by Caitlyn Dare
Soft laughter spills out of me. “Well, it’s a good thing that’s one promise I don’t mind you breaking.”
Mom has pulled out all the stops. There’s pizza and mozzarella sticks, salad and tater tots. I’m not sure who she thinks she’s feeding, but she gets an A for effort.
“This looks great, Ms. Tanner, thank you.” Ace wastes no time digging in, and I chuckle.
“Hungry?”
His eyes flash to mine and he grins. “Always.”
“You know, it’s nice to cook for more people than just me and Remi. Perhaps, when things calm down, you can all come and I’ll make a big pot roast.”
“That would be great.”
Mom shoots me a reassuring smile, but I can’t quite figure out if she’s doing all this for my benefit or Ace’s.
I know Cole’s outburst yesterday worried her. It was the first thing she’d asked me about this morning.
“How is Cole?” she asks.
“He’ll be okay.” Ace manages a half-smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry you had to see that yesterday.”
“I’ll be honest Ace, now I know the truth, I think James handled it all wrong. He should have sat you down when you first got here and told you.”
“Yeah, well... I didn’t exactly make it easy for him.”
“James loves you all very much. I know he hasn’t always shown it, but I think if you sat down and talked to him, then you’d understand things from his point of view a little more.”
“Mom,” I snap and guilt fills her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Ace—”
“It’s fine,” he says, surprising me. “You’re only telling me what I already know. Everything is so fuc—screwed up. Sorry about that.”
“Please, you’re not the first teenager I’ve heard cuss, and I’m sure you won’t be the last. Remi tells me you have a job with Ellen’s brother?”
“That’s right.” He nods. “It isn’t going to make me a ton of money, but it’s honest work. And who knows, maybe he’ll teach me a few things and I can work my way up.”
Pride swells in my chest. Part of me knows Ace took the job to prove to me—and everyone else—that he’s worth something. But I see the hunger in his eyes. He wants this too. He wants to turn his life around, and that is worth so much more than he’ll ever know.
“Well you should be very proud of yourself, Ace.” Mom takes a large gulp of her wine and sits back in her chair. “You know, I feel like I owe you an apology. I was quick to judge you, and that was wrong. Everyone deserves a chance.”
Ace looks stunned. I slide my hand up his thigh and find his own.
“I don’t even know what to say to that.” His confession hangs in the air.
“You don’t need to say anything. Just promise to always treat my daughter with the respect and care she deserves, and I don’t think we’ll have any problems. Oh, and birth control. For the love of God, please always use birth control. I’m not ready to be a grandma.”
“Mom!” My cheeks burn, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
“There is nothing wrong with taking about sex, Remi. You’re both adults.”
“Jesus,” I murmur, sinking further into my seat. I can barely look at Ace, but then his big hand finds my knee and squeezes.
“I can totally do that, Ms. Tanner.”
I peek over at him and he sits a little taller, a faint smile tracing his lips.
“There’s another thing you can do for me.”
I brace myself for whatever else is about to come out of her mouth.
“Anything.” Ace seems completely at ease. I don’t know whether to be unnerved or swoon.
“Please call me Sarah,” Mom beams. “Ms. Tanner makes me feel so old.”
Relief washes over me as we continue our meal. The three of us share good food and laughter as Mom tells us about James' latest projects, and we spend time telling her about our weekend at the beach house. Although we leave out all the parts she doesn’t need to know about.
“I think that went well.” Ace presses his front up against me as I’m washing the dishes. We insisted Mom go relax and leave the clean-up to us.
“You won her over in the end.”
“I did, didn’t I?” He slides a hand to my throat, tilting my face to his. “Now do I get to take you upstairs and break that promise?”
My lips curve as Ace kisses me. Not that kissing ever does justice to the way his mouth brands mine.
Ace doesn’t just kiss me—he says a thousand things with every slide of his tongue against mine, every brush of his lips.
“On a scale of one to ten, how dead would I be if your mom found me eating you out right here on the counter?”
“Ace!” My stomach clenches as desire pulses deep inside me.
“You might have to hold that thought.”
His smile falls. “The fuck?”
“I think she’s hoping we’ll hang out with her and watch a movie.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Sorry.” I dry my hands and duck around him.
Ace lets out a string of cuss words before advancing on me. “It’s a good thing I’m in no rush for my balls back.”
“Come on, lover boy. The sooner we watch the film, the sooner we can sneak upstairs and fool around.”
We didn’t end up going upstairs. After humoring my mom and watching a film, Ace got a call from Conner that he was needed back at the house.
“I’m sure everything is okay,” Mom says as I check my cell phone for the fifth time in less than an hour since Ace left.
“I hope so. I get the feeling Ace is trying to protect me from just how bad things are with Cole.”
“I know you want to help, sweetheart, but this is something the four of them need to figure out in their own time.”
“I know, Mom.” I offer her a smile. “Thank you for tonight. It means a lot to me.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” She wraps me into her arms. “I only want to see you happy, and if Ace is the boy for you then you have my blessing. Just never feel like you can’t come to me with anything.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I didn’t know how much I needed to hear that until now. “What will we tell Dad?”
She pulls away and shrugs. “Your father made his bed. He can rot in it, for all I care.”
My eyes bug, and she chuckles, but it’s strained and full of sadness. “I have spent far too long worrying about what your father thinks and far too long not paying attention to what is going on in your life. That all stops now, I promise.”
“I like this you,” I say, and Mom hugs me again.
“Come on, it's late. We should probably hit the hay.”
“Okay, you had me until ‘the hay,’ Mom. Never say that again.”
“What?” She gawks at me. “I could do country. You go on up, and I’ll lock up.”
“Goodnight.”
“Night, sweetheart.”
I leave Mom downstairs and head for my room. Moonlight pours in through the windows, and I don’t bother to hit the light switch. After mom’s ex disappeared, it took me a long while to feel safe in my bedroom, and I smile to myself, realizing how far I’ve come. I no longer flinch at every creak, or sleep with the lamp on.
It feels good to finally feel in control of my life. Of the choices I make and steps I take.
I change into my pajamas and slip under the covers, staring out at the vastness of the sea beyond my window.
It doesn’t take long for the pull of sleep to creep up and my eyes grow heavy. And as I give into the darkness, I swear the last thing I see is Ace standing outside my bedroom window.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ace
Conner: I need you at Hayden’s now.
The dread that was already sitting in the pit of my stomach from first reading his message inside Remi’s house doesn't lessen any as I scan it again and plug Hayden’s address into my GPS.
I have no idea what I’m about to walk into,
but my money is on it involving Cole.
And I’m proved right when I storm through the house in the direction of the girls’ screams. Entering the kitchen, I find Hayden pinned up against his own kitchen wall by none other than my brother.
“Is it not enough you take my position on the team, you want my fucking girl too?” Hayden snarls, only feeding my brother’s fury.
By the looks of Hayden’s nose, it seems Cole has already had a pop.
“Cole, let him go.”
He turns his cold, drugged out eyes on me. “This doesn’t concern you, brother.” His voice is emotionless. Dead. A shudder runs down my spine.
I need to get him away from Hayden—and fucking fast, before he does something I can’t save him from.
He turns his stare back to Hayden, who mostly seems oblivious to the serious threat in front of him. “She’s not yours. She said no, motherfucker.”
Cole slams his head into Hayden’s nose. Blood sprays both of them but thankfully, in Cole’s daze, I’m able to pull him from Hayden and throw him into the corner of the kitchen.
I stand over him, waiting for him to come back to himself as Conner comes to stand beside me.
“He’s on something.”
“I can fucking see that. His eyes are blown.”
“I tried to stop him.” Conner sounds pissed. “Told him that he’d lose his place on the team, his future, but he wouldn’t fucking listen.”
“Just get him the fuck out of here,” I bark at him.
“You’re not coming?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there. I just need to deal with something.”
Conner rolls his eyes at me but leans down to pull Cole from the floor. He tries to fight, but Conner gets the better of him as he drags him from the floor and toward the front door.
“You good?” I ask Hayden who now has a swarm of girls around him, trying to tend to him.
“Yeah, man. I’ve been worse.”
I roll my eyes, leaving him to be molested by horny girls. Stalking from the room, I go in search of another member of the team. It’s time Bexley and I had a little chat, especially now I need him on my side to keep my brother on the fucking team. One word to Coach from their captain about whatever Cole has taken tonight, and I’ve no doubt he’ll be benched.
I don’t find the motherfucker anywhere, however someone else who’s on my hit list finds me.
“Hey, baby. I’m so glad you came. This party is dull as fuck without you.” Michaela’s arms run up my back, and I tense before I can cover it.
Turning, I find myself trapped in her arms. Exactly where I don’t want to be, but exactly where I need to be.
There are a few other kids from school in the room, so I continue forward until we’re alone. Much to her delight.
“Is that right? None of these guys do it for you?”
“Sterling Prep guys?” She balks. “Hell, no. They’re all flashy, rich douchebags who have no idea how to handle a real woman.”
I want to laugh at the seriousness in her tone. I glance over her overly highlighted hair, her fake lashes, dark liner and filled lips. She’s a senior, for fuck’s sake; she doesn’t need lip filler. My gaze drops to her breasts that are popping out of her cheer top. I assume they’re real. Surely her parents have more sense than to have allowed her to have had them done already?
“And you think I can?”
“I know you can, Ace. I also know that your skills are wasted on the likes of Remi. You not bored of her yet?” The words go against everything I feel, everything I want to say, but I need to ruin this bitch once and for all.
I lean in so I’m whispering in her ear. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s a frigid bitch who probably fucks like a dead fish. I, on the other hand, am pure class.”
I bite down on my bottom lip as if I’m tempted by her offer. I take a step toward her, closing the space between us. Having her body pressed up against me does nothing for me, but the little gasp that escapes her lips clearly tells me that she’s not having the same issue.
Finding the bare skin of her thigh, I run my hand upward. Her eyes widen at my move and her lips part when it disappears under her skirt to cup her ass cheek. I squeeze hard and she lets out a little squeal of delight.
“Oh Ace, we’re going to have so much fun.”
I run my nose up the line of her jaw until my lips brush her ear. “Do you like it rough, Michaela?”
She shudders in my hold. “As rough as you got, baby.”
A wicked smile curls at my lips. “And the team can’t deliver?”
“Can they fuck? They’re a bunch of pussies who think they’re God’s gift to women.”
“So how come you hang around with them?”
“Because it gets me what I want.”
“I thought you wanted me?” I ask, pulling back to look at her.
“Of course. But there are other things.”
“Like?”
“Spend some more time with me and I might tell you.”
She lifts one of her blue painted talons and runs it over my bottom lip. I suck it into my mouth and watch as her pupils dilate.
Putty in my fucking hands.
“We’ll set a date. I think I’m ready for a taste of what you’ve got to offer.”
Her lips curve into an arrogant smile. “What about Remi?”
My fists curl, my nails digging into my palms, but I can’t back out now. “What about her?”
Delight and achievement ooze from her. “Exactly, what about her? She’s nothing, Ace. A girl like Remi isn’t worth your time. I, however, can make you feel so fucking good.” She wraps her hand around the back of my neck as if she’s going to kiss me, and I stand taller.
“Have you seen Bexley?”
“Um… no, he disappeared a while ago actually. But why do you need him when you have me?”
“Just a little business to take care of.” I unwrap her arms from my neck. “I’ll be in touch. Be ready.”
“I’m ready, Ace. Ready and waiting.” She winks and sucks her bottom lip into her mouth. If it’s possible, the move turns me off even more.
It’s not until I’m back in my pool house, Cole passed out in bed in the main house, when it really dawns on me what a dangerous game I’m playing with Michaela. But I don’t know how else to hit her where it hurts without actually hitting her.
Grabbing my cell from the side, I shoot Remi a message.
Ace: I’ve got a plan for M. But you have to trust me. NO MATTER WHAT.
I don’t get a reply. I’m not really expecting one this late, so I scroll through social media for a bit before I attempt to get some sleep myself.
My bed feels cold and empty, and I hate it. I’m tempted to get on my bike and go to Remi so I can fall asleep wrapped around her, but I don’t.
Not this time.
After spending longer than necessary convincing Cole that he was not to turn up to school today seeing as he still had something pumping around his system, Conner and I head out.
I take him up on his offer of picking up Remi. If I want Michaela to believe that I’ve really got eyes for her, then I don’t need to turn up to school with my girlfriend wrapped around me like a snake.
Girlfriend. That word still feels weird. I’ve never made anything a permanent feature in my life before, but I can’t deny that knowing she’s stuck with me makes me feel all kinds of fucking awesome.
The second I’m at school, I make myself scarce. Although, I do manage to stumble across Michaela a lot. She thinks it’s fate. I know I’m playing her.
“Ace, everyone is going to start to think you’re stalking me,” she purrs when she just so happens to find me walking past the girls’ locker room after school.
“Not at all. It’s good to see you though. You still up for some fun?”
“Yes,” she answers eagerly, too eagerly.
“Later. Keep your cell close.”
“Oh, I will,” she purrs. “I can�
�t wait.”
“Me either.”
I make a show of checking her out as I back away. “Wear that. I’ve got a thing about cheerleaders.” I grab my junk over my pants as if the idea is arousing me. It’s really fucking not.
“Sure thing, baby. I might not wear anything underneath.” She lifts the hem of her skirt to show me more skin. It’s really not necessary; I already see way too much on a daily basis.
Smiling, I slip around the corner, ready to find my bike and get to work.
My cell’s been going off all day, and I know it’s Remi and that she’s freaking out. Pulling it from my pocket, I find message after message from her.
Remi: Of course I trust you, but I’d rather know what you’re doing.
Remi: Ace, stop avoiding me.
Remi: This isn’t funny. Stop avoiding me.
Remi: I’m going to start removing sexual favors if you don’t fucking reply.
Remi: Ace. This isn’t a fucking joke. REPLY!!
The stream goes on and on.
Ace: I’m sorry, baby. Everything is fine. Busy day. I’m just heading to work. Can I see you later?
Remi: No. I’m mad at you.
Ace: I love you too. Leave your window open.
As I walk toward the pool house after work, the last thing I want to do is put my plan into action, but I’ve set the wheels in motion now. I need to see it through. If it turns out the way I hope, then it will be so worth it. Just the look on her face will be everything, and the exact justice Remi deserves for all the bullshit she’s had to endure because of her bitch of a stepsister over the years.
It shocks the hell out of me that once upon a time they were best friends. Remi might look hot as fuck in a cheer uniform, but I can’t imagine her following Michaela around like a lost little puppy like the rest of the squad do. She’s just not got it in her.
