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None of them look pleased about that.
“Shall we get seated?” James motions for us to move to the table. As always, he pulls out a chair for Mom, and as always she makes a scene of getting situated. I swallow a frustrated huff. I love her something fierce, but I wish she had more backbone. My experience with guys may be lacking, but I know my worth, and I’ll never rely on a guy for anything.
Before I can take the seat next to Mom, one of the twins slides into the chair. The other twin takes the one opposite, leaving two empty seats between them.
Ace watches me, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Whichever chair I take, I’m going to be stuck between him and one of his brothers.
Just perfect.
“I don’t bite,” the twin sitting nearest teases, grinning up at me. “I’m Conner.”
He seems friendlier than his brothers, so I take the seat beside him, trying to ignore the way Ace’s leg brushes mine when he finally sits down.
Just then, Ellen enters the room with a tray of drinks. “Dinner will be served shortly,” she says, pausing when she catches sight of the boys. “Oh my, you must be Ace, Cole, and Conner.”
Her eyes run over the three of them as she steps back. “Now, you two must be the twins,” she says, pointing between Cole and Conner. “Which means you must be—“
“Ace.”
My body tenses when his hand lands on my thigh. Hard. Possessive. As if I’m a piece of property he just claimed.
What the hell is he doing?
I swat his hand away, resisting the urge to stamp my heel into his boot.
Asshole.
“Oh, you boys remind me so much of... never mind.” Ellen hurries off, leaving a tense atmosphere lingering in the room.
“So, boys, are you excited to start at Sterling Prep?” Mom beams at them, and I can’t decide if she’s trying to make it easier on James, the boys, or whether she’s just oblivious to all the tension.
Ace leans back, casually throwing his arm around the back of my chair. His hand brushes my shoulder and I bristle. “What’s not to be excited about?” he drawls.
“Oh yeah,” Conner chuckles. “We’re real excited, Sarah. All the new friends we’ll make.” The way he says it sounds so dirty.
“Boys, please...” James lets out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his jaw.
James has been good to us over the years. He’s been there, in the background, helping us and offering Mom a shoulder to lean on. But it was after she got out of a bad relationship a few years ago that James offered her a job at his company. She spends almost as much time there as he does, so it’s hardly a surprise they finally crossed the line from friends to lovers. At least, I think that’s what this is.
I suppress a shudder. That is one visual I don’t ever need.
“It’s okay, James.” Mom flashes him a warm smile. “This is an opportunity for us all to get to know each other.”
“Sarah’s right, Uncle J. Don’t you think he’s right, Ace?” Conner smirks.
“Hell yeah, I can’t wait to get to know you better.” His finger ghosts over my shoulder, and I jerk forward.
Something tells me he isn’t talking about getting to know my mom.
“Remi, sweetheart, is everything okay?”
“It must have been a bug or something.” I cut Ace with a scathing look. “Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom.”
I leave the five of them in awkward silence. I need air. I need to get away from Ace Jagger for a second. He’s unlike any guy I’ve ever come across. And when you grew up next door to one of the most popular boys in Sterling Bay, that’s saying something.
But Ace and his brothers aren’t like the guys from around here. They’re rough around the edges with a darkness that shadows them like a thunder cloud.
They’re probably in a gang. I’ve heard a lot of the kids from Sterling Heights are.
