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The hurt dies away, realizing he’s right. A lot has happened since Thursday night.
“Has she changed?” I can’t stop the question from slipping out.
He closes his eyes, but not before I catch a flicker of pain slash through them.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, as far as I can tell, she’s changed.” The pain is gone when he looks back at me. His expression says it all. She may have changed her life around, but there are scars that haven’t healed.
There are countless thoughts running through my mind regarding Sandy Kingston and the mistakes of her past. After Achilles shared with me what happened that night, my heart filled with anger and resentment for the woman who was supposed to protect him. But standing here now, the resentment turns to pity, knowing whatever happens in the future, she may never fully get her son back.
“Call her back when you’re ready.”
He blows out a sigh of relief and moves his hand to cup the back of my neck.
“Now, if you want me to have any energy to spend the afternoon in bed, you’d better feed me. I’m craving waffles.”
“I’m craving something entirely different and a lot sweeter.” His voice dips low, his eyes now blazing with sensual hunger. “I plan to spend the afternoon tasting every inch of you.”
Lust, desire, need—they all ignite, searing through my veins. “I’ll eat fast.”
“You do that, baby. But I plan on taking my time.”
13
Ace
I stab the log on the fire a little too forcefully, sending sparks flying in a spray as I try to ignore the loud bursts of laughter coming from the Jacuzzi area. The only thing stopping me from hauling Harley out of the water is the fact that she’s practically a beacon of happiness. Like I explained, no one blinked an eye about her staying here. Instead, the web of women embraced her immediately.
I had hoped for a quiet afternoon alone with her, but those plans blew up in my face about five minutes after we walked in the door from her yoga class. Her mom, dad, and Jewls were waiting for us with two unexpected guests.
“If you’re thinking about killing them, it’s harder than it looks. I’ve tried and those guys have more lives than a cat,” Major jokes, glancing over his shoulder.
My focus goes to his twin brothers, Drake and Sam, who flew in this morning to surprise him. They are typical, good-looking, twenty-six-year-olds. Both are highly intelligent and found success right out of college. They manage all our investments and make us a lot of money.
I’ve always liked them.
Today, things changed.
“I think they both have a death wish,” I relay to Major.
“You know they are fucking around. Drake still talks about that night in the bar when you shut down every woman that tried to speak to you. They never understood why you had no interest. Then you walk in today with Jay, looking like she does, and they saw an opportunity to screw with your head.”
“One look at her explains why I wasn’t interested in anyone else. But man, beware, looks like your brothers are giving up and moving on.”
I take a swig of beer to hide my grin because Major’s body stiffens. His own glare becomes lethal. Drake says something that has Jewls in hysterics.
“I’ll feel better when I can haul Harley’s ass out of the hot tub and back to my room.”
He crinkles his eyebrows and shakes his head at my bluntness. “You really are a brute.”
“I think we’re in trouble.” Ford joins the conversation with Talon at his side. “Mom is hinting at bringing back some decorations for the house, and she’s recruiting Jay to jump on the bandwagon.”
“It’s fucking Ace’s fault. What were you thinking buying that thing?” Talon gripes.
The rug Harley picked out arrived today, and Celia didn’t hide her excitement over the addition. Amanda stared at me with wonder as if I had bought a priceless jewel.
“I think we all know why he bought the damn rug,” Ford adds. “Do me a favor. When you build your own house, keep that thing in your bedroom. I don’t want to think about you having sex on it every time I walk into your living room.”
“Speaking of living rooms…” Talon trails off, his eyes going over my shoulder.
I turn to the headlights of the golf cart crossing the yard. Ford’s dad, Doug, drives around the back of the fire pit with Rich, Jim, and Mark piling out.
“You get lost? It’s been dark almost an hour,” I ask Rich specifically.
“Been riding around the neighborhood.”
I think twice about pointing out we could have done that anytime in the daylight.
“I made a call, Ace. My guy will be here Monday before we leave town to walk the property. I’ll also get started on the permit portion,” Doug informs me, unloading a cooler from the back of the cart.
