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Okay, so it wasn’t that he had zero interest in her. It was simply that he didn’t wish to do anything about it—probably because he didn’t like being around her. That might have hurt if she wasn’t well-accustomed to people not wanting her around. Her parents had introduced her to that concept when she was a kid.
Feeling eyes on her, she turned her head without thinking … and found Deke’s gaze locked on her. Again. And not in a good way. Her snake reared up, watching him carefully.
He flicked a look at her loaded spoon. “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.”
Bailey’s brow pinched. “Why wouldn’t I want it?”
“Because it’s been sitting on your spoon for the past ten minutes.”
“I’m talking with your brother. It’s rude to talk and eat at the same time.”
His brows drew together. “Since when do you care what’s rude?”
“I didn’t say I care.”
He sighed and looked away.
How fun. “You just want me to hurry and finish so I’ll leave,” she accused.
Frowning, he met her eyes again. “Makes no difference to me whether you’re here or not.”
“Yeah, you look fine with it.”
A choked laugh crawled up Clarence’s throat.
“We need to have you over more often,” Cash said to her.
Deke’s frown slid to him. “She’s too old for you.”
Cash’s brow furrowed. “Maybe I want a sugar mama. Or sugar mamba.”
Bailey pointed at him. “Ha. Good one.”
Inwardly seething, Deke watched as—between bites of her dessert—Bailey chatted with his parents and Cash, again neatly dodging anything too personal. It seemed an instinctive act on her part.
He didn’t get why she made a point of holding so much back. And it was strange to watch her be so mindful of what came out of her mouth. Bailey wasn’t exactly a person who generally minded her words.
Was it that she had things she wished to hide? Was it that there were things in her past she found too painful to speak of? And why did he care?
Hot pain lanced through his head, almost making him swear beneath his breath. More, a spurt of arousal pulsed through his blood and went straight to his hard cock. His shaft throbbed, his foreskin uncomfortably tight.
He clenched his teeth as he rode the wave, staying as still as possible to keep anyone from sensing it. Even with his cat coming close to the surface to help him shoulder the discomfort, it wasn’t easy to bear it—especially in silence.
Bailey’s gaze snapped to him and narrowed. He could see that he wasn’t fooling her, but he had no idea how she’d sensed his issue. Nobody else at the table had. He was good at hiding his pain.
Keeping his expression blank, he steadily stared back at her. Anyone else would have averted their gaze—he’d been told many times that he held such intense eye-contact it was a little unnerving. Which wasn’t purposeful on his part, he’d apparently done it since he was a toddler. His parents had found it hilarious.
Bailey didn’t shift in her seat or look away, though. Her unblinking stare held his just fine. Eventually, she let out a prissy little sniff and turned away, as if bored.
Again with the fucking dismissiveness.
His fingers flexed beneath the table as he imagined wrapping them around her throat and giving it a little squeeze. Or maybe just slamming his mouth on hers and—
His cat bared a fang, rejecting the idea instantly.
Just then, Bailey turned to his mother. “Thanks so much for dessert, Livy. It was awesome.” She pushed out of her seat.
Livy frowned. “You’re leaving already?”
“Yeah, I gotta get going.”
Deke stood as well, ignoring how the abrupt move aggravated the dull ache in his head, grateful his long-sleeved tee hid his erection. “Same.” He had some questions he needed to ask her.
His mother smiled, apparently mollified by the idea that he was leaving with Bailey. He gave his head a minute shake.
After goodbyes were exchanged, he and Bailey left his parents’ apartment and made a beeline for the elevator. “What exactly happened with the jackals earlier?”
She shot him a sideways glance. “I’m guessing Havana mentioned it to Tate and then he mentioned it to you.”
The Alpha male made a point of keeping his enforcers well informed on any issue that might affect the pride, so she shouldn’t be surprised.
“What happened?” Deke pushed.
“Not much. They asked where Roman was. I told them I didn’t know. They seemed dubious about it, so I said they should ask my Alphas. Instead, they gave me a card with a number on to call if Roman gets in touch. And they made it clear that they’d be back. Gerard hurried them along, but I think they would have left without trouble anyway.”
“Gerard?” he repeated.
“Yes. He appeared shortly after I was given the business card.”
“Did all that happen before or after you were questioned by Ginny and your ex’s brothers?”
