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The moment Tiffany dropped down into the chair across from him, Ace lit into her for no good reason. “You’re making your rounds pretty early this morning, aren’t ya? Checking on all your mangy strays?”
Her eyes flew open. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been thinkin’ that maybe you should mark me off the list of crazy fuckers that you think need lookin’ after.”
Tiffany jerked back slightly. “Wait, did I do something to offend you?”
“No, ma’am. You did your good deed. Now you can leave well enough alone.”
“I thought we were friends.”
“We ain’t shit,” he said, knowing he was being a total asshole but unable to stop himself. “I’m Ryder’s friend and you’re his old lady. See how that works?”
“I like you and I thought…”
Digging down deep, Ace pulled out his best Darkness move. “I don’t really care what you thought. I’m a grown-ass man and I don’t need your pity or you tryin’ to run my life. You’ve got a new pet project in Stuart, so you don’t need me anymore. I’m asking real nice like for you to leave me the fuck alone.”
Coming slowly to her feet, tears sprang to her eyes. “I don’t understand where all this is coming from all of a sudden. I’ll leave you be, but if you change your mind and want to talk, just let me know.”
Feeling like every inch the dirty son of a bitch he was, Ace forced his emotions all back into their little boxes. The one thing really eating at him wasn’t being afraid that his new lady would wake up one day and hit the road. It was being afraid that she wouldn’t. The woman didn’t deserve to be stuck with a monster like him for all eternity. He could see her getting fed up with him and the club one day and just mentally checking out, just like his mother did back in the day. Sure, she was much stronger, but being married to an outlaw would eventually get to her. He hadn’t seen it before because he hadn’t wanted to.
Ace made a silent vow to himself that if he never did another decent thing in his life, he was going to break it off with her after the danger passed. Until then, he would enjoy what little sweetness was coming his way.
~ Barbara ~
Walking into the kitchen, Barbara realized that nobody had left any food for them. Since she couldn’t remember Ace eating yesterday evening, she began pawing through the refrigerator for something to cook for him. Making herself at home at his club may be a bit of a social faux pas, but the alternative was seeing him go hungry.
An angry voice sounded off behind her. “What in the hell did you do to Ace? He was doing really well, until you came into his life.”
Caught off-guard, Barbara turned to find an angry Tiffany staring at her. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. We grabbed a shower and spent the night together. If he’s looking a little under the weather, I’m thinking it’s a combination of lack of sleep, overexertion, and the fact that he missed dinner last night.”
“It’s not that. He told me to go away.”
Barbara’s eyebrows lifted and she turned her palms up. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“Did you two talk about me at all?”
Getting back to breakfast, she turned to the stove and started throwing some bacon into a pan. “Yep, he told me all about how you made him and Ryder sort through their problems. He agreed that you saved him from himself when he was at a low point.”
“Then why did he just tell me to leave him alone and stop bothering him?” Tiffany asked, her tone accusatory.
Barbara had no idea why he was acting that way or why the blame was falling on her shoulders. “I don’t know, maybe because you were bothering him,” she said with a shrug.
Tiffany clucked her tongue in annoyance. “I didn’t do anything to him. He told me off before I could get a word in edgewise.”
“Why do you care so much? I think maybe you’re overreacting. He’s not obligated to be your friend,” she pointed out. “You know that, right?”
“Jesus, are you jealous of me? That’s all kinds of crazy.”
Okay, she thought Tiffany was a cool chick, but now her attitude was just getting on her nerves. She turned halfway toward her, propping a hand on her hip. “Is it? Or do you delight in convincing people that they’re crazy so you can be a good little nurse and patch up all their hurts.”
“I can’t believe you just said that to me.”
Shrugging, Barbara pulled out the bacon and set it aside to drain on a napkin then quickly cut up some vegetables into the skillet. “Maybe he thinks you’re getting too attached.”
“I love him like a brother. I can’t believe he just threw me away.”
“Don’t go beating yourself up about that, Tiff. The girl’s right, having you close when he’s falling in love is one too many women to worry about.”
