He pulled her to him, kissed her forehead and guided her toward the back exit. “We’ll see.”
Chapter 33
This was the life. Safe, tucked up tight next to Jace on the black leather chaise, and surrounded by lighthearted family chatter. The laid-back type of night at home Viv had dreamed of as a kid but never had.
The entertainment room was packed, all the brothers stretched out on the sectional, or on the floor with piles of pillows behind them. As usual, Sylvie and Ninette sat perched in their primo, center seats, feet propped up on the coffee table with a bowl of popcorn between them. The only thing missing was Callie.
Man, but she owed Jace for his intervention. Even more to Zeke who’d gotten Callie in a ninety-day treatment center. The best of the best, he’d called it. A place that didn’t just detox and introduce them to twelve-step programs, then send them out the front door, but actually worked beside them in the early days. After talking with her on the phone this afternoon, she believed it. It’d been years since she’d talked to Callie without the topic centering around a drink, a crisis, or the next party, but today had been different. Her voice had been clear and bright and her thoughts genuine and heartfelt. Especially the shaky, “I love you, Vivie,” she’d shared before they’d disconnected.
“Mmm!” Ninette waved toward the TV and swallowed down her mouthful of popcorn. “Here it is.”
“The political climate in the race for U.S. House of Representatives turned frigid today for front-runner Councilman Renner after a white-collar crime investigative source leaked evidence tying Renner to one of Texas’s most notable drug lords.”
Knox chimed from his spot on the floor and smacked Beckett on the shoulder. “Ya hear that? ‘White-collar crime investigative source.’ I like the sound of that.”
“Why?” Beck said. “It’s just refined speak for hacker.”
“Haud yer wheesht. Ye’ll make me miss the good parts.” Sylvie fisted another handful of popcorn.
Axel chuckled from the corner seat beside her. “Never mind you’ve recorded and watched the bloody five and six o’clock stories three times already.”
“Yeah, but it never gets old.” Ninette nudged Zeke in his spot beside her. “Turn it up.”
“Bank transactions and call logs tie sizable deposits to one of Hugo Moreno’s colleagues and are suspiciously timed with well-publicized arrests at Dallas’s local club, Crossroads. Recordings were also submitted showing a foiled arson attempt committed in the early hours this morning with a corresponding deposit from Renner’s accounts a day prior. Renner’s campaign office has been unavailable for comment, however, family matriarch Patricia Renner appeared briefly outside their palatial ranch on the outskirts of Dallas earlier this evening.”
The video cut to Paul’s mother, stiff-backed and obviously wrung out, standing outside the front door of a home Viv would have expected in Gone With the Wind. An older man nearly a foot taller stood slightly behind Patricia, a supportive hand placed on her shoulder. She unfolded a sheet of paper and delivered her comments in a monotone, almost beaten voice.
“The Renner Family wishes to address the accusations made against Paul Renner this morning in hopes that requests for comments and interviews by the media will cease and desist, and that attention will be refocused in a proper direction.
“This family does not condone, or approve of, affiliation with individuals tied to illegal activity, nor do we approve of malicious endeavors to undercut private citizens through fair means or foul. While we hope that the claims against Paul prove to be unfounded, we wish to make it clear that we have no participation in the alleged actions, nor will we be a part of the investigation or resolution. Regretfully, this will be a trial Paul faces on his own. We ask that you respect our family’s privacy, and allow us this time of adjustment.”
“Damn.” Trevor scratched the back of his neck and bunched his long, surfer-god blond hair on the top of his head. “Tried, convicted and publicly hung in under twelve hours by his own family. That’s harsh.”
“Guess that answers whether or not he’s back in the will,” Beck tacked on.
“Not harsh enough.” The gentle tug of Jace’s fingers as he combed through Viv’s curls belied the angry bite in his voice.
Viv splayed her hand over Jace’s chest. His heart thumped slow and steady beneath her palm, as constant and vital as the space he’d claimed in her life. Over and over, she and the guys had tried to rein Jace in since they returned home.
Axel had even gone so far as to tell him his dick had made him stupid. The altercation had almost started a true brotherly tussle, until Axel had slapped his chest with both hands and held out his arms at each side. “Go ahead, you wallaper. You always did swing like a pussy.”
Somehow, Axel’s in-your-face approach had punched through, and Jace had shaken his head and laughed it off. Of course, the Scotch Viv had promptly handed him hadn’t hurt either.
“Do you think the guys would mind if we went to bed early?” she asked where only Jace could hear.
Like the run-in with Axel, Jace’s mood swung a one-eighty and his eyes lit with an indulgent gleam. “Don’t really care what they think if it means getting in bed with you.” He lifted her hand off his chest, kissed the inside of her wrist, then pried himself out of the chaise. “We’re out for the night.”
“Ah, ye fuckin’ killjoys.” Axel jabbed his mom with an elbow, his brogue twice as thick around his mom. “Didnae I tell ye they’d be all googly-woogly and cut short our fun?”
“Leave ’em be, lad.” Sylvie waved Jace and Vivienne off and grabbed more popcorn. “Beckett’s brought the first three Fast and Furious movies, and we’re not stopping until they’re done.”
Jace helped Viv out of the chaise and paused next to Trevor. “You get that thing I needed taken care of?”
“Yep. Next two weekends are good. You get the okay, I’ll handle everyone’s schedules.”
With one short nod, Jace guided her out of the room with a hand at her back.
“What was that all about?” Viv threaded her fingers with his as they strolled down the hallway to the back part of the house and Jace’s suite.
“Planning.”
Great. Even getting Jace out from in front of the TV and away from repeat images of Paul’s sanctimonious mug wasn’t enough to pull him out of his caveman responses. “Planning what?”
Inside their room, he shut the door behind them and ambled to the bed. He tossed the accent pillows and the shams to one side. “Making sure something doesn’t happen again.”
She grabbed his wrist midway pulling back the covers. “Jace, you have to let this thing with Paul go. I’m fine. The press has everything they need to make sure he learns his lesson. His life will be a living hell for months.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her between his legs. Starting at the top, he slid free the buttons on her favorite chambray shirt. “Wasn’t talking about that.” He slid the soft, worn fabric over her shoulders and sucked in a long, steadying breath as he appreciated her bared breasts. He trailed the backs of his fingers up and over her sternum, then ghosted his thumb across her wound. “Though I’d like Paul’s life to be a hell of a lot longer than a few months.”
Goose bumps scattered along her skin and her breasts grew heavy and hungry for his touch. Part of her wanted to drop it and do whatever it took to make him give her more, but then that was probably what he wanted. “Then what are you planning?”
For long, palpably rich moments, he studied her, his palms smoothing up her arms and over her shoulders instead of where she craved them. “It piss you off I didn’t claim you with Evelyn?”
A tingle wiggled down her spine, an alert for something big barreling her direction. “Yes.”
“You want me to be able to do it again?”
“You do and it’ll take a lot more than an apology and g
reat sex to make it up to me.”
His lips quirked to a wicked smile. “Great, huh?”
“Well, it didn’t suck.” She slid her hands under his T-shirt and guided it up and over his head. “It still wouldn’t buy you another get out of jail card if you pulled that mistake twice.”
Before his T-shirt hit the floor, he pulled her astride him and rolled her to her back, pinning her to the mattress. “Then make sure I can’t ever do it again.” His dark hair hung loose around his stern face, his rich, nearly black eyes so intense it stole her breath. “Marry me.”
The world around her froze, sound and time screeching to a halt while her mind scrambled to catch up. “What?”
“Marry me.” He cupped the side of her face and skimmed his thumb along her cheekbone. “Take my name so everyone knows you’re mine.”
Marriage. With Jace. To have this closeness, this connection, to someone long-term. The concept powered through her head, rippling across details and roadblocks faster than she could process them all. “But we haven’t even talked about that. About what we want from life. About what long-term looks like. Or kids. I don’t even know if you want kids.”
“I want you. I want my family. I want an easy life where I can be myself and love the people around me without worry. If that includes kids, I’ll be thrilled. If it doesn’t, I’ll share my love with other kids the way I’ve done all along. Everything else is just details. Now, say yes.”
“But what if—”
He silenced her with his lips, bold, coaxing strokes from his tongue lulling her adrenaline-laced panic into a slow, pulsing burn. Bit by bit her muscles uncoiled, her body surrendering to the moment and the future he offered. Slowly, he pulled away. “Say yes. Don’t overthink it. Just take the leap and let me catch you.”
Tingles scampered up her neck and across her shoulders, and soft, wispy flutters spiraled through her belly. His scent and weight blanketed her, so symbolic of the anchor he’d proven to be in her life. The ferocity in his gaze promised so much more than words ever could. “This is crazy.”
“Is that a yes?”
God, she was insane. Bungee jumping whacko insane. A giggle bubbled out of nowhere and she smiled so big her cheeks hurt. She buried her fingers in his hair and hung on tight, her breath huffing marathon fast. “Yes, it’s a yes.”
“Good choice.” His mouth lifted in a satisfied grin. “Though if you’d said no, I’d have made it my mission to persuade you.”
He would’ve, too. Since the first night she’d met him, he’d never stopped pursuing her. Never failed in his protection of her. Some women might find it stifling, a step beyond contemporary boundaries, but for her it was constant and sweet. A solemn vow from her rough and tumble, take-me-as-I-am man. “I’m finding I like the way you persuade me, Jace Kennedy.”
“That’s good, sugar, ’cause you’re in for a lifetime of it.” He framed her face, the raw emotion and sincerity she’d felt in his kiss bared in his dark eyes. “Whatever the future gives us, however that happens and whatever it looks like, I’ll be here. Whatever it takes.”
Epilogue
Good food, loud music and his family all around him. Or more accurately, his family and his wife. Jace braced his booted foot on the rung of Axel’s chair beside him and kicked back in his chair. Even through the music’s pounding bass, Viv’s happy hoots and shouts hit Jace loud and clear from his table to one side of the dance floor. Her Levi’s and black tank were way more sedate than the other women preening through the Bellagio’s trendy bar, but not a one of them held a candle to Viv.
Damn, but the woman could move, her hands cocked above her head, eyes closed and head swaying with that wild hair of her loose on either side. And those hips. If she kept that shit up much longer, their post-wedding party was going to be mighty damned short.
Trevor rounded the table on his way back from the bar and waved at Sylvie and Ninette, both dancing off all the excited energy they’d built prepping for Viv’s surprise getaway. “Man, you’re one lucky bastard.”
“Don’t I know it.” Jace took the beer Trev offered and tipped the top in salute. “Appreciate you working out the trip.”
“You had him at ‘Vegas,’ and you know it,” Knox said.
Beckett shook his head and swirled his Jack and Coke. “Still can’t believe you bit the bullet, Jace. I love the hell out of Viv, but married? We’re talking no more variety, bro.”
“I don’t know, man.” Zeke cocked his head for a better look at the girls, still going strong. “I think it’s good. It feels good having another woman in the family.”
“Och, there’s another lad dancing with trouble. Before you know it, you’ll be standing for the priest and statin’ your own vows.” Axel sat up in his chair and dropped his voice to a gravelly rumble, his face a scowling imitation of Jace at the ceremony. “‘And under no circumstances will I beat, maim, or spill blood in the name of vengeance for Vivienne, particularly where Paul is concerned.’”
“I still can’t believe she made you say that,” Knox said to Jace.
Jace could. Viv had prodded, pouted and threatened to back out of the wedding until he’d sullenly agreed. Though she’d been right. The media and Paul’s family disowning him had done a pretty damned effective job of trashing his life. “Told her I’d do what it took. It made her happy, so I said it.”
Beck snickered over the rim of his drink. “Plenty of loopholes in that wording, too.”
“Exactly,” Trevor said.
The song shifted to something new, and a rush of women flocked the floor, crowding out the freeform dancers for a line dance.
Sylvie and Ninette whooped and sashayed toward the bar, eyeballing their fair share of men on the way.
Viv ambled to the table, one hand piling her hair on top of her head and the other fanning her face. She scanned the rest of the men at the table. “Seriously? I’d thought you guys would have a whole string of women lined up by now. Don’t tell me this marriage business has you guys gun-shy?”
“Not us, lass.” Axel curled his arm around her waist on her way past and pulled her into his lap. “We’re takin’ notes from our fearless leader and his fetching bride so we know how to find our own paragon of virtue.”
Viv’s laughter rang loud and full, so at ease with his brothers Jace’s chest tightened as though a giant fisted his heart. She was perfect. For him. For their family.
Jace nudged Axel’s chair with his boot. “Stop pawing my wife, you mangy Scot. Pretty sure those vows meant she only gets to sit in my lap.”
Axel scoffed and smacked Viv on the ass as she pried herself out of his bear hug. “Bloody killjoy. And if anyone’s mangy, it’s you. I know my Armani from Hugo Boss.” He rubbed his hand across his chest, the weighted glow of his fifth or sixth Scotch shining in his eyes. “Never underestimate the power of cashmere on a lass.”
The whole table broke out in a chorus of chortles, Knox and Beckett extolling some of Axel’s more colorful wardrobe phases.
Viv straddled Jace’s lap and circled her arms around his neck, the bold and colorful woman he’d sensed in her from the beginning shining bright. Her cheeks were pink and her smile satisfyingly peaceful. “You sure they’re having a good time?”
“You worried about your boys?”
“Well, I don’t want them bored. This is supposed to be a party.”
“Sugar, it’s only ten o’clock and we’re in Vegas. They’re just getting warmed up. Trust me.” He pulled her left arm free and studied her wrist, smoothing his thumb along the edge of her new tattoo. He still couldn’t believe she’d gotten Haven’s ink. The edges were still red, but the artwork was off the charts badass. Designed like a metal cuff, she’d taken their emblem and made it her own. “Feel okay?”
She shrugged and wrapped him back up. “A nuisance more than anything.” Her eyes glittered and she winked. “Nothi
ng to knock me off my wedding night game.”
Oh, yeah. His woman was out of her cage and living large. He cupped her hips and pulled her in tighter. “My old lady need attention?”
Her lips hovered just inches from his, curled in a pretty smirk. “I’m all hot and sweaty.”
“Bet I can get you sweatier.”
“But the guys—”
“Will deal just fine. Now, are we leaving, or staying?”
She bit her lip, and her smile answered about two seconds before she did. “We’re leaving.”
“Good choice.” Jace stood, taking her with him then lowering her feet to the floor.
“Where the hell are you two going?” Knox shouted.
“Gotta consummate my marriage.”
“You did that two seconds after you said ‘I do’ and left with Viv over your shoulder. The bloody reverend didn’t know whether to laugh or call the cops.”
Like he’d ever get enough of Viv. An hour or a hundred years from now, he’d still fight to keep his place beside her.
Jace slapped Axel on the shoulder, and nodded to the rest of his brothers, pulling Viv tight against his side. “A man has a job to do, he makes sure it gets done right.”
* * * * *
If you fell in love with the Haven Brotherhood in ROUGH & TUMBLE...
You’re going to fall even harder in WILD & SWEET...
Read on for a sneak preview from Zeke and Gabrielle’s story.
Chapter 1
Friday nights were such an irony. With no social life, Gabrielle Parker could stay up as late as she wanted and sleep to obscene hours the next day, but there was never anything worth burning the midnight oil to watch. On the bright side, she’d logged a few more of hours of overtime at the garage. Fixing clunker engines that should have been scrapped years ago might not compare to a hot date, but one more paycheck and that computer she’d been saving for was a done deal.
Rough & Tumble (The Haven Brotherhood) Page 32
