Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons)

by Nicole Jacquelyn

  “He won’t bother you anymore,” he said, leaning his cheek against the top of my head. “He thinks you’re with me now, and I outweigh him by at least forty pounds. He might be an asshole, but he doesn’t have a death wish.”

  “All he has to do is say something at the club and he’ll know we’re not together.”

  Mack laughed. “You really think he has the balls to say your name at the club? He might be stupid enough to show up there, but he sure as hell won’t give your brothers any more reason to kick his ass.”

  “True,” I mumbled.

  “Let me know if he bothers you again,” he said, rubbing my back. “I’ll take care of it.”

  I huffed and pulled away. “I’m not answering the door if he shows up again.”

  “Plenty of places to run into him,” Mack replied.

  “I’ll handle it,” I said, looking up into his eyes. “I’m glad you showed up tonight.”

  “Me, too.”

  “But what are you doing here?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Kara’s spending the night at Will and Molly’s,” Mack replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Thought I’d see what you were up to.”

  “I was watching a movie.”

  “You want some company?”

  “No,” I replied. His face fell. “I mean, I don’t think I could sit through a movie now.”

  “Then let’s get out of here,” he said. “Go put some clothes on.”

  “Are you asking me to ride on the back of your bike?” I asked, fluttering my eyelashes.

  “Offer expires in three, two—”

  “I’m going!” I yelped, hurrying toward the stairs.

  “Getting’ chilly out,” he called. “Should probably layer up.”

  “This ain’t my first rodeo,” I called back, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

  I’d never been the little girl who asked to go for rides on her daddy’s motorcycle. I’d been too busy competing with my brothers and begging for my own. But there was something to be said about flying down the highway on the back of a man’s bike, no responsibilities or worry beyond holding on tight. The summer air and the sound of the road relaxed me in a way nothing else could have.

  By the time we came to a stop, all of my worry and anxiety was gone.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked, climbing off the bike.

  Mack shrugged. “Nice spot for a break.” He motioned to the left. “Bathroom if you need it.”

  I glanced through the darkness and scoffed. “If I wanted to pee in the woods, I’d go a hundred feet off my back deck.”

  “Always bustin’ my balls,” he said with a smile.

  “And you like it,” I shot back, pulling my helmet off.

  “Go for a walk?” he asked, putting his hand out, palm up.

  “Sure.” I laced my fingers with his and let him lead me off the pavement onto a little trail that wound through the trees.

  “I love the quiet,” I said with a sigh.

  “Love it, but have to fill it, huh?” he teased.

  I elbowed him in the side, making him laugh.

  As we ventured further into the woods, I held his hand a little tighter. It was so dark that, even with the full moon, I could barely see where I was walking. Eventually, though, the sky lightened and we reached a clearing with a lone bench facing in the opposite direction.

  “This place is nice during the day,” Mack said as he led me to the bench. “Used to take Kara here to run her energy out.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I replied, sitting down with one of my legs pulled up so I could face him.

  “She had a lot of energy, and I was never real good at playing.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” I replied. “I’ve seen you with her.”

  “Well, yeah, now,” he said with a laugh. “I figured it out. But these days, she doesn’t really play.”

  “I remember when she was little,” I argued. “I used to see you chasing her around and stuff. You played with her.”

  “You were little,” he said with a laugh.

  “Oh, good grief,” I replied, seeing where the conversation was going. “I’m not that much younger than you, and I’m a fully-grown adult.”

  “Fully grown, huh?” he said, his lips twitching.

  “Let’s not play that game,” I said seriously. “You know I’m old enough, or I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “Against my better judgment,” he said ruefully, pissing me off.

  “Then take me home,” I snapped, getting to my feet.

  “Hey.” He grabbed my wrist before I could storm off into the darkness.

  “I didn’t ask you to stop by my house,” I ground out. “And I’m not interested in screwing around with someone who doesn’t even know if they want to be doing it.”

  In less than a second, my wrist was free and his hands were wrapped around the backs of my thighs, half tugging and half lifting me until I’d straddled his lap.

  “Are we screwin’ around?” he asked, jerking me toward him until we were notched together like a couple of puzzle pieces.

  “You tell me,” I whispered, our noses almost touching.

  “Not sure you’re a woman I can screw around with,” he said softly, his eyes searching mine. “Not without gettin’ all tangled up.”

  “Would that be so bad?” I whispered back.

  “Fuckin’ worth it,” Mack muttered.

  Then his lips were on mine and my mind went blank beyond the taste and feel of him. Touching Mack, feeling his beard against my cheeks and his fingers digging into the cheeks of my ass was a high I knew instinctively I’d never grow tired of.

  “That’s it,” he encouraged, his hands sliding under my sweatshirt as I started grinding my hips against his. The long ridge of his erection pressed perfectly against my clit, and I whimpered as he started directing my movements, his hips countering mine.

  Wrapping my fingers around the back of his skull, I pulled his mouth back to mine and pressed my tongue inside. I wanted to get closer. We were covered from neck to toes, dry humping like a couple of teenagers, and I couldn’t get enough.

  My breath caught and we both groaned as his hands slid up and cupped my breasts over my bra.

  “Off,” he ordered, dropping his face against my collarbone. “Let me see you.”

  Grabbing my sweatshirt and tee by the neck, I pulled them over my head and off my arms, dropping them on the ground behind me.

  “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he said, staring. His thumbs ran lightly over the lace of my bra and I shuddered. Without conscious thought, I reached behind me and unclasped my bra, making it sag between us.

  As Mack pulled the lace away from my skin, I let my head drop back, watching the stars as I heard him let out a heavy breath. I wasn’t prepared for the moment his tongue swept over my nipple, and I jerked in response, making him chuckle. Then his lips wrapped around it and he sucked hard. From that point on, laughter was the last thing on either of our minds.

  I tore at his cut and the thermal beneath it, determined to reach any skin I could as I felt him pulling at the laces of my high tops. My shoes hit the ground and his hands went into the air, giving me the opportunity to pull his shirt over his head. I got almost dizzy the moment our bare chests touched.

  “Damn,” he said huskily, his hands sweeping down my spine and into the back of my jeans.

  “Please tell me you have a condom,” I replied, licking along the tendon on the side of his neck. Jesus, he even tasted good there. I bit the top of his shoulder, leaving marks, and his fingers tightened against the skin of my ass.

  “Yeah?” he said, his hand sliding out of my jeans so he could use my hair to pull my head away and make eye contact.

  “Did you think this was headed anywhere else?” I asked.

  “I’ve learned not to assume,” he said roughly.

  Then we were up and I was wrapping my legs around his waist as he stepped forward onto the grass. Keeping one arm firml
y around my back, he knelt and laid his thermal on the ground, then lowered me onto it.

  Our hands collided as we went for each other’s pants. I didn’t complain when his fingers wrapped around mine and firmly pressed them to the cool grass beneath me.

  “I’ll let you explore later, baby,” he said as he unbuttoned my jeans. “But I’m on a hair trigger, here.”

  “You have five minutes,” I joked, my breath catching as he pulled my jeans down my hips, his knuckles dragging along my skin.

  “I’m gonna need more time than that,” he murmured when he realized I wasn’t wearing underwear. His gaze never wavered from between my thighs as he dragged the pants off my legs. His hands were on me in the next moment, and I shuddered as the cool night air hit humid flesh.

  I kept my hands at my sides, my fingers tangled in the grass, for as long as I could as he stroked and circled, pinched, and finally slid one finger inside me. Then, as he leaned over me and pressed his open mouth to the underside of my breast, I lost all willpower. My hands found his belt buckle as my hips began to roll. I lost his touch as he grabbed a condom from his wallet, but it didn’t matter, because at the same time, my hand found his cock, and I wrapped my fingers around him.

  In a million years, I’d never forget the first time he slid inside me. The stretching sensation, the unique smell that only came from condoms, the way his hand tangled in my hair as he groaned into my mouth, the scratch of his jeans against my inner thighs and the feel of his chest hair against my nipples. It was nirvana. A revelation. I wasn’t sure what I’d been doing wrong before, but sex with Mack was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I was solely there, in the moment with him, all thoughts focused on where our bodies met and the sound and taste of him.

  I came first, unable to stop the loud whimper that escaped my lips. My orgasm was both startling in its intensity and felt like a natural progression of every brush of skin that had led to that moment. Of course I’d come so hard that my scalp tingled. How could I have expected anything less?

  My hands were everywhere as Mack continued to thrust, his movements growing jerky. I ran them over his muscular arms and down his back until I could dig my nails into his ass, making him groan. When his mouth dropped to my shoulder and begun to suck hard at the skin there as he came, my entire body tightened, instinctively trying to hold him inside me.

  “Jesus,” he breathed when he finally stop gliding in and out.

  “Yeah,” I replied, staring into the night. Once again, my mouth seemed to have disconnected from my brain. How could I adequately express what I was thinking without looking like some sort of nutcase? I couldn’t. Sex with Mack had been so much better than anything else I’d ever had, that it was almost embarrassing.

  “You good?” he asked, pushing himself up on his arms to look at me. He peeled some sweaty hair away from my neck and cupped my cheek in his hand.

  “I can’t feel my legs,” I muttered jokingly, making him chuckle.

  “No shit,” he said, his smile so fucking gorgeous that I could’ve cried. “I was afraid I was gonna pass out and squish you.”

  “I would’ve rolled you off of me and climbed on top,” I replied, smiling back.

  “You ever wanna wake me up like that, you go on ahead, sweetheart,” he said with a hum.

  I shivered and Mack cursed quietly. “Sorry, baby, you must be freezing.”

  “Well, now I am,” I complained as he leaned up on his knees and I lost his body heat. “Geez, when did it cool off so much?”

  He stood, pulling his jeans up in almost the same movement, and quickly gathered my clothes as I got to my feet. When he turned to face me, clothes in hand, he froze.

  “Goddamn,” he rasped, his gaze working its way up my body. “It’s a damn shame you have to cover any of this up.” He handed me my bra and shirts, then reached out to pinch my nipple, making me sway toward him.

  “Fuck,” he groaned, leaning down to suck my nipple into his mouth.

  “Again?” I asked, dropping my clothes on the ground.

  “Again,” he confirmed.

  I got to be on top that time.

  Chapter 6

  Mack

  I was pulling my boots on when Rose rolled toward me, reaching out across the bed. When she didn’t find me lying beside her, she opened her eyes and gave me a sleepy smile.

  “Leaving already?” she asked, curling her arm back under her pillow.

  “Gotta pick Kara up at Will’s,” I replied, reaching out to touch her bare shoulder.

  After a couple of rounds at the park, I’d brought Rose back to her place, and we’d spent most of the night playing with each other’s bodies until we passed out. I couldn’t remember how many times she’d come, but I’d been completely wrung out with number four. Of course, that hadn’t stopped her. I grinned.

  “You’re looking very smug,” she said with a laugh, nudging me with her toes.

  “I had a good night,” I replied, catching her foot.

  “Me, too.”

  We sat there looking at each other, neither of us sure what to say. It was easy in the dark, when the day was winding down and possibilities seemed endless and the night stretched out in front of us. Shit got more difficult when sunlight and reality came into play.

  “I’d like—”

  “We should—”

  Rose laughed. “You first,” she said.

  “I’d like to see you again.”

  “Yeah?” she said softly, her voice almost surprised.

  “Yeah.” I leaned down and pressed my lips to her shoulder.

  “I thought you had to leave,” she said huskily as she rolled to her back, the sheet falling down to her waist.

  “I do,” I murmured, reaching out to run my finger over her nipple. I shook my head to clear it. “See? Tangled up already.”

  She grinned.

  “I’ll—”

  “Don’t say you’ll call me,” she ordered. “It’s cliché, and I don’t want to wonder when you’ll do it. Just say goodbye.”

  “Goodbye,” I replied, kissing her softly.

  I got up reluctantly and left her all naked and drowsy on the bed, kicking myself for telling Kara I’d pick her up early from her sleepover.

  On the ride to Will’s, I couldn’t get his little sister out of my head. It had been years since I’d had that much fun with someone. It was easy—and shit didn’t come easy to me, ever.

  I’d been single since Mia died. It wasn’t like I was opposed to finding someone, exactly, but I’d just never found someone I wanted to stick around for. I had enough responsibility on my plate, and adding another person to the mix sounded goddamn exhausting. Plus, I had Kara to think about. I wasn’t going to bring another person into our life if I thought they’d leave. My kid had lost enough already.

  As I pulled into the driveway at Will’s and shut off my bike, I called myself every kind of idiot. Because even though I’d gone over every reason why I shouldn’t make things with Rose bigger than they were, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was in too far with her already. No excuse, rational or otherwise, was going to stop me from taking it further. In short, I was fucked.

  Molly answered when I knocked on the door and waved me inside.

  “Hey, Mack,” she said sweetly. “The girls are just finishing breakfast.”

  She led the way into the kitchen and moved toward the counter where Will was standing, wearing a pair of reindeer printed pajama bottoms. I couldn’t hold back my snicker.

  “They’re comfortable as fuck,” he said, pointing at me. “Don’t say a word.”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” I replied with a laugh, walking over to Kara so I could give her a kiss on the head.

  “Hey, Dad,” she said, tilting her head back to look at me upside down. “I’m almost done.”

  “No worries,” I told her with a smile.

  “Mack, you want some coffee?” Molly asked.

  What I’d really like was a shot of whiskey,
but I nodded as I walked toward the adults. “That’d be great, thanks.”

  “Thanks for letting Kara sleep over,” Molly said as she handed me a mug. “Reb loves having the girls stay the night.”

  “She behave?” I asked.

  “They were perfect angels,” Molly replied, making Will choke on his coffee.

  “If by perfect angels, you mean they kept us up until one in the morning with shitty karaoke, then yeah. Fit ’em for some wings and halos.”

  I smiled as Molly rolled her eyes at Will.

  “They had fun,” Molly said firmly. “And Kara’s always a sweetheart.”

  “Good,” I replied. My girl was a good kid, but I’d had groups of pre-teen girls at my house before, and I’d seen the way mob mentality made them rabid. They were loud and obnoxious and sometimes mean as hell. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that way with Kara, Charlie and Rebel, though. Putting three sweet, easygoing girls together didn’t usually have the same affect.

  “I’m done!” Kara said, jumping up from her spot at the table.

  “Clear your plate,” I ordered as she started to walk away.

  “It’s okay,” Molly started to say before her mouth snapped shut.

  “I’m guessin’ she didn’t cook breakfast,” I said, turning to look at her. “But even if she had, she could at least bring her plate to the sink. You ain’t her maid.”

  “Point taken,” Molly said ruefully, smiling at Kara as she rinsed her plate. “Thanks, K.”

  “Welcome,” my daughter sang as she skipped away.

  The other two girls brought their plates to the sink and rinsed them, making my lips twitch, because I was pretty sure they were only doing it for my benefit. Then they followed Kara out of the room. Once it was just the adults, Will turned to me.

  “What you got goin’ on this week?” he asked easily.

  “Rebuilding that old Chevelle,” I replied, nodding when he whistled in appreciation.

  “You ridin’ out at all?”

  Molly walked away as the conversation turned. She probably knew more than she’d ever let on, but she made a deliberate choice to keep her nose out of club business. She didn’t want to know anything.

  Most of the old ladies didn’t know much about the shadier side of the business, but all of them knew a little. It was hard to keep so many secrets, even if they never knew specifics. Molly was different, though. She didn’t want to know anything, and Will made sure that her wishes were followed.