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“He damn well better,” Ace said. He looked over at the liquor cabinet longingly, but he couldn’t let his guard down right now—not yet. He didn’t think the danger had passed, and he had a feeling it was going to get a lot worse before it got better. But seeing as he was the only person who believed that, maybe he did need to chill.
He didn’t know. He felt as if he didn’t know anything anymore.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
It seemed like any other normal day. Well, it would seem like any normal day for a regular family. But the day was odd for Ace. His family wanted him to go on like nothing was happening around him, but it was impossible for him to relax and enjoy himself with his gut tied in knots.
Dakota had insisted on everyone attending a charity event addressing violence against women. The other cheerleaders were all going. His sisters-in-law were thrilled to attend, leaving Ace the only one protesting. He’d been outnumbered. Ace hadn’t been in the loop with his family in a very long time, and he couldn’t say he’d attended any sort of event like this one before, but it would be much better if he wasn’t so damn worried about something bad happening.
“Stop being paranoid,” Dakota whispered in his ear.
“With strange things continually happening, I can’t relax,” he told her.
“Everything will be okay. I’m not allowing a few unfortunate events to alter my life. No way, no how,” Dakota said. “Then all the villains of the world win.”
“The guns they have make them victors,” Ace told her.
“This event raises a lot of money for charity. You’re simply going to have to suck it up and enjoy yourself. The event will have lots of security. No bad guys have been invited,” she assured him.
“I know it’s been a bad few days. And trust me, I’m unhappy about losing my truck, but we’re all fine. In the end, that’s what matters,” Nick said as he eyed the crowd. He might be saying those words, but he was obviously growing a little suspicious himself.
“Your wife insisted we support Dakota in this, so you’re just trying to stay on her good side,” Ace grumbled.
“When you are married, you’ll understand how important it is to make your wife happy,” Nick assured him.
“I’m never getting married, so that’s not something I will ever have to worry about,” Ace responded.
He was glad Dakota had walked away to join her team. As a couple, she and Ace were nowhere near ready to talk about long-term commitment. Still, saying those words to his brother sent a pang through him. He didn’t want Dakota to hear his feelings on marriage.
Maybe it was because she wasn’t your typical woman. Normally he could sleep with a lady and forget about her by the time he woke up the next morning. That hadn’t been the case with Dakota—not from the first moment she’d smiled at him in that perfectly sassy way she had. He didn’t know how he was ever going to walk away from her. And he was scheduled to do that in just over a week.
The night could have been a fun adventure, but he couldn’t relax. He ate a meal he didn’t taste, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd for danger. Dakota moved through the room with ease, talking and laughing with big donors, making a lot of money for the charity.
There were too many people crowded into the glitzy hotel ballroom. He was constantly on the move as he made sure to keep Dakota in sight at all times. With her face flashed across television screens all across the United States, it wasn’t as if he could easily hide her. He would be grateful when football season was over. That was a thought he’d never believed he’d have.
Cooper was speaking to Ace when Dakota walked through the crowd, her smile lighting her way as she approached him. Ace didn’t hear a word Coop said to him. All his attention was focused on the beautiful woman coming straight at him.
“I’m going to be out of your sight for a few minutes. It’s time for us to perform,” she said. “I didn’t want you to cause a riot when I go backstage.”
“I will come with you,” he told her.
“Not a chance. We have security back there. You sit down and have coffee while you enjoy the show.”
Ace put his arm behind her back and pulled her to him, her eyes instantly dilating as she looked up at him and bit her bottom lip, something that drove him to insanity.
“You should learn to listen more,” he told her, a low growl in his throat.
“And you should know that only good boys are rewarded,” she said before giving him a quick kiss and then pulling from his arms.
He had no doubt she was adding a little extra sashay to her ass as she left him, knowing his eyes would be on her delicious rump. His brother’s laughter pulled him from the dark place his thoughts had sent him.
“I think marriage is on the horizon for you much sooner than you think,” Cooper told him.
“I can desire a woman without wanting to put a ring on her finger,” Ace snapped.
“Yeah, there’s desire, and then there’s obsession. From the moment I met Stormy, I was a lost cause.”
“That’s you, brother, not me,” Ace told him.
