The pain in his voice hurt my chest. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned the text. I didn’t want him upset. I just didn’t imagine that he hadn’t sent it. “It’s okay. I wasn’t hurt. I was glad you were with friends. Having a good time. Take a deep breath. I love you and everything is fine. Okay?”

Cage let out a frustrated growl. “God I miss you. I want to see you. I need to hold you right now.”

“Just a few more days. We can make it,” I assured him.

“You doin’ okay? How’s your dad?”

I looked out the window as Jeremy helped Daddy load some feed onto the truck. “He’s okay. He doesn’t eat like he used to and he rests a lot more but other than that he is like he always was. Sometimes that scares me. I want to make him come inside out of the heat and rest. But then other times it makes me happy. He’s doing what he loves. He still can do what he loves.”

“I’m glad you’re with him. As much as I miss you I’m glad you’re there. You need this.”

“Me too.”

“I love you and miss you like crazy.”

Smiling, I pictured his sexy smirk. “I love you more.”

CAGE

I jerked open Ace’s bedroom door and ignored the naked females in bed with him. I walked over and slammed my fist against the wall over his bed. “You got five fucking seconds to get your ass up,” I roared. My blood was boiling. I wanted to hurt someone. The idea of Eva going to sleep last night thinking I had sent that text infuriated me. I’d tried to calm down talking to her on the phone but I wasn’t calming down now.

Ace sat up his eyes wide. One of the girls fell off the bed and squealed. “What the fuck, man?” he grumbled sleepily. I’d had to listen to his ass in here with these two for hours last night before he found it in his heart to bring me my battery.

“I talked to Eva this morning. You know what the fuck. Now stand up. I’m giving you two seconds to get out of that bed before I beat the shit out of you. No one fucking messes with my woman. No one.”

Ace looked a little concerned now. He moved the other girl over and she made a scared squawking sound. I waited until he was out of the bed before I shoved him against the wall with my arm against his neck. He started to fight back and I pressed hard enough that I knew his oxygen intake was limited. “Don’t fuck with Eva. Ever. You have no idea. No idea what she means to me. I did this cheap shit once too. It was my life. Then I met Eva. Everything’s changed. She doesn’t deserve anything but my complete devotion. And if this is gonna work with us then you need to understand that. Respect it.”

Ace’s eyes had gone from sleepy to wide. He hadn’t expected this reaction. Well, now he knew. My relationship with Eva wasn’t to be screwed with. He nodded and tried to push me away but I stayed firm. “Only warning you’ll ever get.” I said before dropping my arm and stepping back.

Ace rubbed his neck and glared at me like I was crazy. I was crazy and it was best he figured that out now. The next time he’d wake up in a hospital and I’d be in jail.

“I shouldn’t have sent the text, but I wanted you to have fun last night. You worry about her all the damn time. This life aint’ easy. It gets to be too much sometimes. You need an outlet for relief. I was just trying to help you out. We all come to college with hometown sweethearts. They never last. This life isn’t something they can handle and eventually we need more. You’ll see.”

He had no clue. “No. You’ll see. She’s the reason I wake up in the mornings. She’ll also be here once her…” I couldn’t say it. I wasn’t ready to think about the pain losing her daddy was going to cause her. “She’ll be here soon and when she is you’ll understand.”

Ace shook his head. “Whatever dude. I’ve seen her pictures. You got them all in your room and in on your phone. She’s hot. I mean I’ll admit she is a serious looker but she’s a country hometown girl. You ain’t tasted this life yet and when you do you’re gonna want it. This is where we’re headed. The big leagues. Women, women, and more women.”

There was only one woman I wanted. Only one I’d ever want. I shook my head and walked out of the room. Ace wasn’t going to understand. I was pissed at him but I had gotten my point across. He wouldn’t be fucking with my life anymore. I was sure of it. I had been Ace once. I knew his deal. He just hadn’t met someone like me yet. Someone with an Eva.

*

I didn’t wait for Ace before heading to the weight room to work out. I wasn’t ready to look at him yet. Plus I didn’t want to hang around in case he decided to have another round with those girls before they left.

Problem with this was I hadn’t made myself any damn coffee before I left. After a night of no sleep I needed caffeine. I opened the door to my car when I heard someone whistle behind me. Turning around I saw Hayden walking in my direction. Shit.

“Hey, you, where you headed so early?”

Again. I wasn’t here to make friends with females. Especially ones that dressed like her. “Workout,” I snapped and got in my car.

“You’re a rude sonuvabitch. You know that?” she yelled back at me.

“I’m a taken sonuvabitch,” I replied.

“I wasn’t trying to have your babies, Cage the shit York. I was just trying to be neighborly. Damn.”

I slammed my door and left. I didn’t give a flying fuck what she was trying to do. I wasn’t getting anywhere near that. Not even small talk.

Chapter Nine

EVA

I took the large thermos of lemonade outside to Jeremy. I’d already taken Daddy one. I knew Jeremy had to be thirsty for more than water too. He was hammering in a new post where the fence had gotten weak. I let out a loud whistle as I approached and he glanced up.

“Thank God. I was wondering what I had to do to get some of that. I coveted Wilson’s while he downed his.”

Grinning I handed it to him. He took a long swig then wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “Damn girl you can make some lemonade.”

I sat down on the ten-gallon bucket of feed that was sitting beside him. “Thanks.”

Jeremy leaned against the fence and took another drink of his lemonade. “So, you talk to Cage yet?”

I nodded. “Yeah. That text wasn’t from him. His roommate sent it. Cage didn’t know about it until this morning. He wasn’t happy.”

Jeremy’s eyes went wide. “Oh, damn,” he let out a laugh. “I’d really hate to be that dude right now. “

I was worried about that. I’d had to force myself not to call and make sure Cage hadn’t beat his new roommate to a pulp. “I know. I think I calmed him down though. I tried real hard.”

Jeremy frowned and set the thermos down. “His life is gonna be different now that he’s at a big college. You know that right? I mean this roommate of his won’t be the first person to try and mess y’all up.”

I was beginning to get it. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I couldn’t go to him now. I had to be here with my daddy. “I trust Cage. That’s all that matters.”

“Good. You need to trust him. His a lucky bastard and he knows it,” Jeremy winked and stood up from his relaxed position on the post. “I gotta get back to work before your daddy catches me. I’ll talk to you later”

“Okay. I’m headed to Sea Breeze. Low called and asked me to come have lunch with her and Amanda. I need a little break from here. A moment not to worry about Daddy. Keep an eye on him okay?”

Jeremy saluted me. “Got it. Go have fun. I’ll hold down the fort.”

I loved that boy.

*

Two hours later I was walking into the Camilla Cafe in Sea Breeze. Low was already seated and waved me over to a table by the window. Amanda was there too along with a really gorgeous blonde that I knew was Jax Stone’s fiancée. Jax proposal had gone viral on the Internet two months ago. Sadie White was a celebrity in this small town. She’d snagged the world’s sexiest rock star and she’d done it living in Sea Breeze. She was also Amanda’s best friend. I had only been around her during Low and Marcus’s wedding. I wasn’t sure how a lunch with her would go. Did people stop and ask to get their picture taken with her? Or did they leave her alone?