.”
She expected him to glare back at her, but instead, he smirked as he leaned closer, so close she could smell him, warm skin and clean man and faint aftershave.
“Too bad,” he said, “Cause I’m sure you could get some help—right over there.” He jerked his chin toward the leather sofas clustered around the massive big-screen TV.
Cassie turned to look that way, and saw that Connor’s high school friends were gathered there, laughing and jostling as they played a video game.
Fury flamed inside her, along with a shaft of hurt. She had two choices in how to respond, and as always, Cassie chose to come out swinging.
“That’s all right,” she said cheerily. “I’ll wait till my date gets here. He just got his driver’s license, and he borrowed his daddy’s pickup truck for our big date! Now, don’t you have a rocking chair to get back to, grandpa?”
"You got a date comin'?" He chuckled. “Guess I'll be watching from my rockin' chair. Have to see if I can find someone to rock with. Thanks for the idea. Could be … fun.”
He straightened, his gaze moving down over her in a way that she could nearly feel, as if he’d put his hands on her, right under her dress. She stood there, lips parted, unable to do more than watch as he lifted his beer glass to his lips and took a leisurely drink.
He gave her a slow wink, and sauntered away.
Leaving her there, without another word to say for herself. Gah, she was such an idiot.
She turned away so fast her dress flipped out around her thighs, searching for a guy, any guy, to drag out on the dance floor and show Heavy that she was having the time of her life, without him.
Luckily, the perfect guy was just coming through the front doors. ‘Dean!’ she called, throwing up her arms and bouncing on her toes before dancing through the crowded tables to him. “You’re here.”
His handsome face registered surprise and then pleasure when she ran full tilt into him, grasping him by the lapels of his jacket and giving him a glowing smile. “Hi, handsome. I thought you’d never get here. Come and dance with me.”
“You got it, gorgeous,” he replied in a voice sweet as sugar. Without looking away from her, he pulled his jacket off and tossed it toward the coat racks along the front wall. Then, hands on her hips, he began to walk her backward through the tables toward the dance floor.
Cassie giggled, hanging onto his Western belt as they somehow glided through the raucous crowd without mishap.
“Who’s your boy toy, little Carson?” one of the older women hollered as they passed. Cassie knew without looking that it was Darlene, Snake’s long-suffering old lady.
“Never saw him before, but he’s a hottie,” Cassie hollered back, and then giggled helplessly as Dean gave her a narrow-eyed look, his tanned cheeks flushing.
Darlene hooted with delight, and the other women in earshot laughed as well.
“You biker chicks don’t give a guy much rope, do ya?” Dean slid an arm around Cassie and pulled her into a swift two-step around the dance floor as George Strait sang about wanting some of those Christmas cookies.
“Doesn’t seem to me like you want much, cowboy,” she shot back, and then gasped as he swung her out and back into his arms.
He grinned down at her. “With you, gorgeous, a man better grab all the rope he can get and hang onto it, ‘cause otherwise you’ll have him tied up in knots.”
The song ended with a flourish, and he bent her back over his arm and then straightened, setting her carefully on her feet.
Cassie regained the vertical to find her step-mom and dad standing next to them, a scowl on Cooler’s face.
“I haven’t heard that much bullshit since we helped with security at the rodeo grounds last summer. How ‘bout you, Rock?”
“Oh, I don’t know, I thought it was kinda creative, myself,” said Rocker’s deep, amused voice behind Cassie.
“Damn near poetic, y’ask me,” said T-Bear from her other side. “Lessee now, lemme get my phone out here. You mind repeatin’ that shit for us, kid? I might wanna use it on my old lady sometime.”
Cassie growled under her breath. “Circle the wagons, corporal, we’re surrounded,” she muttered to Dean.
Then she spun to face her dad and stepmom, smiling sweetly. “Rae, daddy, I’d like you to meet my friend Dean. Dean, this is my dear step-mom, and my father, Mac ‘Cooler’ Carson. And if he isn’t nice, you just let me know, and I’ll tell you how he got his road name. It’s a real funny story.”
She would treasure the look that came over her father’s face, she decided. She’d call it chagrin, laced with extreme irritation. ‘Cause she wasn’t supposed to know that story.
Mac stabbed a finger at her. “You behave, missy. ‘Cause I got more‘n a few stories about you, too.”
This was true, so Cassie bit her lip.
“I know a couple, too,” T-Bear boomed helpfully, his eyes lighting up. “There was this one time she—“
“Let’s go dance some more,” Cassie cried, and pulled Dean back onto the crowded dance floor.
He was laughing as he turned her into his arms. She rolled her eyes at him. “I warned you–they’re all up in my business, all the time. We can go somewhere else if you want.”
“Are you kidding?” he asked. “I feel like I’m in a National Lampoon Christmas movie—biker version. You’ve got the greatest extended family ever. Is this all of them, or are there more in the basement?”
“Hah--you haven’t met my uncle Bouncer yet. He’s a real character.”
“More to look forward to.”
In the moment, Heavy thought his verbal shot at Cassie would make him feel better. But strangely, having the last word just left him feeling kinda… out of sorts. As if he’d rather be putting a smile on her face.
He guessed that crack about her age had been a cheap shot. He really should apologize for that. ‘Cause he might be irritated with her, but teasing her was one thing. Mean was not his style.
He found himself looking for her, in between having a great time with his brothers and their family and friends, of course.
Finally, he spotted her in some cowboy’s arms, swaying to a slow song. She was smiling up at the guy in a way that made something in Heavy’s chest squeeze.
He rubbed at his sternum absently. He was still hungry, he decided. Needed to hit the food table again, which was now loaded with sweet crap, but also sandwich makings.
He’d catch up with Cassie later. Plenty of time, as the party would go for a few hours yet.
The sense of urgency he felt was just the munchies. Yeah, that was it. He loaded himself up a plate and went to sit with Toro, who was back in town after an extended stay in the Tri-Cities.
Except that when he made his way to the bar for a refill on their drinks, and looked around again for a little blonde in a red sparkly dress, she was in the stranger’s arms again. And he was holding her awful close.
“Who the hell is that guy?” he asked no one in particular, scowling.
“Hmm?” asked the woman next to him. It was RaeAnn, waiting for a drink herself. She looked out at the dancers, and smiled. “Oh, you mean Cassie’s date? That’s Dean, Drew’s friend. Aren’t they so cute together?”
“Little old for her, isn’t he?” Heavy demanded. And the guy had his hand on her ass—didn’t her stepmom care about that?
RaeAnn gave him a strange look. “Well, no, hon. She’s in her twenties, so is he.” She accepted her drink from the bartender and walked away.
Heavy stared after her. Wait, what? “Twenties?” he repeated.
Aw-ww, hells bells.
His mind raced, going back over conversations he’d had with Cassie, things he knew about her. She was out of community college with a full AA in business, so that was at least two years or more post high school. So, sure enough, that put her in her early twenties.
He’d just assumed she was younger, because… well, because up until a month ago, she’d dressed like a kid and had that weird-ass hair.
And she was petite… which when he thought about it, was no more logical than his elementary school teachers assuming he was older because of his size. But there it was. He’d made assumptions about her age, and… maybe her experience level, too.
Heavy scowled to himself. Still, there was a whole lotta difference from one end of the twenties to another. Hell, he was still in his twenties, but at twenty-eight, make that nearly twenty-nine, he’d been through shit.
She’d grown up sheltered by her parents, and the club. ‘ And now the club is there for you too’ , said a little voice in his mind.
But she was just starting out. He already owned his own business. ‘ Yeah, you and the club, and the bank’ , the voice muttered.
Okay, then, she was dating some cowboy she’d prob’ly just met. He was looking to settle down, with someone permanent. ‘ Really? Got an old lady all picked out, do ya? ’ the voice asked.
The voice was getting fucking annoying.
Anyway, it was good that Cassie was dating, meant he didn’t have to worry about her chasing his ass. But as a friend, he’d have a word, make sure the guy knew what would happen if he didn’t take real good care of a daughter of the club.
Yeah, that would set his mind at ease, then he could forget about her.
Drew wasn’t the only guest of the club that evening, of course. There were other people Cassie had never met before, such as a pretty redhead that she saw dancing with first Rav, and then Heavy.
“Who’s that?” she asked Della, telling herself her curiosity was only that, and not jealousy, because she was with Dean, and having a great time.
“Her? I dunno,” her friend answered. “She’s sure not as good a dancer as you or me.” They snickered as Heavy nearly lost her on an in-and-out twirl. “And that red hair is straight outta a bottle.”
“Well,” Cassie said. “So’s mine, little bit.”
“But yours looks totes real, ‘cause it mostly is. Hey, I love this song, let’s dance! Shelle, Manda, come on!”
Cassie followed her friends out onto the dance floor, laughing as the drumroll for ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Holiday’ filled the clubhouse.
“Yeah, ladies, shake it!” T-Bear boomed, watching his wife with glee. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”
Moke sat beside him, smiling as he watched Shelle dance. Over their heads, Cassie glimpsed Heavy’s tall frame disappearing into the back hallway. Guess he didn’t want to watch her dance. No surprise there.
Dean was nowhere to be seen, either, but she’d find him–wasn’t like there were fifty ways to lose your lover in this place.
Seeing a chance to have a word, Heavy had followed Cassie’s date into the back hallway.
But he but stopped short just inside the men’s room when he saw Cooler already there, squared off with the cowboy.
Poor guy kinda had that deer in the headlights look. This oughtta be good. Heavy smirked at him over Cooler’s shoulder, and leaned a shoulder against the door frame to listen.
“So you best take care with my baby girl, you hear me?” Cooler was saying, his voice flat with menace. “Only ride you’re gettin’ tonight is bringin’ her home safe. Ammiright?”
“Ah… sir, yessir,” the cowboy replied. He didn’t come to attention, but his hand on the open stall door was white-knuckled. .
“Good. Then you can go—give her another dance or two, keep her happy. Then git her straight home.”
The guy nodded, skirting both of them carefully as he left the bathroom. Feeling generous, Heavy even stepped aside to give him more room.
Cooler turned to watch the cowboy go, then surprised the hell out of Heavy by giving him a slow wink. “I think that oughtta do the trick, don’t you?”
“I’d say so. He damn near saluted you. Must be just outta the service, or somethin’. But, you don’t like him either?”
Cooler jerked his chin to one side. “Nah. He ain’t for my baby girl.”
“With you on that,” Heavy agreed. “Was just about to have a word with him myself. Doesn’t Drew have any younger friends he can bring around?”
Cooler blinked, and gave Heavy a weird look like his wife had earlier. Then he smiled slowly, his eyes dancing. “Fuck, RaeAnn was right, ” he said, his voice oddly choked. “It’s uh, real nice of you to watch out for my daughter, Heavy.”
He slapped Heavy on the arm as he moved past. Heavy could’ve sworn he heard the man chortling to himself outside in the hallway as he walked away.
Heavy shook his head before moving to the urinal. Fuckin’ Cooler. Who the hell knew what was going through the man’s head?
Eh, at least they’d scared off that cowboy.
Reckless on tequila and her first Flyer festivity, Cassie had made up her mind. This was gonna be the night she let Dean take her back to his hotel and have his way with her. He’d done quite a bit to convince her she should do so the night they went dancing.
So tonight, sitting in his pickup truck, with him behind the wheel, she gaped at him as she offered, and he turned her down.
He clutched his belly, wincing. “I’m real sorry, baby. But I must have eaten something bad. My gut does not feel right.”
“Oh.” She sank back against the seat of his truck, feeling deflated as a balloon with the air out. “Well … I’m… I’m sure sorry to hear that. Um, you better go on back to your place, and I’ll get a ride with my friends.”
Because she seriously did not want to be in the truck with him if he puked. Whoa. Family, she could handle bodily fluids from, if necessary. Anyone else? Just the thought made her queasy.
And it wasn’t like he was at death’s door, needing her to drive or take care of him. In fact, he looked … fine. Just unenthusiastic. Which kinda hit her right in the lady ego, even if it was because he had a bellyache.
“You sure?” he asked her now. “I could drive you.”
“No, no,” she said, already opening the truck door behind her. “Rav and Della are right over there, just coming across the lot. Uh, call me tomorrow, let me know how you’re doing?”
“Sure.”
Pouting, she hurried across the icy lot to Rav’s big shiny truck, where he was holding the door for Della.
“Rav! Della, wait up,” she called.
“Cassie girl!” Rav hailed her. “What up? Have words with your date?”
“No, he’s sick. Can you spot me a ride home?”
“Of course,” Rav said. “Hop in.” He shut the truck door behind her, and looked thoughtfully across the lot toward the pickup truck disappearing out of the clubhouse lot.
He smirked to himself as he walked around climb in the driver’s side. He’d bet a hundred bucks the cowboy’s sudden bellyache had a name—Heavy. The big man was finally getting his head outta his ass and making his move, scaring off the competition.
Wouldn’t that be a fine Christmas gift for his Della? She had her big heart set on Heavy and Cassie making a match.
'Course only Santa knew for certain.