She flipped him off, knowing that Livvy’s head was down so she wouldn’t see. She tried not to be too bad of an influence on her niece.
“Okay, party people. Finish your drinks and cake and then let’s clean up. We have three clients scheduled between one and two this afternoon, and Ryan is handling any walk-ins.” Though she wasn’t sure there would be any walk-ins since it was day one and they were doing a slow start. Some of their long-time clients had moved with them, and they already had a waiting list because of it, but that could change on a dime. Having word of mouth would be what made their shop a success, and that meant getting more clients in who weren’t just the same ones from before.
The door opened, and she held back her frown. They weren’t officially open yet, but it wasn’t as if she could tell a potential customer off. The door had been unlocked, after all.
As a man in a nicely cut suit with a frown on his face walked in, Adrienne had a feeling this wouldn’t be a client.
“Hi there, can I help you?” she asked, moving her way through the crowd. “We’re opening in an hour or so, but if you need any information, I’m here.”
The guy’s face pinched, and she was worried that if he kept it up, it would freeze like that. “I’m not here for whatever it is this establishment does.” His gaze traveled over her family’s and friend’s ink and clothing before it rested back on her. “I’m only here to tell you that you shouldn’t finish unpacking.”
“Excuse me?” Shep asked, his tone serious. The others stood back, letting Adrienne and Shep talk, but she knew they were all there if she needed them.
“You heard me.” The man adjusted his tie. “I don’t know how you got through the zoning board, but I can see they made a mistake. We don’t want your kind here in our nice city. We’re a growing community with families. Like I said, don’t unpack. You won’t be here long.”
Before she could say anything in response to the ridiculous statement, the man turned on his heel and walked out of her building, leaving her family and friends standing beside her, all of them with shocked looks on their faces.
“Well, shit,” Mace whispered then winced as he looked behind him to where Livvy was most likely with her mom.
“We’ll figure out who that was. But, Adrienne, he won’t be able to shut us down or whatever the hell he wants.” Shep turned to her and gave her that big-brother stare. “Don’t stress about him. He means nothing.”
But she could tell from the look in his eyes, and the worried glances passing back and forth between her family members and friends that none of them quite believed that.
She had no idea who the man was, but she had a bad feeling about him. And every single warm feeling that had filled her at the sight of her family and friends coming together to celebrate the new shop fled, replaced by ice water in her veins.
So much for an easy opening day, she thought, and her stomach roiled again. Perhaps she would throw up because she just knew that wasn’t the last time they’d see that man. Not by a long shot.
2
Mace Knight really didn’t want to wake up. His bed was far too warm, and he’d just had the most amazing dream featuring a fantasy woman with soft curves and a mouth that knew exactly what to do with his dick. Getting out of bed and having to shower and act like an adult didn’t really match up to the dream woman and her seductive suction.
He sighed and gripped the base of his cock, annoyed with his morning wood that reminded him of his teenage self rather than a man of his age. But since he still had a few minutes, and he still had the image of the woman with her long, raven hair on her knees in front of him, he might as well enjoy his morning.
Sliding his hand up and down his shaft, he groaned and planted his feet on his bed so he could thrust into his fist. He imagined her licking up his length before swallowing him whole. His eyes still closed, he sped up his pace, fucking his hand. It wasn’t long before he came on his stomach, his body shaking with the release. He’d already been pretty damn close from his dream alone, so all it took was a few touches with as sensitive as he was in the mornings.
“Shit,” he growled out as his heart rate settled back down. He let out a ragged breath. Now, he was not only running late, but he also had a sticky mess on his hand and stomach, and no way to clean it up since he didn’t keep a box of tissues on his nightstand like any sane man should.
Annoyed with himself, he slid out of bed and hobbled his way to the bathroom, still holding his junk so he wouldn’t make more of a mess. He should have just taken care of himself in the shower like usual since he was a single man with a healthy sexual appetite, but the dream woman had made him want to do something different that morning.
Looking down at himself in the mirror, he figured that next time he’d just take the dark-haired woman of his dreams into the shower with him, because now he had to change the damn sheets on his bed, too.
“Happy fucking morning,” he grumbled and set about getting ready for his day. He had two clients scheduled, and any walk-ins that showed up. Since they were only a crew of four, they rotated which days they each took off. Right now, Adrienne and Ryan worked most of the weekends since they’d all decided that Shep needed some time with his family, especially right after the move. Shep would cycle in and out of the weekend shift since it was their busiest time, and he didn’t want to slack off, or so he’d said. Mace only took off on the weekends he had Daisy, his four-year-old daughter, who he only had partial custody of. He didn’t see her often enough as it was, and while it had been a pain in the ass at his old place to get time off for her, everyone was bending over backwards for him now.
He had a good feeling about this place, and he was so damned happy that he’d taken the risk to move to a new shop. Yeah, the guy who had come in and made the vague threat last week on opening day worried him, but Mace knew he’d put his trust in his best friend and her family for a reason. Getting more family time with his little girl was only part of that.
After he’d gotten dressed for the day and went to make himself some coffee, he pulled out his phone to text Adrienne. Since they were on the same shift most days—even at the old place—and lived close to each other, they tried to carpool as much as possible. The strip mall where the new shop was located had decent parking, but on busy days when the other stores and eateries were packed, they wanted to take up less space.
Mace: You up?
He sipped his coffee as the little bubble on her end of the conversation popped up.
Addi: Yes, but I need more coffee. All the coffee. Ever.
Mace grinned and paged through his notebook, glancing at his sketches for his first client. The cadet wanted a set of twisted trees on one shoulder to signify an event from his past with his family. He wouldn’t explain to Mace exactly what it was, but he had given enough detail for Mace to get the idea down for him. He’d also had to relearn all the rules and regulations regarding tattoos that came with being a part of any military branch. Things had changed so much in the past ten years that it almost took a math degree to figure out percentages of skin and placements. With the amount of ink covering Mace’s chest, arms, and back, there was no way he’d ever be able to join up—not that it had ever been in the cards for him, even since the beginning.
Mace: You still want a ride to work? Or you going in early?
Addi: Let’s save the environment.
Mace snorted before draining the last of his coffee. He’d need another cup before he headed over to Adrienne’s to pick her up. Hell, he might need a third cup, considering he hadn’t slept well the night before.
Mace: Pick you up in an hour.
Addi: kk.
Mace: What’s with the two ks?
Addi: …
Addi: Are you really asking me about texting lingo when I’ve only had half a cup of coffee after being up all night? And I have no idea, Austin’s kid starting doing it, and then Austin assimilated it, and now I’m doing it. Apparently, it’s hip with the cool kids.
M
ace had to set his second cup of coffee down on the counter so he wouldn’t slosh the hot liquid over the sides. He had no idea how she’d texted so fast, but she could probably beat some of those so-called cool kids at the texting game. He and Adrienne had been forced to learn texting by tapping numbers more than once for different letters back in the age-old times of the first popular cell phones.
And now he felt old at the ripe age of thirty-five. He needed more coffee for that line of thought.
Mace: If you’re using the lingo, the kids don’t use it anymore, just saying.
He frowned and texted her again before she could curse at him.
Mace: And what were you up doing all night? You catch his name?
He had no idea why he’d asked that or why it was even his business, but for some reason, he’d let his mind wander a little too much.
Addi: I was working on a damn sketch, dumbass. The other probably would have been more fun since I got stuck in my head for three hours before I finally figured the design out. Now, for real, gotta shower. Go clean that beard of yours, old man.
He flipped her off in an emoji, then set his phone down so he could finish his morning routine. He was just finishing cleaning up when the doorbell rang. He frowned, wondering who could be at his house that early in the morning since most of his friends were either already at work or worked nights and were probably just waking up like he was.
Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he made his way to the front door and blinked when he saw his ex through the peephole. Then he held back a curse when he noticed that she wasn’t alone.
He threw open the door but kept his anger in check because, beside Jeaniene in her pressed suit and to-the-nines makeup and hair, was their little girl, Daisy. He raised a questioning brow at his ex then went to his knees and opened his arms. Without hesitation, Daisy jumped into his hold, and he picked her up, holding her hard to his chest. She kissed his temple, then his forehead, then his cheek, before sighing and resting her head on his shoulder.
That wasn’t unusual for her since she wasn’t the most talkative kid. She only said things when they seemed important to her. She was sweet as could be and whisper-giggled to her imaginary fairy friends more often than not, but she was really shy when it came to the real world. He didn’t care as long as she was happy and he got to see her—but that wasn’t often with the custody agreement in place. Jeaniene got full custody, while he only had visitation. That’s what happened when one parent was a lawyer in a family of lawyers, and the other was a tattoo artist without a college degree. He’d fought with all his savings but had won visitation only.
This wasn’t his weekend, though; yet Daisy’s suitcase was on the step behind his ex.
“What’s up, Jeaniene?” He rubbed Daisy’s back as she clung to him.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said sleepily.
“Hi, baby.” He kissed the top of her head. “You okay?”
“Uh-huh, just sleepy.” She snuggled into his shoulder and started playing with his hair, her mind in her little dream world. “Jeaniene?”
She gestured behind him. “Can we go inside for a second? I don’t have a lot of time and, honestly, I didn’t know how to say this on the phone. I know I’m doing this horribly, but…just…can you give me a moment, Mace?”
He studied her face and knew that he wouldn’t like whatever she had to say, but as he had his daughter in his arms, it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. Jeaniene followed behind, rolling Daisy’s suitcase behind her. His ex seemed nervous, which was very unlike her, but he didn’t press. Not yet, and not with Daisy snuggled against him.
He and Jeaniene had only been together a few times, and just for fun with no real ties, when she found out she was pregnant. Everything had gone to shit after that, but in the end, he’d gotten his baby girl, so he counted it as one hell of a win.
Mace set Daisy down on the couch and kissed the top of her head before handing her his phone. Wasn’t the best parenting, but he needed to talk to Jeaniene in private, and he didn’t want Daisy to overhear. “Be right back, pumpkin.” He quickly opened up the child memory app game that he knew she liked, ran a hand over her hair, then gestured for Jeaniene to follow him into the kitchen.
“What’s going on, Jeaniene?” His coffee sat like lead in his gut, and he knew he’d probably regret that second cup.
She bit her lip, an action very unlike her, and he tilted his head, studying her face. She looked as if she hadn’t slept much the night before, something she couldn’t hide even with all her professional attire and makeup. If something was worrying her that much, he knew he wouldn’t like it.
“I got partner,” she said quickly, and his brows rose.
“Really? Good for you.” And he meant it. She worked her ass off at her job and still made time for Daisy. He could never fault her for how she cared for their daughter, even if he wanted to rail at her for not letting him be in Daisy’s life enough for his liking. “You did that pretty quick, right?” She was far younger than the men at her firm—younger than even Mace—so her making partner was actually a big thing.
She nodded but didn’t look any less stressed. “Actually, that’s not completely accurate. I will make partner this month. If I do something.”
He stiffened. “And what the hell do you need to do?” Hypothetical situations raced through his head that would put her in a compromising position, and he curled his fists. He knew what kind of men she worked with and the power they wielded. He might not like Jeaniene as much as he had when they were together, but if someone hurt her, he’d have to do something about it.
She raised her hands, palms facing him, and shook her head. “Nothing like what you’re thinking. I promise. But it’s still bad.”
“Spit it out, Jeaniene.”
“I’ll make partner if I move to Japan. Tomorrow. No warning, no preparation. But a spot opened up, and the only way I’ll make partner before I’m forty at this firm is if I do this. It’s a great opportunity, and will set up Daisy and me for the rest of our lives if I go along with this new position for six months.”
His mouth went dry as his brain tried to catch up. Japan, for six months? What. The. Fuck.
He hadn’t realized he’d said it aloud until her brows rose pointedly and she glared in his direction. She’d never liked his cursing, but she could fuck right off just then.
“You’re moving to Japan? What about Daisy? There’s no fucking way you’re taking her out of the damn country. She’s my daughter, too, damn it.”
A pained look crossed her face, and she let out a breath. “I can’t bring Daisy with me, Mace.” She whispered it as if she couldn’t quite believe the words coming out of her mouth either.
“What?” he asked, his voice hoarse. He couldn’t have heard her right. There was no way she was just dropping their daughter off at his house with no warning or discussion. He did his best to ignore the suitcase she’d brought with her.
“It will be best if Daisy stays here in the US. I’ll be working long hours in Japan, and frankly, I don’t know how I’ll be able to be a full-time mom over there.”
He just blinked, confused as all hell and ignoring that little kernel of hope in his heart that he might be seeing Daisy more than before. Because this was Jeaniene, after all, and nothing was ever as it seemed.
“My parents offered to take Daisy in, of course.”
“No fucking way. She’s my daughter. Not theirs.” Something Jeaniene’s family tended to forget. “If you’re going to leave Daisy and go gallivanting off across the world, putting work before your child, then you’re damn well going to make sure she’s with her father.”
Anger sparked in her eyes, but she didn’t curse at him. Jeaniene wouldn’t. “I wasn’t going to let them take her. Despite what they say, you are a good father. And it’s going to kill me to leave her here with only Skype and some visits if I can get those planned, but it will be the best for us in the end if I make partner. I’m doing this for her.”
&nbs
p; He didn’t believe that for even a hot second, but he wasn’t sure he had words for what he was feeling right then.
Jeaniene looked down at her watch and then pressed her lips together into a tight line. “I don’t know all the details, and this will have to be done legally, of course. The firm will send you papers on what the temporary situation is, and then the two of us can decide what the permanent solution will be. I need to go if I’m going to make my flight.” Tears pooled in her eyes, but he ignored them. “Mace. I need you to watch Daisy until I can figure out what to do. This will be good for our future, I know it, but…but I also know this puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. If it’s too much, I can talk to my parents.”
He held up his hand, his chest heaving. He honestly couldn’t fucking believe what was going on. Jeaniene had done a lot of things that not only surprised him but had also pissed him off throughout the years, but this…this topped anything he could have ever even dreamed of.
“Let me get this straight. You’re moving to Japan. Now. No warning. No phone call to tell me what the fuck you’re planning. And you’re leaving Daisy here. Again, no warning. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t want her to live here. Not that I don’t want her with me. Always. It’s the fact that you don’t seem to fucking care that you’re abandoning your kid. But…you do you. Like you always do. But that paperwork you’re sending? You can be damn sure I’ll get a better lawyer than I had last time. And you’d better have something in writing now before you go so your parents don’t try to pull some shit, or I’m going to make your life hell. You get me?”
She raised her chin and met his gaze. “I get you, Mace. I always got you.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a stack of papers. “I got these done already. It will cover you from my family. We’ll deal with the rest soon. And as for Daisy? I’m doing this for her.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself at night.”
She shot him a look and stalked back into the living room where he guessed she was saying goodbye to their daughter. Mace let out a shuddering breath then gripped the edge of the counter, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
Naked Love Page 2
