CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Four days later, Bailey stared down at the cereal she was struggling to eat, her stomach in tight knots. Deke sat across from her at the table, demolishing his own bowl of fruit loops, clearly unaffected by the elephant that had been circling them since they woke.

“It’s gone,” he’d said when she’d woken to find him staring at her.

She’d known he meant the touch-hunger, because the last bit of restless energy he’d hummed with had dissipated. “’Bout damn time,” she’d replied. And when he hadn’t followed it up with a suggestion that maybe they keep their little arrangement going, she’d considered punching him right in the junk.

Mean, sure, but she was feeling mean. Partly because she was annoyed with herself for not having the stones to make the suggestion herself. With anyone else, she might have, because she wouldn’t have cared if they rejected her. But a rejection from Deke would burn like a bitch.

As they’d pottered around, they’d carried on as normal. Sort of, anyway. Bailey hadn’t been her usual chatty self, disappointment a rock in her gut.

She’d known the touch-hunger was close to subsiding, of course. But she’d thought maybe she’d have a few extra days. She’d been prepared for it to happen sooner, but that didn’t make this easier.

Not that she wasn’t relieved for him and his cat. They’d suffered long enough. She was glad it was over. She was merely bummed that it wasn’t the only thing that was over.

Super bummed, if she was honest.

And it did not help to know that, as he was now free from the vow he’d made to Dayna, he’d no doubt move onto someone else. Maybe not straightaway, but eventually. And, since he was not only her pride mate but a close neighbor, Bailey wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

Oh sure, his cat—apparently still having major intimacy issues—wasn’t up for letting other females into his life. But that wouldn’t really be a factor for Deke. The feline had eventually let Bailey stick around, though somewhat begrudgingly, so Deke knew now that all he had to do was ask a woman to provoke his cat into wanting him to “teach her a lesson.”

Giving up on the cereal she couldn’t manage to chomp down, Bailey dropped her spool into the bowl and looked at him. He was focused on his breakfast, casual as you please, evidently unbothered that they’d be parting ways. Lovely.

Maybe it wasn’t fair of her to be so bitter. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been clear where she stood with him. It wasn’t his fault she’d come to hope that he’d change his mind about a few things. That didn’t much help, however.

It didn’t soothe her snake’s resentment either. The mamba had grown to like and respect him, and it grated on her that he was so unaffected by the situation.

Bailey let herself have a moment to drink in the sight of the gorgeous bastard. She’d miss him—there was no pretending otherwise. Rough and rude, he was might not be anyone’s typical idea of a “nice guy,” but she didn’t want or need nice. She liked him as he was, which galled her beyond belief.

Wanting to get the whole thing over with so she could go back to her apartment and throw some shit at a wall, she said, “So … you’re better.”

Chewing, he met her gaze. Those eyes roamed over her face, searching. Once he’d swallowed his food, he said, “The touch-hunger has finally passed, yeah.”

Leaning back in her seat, she folded her arms. “Well, I’ll miss your cock.”

Humor lit his eyes. “No, you won’t.”

“I really will. I’ve grown kind of fond of it.” Though she’d right now like to rip it off. Then he couldn’t fuck anyone else. A gruesome and cruel thought, perhaps, but she wouldn’t actually do it. Probably.

He took a swig of his coffee. “You won’t miss it, because you won’t be placed in a position where you’ll find yourself missing it. It’s not done with you. Neither am I.”

She went still. “Not done?”

“That’s what I said.”

“And you’re not joking?”

“I’m not joking.”

“And you’re sober?”

His lips thinning, he threw her an annoyed look. “Of course I’m goddamn sober.”

“All right, there’s no need to get testy.” Doing a little happy dance in her head, she asked, “Are you one of those shifters who has a strict rule on how long he allows bed-buddy arrangements to go on?” She figured it was better to be straight on that.

He set down his mug, planted his lower arms on the table, and leaned forward. His gaze snared hers, focused and intent. “We’re not just bed-buddies, Bailey. It started out that way, but things shifted at some point. We might not do couple stuff like go on dates or whatever, but what’s between us ain’t simple. Not anymore.”

Struggling to think past the sheer surprise of his declaration, she quite simply stared at him. For a while, actually—she was at a loss for what to say. Her snake was equally stunned.

When Bailey could really think again, she asked, “So what is it that you do want?”

He ran his tongue along his bottom teeth. “I don’t know what we have exactly. But I like it. I see no need to end it merely because the touch-hunger is gone. Do you?”

Feeling something in her chest expand, she swallowed. “No.”

“Then we see where it goes.”

Unable to shake off her befuddlement, Bailey rubbed at her brow. She was afraid to ask if this meant he harbored suspicions that she could be his true mate. Mostly because if he said yes, she wouldn’t be able to agree.

Much as she liked Deke, she didn’t believe he was her mate—nothing about him called out to her or her snake on that kind of elemental level. That didn’t bother Bailey, though. She had no objections to imprinting on someone rather than bonding with her predestined mate. She knew plenty of imprinted couples who were solid and happy. But Deke … he wanted to find the woman who was destined for him.

Rather than mention any of that, Bailey said, “You know, not a lot of things surprise me. But hearing you say you want to see where this goes? Yeah, that’s a shocker. At this point, I’d have thought you’d have hit your limit where I’m concerned.”

“You drive me crazy—that will likely always be the case. But if you were any other way, I wouldn’t like it.” Straightening, he lifted his cup. “Maybe it makes me weird, but I wouldn’t change you even if I could.”

Warmth settled into her bones and wrapped tight around them. “I think that’s probably the nicest thing any dude has ever said to me.”

“I’m sure you’d have heard a whole bunch of sweet words over the years if you didn’t have a habit of walking away from guys before there was a possibility they’d come to want more.”

“I doubt it.”

Deke didn’t. Bailey might have a talent for irritating people, but she also tended to draw them in. Made them feel comfortable, even.

He’d heard countless people call her a “hoot.” She could always be counted on to make others smile or laugh. At the very least, she could distract them from whatever was happening in their lives.

He took a sip of his coffee, lowered his mug again, and then once more caught her gaze. “Consider your ground rules null and void. The last thing I’ll tolerate is space between me and my female.”

Her brows inched up. “Your female?”

“Yeah. Mine. I won’t share you, Bailey.” He wasn’t surprised that the proprietary note in his voice made her narrow her eyes. She generally didn’t welcome possessiveness. But that was tough shit—she’d just have to deal with it.

“This might not be a heavy relationship, but it’s something,” he told her. “Something good. Like I said, we’re gonna see where it goes. That means scrapping your rules, or we don’t have a real chance of exploring this and making it work, do we?”

“I suppose not.” She frowned as if something occurred to her. “What about your cat, though? Is he going to be okay with all this?”

Deke sighed. “He’s still withdrawn and cranky as fuck, but he doesn’t want you going anywhere. He’s gotten used to having you around. He’s protective of you—and not simply as a mere pride mate. To what will likely be your horror, he’s even a little territorial.”

“Huh.” She puffed out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Neither was I, but it seems you’ve grown on him. So much so that, at the moment, you’re the only person he doesn’t protest to being around.”

She cocked her head. “You still don’t have even a tiny idea what could be causing him to pull back from everyone?”

“No. Tate has a theory. Thinks my cat could have withdrawn from everyone because the only touch he wants is that of his true mate. It’s a possibility, but I feel as if it’s more than that.” He paused. “Is your snake on board with our decision?”

“Yeah. She likes how you treat me, so she likes you.”

He felt his mouth kick up slightly. “I bet you never thought you’d say the latter.”

“As it happens, no, I didn’t. She’s considered killing you more than once in the past.”

“I picked up on that when she kept launching herself at me.”

“Just so you know … I can’t promise that will stop.”

He full-on smiled. “I’d have been surprised if you could.” And he’d have accused her of bullshitting him if she had.

After they’d finished eating, they loaded the dishwasher and switched it on. She then turned to him and said, “I better get going. I need to change before I head out.”

As had become the norm since the morning after the “car incident,” he and Isaiah would be following Bailey and her girls to the center in a separate car. Tate had ordered that the females have an escort to and from the center for the foreseeable future. As an added precaution, the trio had agreed to switch up their routines by changing their hours and using different routes.

Deke cupped her hip. “What time do you finish work?”

She rested her hands on his chest. “Noon. I’m only pulling a short shift today.”

“Meet me for lunch at the deli, then.”

“Why?”

He felt his eyelid twitch. “Because I’m asking you to.”

“Why?”

“Because I just am.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Jesus, she’d never be anything close to easy, would she?

“What time?”

“Twelve-thirty.”

She gave a curt nod. “Got it.”

Pulling her flush against him, he dipped his head to hers and dragged her scent into his lungs. He skimmed his lips over a spot near her pulse. “Tonight, when I have you beneath me, I’m going to bite you right here.” She was his to mark now.

“I might bite back.”

He met her gaze. “You’re welcome to.”

“Your cat won’t get mad?”

“Do you care if he would?”

“Nah, just curious.”

He couldn’t stop his mouth from twitching. “The last thing he’ll be if you mark me is mad.”

“Oh. Okay.” She smacked a hard kiss on his lips. “Gotta go.”

He gave her hip a little squeeze. “I’ll be at your door in twenty. Be ready. And don’t forget we’re meeting for lunch.”

Backing up, she pointed at him. “One-thirty, right?”

Quite aware she was screwing with him, he narrowed his eyes. “Twelve-thirty.”

Her brows slid together. “I don’t think that’s what you—”

“Don’t even.”

Snickering, she walked off.

Bumping her shoulder into Bailey’s, Aspen grinned like the smug little shit she was. “Told you this would happen.”

“No, you didn’t.” With an airy sniff, Bailey moved her attention to the people skating around the rec center’s gymnasium.

“Uh, excuse me, I said I believed that Deke wouldn’t walk away after the touch-hunger was gone,” crowed Aspen. “You called me moronic.”

“Well, you are,” Bailey told her.

Havana snorted, shaking her head.

“And,” began Bailey still not looking the bearcat’s way, “you didn’t say you believed he wouldn’t walk, Aspen. You said you weren’t so sure he would.”

The bearcat frowned. “Same thing.”

“Nope, not really.”

A huff from the bearcat. “You’re picking at words. The point is, I predicted this. And I was right. You don’t listen to me often enough. Why is that?”

“You bore me.”

Aspen gave her a playful shove. “Bitch.”

“Heifer,” Bailey sassed, no heat in the word. She winced as a skater crashed into the wall near the retractable bleachers. Ow. They admirably managed to stay on their feet.

Skating sessions were surprisingly popular. Three rec center workers often supervised. This morning, it was her and her girls.

Shifters of all ages were skating around the gym—some confidently and expertly, others nervously holding onto each other or the cinder block wall.

Everything echoed in the gym—the voices talking and laughing, the music playing on the stereo system, and the sliding of the roller skates along the shiny wooden floors.

Havana squeezed Bailey’s shoulder. “Personally, I amthrilled that you and Deke decided to give things a go. Livy will be on cloud nine when she finds out. I’m sure she’ll also take credit for you two getting together.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Bailey mumbled.

The devil nudged her. “So, you happy?”

“About what?”

Havana sighed. “I mean, in general.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“Good. I want that for you.”

Bailey felt her brow furrow. “I’m always happy.”

“You’re always lively. Always smiling and nattering and laughing. That’s not the same as being happy, when you feel all light and warm inside. I knew he’d be good for you.”

Bailey raised a cautioning hand. “Don’t get too excited. We didn’t take each other as mates or anything. We’re just gonna let nature take its course and see where we end up.”

“Yes, but you could end up mated.”

Aspen nodded, still grinning.

Bailey felt her nose wrinkle. “I don’t know about that. I mean, everyone knows he hopes to find his predestined mate. I don’t believe for one moment that it’s me.”

“Just because he hopes to find her doesn’t mean he won’t be open to imprinting on someone else instead,” said Havana.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Bailey told her, not quite as optimistic as her girls. Okay, it was more that she was afraid to be so optimistic. “Besides, did all three of us not once agree that it would be best if my mate isn’t overbearing, controlling, and overprotective—all things that can be applied to Deke?”

“He does indeed have those traits,” Havana allowed. “But it hasn’t worked against you so far, has it?”

“We kept things light and easy, though,” Bailey pointed out. “That’s not going to apply as of today.”

“Yeah, he likely didn’t unleash the full force of his personality on you,” Havana mused. “Now that you’re taking things up a notch, he’ll push and be bossy and try to fix all your problems because, hello, he’s a dominant male shifter. You’re capable of pushing back. You’ll handle him just fine.”

Aspen dipped her chin. “You’ve been handling him perfectly fine since the day you guys first met, haven’t you?”

“I guess.” Bailey watched as a skater landed hard on the floor a few feet away. She would have headed over to check on him, but the laughing juvenile scraped himself off the floor and hurried after his chuckling friends.

“You truly didn’t think Deke would want more, did you?” It wasn’t a question from Havana. It was a confident statement.

“No. As it happens, I didn’t think I’d want more either. Truthfully, I don’t want to want more. Things are simpler when I don’t have other people’s wants and needs to think about.” Bailey then didn’t have to worry she’d let them down or that they’d get sick of her. “But then he went and told me that he wouldn’t change me even if he could, the asshole.”

Havana smiled. “Oh, how dare he say something sweet.”

“I know!” The dude was unbelievable.

Chuckling, Aspen slung an arm over Bailey’s shoulders. “Did you throw something at him for saying something so nice to you?”

“No.” But she should have.

“Ah, my girl is growing up.” Aspen sighed, happy. “I was starting to think you’d be stuck in the Peter Pan stage forever.”

Bailey frowned. “Is he the fox shifter we used to work with?”

“No, you donut. Peter Pan,” the bearcat repeated, as if that would clear everything up. “The boy who could fly and lived in Neverland.”

“Where’s that? Don’t think I’ve been there.”

Aspen rolled her eyes. “Of course you haven’t. It’s a fictional place.”

“How can someone live in a fictional place? And how the hell does he fly? Is he a bird shifter?”

“No, he is fictional too.”

“Oh. That doesn’t explain how he flies.”

“He has—you know what, it doesn’t matter.” Aspen lowered her arm. “Let’s get back to the subject of Deke. You haven’t told us how he is in bed yet.”

Bailey pursed her lips. “Well … he doesn’t snore or hog the covers. I count those as wins.”

“Don’t play stupid.”

“But it’s one of my favorite games.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Then you’re just mean for asking me not to play it.” Bailey folded her arms. “My contentment should matter to you.”

Aspen tipped her head to the side. “And yet …”

Havana shook her head, fighting a smile. “If it wasn’t for me, you two would have murdered each other by now.”

It was in fact highly probable.

Once their shift was over, they headed outside to the parking lot and made their way to the new car that had been assigned to Bailey. Like the last one, it belonged to the pride. Two enforcers, JP and Joaquin, waited in another vehicle parked nearby. The enforcers followed them until Bailey pulled up outside the Alpha pair’s house, at which point the males went their own way.

Once Havana was safely inside her home, Bailey parked in the lot outside her apartment building. She and Aspen then parted. The bearcat made a beeline for their complex while Bailey headed to the deli to meet Deke.

Glad she’d slipped on a thick coat today, since it was pretty chilly, Bailey stuffed her hands in her pockets as she walked along the busy street. It was loud as usual. Horns beeped. Engines rumbled. Voices murmured. Footsteps slapped the pavement.

But it wasn’t all the noise that made her snake coil herself to spring. It was the sight of Therese casually heading in her direction. The pallas cat had made an enemy of both Bailey and her snake after all the recent smack-talk she’d been doing.

Therese slowed to a stop in front of her, seeming awkward. “Hey.”

“Yo.” The word came out flat and unwelcoming, but Therese didn’t let it faze her—she remained in place and flashed Bailey a nervous smile.

“How are you?” Therese asked.

“Good.”

“I heard all about the crash.” Therese absently prodded at the back of her golden braid. “Must have been scary.”

“Why?”

Therese’s bow mouth curved. “I probably should have known better than to think you were rattled by it.”

“Hmm.”

“Look, I’m sorry for talking crap about you.” Regret glimmered in Therese’s powder-blue eyes. “I don’t truly believe you set out to seduce Deke so you could draw him away from Dayna for the heck of it.”

Bailey flexed the fingers still tucked in her pockets. “Then why say it?”

“She’s my best friend, just like Havana and Aspen are yours. You love them. It would hurt you to see them hurt, right? Dayna … she hardly ever cries, but she was sobbing her heart out and it killed me. I got pissed, and I handled it wrong.” Therese sighed, distress lined into her oval face. “I’m sorry. Really.”

Maybe, but Bailey couldn’t say she was moved by the apology. Someone else might have nonetheless stiffly accepted it and got along with their day. She’d never pretended to be a forgiving creature, though. She wasn’t going to start now.

And yes, part of the reason she wasn’t feeling inclined to let Therese’s behavior go was that Bailey wasn’t the only person she’d talked crap about. “You need to throw a few sorries Deke’s way. You made out like he cheated on her.”

Therese raised a gloved finger. “I never said cheated, I said betrayed. He did betray her to an extent, Bailey. Wouldn’t you have felt that way in her shoes if he marked another female?”

“In her shoes, I either wouldn’t have been in Australia, or I wouldn’t have been holding him to a vow I’d stopped sticking to by failing to come home when I said I would.”

Therese grimaced. “I know her staying away makes it seem like she doesn’t truly care about him. But she does, Bailey. He means so much to her. He really does.” The blonde gave Bailey a serious look. “And she means a lot to him.”

“As a friend, maybe.” Though Bailey hadn’t really gotten that impression from him, or from others in the pride. The case seemed to be that Dayna had been a lifelong friend of his, but not what you would call a treasured one.

“Friend?” Therese echoed, a pinch of astonishment in her tone. “Come on, you have to see that the reason he marked you was to get her attention and jumpstart her into coming back here.”

Bailey blinked, mentally rocking back on her heels. What the fuck? “Nope, that’s not how I see it.” No one who truly knew him would. “Deke doesn’t operate that way. He’s—”

“A guy who does what it takes to get a job done,” Therese finished, firm. Her eyes narrowed. “What I’m wondering is if you’re in on it; if you agreed to him marking you so he could get a reaction from Dayna that would spur her into leaving Australia.”

“His marking me had nothing to do with her,” Bailey maintained, sure. Her snake was in full agreement—the mamba found the other female’s claim ludicrous.

“I’m not buying that.”

“I don’t care if you do or you don’t.” It was no skin off her nose.

“I see that.” Therese chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Let’s say I believe that you played no part in his plan to make Dayna come home. I’d have to ask you why you’d share the bed of a guy who’ll toss you aside if she ever shows.”

Once more taken aback, Bailey rapidly blinked. Therese had to be joking. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been clear to one and all that he wasn’t holding a candle for Dayna. “You can’t honestly believe he’d do that.”

“I’m shocked that you don’t,” Therese retorted. “He stuck to his vow for over two and a half years. You don’t do that for someone unless you love them.”

“He stuck to it for a long time, yes. But then he pulled away. You don’t do that if you do love someone.”

The blonde gave her head a small shake. “He wouldn’t choose you over her.”

“No?” Bailey took a step toward her, giving an aloof shrug. “Seems to me like he already has.”

The corners of Therese’s mouth tightened. “All I can say is … brace yourself, Bailey. I like you. I’ll get no pleasure out of seeing you hurt. And by staying with him, you’ll be taking a risk that won’t pay off if she returns.”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Bailey skirted around her and continued on to the deli, wondering if maybe the blonde’s motive had been to make Bailey doubt Deke—perhaps at Dayna’s prompting, or perhaps to strike out at Bailey to avenge an oblivious Dayna. Why else say positively idiotic stuff?

Over two and a half years was a long time to hold yourself to a promise, granted. And Bailey did believe that he cared for Dayna, just as Therese claimed. But love Dayna? Be open to taking the woman back? No, that didn’t ring true.

He’d spoken of her many times to Bailey. There’d never been a sense of longing in his voice. His eyes had never dulled with the sadness of a lost opportunity or any such crap. On the contrary, he seemed at peace with the situation.

Maybe Bailey was only seeing what she wanted to see, only believing what she wanted to believe, but she didn’t think so. Particularly since her serpent was of the same opinion as her.

Bailey would be genuinely surprised if Deke ever expressed any interest in reconciling with Dayna. She’d be equally surprised if the woman ever showed up, given she’d been gone so long and wasn’t exactly his biggest fan these days.

Nearing the deli, Bailey noticed him sitting at the eating counter near the front window. He tipped his chin her way, and she flicked her hand up in a brief wave before then pushing open the door. She walked in and was immediately swarmed by the scents of cold meats, yeast, and spices.

It was right then that Cassandra stopped beside him, a tray in hand. Smiling, the woman boldly took a seat beside his and began chatting away to him.

Bailey felt her lips press into a thin line. She agreed with the general consensus—Cassandra had a little thing for Deke but didn’t want anything permanent with him. That she wouldn’t try to steal him out from under Bailey didn’t make it any less irritating that Cassandra took any opportunity to talk with him. Or that the woman had settled at his side without waiting for an invitation, taking it for granted that he’d welcome her company.

Going by the look on his face, he didn’t welcome her company right then. Not that that placated Bailey’s mamba—the snake wanted to snap her teeth at both him and the female who coveted him.

Unable to hear what the female pallas cat was saying—it was loud with the music playing, the chatter of customers, and the orders being called out—Bailey began making her way to Deke, the soles of her faux fur-lined thermal boots scuffing the hardwood floor.

His gaze focused on her with each step she took, those perceptive eyes missing nothing as they swept over her face. His brow furrowed as she came to stand beside him. “What’s wrong?”

She blew out a breath. “The world would be a nicer place if the only annoying person in it was me.”

Cassandra smiled up at her. “Hey, Bailey.”

It was hard to stop her upper lip from quivering, but Bailey managed it. “Yo.” Flicking a look at the woman’s tray, she asked, “Is that bubble tea?”

“It is,” Cassandra replied. “They just started selling them here. I can’t say whether or not they’re good, because I haven’t tried it yet.”

Deke arched a brow at Bailey. “You ready to go order?”

Bailey shrugged off her coat. “More than. I’m starving.”

Her eyes widening, Cassandra glanced from him to Bailey. “Oh, you … you two have a lunch date?” Her mouth curved into a lopsided grin. “Well, that sure is new.” The leather-padded cushion creaked slightly as she slipped off the chrome stool. “I’m sorry, Bailey, I didn’t realize you were meeting him here or I’d have sat somewhere else.”

Deke drummed his fingers on the counter. “I’d say you’re welcome to stay and eat with us.”

“But I’m not,” guessed Cassandra, still grinning.

“No, you’re not,” he confirmed.

The female pallas cat laughed.

“I mean that in the nicest possible way,” he added.

“I know you do.” Her shoulders shaking with silent laughter, Cassandra grabbed her tray. “You two enjoy your lunch.” With that, she made her way to an empty table.

Deke stood and turned his full attention to Bailey. “So, who annoyed you? Tell me. I’ll fix it.”

Slinging her coat over the back of the stool, Bailey smiled. “Well, ain’t you cute.” Her snake thought he was plain adorable for thinking either she or Bailey would step aside to allow him to handle their problems. They loved handling problems.

He snorted. “Where’s my kiss, anyway?”

“I don’t know. Where did you last see it?”

He looked close to rolling his eyes. Instead, he took a step toward her and crooked his finger. She closed the tiny distance between them and let their mouths meet in a brief kiss that made him hum. Her belly predictably did a lot of idiotic flipping and twisting.

“Come on, let’s go grab some grub,” she said.

His hand splayed on her back, they walked to the deli’s counter. As they joined the line of customers, Bailey strained to glance through the expansive glass case at the display of cured meats, condiments, and sandwich fixings. There was also a selection of bread and baguettes, and cellophane-wrapped desserts such as cookies. People could also order soup, sides, drinks, nachos, and potato chips.

He slid his hand up her back to rest between her shoulder blades. “Who annoyed you?” he asked again, the persistent bastard.

She swatted at the air. “Just Therese. I bumped into her on the way here. She apologized for all the petty smack talk. Then she claimed you marked me to provoke Dayna into hauling ass back to the US, and she wanted to know if I was in on it.”

His brows snapped together. “What? That’s pure bull. You know that, right?”

“I do. And I told her that.”

Seeming satisfied that Bailey meant it, he nodded. “I’ll have a little chat with her.”

“You won’t need to seek her out to say your piece,” Bailey told him as they inched forward with the moving line. “I got the feeling she means to make her apologies to you soon as well.”

He grunted. “On a more important note, did you talk to the others at the center and ask if anyone has seen Ginny like I asked?”

“I did. No one has a clue where she is.” Most only came into contact with her at the center anyway, and Ginny was now barred.

“Enforcers will keep watching her place.”

The problem was that Ginny likely knew that, which might explain why there had been no sign of activity so far. Surely the woman would have to come home eventually, though. She probably thought that Bailey’s Alphas would call off the enforcers if she just gave them time. And what an incorrect assumption that was.

“As soon as she’s back from wherever she’s gone, we’ll know,” said Deke as the line once more moved forward. “The enforcers will nab her and take her to the Alphas.”

And then Ginny would be none-too-gently questioned. Both Bailey and her mamba were looking forward to it.

Once Bailey and Deke had finally stacked their meals and drinks on a tray, they returned to the stools they’d claimed near the front window.

Deke unfolded the wax paper to reveal his baguette. “So,” he began, pinning his gaze on Bailey, “tell me how you became a loner.”

She blinked, stilling with her drink halfway to her mouth. “That came out of nowhere.”

He shrugged. “Neither of us are into small talk, and there are a lot of things I want to know about you. Starting with this.” He bit into his baguette and stared at her expectantly.

Bailey inwardly sighed. This wasn’t a subject she much cared to touch. At all. Ever.

But … she’d have to tell him sooner or later, wouldn’t she? Because they had no chance of building anything if she held back from him. “Okay.” Her snake curled up, displeased. The serpent didn’t like venturing down memory lane.

Bailey sucked a gulp of bubble tea through her straw and arched her brows at how good the Thai Milk concoction tasted. “So … the Umber Nest is basically made up of a bunch of people who don’t care what’s legal and what’s not. My parents were pretty much a non-murderous, Bonnie-and-Clyde pair.” She set her drink down on the counter. “Whereas most couples in our nest took their kids on jobs to teach them skills, mine felt that I cramped their style. I was often dumped with different people in the nest.”

Deke’s eyelids dropped, and his jaw tightened. “Dumped?”

“Yup.” Exhaling heavily, she unwrapped her baguette. “The last time my parents left me to go on a job, they didn’t come back.” At first, she hadn’t been worried. They’d often gone off to Vegas for the weekend to “celebrate” after completing a job—and they’d blown most of their “earnings” while doing so. “I later heard the job went wrong and they were killed by the people they’d targeted.”

The aggravation in his expression gave way to sympathy. “Shit. I’m sorry, baby.”

“Really, it had only been a matter of time—they were reckless as hell.” She took a bite of her baguette, unable to truly appreciate the tastes of beef, mayo, onions, peppers, and crusty bread due to the topic of conversation. “Anyway … there’s an iron-clad rule in my old nest. You can do as much illegal shit as you like. But if you fuck up and get caught, you and your children—who are sometimes targeted in place of their parents—will be banished to protect the nest from dealing with retaliation for the crime committed. So I was taken to Corbin, and the rest is history.”

Deke’s face reddened. “Fuckers,” he spit out. “They should have been helping you work through the grief of losing your parents, not tossing you away to protect their own asses.”

“Corbin and my girls helped me work through my grief. To be honest, my parents’ death didn’t hit me as hard as what it might have if we’d been a normal family. I wasn’t close to them. Never had been.”

“Why?”

“They loved me, but I was an after-thought to them. They were, like, super tight. Too wrapped up in each other to make emotional room for anyone else. So I got passed around from person to person. Like I was a pet that they needed others to watch over while they went off to do this or that.”

Anger flared through Deke’s gut and rushed through his cat. “Basically, they had no issues treating you like you were an inconvenience, even though they knew it had to hurt you.”

Chewing on her food, she inclined her head in confirmation.

He couldn’t imagine such a scenario. He’d grown up with loving parents who’d never once made him doubt how important he was to them. He and his siblings had been their priority. Bailey? She hadn’t been anyone’s priority but her own. That made his throat ache.

She licked along her lower lip to swipe away the dab of mayo there. “At one point, I stopped caring that they didn’t want me around. I didn’t want them around. And I did my best to piss them off when they were there.” She took another bite of her baguette. “I was pushing them away, I guess. But they pushed first.”

Jesus, no wonder she made no attempt to bond with people. She’d never really had bonds growing up. She’d been passed around like a fucking parcel, no one asking to keep her with them; no one insisting her parents step up. Emotional isolation was what she knew. Anything beyond that and she was out of her comfort zone.

“I truly do think I was better off with Corbin,” she said, her brow briefly pinching in annoyance as an onion slipped out of her baguette. “I don’t wish the nest hadn’t banished me.”

He heard the ring of truth there, knew she meant it. “But what they did had to have hurt all the same.” They’d effectively abandoned her.

“It stung, sure, but I was used to being dumped on other people, so it probably didn’t affect me as deeply as it would have other kids. Really, I don’t wish they’d kept me with them. And while I obviously regret that my parents are dead, I’d be lying if I said their loss shaped me. You can’t lose what you never had. They were there, but they weren’t parents.”

Their deaths might not have shaped her, but their failure to parent her had played a huge part in making her the person she was today. A person who didn’t form attachments. A person who didn’t expect people to care for her. A person who’d look shocked as all shit when a guy told her that he wouldn’t change her.

As far as he was concerned, her parents were assholes, but that wasn’t something she needed to hear. “I’m glad you had Corbin, your girls, and Camden.”

“So am I.” She set down her baguette and grabbed her drink again. “Now let’s talk about something else. Something fun and not boring.”

Knowing it had been difficult for her to open up and appreciating that she had, he didn’t push her to keep going. If she needed a change of subject, he’d give it to her. “Like what?”

“Your cock.”

He sighed, figuring he should have expected she’d say something along those lines. He leaned toward her and lowered his voice as he said, “We can talk about what I intend to do to you with it later.”

She grinned. “I’m always up for these conversations. Do tell.”