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I look down at the plates in my hand and to the table that is laid beautifully. Two silver domes sit on the table untouched. “I just thought you’d want to get out of here,” I say. “You don’t have to make excuses, it’s fine.”
“Bernie promised me a steak, I want my steak.”
I bite my lower lip to hide the smile as I place the plates back on the table. “Yeah, I was kinda looking forward to a steak tonight,” I say.
“Then let’s eat. I’m famished.” Ace lifts the lid on the first silver dome. Two steaks lay resting, cooked to perfection. Under the second lid is a tray of potatoes and vegetables. “Sit, I’ll serve.” I’ve missed his bossy tone. “Bernie surprised me today,” he begins, and I remain quite as he spoons vegetables onto my plate. “She knew we’d had something between us.”
“Well, she didn’t hear it from me . . . and did we have something?” I ask. “Can it be classed as something?”
He shrugs. “Sex is something.”
“Well, my mother is bat shit, so ignore her.”
“She said she always thought we’d get married.”
I almost choke on my own saliva. Coughing, I pat my chest. “Told you, bat shit,” I croak.
“She said she wanted what was best for you.”
“And she thinks that’s you? Maybe if I told her everything, about Angel and the way you treated me, she’d soon change her mind.”
Ace nods. “Yeah, maybe. It’s a shame we never talked. Not properly. I’ve always been able to open up to you, but I couldn’t work out how to talk to you about us.”
“Angel told me about your night together,” I suddenly blurt out, and Ace looks confused for a second. “The night you never came up to bed. You said you’d been busy with club business, but she told me you’d been with her for the night.” Ace laughs, and I instantly get mad. “I’m glad I amuse you.”
“I didn’t spend the night with her. I had a tip about someone we were looking for and went to check it out. So, you stopped talking to me because Angel lied.”
“Why would she lie?” I ask feebly.
“It’s not so shocking, is it? Club whore wants President, sees his attention is on a club princess, and boom, she lies.”
“But you always have sex with her, so how the hell was I supposed to know?” I snap. I feel silly now, knowing all of this was caused because I took her word for it.
“I slept with her after we argued. It was a stupid mistake, but I needed to get you out of my system and she’s my go-to.”
I roll my eyes, the thought making me sick. “Well, I hope she was worth it.”
“Worth losing you?” He shakes his head. “I’m mad as hell you took her word over mine. I’m pissed you wouldn’t just come and ask me straight.”
I use my fork to push the vegetables around my plate. “I was upset.”
“And now, I’m upset. How can we ever have a relationship when you listen to girls like Angel instead of just asking me? If you’re my woman and I’m your old man, then you should trust me. If you don’t have that, then we’ll never work.”
“I’ve been around men who cheat my whole life, Ace. I watch these guys cheat all the time with the club girls. It was easy to believe her.”
“It’s nice to know you have faith in me, Mae. I thought we could have something special. For the first time, I was willing to see where we could go. All this,” he says, waving his fork between us, “reminds me of how old you are.”
I slam my fork down onto my plate. I’m so tired of him pointing out the age difference. “My age seems to bother you terribly. It never would have worked for that reason.” I stand. “I should have trusted you, I got it wrong, but I didn’t make that mistake because I’m younger than you. I made it because I don’t trust men. That’s something I can work on, but I can’t change my age and I can’t live with second guessing everything I do and say in case you see me for what I am, a twenty-five-year-old woman. I’m not a kid, Ace, not anymore, so stop treating me like one. If you want a mature woman who doesn’t ever question you, then go and be with Angel. I want a man who accepts me for who I am, and that includes my age and insecurities.” I leave him staring after me.Fuck him.
Chapter Twelve
ACE
It’s business as usual. Things around the clubhouse are getting back to normal, and we’re all starting to relax again. Tag’s father may have come back into the United Kingdom, but he hasn’t shown his face around here. Tag thinks he’s setting up his own organisation somewhere else, away from London.
I take my usual seat at the bar just as the door opens and Anton enters. He approaches me and we shake hands. He always looks so official in his expensive suits around here where we all wear jeans and T-shirts. He glances around. “I was looking for Piper,” he says, and I raise a brow.
“What for?”
