“Yes.” Casey’s voice trembled with hurt.

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Jayce.”

Before he could turn to leave, Penni came out from behind her booth, blocking his path.

“I’m Penni.” She gave Jayce a friendly grin. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m available.”

“I…”

“Here, take a T-shirt. I wrote my number on the back. Give me a call.”

“I may do that,” Jayce said, glancing toward Casey to see her reaction.

Casey kept her face impassive, watching as he disappeared into the heavy crowd.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Penni told Casey bluntly.

“No, he’s a nice guy. I want to see him happy.” Casey was embarrassed that Max had overheard her conversation with Jayce, while contrarily glad the Predators knew they were no longer together.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Grace stared in shock at Penni.

“A girl has to go after what she wants. Women outnumber men five to one. When you take age into account, the odds aren’t in my favor.”

“You went out with two men last week, and I know for a fact that you went out with seven different men last month. You’re a serial dater.”

“I’m in the search for the one.”

“The one?” Casey couldn’t help breaking into the conversation between the two arguing friends.

“The one man in the whole world who will make me happy, like my brother and sister-in-law, like Vida and Colton, Kaden and Sawyer, and Grace and Ice.”

“That pussy sure as fuck isn’t the one,” Jackal snarled.

“You don’t know that. He may be. He’s handsome, educated?” She looked at Casey in question.

“Yes, he graduated from Stanford.”

“Makes a good salary?”

“Six figures. He’s a stockbroker,” Casey informed her, seeing the excitement growing with each of her answers.

“Any kids from a previous marriage or relationship?”

“No,” Casey answered, placing her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at Jackal’s thunderous expression growing darker as Penni’s excitement increased.

“Please, please tell me he’s at least an eight in bed.”

Casey bit her lip. “A nine,” she answered, unable to resist aggravating Jackal with her answer.

“Jeezus, he’s perfect,” Penni breathed.

“No, he’s not,” Jackal said from between clenched teeth.

“What’s wrong with him? He’s just the type of man I want to marry.”

Casey decided to save the girl who didn’t understand she was antagonizing a man who was almost as wild as his nickname.

“He does have one fault,” Casey told Penni.

“What is it?” Penni looked at her doubtfully.

Casey had to think quickly, trying to think of something Jayce did that would put any woman off. She couldn’t think of one. She was beginning to doubt her own sanity for breaking up with him when a thought came to mind, summing up the problem she had with Jayce.

“He’s afraid of spiders.”

Chapter 14

“You seriously broke up with him because he’s afraid of spiders?” Max asked after the rest of the Predators had returned to the concert. Penni and Grace had moved toward the large stage where Kaden Cross was playing. Max had hung back to ask the question, curious as to why she had crushed Penni’s burgeoning dream.

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Because Jackal looked like he was about to go after Jayce if I didn’t.”

“So you did it to protect your lame ex-boyfriend?”

“Jayce isn’t lame,” Casey snapped.

“If he’s afraid of spiders, he’s lame.” Max gazed down at the empty table. “If you’re done, I’ll help you load the table.”

Casey began breaking down the table with Max’s help. When it was folded closed, he followed her to her car, placing it in the trunk.

“Thanks, Max.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s go listen to the music.” He took her hand, tugging her along behind him.

“Wait, I was going home.”

“It’s Saturday night, so you don’t have to work tomorrow. Let’s have some fun,” he told her, brushing her objections aside. He stopped at the back of the crowd, listening to Kaden Cross, and placed an arm around her waist, situating her in front of him so she could get a better view.

Max sensed her wariness.

“Relax, enjoy the show.” The anger he had first felt toward Casey after finding out she had played him had lessened in the last week. Something didn’t sit right, though he couldn’t place his finger on what it was. The motive behind her actions was still a concern, but until she trusted him, he would be no closer to an explanation.

It took several minutes before he felt her give him her weight. Then she began swaying to the music.

Kaden started a new song which had the crowd becoming more boisterous. Three men who were trying to pick up women around them kept brushing up against Casey. The first time they did it, he let it slide, giving them the benefit of doubt that it could have been an accident. The second time, he called them on their maneuver.

Reaching out, he shoved the largest of the group away. “Rub against her again, and I’ll break your fucking hand.”

“You threatening me?”

“Yeah, you going to do anything about it?”

“Me and my buddies don’t like to be threatened!” The belligerent man was standing with a cup of sloshing beer.

“Watch it!” Max moved Casey to his side so it wouldn’t spill on her.

“Can I get you a drink?” The asshole actually thought he was going to steal Casey away from him. Max didn’t like men who only found courage when drunk, and he sure as shit didn’t want him flirting with a woman who was his.

Max’s fist flew out, slamming into the grin that was aimed at Casey. He was satisfied when he saw the punk fall backward into the crowd.

“Fuck!” One of his friends threw his beer down onto the ground before lunging toward him. Max pushed Casey to the side then kicked the man in the nuts before he could take another step.

“Max, stop!” Casey clutched his arm, but his anger screamed at him to attack the men who had disrespected him.

“I’m giving you a chance to get the hell out of here. Stay and I’m going to kick all your asses.” Max gave each of them a glare, letting them know he was ready to take them all on, either one at a time or together.

The men scurried away into the crowd.

“Are you crazy? What were you thinking, trying to take them all on at once by yourself? None of the Predators are around to back you up.”

Although Max laughed at her frightened expression, some of the hurt she had done to his pride was soothed at the thought that she might care whether he was hurt or not.

“I don’t need anyone to help me. I am the back up.”

The fuckers weren’t even practice for him. Max was willing to bet his last dime that none of those pricks had ever been in a cutthroat fight.

He pulled her back in front of him as the music swelled. “I’m fine; those fuckers are fine.”