She was laughing at something the bald, bearded biker was saying.
And what was up with that, anyway? Bald with beards. Did women really dig that look? He guessed so. Duchess was certainly smiling widely at the guy, tucking her dark hair behind her ear with those blinged-out fingers. And the little blonde at the guy’s side was looking at him like he was a god.
“Hey, you okay?” The concern in Cade’s voice brought Asher back to himself.
“Yeah. What time’s your shift done? I’m at High Country manning the cards.” And he could use a distraction to keep himself from ogling that gorgeous brunette.
Damn, there was something about her…
“Just wrapped. You gonna be there long? I could use a beer after that. And you need to tell me what’s up.”
“Nothing’s up.”
“Riiight.” Cade chuckled.
Asher glanced at the door, picking up the cards again as a group of leather-clad women made their way inside.
“I’ve got more customers.”
“Nonstop action over there, huh?” Asher could hear Cade’s smile.
“You know it.” He grinned, getting busy with the shuffling. “Somebody’s gotta work. Now getcha ass over here and keep me company.”
“Let me call Lucy first, let her know. I’ll see you in a bit.”
As he closed the telepathic link, Asher thought about how good Cade had it. While he didn’t envy the raging territoriality Cade lived with now where Lucy was concerned, there was something in his best friend’s affect that was altogether more solid since having met her. Lucy had been a surprise and the change in Cade since they’d mated was palpable. He was more settled somehow, more grounded and self-assured. Not that he’d ever lacked confidence. The guy was a wolf, for fucks’s sake.
But there was something about Cade that had seemed to have changed on a cellular level since he’d bonded with Lucy. It was like his raw iron had been tempered into carbide steel. Or something like that. Hell, even though Asher didn’t know shit about romantic relationships, he knew his friend was better for having Lucy in his life, that was for damn sure.
“Hey handsome.” A woman with a fake rack and an equally fake red dye job smiled up at him. “Well, aren’t you a tall drink of water?”
Asher gave her a smile he didn’t feel as he shuffled the cards.
“And where do you all hail from?”
“We’re from Utah, honey.” Her friend replied. At least she was the real deal with her naturally full breasts and the soft sprinkling of gray highlighting her brown hair. “I’m Banshee. That’s Ruby,” She nodded to the redhead. “and this here’s Vice. And this is…” She motioned to the rest of the women who mostly smiled and nodded at him as Banshee made the intros.
Turns out, the Desert Cougars MC were a nice group of women, friendly and jovial. He drew them some good cards, and they rewarded him with smiles, compliments, a pint, and a few propositions.
He accepted the pint, but left the propositions. There was only one woman he wanted to be with tonight and she was busy slipping her arms into her leather jacket as her MC prez held it out for her. Damn him.
Asher shook his head.
Mav seemed like a good guy, solid. The kind of leader who’d do whatever it took to keep his people safe. The way he’d arranged lodging for his club tonight reminded Asher a lot of Maddox, actually. So, no wonder Mav was taking such care of Duchess, getting her into her jacket and handing her her scarf. Good leaders took care of their people. And good males took care of their women.
Asher fought back a twinge of regret as Duchess smiled at Mav. He wanted to be the one who’d wrapped her in comfort and made her smile like that, not the human.
And that was messed up, wasn’t it?
It was obvious the two of them were comfortable with each other and who was he to get in the middle of that? He barely knew the woman after all. Hell, he hadn’t even spoken to her directly. But as other members of the Chaos Riders MC glanced at his table, he hoped to change that.
He lost his breath momentarily as he and Duchess made eye contact across the room again, those arresting blues of hers searing right into his being. His heart pounded in his chest as she made her way over to him with the others, that gorgeous gaze not leaving him even as she walked through the crowded pub.
She moved with such grace, such poise, shining like royalty among peasants, and Asher found himself longing to be in her thrall. He’d happily bow before her and—
“Hey, Ash.”
He started as a hand clasped his shoulder.
