Page 59 of Danger and Dominance
“I can look into it.Is there something going on?”
One shoulder went up in a shrug that indicated a casualness David didn’t quite believe.
“Just the same old, same old.Naomi got her period again today.”Drew sighed, and David reached out to clap him on the shoulder.Drew slanted a glance at him.“Thanks for letting Cassidy go to the Outlands tonight.I think Naomi needs the distraction.”
“Of course.”David’s heart hurt for Drew and Naomi.The IVF was not cheap, nor was it easy on either of them every time it didn’t take.They didn’t seem ready to give up yet, but he knew it was a struggle for them, and it seemed to hit harder every time.He squeezed Drew’s shoulder.“If there’s anything else we can do, let us know.”
“Thanks.I think we’re okay for now.”Drew smiled wryly.“Maybe next time, you can throw us a celebration.”
“I hope so.”He really did.Drew and Naomi would make great parents.
“What are you two just standing around for?”Claudia barked as she walked by, frowning at them.“I thought we were supposed to be working.”
Both David and Drew chuckled, snapping to attention.
“Yes, ma’am, Scary ma’am.”Drew saluted.Since he immediately covered anything other than his amusement, David could only deduce that he wasn’t ready to talk about things with the entire team.Which was fine.
David certainly wasn’t going to talk out of turn.When Drew was ready, he’d tell the rest of the team.
22
Cassidy
It was a dark and stormy Saturday morning when David appeared at Jensen’s door, and Cassidy was not prepared.She hadn’t known he was coming, or she would have actually gotten dressed.He’d shown up without warning, ringing the doorbell.If she’d jumped up to run upstairs and make herself look more presentable before he came inside, Mick and Jensen would have known something was up.
So, she had to sit there with her bedhead, no makeup except the bit that was smudged under her eyes after not coming off when she washed her face the night before, wearing a ragged t-shirt that went down to her thighs and some flimsy pajama pants, pretending to be unaffected by his presence.The truth was, she was hyperaware of it.
Last night at the club had been fun, but it had also hammered home that she wasn’t really interested in scening with anyone but him.Which was probably a good reason to try to scene with someone else, but her heart hadn’t been in it.
Plus, Naomi had been pretty down.She’d eventually told them that the latest round of IVF hadn’t taken, which had made her depressed.There was no way Cassidy was going to leave her side after that just to scene with someone she didn’t actually want to scene with.
Pretending to be focused on the pancakes she was eating, she glanced up and smiled a greeting as Jensen walked back into the room with David trailing behind him.
“Good morning,” David said, his gaze moving over her and Mick, including them both in his greeting.
“Morning,” Mick mumbled.He was in a bad mood because the weather was bad enough that the farmer’s market had decided to close.Normally, rain didn’t keep them down, but the wind was howling and blowing hard enough to make things dangerous.Which meant that all his baking was for naught.
“Good morning.”She made herself meet his gaze, keeping her smile on her lips even though what she really wanted to do was crawl under the table and hide herself until he left.Why couldn’t he have seen her last night at the club when she was all dolled up?Why did he have to come overnow?
“Want some pancakes?”Jensen asked, taking his seat at the table again without waiting for David’s answer.“There’s also muffins and coffee cake if you’re interested.”He gestured at the plate of pancakes that was sitting on the table, along with the butter and syrup.
Mick grunted, scowling into his coffee at the reminder that they had a bunch of baked goods sitting around that were going to need to be eaten by someone.
The dining room table was huge, seating ten people normally.One at each end and four on each side.She, Jensen, and Mick had taken over an end, with Jensen at the head of the table and Mick across from her.At that moment, she was facing all the men.Mick was seated closest to the doorway David and Jensen had come through.It would make the most sense for David to sit down next to Mick.
“Thanks, that sounds great,” David said, walking around the table and pulling out the chair next to Cassidy.
It felt like all the little hairs on the left side of her arm suddenly stood to attention, his presence attracting them like moths to a flame.
Down girl.It doesn’t mean anything.
Right?Except it really would have made more sense for him to sit next to Mick.But here he was, sitting next to her, his right arm brushing against her left as he leaned forward to snag a pancake in his hand and roll it up without any butter or syrup or anything.
“Let me get you a plate.”She jumped up from her seat before any of them could tell her not to, needing a minute to compose herself.Her hyperawareness of him beside her was kind of disturbing.She needed to get a grip.
He wasn’t here for her.At least, not like that.
In the kitchen, hidden away from the rest of them, she took a couple of deep breaths.There was no reason to get worked up.She looked like shit, anyway.It was part of the freedom of being single.She would never have dared let Don see her like this unless she wanted to spend the day listening to snide comments about how she was letting herself go.
