Haven

by J D Worth

  “It’s ’bout a janitor who works at MIT, but he’s really a math genius. Turns out, Mace blows that guy outta the water.”

  “What?”

  Ford clears his throat and passes the bottle to me. “For real. MIT is a fuckin’ joke for someone like Mace.”

  Gavin says, “And I’d say you’re the one who blew Mace outta the water.” My eyes fly over to the redhead relaxing against Mace’s body. She slowly stands up, commandeering all of his attention as he gazes up to her. She offers her hand to him. Giving her a sexy grin, he takes her hand and pulls himself up. “And I don’t want Mace chasing away my women like he is with Trent. We’re all chasing our dream woman, all except for Mace, that is.”

  I reply, “I’m not sure you’d find her here, especially if you want an articulate conversation about poetry, literature, and music.” Mace follows the redhead through the room full of sleazy dressed groupies eyeing him, eager for a hookup. Gavin and Ford chuckle. My eyes droop as Mace and the redhead stop by the door leading to the bar. The redhead wraps her arm around his shoulders and dips her head. Mace’s large frame blocks the exchange. I miss what happens, and she slips out. Payton pops up next to Mace and nods my way before she disappears out the door.

  My muddled brain focuses on Mace as he makes his way to us. He greets me with a deep kiss. Sexual tension drips off from his taunt body. His pupils are wide, and his smile is tight. My head sways. He turns his attention to Gavin, giving him a man hug. “Great show, brother!” He does the same with the bouncer before Ford kisses my hand and bids us farewell.

  Gavin smirks at Mace. “Mace, oh man! Trent’s looking mighty pissed there. Nice set up for me to give him the boot.” Gavin motions to Trent sulking while pouring another shot before working the room. “After that bullshit of inviting his ex Melody tonight, you know I gotta temporarily kick his ass out. We have scouts now at our shows. There’s a growing interest in our music. I boot, and you give him the talk like last time?”

  Mace nods. “That was my plan. Trent should know not to start shit by flirting with every woman he passes. Twice I’ve had to knock some sense into him.” Mace flicks his eyes my way.

  Gavin grins. “All right, I’ll let him back in once he learns his lesson. You kept the peace again tonight, so I owe you.”

  “Anytime, brother.”

  “Take care of your woman.” Gavin nods in my direction, focusing his eyes on Mace. Only after Mace turns his body towards mine, Gavin holds up his drink in salute, smiling.

  I squint up to Mace. “Did you get Trent kicked out of the band?”

  “I’m the one who talked Gavin into giving Trent a chance. Gavin’s had to put up with a lot of Trent’s bullshit. Trent needs to get his shit together and focus. You heard that last song they played. That one track is good enough to turn heads, land an opening gig, and get Crow away from playing dive bars. Crow is big news ’round here.”

  “What was that business with the redhead? Were you trying to make Trent jealous?” I challenge him. “I was under the presumption you don’t play games. I’m unsure how we work together as a couple. You call me your woman, yet you’re off flirting with that redhead. I saw how guarded Gavin was around me. In fairness, I’d have the same claim to you.”

  “You trying to claim me is the fuckin’ problem.”

  23

  A painful shot rockets through me again and all because of Mace. I take a few stumbling steps back. The roar of the party seems to magnify. My friends seem to get drunker, and I seem to be tumbling down the wrong path with Mace.

  He stares at me as I blink into space. “Yeah, you heard me, Princess. You trying to claim me is the problem.”

  “Wow…” I shake my head while the room spins. “Seriously, I can only take so much rejection in one day.”

  Mace replies, “Three weeks here isn’t long enough for you to get my message.” He drops his hands on my ass and sweeps me against his hard, unyielding body.

  “You’re right.” I exhale a frustrated breath while my limp arms hang at my sides. If I touch him, I may break. “I have no claim. I have to go back to the city and we’re…” I shrug one shoulder, trying to find a label for us, yet nothing comes to mind.

  “No, Princess, you don’t get it. How could you? Hell, three years wouldn’t be enough time for me to show you.” He sinks his fingers into my skin. My breath hitches. “I knew once I got a real taste of you that was never gonna be enough for me. Even if I could head to New York and be with you, I’d have to haul ass back down here to save my sorry excuse of an old man. I’m the pauper here. My daddy owes thousands. I’m amazed I’ve kept our heads afloat for as long as I have. He keeps hocking shit from the garage for extra cash after he blows through his poker winnings. Luckily, he hasn’t wound up dead. Life has dealt me those cards. You’re no different locked in your own elitist crystal bubble.”

  Mace has been fighting the same internal battle. We’re on different paths, and he wants us to work when we both know we can’t. “There’s not much I can do about that,” I reply. “At least, not right now in my life.”

  “Just so we’re clear, you can’t claim me. That’s not gonna happen here with us. You can’t offer up something that you’re unable to follow through. Especially, when you have Harvard in your back pocket. I’m not ’bout to ruin you like my daddy did with my momma. She was bright too, full ride to Duke.”

  “You won’t, Mace.” I reassure him by running my hands up his arms. “And I do plan to come back for my breaks.”

  “I took you before without any consideration for birth control. I’m a fuckin’ greedy bastard when I get ’round you. What would your life look like if I knocked you up? I’ll tell you right now, I’d marry you in a heartbeat. You giving me children would be the best thing that ever happened to me, but that’s not in your cards.” He’s blunt as I swallow my unease. I told him I never plan to marry. The mere notion of having children has never crossed my mind.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, Princess. When you’re here, you’re in my world. You’re on the back of my bike, and that means you’re mine. We have one more week to have fun, party, ride on my bike, and let your hair down.” Mace gathers my hair laying against my lower back. Pain flickers in his eyes while a silence consumes us.

  Mace says, “Do you understand where I’m coming from? Having to hold you at arm’s length is killing me. You gotta understand now’s a real bad time for me to lose focus. If I let that happen, I’ll drown in you. Things will be over for me. Like I lose the garage and my family home. I think the same goes for you too. You got college and plans for your future. We gotta find some high ground. We both need to bend at the knees for the time being. Can you do that for me?”

  I never realized how deep Mace’s troubles seem to run. My rational mind emerges as I reply, “I do know.” Mace’s jaw cocks and his green eyes blaze into me.

  “Then tell me, Princess,” he whispers in a husky tone by my ear, “tell me how you burn from the inside ’cause I do every damn time I see you, knowing I can’t have you like I wanna.”

  His eyes smolder. A sheen of sweat rises to my overheated skin. I recline back from him, hoping some air between us helps cool me down. With a brave breath, I share, “Not one Southern Ivy League college can compete with Harvard. I’ve been going over the stats. The comparable Ivy Leagues goes by the Magnolia League, which includes Duke here in North Carolina. Even if Duke has the distinction of being the top-ranked Southern school to produce the most billionaires, the school still isn’t good enough for my father.” His fingers tighten around my waist as if he’s trying to hold me in place when we both know I’m leaving soon.

  “Unbelievable, Princess. You were checking out colleges here?”

  I open my mouth to reply, and I can’t. I can’t believe what I just admitted aloud. If Lilith was here, she’d kick my ass all the way back to New York. I cinch my eyes tight. Hope is very dangerous for someone like me.

  Mace lays his
lips on mine, kissing me. I press hard with my lips, relishing the fleeting moments while I still can. He devours me, claiming me as his in front of the whole room, and I let him. He slides his arms around me, holding me tight. I lay my head on his chest. His heart thumps by my ear, calming me. We stay like this for some time. Every once in a while, he kisses me. When our lips separate, my fragile heart tears a little more.

  When four a.m. rolls around, we stager back to the motel rooms. Mace and I wind up with the king-sized room. We fling off each other’s clothing in between rounds of passionate kisses, finding our momentum interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Mace lets out a groan as he dresses and answers the intrusion. The girls burst in with food from an all-night diner as I throw on my clothing. Violet and Payton join me on the bed. The guys sweep in with even more food. Mace grumbles. I giggle while everyone hunkers down, eating breakfast before heading off to sleep.

  I awake in the middle of the king-size bed between Payton and Violet while she snuggles with Jax. Wiggling out, I try not to wake anyone. The bedside clock registers seven in the morning. I just make the toilet in time and dry heave. Deciding to leave the sleeping trio, I jump in the shower and throw on new clothes. Even after our wild night at Sonny’s, I never felt like this, or threw up from drinking too much.

  I tap the door of the other room Mace reserved. Seeing my wet hair and arms crossed over my upset stomach, Mace ushers me in as quiet as he can, trying not to disturb Cal. Mace smiles down at me, settling me in his bed, wrapping his arms around me, and kissing my head.

  I say, “My severe hangover is a first for me. Let’s cross that off the bucket list and not repeat the mission again.”

  “You can blame Trent for that hangover bucket list item. He pushes every boundary he can.” Mace rubs my back until I fall back asleep. Around nine, I bolt to the toilet in time to dry heave again. Mace slips into the bathroom after me and hands me a bottle of water. “Small sips,” he says as I take my time drinking the cool liquid. After a while, I fall into bed and have a more restful slumber, not waking up until much later.

  I lift my head up, catching the time on the nightstand stretching into early afternoon. I let out a groan.

  “Princess, you feeling any better?” Mace asks, muffling a laugh.

  “We missed checkout!” I jerk upwards. Holding my pounding head, I lament, “Moving is a massive mistake.”

  Mace sits on the edge of the bed and pats my knee. “There’s aspirin on the nightstand.”

  I grab several tablets, washing them down with a bottle of water. “I’m not sure this is a proud accomplishment.”

  “It is in the South. Trent’s all ’bout the debauchery.” Mace chuckles with an amused smile. “I booked the room for another night.”

  “Because of me? It’s my fault, so I’ll pay for the room. I can give you the cash today. A seaside motel like this runs a couple of hundred a night, correct?”

  “More like seventy bucks. The nice ones are down by the wharf. We actually got the manager’s special ’cause he owed me.”

  I clock the dated décor, the flimsy polyester bedding, and worn rug understanding why this room runs so cheap. “Honestly, I have no idea.” I grimace.

  “Do you remember our conversation at the bar last night?” His voice is clear, reminding me of the relationship boundaries we have. Time is not the only thing against us. We have Mace’s own rules. His concerning troubles are leaching deep into his life, threatening his livelihood.

  “Yes.” Fiddling with the water bottle, my misting eyes land on my hands. I don’t want a reminder of what we can’t have here. Mace’s eyes remain winced.

  “A job came up for me, so I gotta head out. Cal couldn’t stay, and I don’t have time to run you back to the cottage. You can hang with Crow. They’re playing the Sunset again, and Trent could keep an eye on you. He won’t be playing for a bit, and he’ll be respectful. Jax will be working at Inked till four. He’s heading home after to give Violet a hand with her theater show. He said you can catch a ride back with him.”

  “What if I want to stay here tonight with you? If that’s okay, I could even hang out with you while you’re working,” I ask. “I didn’t know you worked in Northport besides the Sunset.”

  “Sorry, you can’t come with me this time, Princess. I’ve got business concerning my daddy.”

  “The beach is right across the road. I’ll visit the shops and have fun.” I give him a reassuring smile as he scratches his chin. “I found the best thing ever. There are machines all over the boardwalk that press pennies into amazing souvenirs.” I peel open my wallet from the bedside and show him my collection of elongated pennies.

  “Mining gems, Princess?” He chuckles, running his finger over an embossed sailboat penny.

  I tap the pennies in my palm. “Zinc and a tiny fraction of copper represents a decent portion of our monetary system. One little tweak later, the composites can also be transformed into a magical sailboat like this one. A real sailboat if you have enough pennies. Did you know that eleven game theorists have won the economics Nobel Prize? The stock market is a big game composed of a billion little tweaks every second. That’s the real secret. Pretty sneaky, huh?”

  Mace chuckles. “All right, have your fun collecting your game theory coins. I don’t know how late I’ll be, but I’ll try to get back as early as I can. Keep your cell on you at all times.”

  “You’re heading out now?”

  “Can’t be late. Violet dropped your bag off and picked you up an egg white breakfast sandwich. You should be able to hold it down.” Mace passes me a takeout bag from the mini fridge. I pull the sandwich out of the bag and fiddle with the wrapper. “You good, Princess?”

  “Yeah.” I clear my raspy throat. “The crew are an amazing group of friends, Mace. Payton stepped up for me last night with Melody. Violet’s always so thoughtful. Jax with the tattoo, a billion other loyal acts the crew performs, and helping me out before…”

  “That’s what friends are supposed to do.” He sits back on the bed against the headboard, placing his arm around me. I snuggle into him while taking small, tentative bites of the sandwich. “These friendships are forever, Princess. You take that back to New York, knowing we’re always going to be here for you.” I nod, more reassuring myself than him. His crew has accepted me as their own, knowing I’m only here for a short time.

  “Thank you.” I smile up to him. He kisses me on the lips and quickly slips out of the room without telling me about the “business” he has to tend to here. I spend the day in bed, nursing my queasy stomach. After a relaxing shower, I hear rustling outside the stoop. I toss my lacy thong on the bed and yank Mace’s black Inked T-shirt on to welcome him back.

  My smile crashes when I swing the door open to Anton. He’s more debonair than I recall from last night, dressed in another Armani suit and his hair slicked back in a stylish way. I grasp the door handle, frozen in my spot with his unsettling appearance. He seizes the opportunity and steps inside the room. Even with the slight swelling of his nose, Anton looks like a chiseled model you’d find in the glossy pages of an upscale magazine, selling expensive cologne or fine scotch.

  I grind out, “Mace is not here.”

  “I know. I’m the one who put him to work. Don’t wait up, sweetheart. He’ll be out all evening. He’s good for business, making me a lot dough while he does his thing.” He smiles at me.

  Detecting a subtle Russian accent, my skin pricks like a porcupine. I brace to defend myself. Pulling the door tight to my T-shirt covered body, I jerk my head towards the large bodyguard who stops in the doorframe. His broad body almost takes up the entire space. The bodyguard remains stiff while pinning his icy blue eyes to me. He clasps his hands in front of his torso and becomes a concrete wall of muscle. Blocking any hope of escaping.

  I turn my attention back to the invader slowly circling the room behind me. “And what business do you conduct, Anton? I’ve never heard of you before.�
�� I gaze down my nose at him, putting him in his arrogant place.

  He runs his hand over his silver tie and chuckles. “Are you telling me you don’t know? I knew the Asters liked to get their hands dirty, but this is … unexpected.” He eyes the shabby room, my wet hair, my long bare legs, and my thong on the bed.

  I give Anton an incredulous look. “Excuse me?”

  He levels his gray eyes at me. “You didn’t think I’d find out who you are?” I hold my breath while he chuckles under his. “An Aster doesn’t set foot in my territory without me knowing.”

  “Your territory?”

  “Yes. I own Northport. Haven. Bell Peninsula. Frankly, all of North Carolina.” He glances back to his massive bodyguard. “Audrey, darling, this is my enforcer, Nikolai.”

  I slide my eyes over to his formidable bodyguard dressed just as finely as Anton. Nikolai’s glacial blue eyes are arresting. His closely buzzed light brown hair makes him look even more intimidating. I find myself trapped under his icy cold and determined stare. Nikolai looks at least a few years younger than Anton, but not by much. Hard lines paint his stern features. A Russian accent, common Russian names, and an enforcer. What kind of trouble is Mace in now that the mob is seeking me out? I refrain from cinching my eyes as I daze across the room. “You’re part of a mob franchise.”