Getting through that set, knowing Drake was sitting there, watching her, waiting for her to mess up so he could ridicule her, was one of the hardest things Cassidy had ever done. But knowing it was her only opportunity to prove to him that he hadn’t won, she poured everything she had in to every song she sang. She smiled at the cowboys trying to get her attention as though she was having the time of her life. She’d almost managed to keep the smile firmly fixed in place until one of those cowboys blocked her path to the dressing room.
“Why don’t you take a whirl ’round the dance floor with me, ya sexy little thang?” He wasn’t asking; he was telling, and his firm grip on her wrist told her that he didn’t intend to take no for an answer. Not wanting to start trouble and lose the only decent gig she had left, she smiled politely and tried to shake him off. “Maybe some other time.” “Now sounds like a good time to me,” he said, hauling her toward the dance floor. She tried digging her heels in, but it was no use. At barely five feet tall and one hundred and five pounds on a good day, this average-sized man was the one calling the shots in a physical battle. “I said I don’t want—” She ran straight into his back when he stopped suddenly, taking a step back. As soon as she peered over his shoulder, she could see why he was backing down. Any man in his right mind would run when his rival was six feet three inches, two-hundredand-forty pounds of rippling muscle that seemed poised to strike. The last time she’d seen Drake this angry had been the night he had kicked her out of his penthouse. She knew he’d never take his aggression out on her, but any man who got in his way had always been fair game. Concerned about the fall-out if she was the cause of a brawl in J.T.’s bar, she stepped between the two men, pressing her palms in to Drake’s stomach in an attempt to force him to take a step back. Lord have mercy, the man still had a six-pack that most Calvin Klein models would envy.
“It’s okay, hon,” she said, trying to give the man the impression they were a couple. “He didn’t mean any harm.” Drake didn’t even spare her a glance as he glared over the top of her head. “That’s not the way it looked from where I was sitting.” He took a step forward, effectively sandwiching Cassidy between his unyielding chest and the paunch of the man at her back. “Please,” she whispered, looking up into his dark, determined eyes. Obviously, he sympathized with her position because he grabbed her waist and pulled her tight against his chest. Shocked by his state of arousal, she looked up into his eyes, but he was giving nothing away. “Drake, I…” “Look,” the other man said, raising his hands. “I don’t want any trouble. I didn’t notice the ring…” he stammered. “I’m sorry… I…” Drake’s eyes fell to her hand on his chest. That’s when he saw it. His engagement ring still on her finger. Cassidy felt the heat rising to her hairline as her eyes fell to the center of his chest. She heard the man behind her scramble away, but he was suddenly the least of her worries. She thought of taking the ring off, but without a safe place to keep it, that didn’t seem like an option. Her room at the shelter was often occupied by other residents and her car wasn’t an option any more than selling it was. If she’d pawned it, the ring would have paid for a cheap, one-bedroom apartment for more than a year, but every time she tried, she backed out at the last minute, telling the annoyed pawn shop owner she wasn’t ready to sell it. “What the hell?” he asked, his hands still firmly around her waist. People around them were starting to dance to Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over,” and Cassidy looked around, wishing she could escape into the crowd. “We can’t just stand here,” she whispered. Instead of leading her off the dance floor or walking away, he surprised her by falling in to step with the music, forcing her to do the same. “The last thing I expected was for you to still be wearing that ring,” he said quietly. She couldn’t bear the humiliation of telling him it was the most beautiful gift anyone had every given her, though she was certain he already knew that. Before Drake, her life had been a parade of losers intent on using her for drugs, money, and sex. He was the first man who’d ever cared enough to try and help her wrestle her demons. Cassidy was terrified of his answer, but she had to ask. “If you want it back—” “I don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I just thought—” “That I would’ve sold it for drug money.” She couldn’t blame him for feeling that way, given her state the night he found her in bed with his brother. “Did you ever consider it?” “Selling it?” She stole a glance at him and the look in his eyes told her if she was smart she wouldn’t even consider lying to him. “Sure.” “Why didn’t you?” “I don’t know. It didn’t seem right.”
He smirked. “But wearing it does?” “I loved you,” she whispered, looking up at him. She could tell her soft admission caught him off guard when he sucked in a breath. “I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true.” He looked at her a long time before he said, “You sure as hell had a funny way of showing it.” It wouldn’t matter now, too much time had passed and his anger was still palpable, but she still felt compelled to say the words he hadn’t wanted to hear that night. “I’m sorry about what happened, Drake.” She couldn’t look him in the eye again in case the tears gathering in her eyes spilled down her cheeks. “You were so good to me and I—” “What’s your deal?” he asked, his voice suddenly harsh as she felt his muscles tense. “You want me to pave the way to that record deal you want so bad?” She stepped back, shocked by the sudden vehemence she heard in his voice. “No, this has nothing to do with that. I just wanted you to know—” “Bullshit,” he said, setting her at arm’s length. “If you think I’m that same sucker who’ll fall in to bed with you just ’cause you turn those big brown eyes on me, you’re crazy. You forget, I know who you are under all this pretty packaging.” She felt the weight of his words bringing her down, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he still had the power to hurt her. “If that’s the way you feel, why’d you come to my rescue with that guy tonight?” “I don’t like to see another man puttin’ his hands on you.” His eyes raked over her body, making her sensitive in places she had no business responding in light of the situation. “Which proves I should just stay the hell away from you.” He turned to leave, but she couldn’t let him go. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand. “Thanks for caring enough to come to my rescue.” “This was the last damn time, I can promise you that.” ***
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