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“Suck,” he commanded, holding my thumb to my lips.
I dragged the flesh over my teeth and let the salt melt over my tongue, never taking my eyes from his. Huck’s whiskey gold irises were molten hot, and I had a feeling if we didn’t open the discussion soon, our bodies would be doing all the talking.
“Tell me about prison,” I blurted while I still had the courage and then followed my statement with a shot of tequila.
Huck licked his lips and leaned back against the sofa to study me. “Do you mean prison or Mary-Kate?”
I was prepared for it, but my breath still caught in my chest. This was a dangerous topic to navigate, but I wouldn’t be at peace until we broke this barrier. The problem was, I didn’t know how to navigate it without making him shut down.
“Both,” I murmured, pouring him a shot. “Anything and everything. Whatever you want to tell me.”
I licked my thumb and dipped it into the salt again, and then I brought it to his lips. His eyes darkened as he sucked my skin between his teeth, and I felt his stare deep in the space between my thighs.
“I’m surprised it took you so long to ask.” He released my hand and threw back his shot. “That’s why you ran from me, wasn’t it?”
I shook my head. “No. I planned to run before we even made it to work that day. After we… after you just went cold on me.”
Ace glanced at me, and his eyes had noticeably softened. “I was an asshole, Birdie. You deserved better than that.”
I swallowed, not really sure how to respond to that. His apology was sincere, and I knew it, but I’d never been good at accepting apologies.
“Did you think I’d done it?” he asked, his voice rough. “When you saw the articles?”
My fingers twisted around the empty glass resting against my thigh. “My thoughts were on autopilot. At that moment, it was easy to believe the worst in you. But after I left, I felt like it couldn’t be true. That wasn’t the man I know you to be.”
“So that’s why you went to Lucian?” His brows pinched together.
“He told you?” I blinked.
“He texted me.” Ace nodded, his attention drifting to the floor. “Did he answer all your questions?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Is there anything else you think I should know?”
“Honestly?” He shook his head. “I know I’m a hypocrite for saying it, but it doesn’t do me any good to talk about it. That shit happened, and it’s in the past now. But I don’t want there to be any lingering doubts, so if you have them, now’s your chance to ask. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about it.”
My heart did a little backflip as I considered what he was offering me. Lucian told me point blank that Ace didn’t share all the details of his life, and that he never would. Yet here he was, offering exactly that. And it was more than I ever needed, just to hear him say those words.
“I don’t need any other details.” I shrugged. “I guess I just… I want you to know that I’m sorry for what happened to you. I’m sorry you lost so many years of your life because of it. And no matter what anybody else might say or think, you never deserved that, Ace. No child deserves that.”
He released a breath I didn’t know he was holding, and when our eyes collided, his were the most open I’d ever seen them. His fingers came to rest on my jaw, and he leaned in to kiss me for several long, disorienting minutes. I felt drugged when he pulled away, and I sank back into the couch while he poured us both another shot.
“Your turn,” he said gruffly.
I knew it was coming. This was the thing I’d been dreading. But there was no escaping it either. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me one of your secrets, Birdie. Just one. I want to hear it from your lips.”
I stroked his arm, using the repetitive motion to calm me as I imagined my mother’s lifeless eyes. It was the first thing that entered my mind when he mentioned it, and I supposed it was the first place I should start.
“Gypsy used to tell me when we were kids that our mom went back to her clan. She said we weren’t allowed because we were only half gypsy. But I know the truth, and I’ve never been able to tell her.”
“What is the truth?” Ace asked.
I closed my eyes, and I could still see her face. Her body was rolled up in a rug, and only her lifeless eyes were visible. “She’s dead. She died when I was so young, but I saw her. I saw her, and I never told Gypsy because I wanted her to believe that she was still alive. That she was okay.”
