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Not that I couldn’t find company whenever I wanted. I could get a woman anytime, anywhere. I had a few that I called up when the urge arose, or I could simply saunter up to the bar and invariably, there’d be a woman with the come-hither look I could count on for a little fun. Some would even hint at a long-term relationship, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew that when they looked at me, they saw dollar signs — not Kade Raven. That thought had me looking over at Beth’s friend, Morgan. She was talking to Alex, and the two of them would occasionally glance my way. Fuck. God only knew what Alex was telling Morgan about me. If Morgan had any sense, she’d listen to Alex’s annoying, yet often accurate assessment of me and run far away.
“Kade, thank you so much man,” Ash said slapping me on the shoulder. “The food is incredible, as always.”
“I’m glad you like it. It’s new.”
“Using us as guinea pigs?” Ash asked, but he didn’t seem bothered by the idea.
“Yes.” I admitted. “But I knew you’d like it.”
Ash looked over the room, his gaze stopping on Alex and Morgan. “Good lord. I wonder what Alex is filling Morgan’s head with.”
“Nothing good I imagine,” I said. “But I suspect you’re in the clear. You make her friend Beth happy.” I watched as Morgan excused herself and made her way past us toward the ladies’ room. Her fine ass swayed under her fitted dress, making my dick twitch.
Ash grinned like a loon at Beth, thankfully not noticing my leering at his fiancée’s friend. “And she makes me so fucking happy.”
I laughed. “You’re a sap.”
“That I am, little bro, that I am.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Why are you hiding from the party over here?”
“I’m not hiding. Just making sure everything is going well.”
“I know you, man, you’re hiding. What’s up?”
I shrugged. “You guys are all hitched. I’m still playing the field.”.
“You say that like you want to get out of the game,” Ash said, his eyes studying me.
I acted nonchalant. “I’m not a one-woman man.”
“Sure, you are. Someday you’ll meet a woman — ”
“God, you sound like mom.”
He smiled. “She was a wise woman. And the only one who really knew and understood you.”
I turned my head, making it seem like I was checking the restaurant instead of hiding from the emotional depth my brother was trying to infuse into our conversation.
“The point is, you’ll meet someone who changes how you feel about love.”
I shook my head. “You guys all got lucky. Every woman I meet sees a giant cash register when she looks at me.” Even so, I wondered about Morgan. I’d caught her looking at me a few times, but it wasn’t greed I saw in her pretty dark eyes. At times, I thought I saw lust.
“I get it. I really do. Part of the problem is where you’re playing the game. But also, you need to take a chance. Love requires being vulnerable and trusting. It’s scary as shit. But if you don’t do it, you’ll miss out on someone as perfect as Beth.”
“You’re a hopeless romantic.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Hopeful,” Ash responded.
“Even so, I think I’ll stick with casual pickups, and avoid the pitfalls of relationships. With my luck I’d end up with a gold digger.”
“That’s what condoms are for,” Ash said with a laugh.
I agreed with that assessment. I’d never not used a condom. It was one of several rules I had for myself when choosing a woman to date. If I got a woman pregnant, I didn’t know what I’d do. Well, I did. I’d do the right thing and take care of her and the child. But I couldn’t imagine marrying her, especially if I knew she’d gotten pregnant to secure Raven money.
“Come on and join us,” Ash said with another pat on my back. “Don’t hide out. Us married men and their wives won’t bite, and you won’t catch what Chase, Hunter, and I got.”
I laughed. “Are you sure love bugs aren’t contagious?”
“Positive.”
Not wanting to mess up Ash’s fun, I let him cajole me to the table.
“What’s in the frou-frou food that is so fucking good?” Hunter asked me.
“Hunter, there’s a child,” Grace admonished him. “Someday we’ll have kids. You need to learn how to control your swearing.”
He frowned. “Sorry. What’s in the frou-frou food that makes it so tasty?”
“I’d tell you, but I’m not sure a jarhead like you will understand,” I said, poking my usual fun at my brother.
“I fought for this country for your right to make this frou-frou shi–stuff. The least you could do is tell me about it.”
There was an “Oooh” around the table at Hunter’s comment, knowing he was using his service as a diss back at me. And what could I do? There wasn’t any comeback against a man who served his country.
