Cass bit her lip and searched for her number. G-59. Nothing again. She was the only one at their table with an empty bingo card halfway through the game.

“I can’t believe we’re back here again,” Summer whispered beside her. “This is where Chase and I had our first date.”

Cass tried not to smile. “I know. You’ve only told me fifty times.”

It would also be where they started the rest of their life—as evidenced by Chase’s faint green hue as he pounded out the dots on his own bingo card—but Summer didn’t know that yet.

She would soon enough.

“I wonder if the same little old ladies are here somewhere. They felt up Chase the whole time.”

“Hey, Jabbermouth.” Chase gestured to Summer’s cards. “Stop talking smack and watch your numbers.”

“Why? You don’t give a shit about bingo.”

“It’s a game.” Cass gazed at her own fiercely concentrating bingo player across the table. “You know how Deuce and Jax are with their gambling. Always gotta be first.”

Jax dabbed blue ink on the back of her hand and continued down the line of his cards. “Don’t forget Uptighto over there.” He motioned absently to where Sterling studied his own handheld electronic bingo doodad. He was the only who’d gone higher tech, the rest of them preferring old-fashioned paper and ink. It was more fun that way.

Not according to Sterling. He had one goal for everything—to win. Whether it was a corporate merger, acquiring a new security account or coming in ten dollars richer at bingo, it was all the same to him. “Calling names is the mark of a small mind.”

“Maybe so, but that’s the only part of him that’s small.” Summer elbowed Cass, who pointedly ignored her.

If she hadn’t been beside herself excited, she probably would’ve kicked Summer in the calf. But she could cut her best friend some slack today.

“Summer, if you tell that licker story again, I swear to God,” Chase muttered.

Jax looked up, a cute wrinkle between his brows. “What licker story?”

“I’d like to hear it,” Mrs. Wilder chimed in from the other side of her son as she rearranged her bingo cards. “Sounds saucy.”

“Too saucy for my blood,” Cass’s dad agreed with a grin from her other side.

Cass shook her head and wondered how exactly she’d ended up in New York City at a bingo hall with this motley crew. Only for Summer and Chase would she suffer through the indignities of licker jokes for three hours straight.

Then there were the questions about when she and Jax were going to stop shacking up and tie the knot, despite the fact they’d only been dating about three months. And when her store would be ready for business again. And why she needed lots of licking to endure the torment from her wonderfully loud, frequently exasperating family and friends.

Yeah, the last one didn’t come up too often. But it would sooner or later, she was sure.

“She’s drunk,” Cass confided to Jax’s mom. “Pay her no mind.”

“I’m not drunk. It’s noon on a Sunday, for Pete’s sake.” Summer grabbed her pink bingo dabber and leaned forward. “Is it wrong to discuss carnal pleasures of the flesh on the Lord’s day?”

“Yes,” Chase and Jax echoed in unison.

Sterling never looked up from his device. “You gals sure do talk about sex a lot.”

“No one asked you, Vance.”

“B-15,” the announcer called right before a flurry of calls of “Bingo!” were shouted across the crowded bingo hall. “And we have some winners! Call your numbers, Gerda.”

“Hey. Holy shit.” Sterling stood up. “I won.”

“Hang on, sir. An assistant will be right over to verify your numbers.”

Sterling frowned. “Are you calling me a liar?”

The petite brunette on stage shook her head. “No. It’s just procedure.”

“What procedure? I won. My share of the winnings, split six ways, is $37.50.”

“Shut the hell up and sit down.” Jax leaned forward and yanked on the back of Sterling’s slacks.

Sterling didn’t budge. His gaze never left the stage. “Ang? Is that you?”

The woman he’d called Ang gave him a smile that sent one of her facial piercings winking. “Yes, Sterling, it’s me. We’ll catch up later.” She resumed her bingo assistant duties while Sterling sank heavily to his plastic chair.

“Who’s that?” Chase asked, leaning across the table. “Your long lost love child?”

Sterling blinked. “Hmm? Oh, that young woman is Angelina, the one I mentioned to you a few months ago, Jax. The woman who would’ve worked out well as the firm’s receptionist. But she was in Europe this summer so I couldn’t contact her about the position.” He shook his head slowly. “She looks a lot different from the last time I saw her.”

Summer and Cass exchanged a smirk. Naturally Summer didn’t leave it at that. “I presume you’re referring to her gigantic jugs? Her nipples nearly blinded me from across the room.”

Jax arched a brow at Chase. “Does your girl like both kinds?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I don’t have to lick it—I mean, like it—to notice them. And no, Jax, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m completely hetero.”

Cass’s dad sighed from his end of the table. “Next time you kids go out, leave us at home. You talk in riddles.”

“Oh no, I enjoy their conversations. They keep me young.” Jax’s mom grinned a grin so much like her son that Cass inwardly sighed. “So where are we going after this? I saw a strip club down the street. All nudes, all day. Free buffet too.”

Jax buried his face in his hands. “Mom. Jesus Christ.”

“Now that I might like.” Mr. Dixon winked.

Another young woman, this one blond, trotted up to give Sterling his money. “Here’s your $37.50, sir.”

He stared at it. “How did you verify me?”

“You have a machine. It’s automatic. Angie’s new and doesn’t know the difference.”

“How new? When did she start working here?”

The blond fidgeted. “Just this week. Thanks for playing.” Though she gave Sterling an extra-long look before she took off, there was no missing her distress.

Calling Sterling intense was like calling an elephant big. Wholly inadequate.

“Now for something fun,” Ang called out. “Who’s ready to celebrate?”

“Oh God.” Jax’s mom sighed. “Not another one of those old fogies’ birthday cakes.”

“I don’t think so,” Jax replied in a singsong voice, nudging Chase with all the subtlety of a serial killer. Chase shoved him back and skulked up to the front of the room, his face pinched so tight that Cass couldn’t decide if she wanted to giggle or cry in commiseration.

“Aww, this is sweet. A marriage proposal. I’ve never gotten to read one of those.” The brunette Sterling had called Ang cupped her belly, rubbing it in slow circles.

Cass did a double take. Sterling’s friend looked barely old enough to drink and she was stroking her stomach like she was—

“Holy shit,” Sterling muttered for the second time that day, apparently reaching the same conclusion.

“Summer? Is there a Summer here?” the brunette called.

Summer was so busy doodling on the back of her Bingo card that she jerked when Cass poked her in the side. “Hello? You’re being summoned.”

“Summoned where?” Summer glanced up as an enormous cake was wheeled to the front of the room. “It’s not my birthday.”

“Summer?” Ang called. “Chase has something he’d like to ask you.”

Summer didn’t move, just sat there blinking like a concussed owl.

Cass pushed on Summer’s shoulder. “Get up there. He’s waiting,” she whispered.

No response. Summer was frozen in place.

“Eh, forget it. I’ll come to her.” Chase lumbered across the room and made his way to Summer’s chair, kneeling beside her.

When Cass sniffled, Jax motioned her around the table, patting Chase’s vacated seat. She hurried around the table as quickly and quietly as possible to reach Jax’s side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close, kissing her hair. Then he eased back to smile at her and she forgot all about Chase and Summer. Forgot the whole room.

“You’re not paying attention,” he murmured, inclining his chin to where Chase was reciting his very romantic—and very stilted—speech. His nervousness was making his voice crack like a boy going through puberty.

“I heard him recite it six times already. He flubbed it every time.”

“But you didn’t get to see Summer cry like a baby.” Jax grinned.

Surprised, Cass glanced at her best friend. With one glance at Summer’s wet face, Cass had to press her knuckles against her mouth to hold back a sob.

“Girl crying,” Jax muttered. “An unexplained phenomenon similar to crop circles and Bigfoot. When one cries, they all cry, though no one really knows why.”

“Will you be my wife, Summer?”

“Yes. I will. Totally and completely.” Summer launched herself bodily into Chase’s arms and somehow he caught her mouth in the most explicit PDA that bingo hall had probably ever seen.

While everyone broke out in cheers and applause, Jax took the opportunity to tug Cass closer. “We didn’t have all this.” He waved to the madhouse that surrounded them. “Do you feel like you missed out?”

“Yes. I demand you take me to the strip joint down the street and propose to me next to the all-you-can-eat buffet.”

Jax grinned. “Hello engagement present to me.”

She whacked him in the arm. “Pervert.”

“But I’m your pervert.”

She couldn’t argue there. Nor could she complain about any aspect of her life. She and Jax had moved into his new house a couple of weeks ago after two months of splitting time between Jax’s mom’s house and a hotel. Plus side for the hotel? No worries about seeing her dad in some state of undress when she got up to make a midnight snack. But now she and Jax had a place of their own to be undressed in the kitchen, so it was all good.

Her doctor had put her on a new medication for her arrhythmia, and she hadn’t had an attack in more than six weeks. Triple Scoop had been closed for renovations for the summer, but she had faith that with all the hard work she, Jax, Chase, Summer and even Sterling were putting in, the shop would be back open in four to six weeks. It had been odd getting used to not working all the time, but she’d discovered some fun new activities that she pursued with gusto.

Like working temporarily as Deuces Wild’s receptionist when they needed help, which surprisingly they did more often than not. They had more than a few clients now, enough to keep her busy until the ice cream shop opened back up.

And best of all? Amanda was in a mental health facility getting treatment, so when Cass did get back to work at Triple Scoop, she wouldn’t have that whole stalker situation looming over her head. Russ had apologized to her for what he’d termed “Amanda’s unfortunate incident” and had professed his love for his girlfriend up and down. The next day, she and Jax had seen him sucking face with the Marilyn Monroe-lookalike bartender at Sparky’s. Proof that snakes like him never stopped slithering.

In the interest of closure, she’d finally returned the Millson’s flare gun. She’d prefer to never have to handle one of those things again, thank you very much.

Summer would be going back on tour and to make her EP later this fall, taking Chase with her. Chase’s plan was to spirit her off to Vegas to elope first, but knowing her best friend like she did, Cass figured Chase would end up being part of Yardley’s biggest wedding of the summer next year. If anyone was going to elope, it would be her and Jax.

She grinned. Then again, she had her own attention hound, so maybe not.

Turned out that her attention hound had not-so-surprising private talents as well. He’d ended up building her a sex swing after all and had smartly attached it to the bedroom closet door in their new house. That way they could hide it away when not in use. So far, it hadn’t been hidden away much.

Even her dad dating Jax’s mom didn’t seem quite so creepy anymore. He’d remained sober over the summer and he seemed to be enjoying his relationship with Mrs. Wilder, so she couldn’t complain. Jax said she was mellowing with old age. She figured she was just happy. Finally.

About damn time.

“We got it right, our way,” she murmured, squeezing his hand. She couldn’t help checking out her beautiful solitaire moon diamond engagement ring, surrounded by its bed of tiny diamond stars. Possibilities everywhere. “That’s all that matters.”

“Gotta agree with you there.” He rubbed her knuckles. “You’ve made an honest man out of me, Dixon.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not that honest. You still have no problem messing with my property.”

He gave her an innocent look. “Who me?”

“Yeah, you. Your drawing skills leave much to be desired.” He’d defaced her calendar, though she had to admit she found the handlebar mustaches he’d drawn on two of her Miami men amusing. As he’d intended.

When she’d insisted he make amends for his transgression, he’d agreed, clearly figuring she would make a demand that was sexual in nature. Instead, he now had a bright red motorcycle helmet, with one tiny scratch from an unfortunate incident out at the bluffs when he’d gotten clumsy and dropped it.

She’d been riding him on his bike at the time.

Jax inclined his chin. “Speaking of drawing, my main man’s about to draw a big fat blank.”

They watched as Sterling crossed the room to speak to Ang, who didn’t seem as eager to speak to him. He followed her out the side door.

“Trouble in paradise?” Cass wondered.

“Sterling could use some paradise.” Jax lifted her hand to his lips. “Matter of fact, so could I. Wanna go make out in the men’s room until all the screaming and sobbing stops?”

Since she wasn’t sure if he was serious, Cass sent him her sultriest look under her lashes. “I have a better idea. I have this certain wig and pair of glasses and I might be convinced to wear them once we get home, if you play nice.”

Jax rose and waved to Chase and Summer. “Awesome news, guys. Congratulations. We love you. We’ll chat soon. Bye now.”

“’Kay, bye!” Summer called, clearly otherwise occupied. “Love you.”

“See? Nice.” Jax yanked on Cass’s hand and tossed her a grin over his shoulder. “So about that wig…”

Thank you so much for reading Jax and Cass’s story! We hope you loved them. If you’ve been wondering about their friend Sterling, we’ve got just the story for you!

, Deuces Wild Book 3 is available now!

She’s too young for him. Pregnant. And irresistible.

Bodyguard Sterling Vance’s job becomes personal when the daughter of a friend, Angelina McFee, admits she’s being stalked by her ex.

 Angelina is knocked up and oh yeah, temporarily without a place to live. Then her daddy’s seemingly conservative friend offers to help with her stalker problem...by moving her into his home so he can guard her and her unborn baby.

 With his body.

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