Page 149 of Always: A Legacy Novel

Just Catherine.

She shrugged; the guy laughed.

He reached out to touch her on the arm, but she was already moving back with a teasing smile. The guy’s wide arms and guffaw only made Catherine wink, and wave her perfectly painted red nails high. Red, like the lipstick on her sly mouth. She never let the guy get close enough to touch, but she sure seemed to let him think he could.

Which was probably all the guy wanted.

Cross kind of saw it then.

A game.

She was playing a game with him. Another smile. Another step closer. Another move played by him. Another game probably won by her.

The guys like her …

Jade’s words echoed.

Then, Cross saw the exchange, although it was fast between hands held low, and when heads were turned. Palms sliding together, a flash of cash being hidden in a pocket, and then the guy was dropped from Catherine’s attention because she had got what she wanted. He had nothing more to give.

Cross wanted to be surprised at what he was seeing, but he really wasn’t at all. How could he be shocked, when Catherine was clearly good at whatever she was doing. She had always been a little too sly for her own good, and this was just another way for her to put that to use.

And men were dumb enough not to notice.

He still didn’t like it, though. She was putting herself in dangerous situations just by doing what she was doing—dealing always came with obvious and hidden dangers. No matter how much control she thought she had, there was always a possibility of something bad happening.

That was a shitty byproduct of the business.

Even knowing all of that, Cross still felt his jealousy burning hard like a fire inside his chest. He tried to quell it, to ignore it, but nothing helped.

Why was he so fucked when it came to her?

Why?

Cross came out of his thoughts as he got closer to Catherine and Andino. Both were sitting on the back of the Cadillac SUV’s bumper, and Andino saw him approach first.

“Cross,” Andino greeted, pushing off the bumper to stand tall. At six-foot-three, Andino stood eye-level with Cross. “Didn’t know you were around tonight.”

“I had a favorite to come for,” Cross said with a shrug, “but that didn’t work out.”

“Too bad.”

Cross’s gaze skipped to Catherine, who was watching him under lowered lashes, even if she was trying to act like her fingernails were more interesting. “Heard you were dealing, so I figured I should come say hi. Respect, and all.”

Andino nodded. “As long as you’re not buying.”

“Not my style, man.”

“Good, good.” Cross found Catherine was watching him again, and Andino didn’t miss it. “So hey, race is about to start. I want to see the jump of it, since I was too busy working to check out the cars. You good, Catty?”

Catherine’s green eyes moved between her cousin and Cross. “Yeah, Andi.”

Cross took the seat Andino vacated as soon as the guy was gone. “You’re going to break your neck in those heels, babe.”

She grinned. “Never.”

“How’ve you been?”

“Busy.”