Page 19 of Cries of Cassie

Well, fuck him. Blinking up at his stupidly handsome face, I whisper, "Can I speak now, sir?"

Oh fuck…

His eyes flash like a wild fucking predator and his nostrils flare. A full flush of need runs through me at his reaction to that one word. I just meant to mess with him, maybe egg him on so I didn't have to think about Maddox. I never thought...

"What did I say about sass?" Spider grits out through clenched teeth. Then, he dismisses me and looks up at Maddox. "I'm done here."

Before he can take more than a few steps away, I jump and leap over the back of the couch. Shorts undone, lipstick smudged, and a fuckload of anxiety nipping at my heels, I grab onto the back of his shirt.

"Oh! Me too. Show me the way out. Please," I tack on because I know he's the least likely one to do as I ask.

The angry glare he pins me with stops me in my tracks, forcing me to release his shirt. I may be strong and sassy, but I know when to step down. Right now, Spider is giving off all the don't fuck with me vibes. Something like regret flashes across his features, but it disappears with his words that slice like the crack of a whip.

"Get the fuck away from me."

Then he's gone. When I turn around, Maddy's nowhere to be found either. Only the old woman with a knowing look greets me.

"Don't cry over shit that isn't real, girl."

Before I can process her strange words, Ripper appears at my side. His intensity and closeness surround me, leaving me a little breathless. "Let's go," he says, grabbing my forearm.

I was lost for a moment, and he found me. At least somebody will help me get the fuck out of here.

That hope is squashed not forty seconds later when Ripper drags me into an office and stops me right in front of the jackass I came to throttle. Motorcycle joke. See, I can belong here.

"The fuck are you smiling at, Cassidy?" Maddox asks in a bored tone, not once glancing up from his paperwork.

Huffing, I yank my wrist away from Ripper and cross my arms. "You lost the right to know what jokes I'm making in my head, you fucking dick."

The door slamming behind us makes me jump. Koa saunters into the room, looking a little concerned and pale. Ripper rumbles out a strange sound and, to my surprise, wraps an arm around my waist and just...holds me.

"I already told you that you're ours. Let the big man prove my point," Koa murmurs, sounding exhausted as he flops himself into a chair. He must have caught my frown.

My confusion with Ripper holding me turns into worry for Koa. "Are you okay, Koa?" Why do I care?

"I'm just fine, baby," he says softly, even giving me a small smile. His reassurance doesn't do much to make me feel better, and Maddox makes it worse when I catch him rolling his eyes at us.

"I need all of you to leave," Maddy growls out.

He avoids making eye contact with me, aiming his command at Ripper. Who knows what their silent stare means, but one moment I'm glaring at the man I love and the next I'm being pulled away from him. How many more times can I take this before it's irreparable?

Chapter Twelve

Ripley (Ripper)

As much as people would assume I enjoy dragging beautiful women to my house, I don't. Especially not when she's begging me to tell her where her car is so she can, and I quote, get the FUCK out of here.

Koa laughed at that one while I just continued pulling her down the path to the small neighborhood family homes we built. The main reason I didn't give in to her half-assed pleading was that at no point did she actually try to yank her hand out of mine.

She walked willingly, even though her mouth was spouting off.

With her head held high and eyes sharp as daggers, Cassie doesn't even glance around our main level. I would be a bit offended by how unaffected she's behaving, but I'm close enough to hear her gasp as we walk through our front door.

The way her whole body sags like our home is the comforting hug she needs gives my possessive side something to hold on to. She loves our house even if she's sticking her nose up at me across the island.

"Maybe you should feed her," Koa mumbles beside me as he hastily gathers our dishes from breakfast. He's panicking, wanting her first time here to be perfect.

His suggestion gives me something to think about. Does she feel like she needs permission to eat? What's ours is hers, or is that not clear? "Are you hungry, Kitty?"