Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons)

by Nicole Jacquelyn

  I still took my time applying my makeup and ironing my hair, though, telling myself that I wanted to appear completely unconcerned with our new relationship. No, not relationship. Our new… shit, I didn’t even know the right word for it. Relationship implied something of a romantic nature, and that was not this. New friendship? No, that wasn’t right, either. We’d been friends before all of this started.

  I was so busy arguing with myself that I walked straight into a muscular chest and almost fell flat on my ass.

  “Whoa there, space cadet,” my cousin Cam joked, catching me before I fell.

  “Sorry,” I said, returning his smile. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “Clearly.” He laughed. “What’s up? Something wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” I replied quickly, my voice coming out all high and shaky, like I was lying.

  “Uh huh,” he murmured, unconvinced.

  “No, really,” I said, shaking my head. God, what was wrong with me tonight? “Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking.”

  “That’s never a good thing.”

  “Ha-ha,” I said dryly.

  “You planning out your next attack?” he asked curiously, lighting up a joint and offering it to me.

  “No, thanks,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Attack?”

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice raspy with smoke. “You know, that thing you’ve got going with Mack.”

  “Does everyone know about it?” I asked in annoyance.

  “Kind of hard to miss it when you’re comin’ into the club to put pudding in his boots,” he said with a laugh.

  “I gave him a gift certificate to replace them,” I pointed out. It wasn’t like I was an asshole.

  “He’ll never spend it,” Cam said easily.

  “What? Why not?”

  “A man’s not going to accept a gift like that.”

  “My brothers do!”

  “They’re your brothers,” he replied, like I was an idiot. “That’s different.”

  “I don’t see how,” I argued, my voice going high again.

  Now, I was kind of panicking. If Mack wasn’t going to use the gift certificate to replace those boots, then I really was an asshole. I’d ruined an expensive pair of boots. I mean, they were old, but they were still expensive.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cam replied with a wave of his hand. “Doesn’t seem like he’s pissed.”

  “Shit,” I mumbled, reaching out and wiggling my fingers so he’d pass me the joint. I was going to need the calm it brought if I was going to face Mack.

  * * *

  Three hours later, I was feeling no pain. After a few shots with my brothers and a couple trips outside to smoke, all of my anxiety was gone. So what if Mack didn’t use the gift certificate? He could throw it away for all I cared. It was the intent of the gift that mattered, and I’d had nothing but good intentions.

  “I’m glad you came out tonight,” I told Lily as we walked toward the small bonfire behind the building. “I barely see you anymore.”

  “You see me all the time,” she replied, bumping me with her hip so I stumbled to the side.

  “Not like this,” I argued, pointing at her. “Not like…like Rose and Lily.”

  “We’re always Rose and Lily,” she said, throwing her arms in the air.

  “You know what I mean,” I replied, laughing as she tripped over some grass.

  “It is nice to have a night out,” Lily sang. “And I’m going to have drunk sex later.”

  “Good for you,” I said seriously.

  “It always is,” she replied.

  We found a couple of chairs and dropped into them.

  “I haven’t seen Mack tonight,” she said slyly as we stared into the fire.

  “You’re like the fiftieth person to bring him up.”

  “Well, we’re all just waiting to see what’ll happen next.”

  “I’m so glad we could amuse you guys.”

  “Oh, come on,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You guys are doing some weird mating ritual that—”

  “It’s not a mating ritual,” I hissed, widening my eyes at her.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered, her mouth dropping open. “You’re embarrassed!”

  “I’m not embarrassed.”

  “Yes, you are! Your eyes are all squinty and you keep glancing around, like you’re afraid someone will hear me.”

  “Then why aren’t you shutting up?” I asked.

  “Because this is hilarious!” She leaned toward me. “You actually like him. I know you get all flustered around him—”

  “I do not.”

  “—but I didn’t realize you were actually into him.”

  “I’m not into him,” I replied, keeping my voice low. “He just flusters me.”

  “Flusters you,” she said flatly, raising her eyebrows. “No one flusters you. You’re unflusterable.”

  “Not a word.”

  “You are the coolest person I know,” she said, ignoring me. “You don’t get flustered. You’re a freaking ballbuster. Guys are scared of you.”

  “They are not.”

  “You’re intimidating,” she continued. “And aloof. And I’ve never seen you act as goofy as you do when Mack’s around.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I muttered.

  “It’s like your mouth isn’t connected to your brain or something,” she said, waving her hand in the air for emphasis. “I don’t remember the word for it.”

  “He rattles me,” I admitted.

  “Why?”

  I thought about it for a second, trying to find a way to put the feeling into words. “He’s quick,” I said, glancing at her before looking back at the fire. “Anything I say, he has a response, like—” I snapped my fingers. “And I swear to God, Lil, every single word out of his mouth is laced with innuendo. He could tell me he was headed to the grocery store, but it would sound like he was taking a trip to pound town.”

  Lily burst out laughing, and I felt my lips twitch.

  “I’ve never noticed that,” she said through her giggles.

  “His voice is all deep and gravelly,” I replied defensively. “He’s like the male version of a phone sex operator.”

  “Imagine that voice in bed,” she teased. “Oh, Rose.” She groaned. “Right there, Rose.”

  “Would you shut it?” I snapped, swatting at her.

  “Suck me harder, Rose,” she continued.

  “You have a filthy mind.”

  “You’re just as bad as I am,” she shot back, grinning.

  “No, I’m not,” I retorted, getting to my feet. “I’m going to get another drink. You want one?”

  “Sure,” she said, getting more comfortable in her lawn chair. “I’m gonna stay here.”

  “Thank God,” I mumbled under my breath as I headed back toward the clubhouse.

  My cheeks were hot as I made my way through the darkness. Maybe Lily was right and I did have a thing for Mack—but that didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t as if I’d do anything about it. He was older than us, more responsible than us, and way more experienced than I’d ever be.

  I was so busy thinking about all the things I’d say to Lily when I got back with our drinks that I walked right into someone for the second time that night. This time, the collision was a lot harder, and I ended up flat on my ass.

  “Damn, you okay?”

  Jesus. Of course it was Mack. Of course.

  “I’m okay,” I replied, getting quickly to my feet. “Totally fine. Right as rain.”

  Right as rain? Was I sixty-four years old? What was wrong with me?

  “I hit you pretty hard,” he said, his voice laced with concern. Of course, all I heard was hard and I immediately flushed.

  “My fault,” I squeaked, lifting my hands in the air. “No harm, no foul.”

  Shut your mouth, Rose. Shut it right now.

  “You’re not going to fake an injury so your brothers will beat my ass, are you?” he said with a c
huckle. “Payback for the door?”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” I replied, offended. “That’s not a prank, that would be a total asshole thing to do.”

  “Right,” he said. Even though it was pitch black outside, I could tell by his tone that he was smiling.

  The silence between us stretched while I stood there trying to think of something clever to say. I wasn’t ready to walk away yet, but Lily was right—when I was around Mack, my mouth seemed disconnected from my brain.

  “Did you use the gift certificate?” I finally blurted out.

  “I was meaning to talk to you about that—”

  “It’s nonrefundable,” I said, cutting him off. “And I gave it to you so you would use it.”

  “Rose,” he said softly. “That’s a big gift, yeah?”

  “I ruined your boots,” I replied.

  “Needed new ones, anyway, babe.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said stubbornly.

  Mack was quiet for a long moment. “You’re sweet.”

  There wasn’t anything wrong with his words, exactly, but the way he said them—like I was a little kid—made me narrow my eyes in irritation.

  “I’m not sweet,” I said flatly. “It’s the rules of a prank war. If you ruin something, you replace it.”

  “Can’t take that much money from you, Rose,” he replied.

  “That’s bullshit,” I snapped.

  “That’s the way it is,” he said with a shrug.

  “Fine, then, I’m done,” I replied, with a little wave of my hand. I moved to go around him, but I didn’t get far when his arm wrapped around my waist.

  “You’re givin’ up?” he asked.

  “If you’re not wearing new boots tomorrow, then yeah, I am,” I shot back.

  His arm tightened around my waist as I tried to walk away, and I swallowed hard as his front pressed against my back.

  “Baby, I’ve got new boots on now.”

  I was so busy letting the word baby roll over me that it took me a minute to put the pieces together, but when I did, a mixture of annoyance and guilt filled me. If he hadn’t used the gift certificate, he’d just paid a shit load of money to replace something that I’d broken.

  “You’re kidding me,” I snapped turning my head to look up at him.

  “Did you think I’d ride in my flip flops all week?”

  “I thought you’d use the gift certificate I gave you to replace them,” I practically shouted.

  “I’m not takin’ money from you.”

  “It was a gift!”

  “It was too much!”

  The words were like a slap in the face. How often had I heard that? I was too much. I was always too much. I couldn’t even reply as I jerked away from him. Why had I harbored this ridiculous crush for so long?

  “Come on, Rose,” he said, following me toward the building. “Why are you so pissed?”

  “Not pissed,” I said, shaking my head. “You won. Congratulations.”

  “Jesus,” he muttered.

  He followed me all the way to the back door, but as soon as I’d reached it, grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the side of the building.

  “You’re just going to leave it,” he said incredulously. “You’re gonna let me win.”

  “Yep,” I replied emotionlessly. I could feel tears burning at the back of my eyes and I wanted to get as far from him as possible before the waterworks started.

  “Damn,” he said, taking a step backward.

  I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or the fact that I was so frustrated that I could barely see straight, but I never intended my next words to fall out of my mouth the way they did.

  “I’m not too much,” I said, glaring at him.

  “What?” he asked in confusion.

  “I’m not too much. So fuck you.” I could feel my chin starting to tremble, and that frustrated me even more.

  “I didn’t—”

  “I don’t even know why guys say that,” I said, cutting him off. I lowered my voice. “You’re too much, Rose. Too sarcastic. Too loud. Too emotional. Too mean. Fuck that.” I jabbed him in the chest with my pointer finger. “Maybe you’re not fucking enough.”

  In the space of a heartbeat, I was against the wall, Mack’s hand pressed firmly against my sternum.

  “I’m enough for you,” he said, his nose almost touching mine.

  “I doubt it,” I scoffed.

  His lips made contact as soon as the words left my mouth, and it wasn’t like any kiss I’d ever had before. His beard was soft, but it was the only thing that was. His mouth was firm against mine, and his lips were chapped, and as I dug my fingers into his back, I realized that our kiss was just an extension of our argument. I pushed and he pushed, and my head swam as his hand wrapped around my jaw and positioned it how he wanted.

  Burrowing my hands under his cut and t-shirt, I dug my nails into his skin and he groaned deep in his throat. His thigh pressed between mine as our tongues dueled, and I had just enough presence of mind to spread my legs to accommodate him. Then it was my turn to groan.

  I wasn’t sure how far we would’ve gone if the door hadn’t swung open beside us and my cousin Cam’s voice hadn’t brought us back to reality like a burst of cold air.

  “Trix’s gonna be pissed she missed that,” he said to Leo as Lily’s other half came out the door behind him. “She didn’t feel like comin’.”

  “Her turn to keep the kids, anyway,” Leo replied.

  Me and Mack stood frozen except for his leg slowly sliding from between mine, the friction making my eyes roll back in my head. I barely stifled a gasp.

  They either didn’t notice us, or deliberately kept their eyes averted as they walked toward the fire pit.

  “Enough for you?” Mack asked, his hands sliding away.

  My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth.

  “The gift was too much,” he said, taking a step back. He ran a hand over his face. “But any man that says you’re too much has a small dick and an even smaller brain.”

  I swallowed hard and met his eyes.

  “You hear me?”

  “I hear you,” I rasped.

  “Good.” He cleared his throat and gave me a nod, then he walked toward the edge of the building like he hadn’t completely just rocked my world.

  “What the fuck was that?” I whispered to myself, reaching up to rub my fingers against my sore lips. They were swollen and tender, and my chin stung from beard burn.

  “Where did she go?” Lily’s voice carried through the night as she and Leo came toward me. “She went to get drinks forever ago.”

  “Didn’t see her inside, Dandelion.”

  “Well, I’m thirsty,” she replied.

  “Let’s get you a drink, then,” he said. His voice dropped, Lily giggled, and I knew if I didn’t make my presence known, there was a good chance they’d find a place in the darkness beside me to do whatever he was whispering in her ear.

  “Hey,” I said, taking a step forward.

  “Shit,” Leo said as Lily yelped. “Where the fuck did you come from?”

  “I think I’m gonna head out,” I replied, ignoring his question.

  “But it’s early still,” Lily replied, obviously forgetting that she and Leo had just been on their way to spend the next couple of hours alone.

  “I know,” I said, letting her tow me toward the back door. “But Will said he’d give me a ride home and I don’t want them to wait on me.”

  “Fine,” she replied as we strode inside arm-in-arm. “But you’re coming over tomorrow, right?”

  “Why do I have to help you paint your bedroom?” I grumbled. “Why can’t Leo do it?”

  “Leo doesn’t paint,” Leo said from behind us. “Leo will demolish and remodel whatever his woman wants, but painting is where he draws the line.”

  “It’s creepy as hell that you’re talking in the third person,” I said, glancing at him over my shoulder.

  “Nice beard burn,” he rep
lied, grinning. “Where’d you get it?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, glad that Lily was rambling on about something and hadn’t heard his question. I wasn’t quite ready to talk to anyone about what had happened with Mack—especially not my drunk best friend, who couldn’t keep her voice at an acceptable level.

  “Will’s by the bar,” Leo said as we walked into the main room, his voice laced with amusement.

  I scanned the bar and found my big brother at the far end. Talking to Mack. Sonofa…

  “Look at Molly,” Lily laughed, pointing at my sister-in-law. “Good thing you’re ready to leave, or Will probably would’ve left without you.”

  My sister-in-law was clearly hammered. She was leaning heavily against Will, looking up at him with stars in her eyes, and her hand was up his shirt all the way to the elbow. Even though I really didn’t want to face Mack yet, I headed their way, laughing. Molly was seriously the best drunk I’d ever been around. She went from prim and proper to wild and dirty in the space of a few drinks, and I swear to God, she could never control what came out of her mouth and barely remembered anything the next day. It was fantastic. I couldn’t wait to tease her about molesting my brother in plain view of my parents.

  “Hey, you ready to head out?” Will asked, calmly placing his hand over Molly’s roaming one on his chest. “Need to go get Reb and head home.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, refusing to look to his left, where Mack was standing. “Let me say goodbye to the ’rents. Where’s Tommy?”

  “He and Heather pitched a tent outside and disappeared an hour ago.”

  “No need to say more,” I said quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

  “If you want to stay later,” Mack said, making my heart jump, “I can give you a ride when I leave.”

  Half of my brain was stuck on the fact that he’d just offered to give me a ride, and the other half was screaming silently at him to stop looking at me while my brother watched us.

  “I’m ready to go now,” I said as we made eye contact, my voice squeaky and high. Before I could start rambling, I spun and headed toward my parents to say goodbye.

  Good grief. If I thought being around Mack was hard before, I was kidding myself. Looking at him now, knowing the feel of his skin and the taste of his mouth, was infinitely more mind scrambling. I was just glad I hadn’t stuttered or blushed.