“Well, I do. You need someone to stitch it up so the scar ain’t bad.”
“It’s my face!”
“And I gotta look at it,” I replied as I walked out of her room.
It didn’t take me long to throw on some clothes, and I was putting my boots on as Rose walked back into my room.
“Sorry for the way tonight ended,” I said ruefully. “Duty calls.”
“Oh, quiet,” she said, waving her hand like she was brushing me off. “I had a good time. I just wish Kara hadn’t hurt herself.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
“I helped her put some sweats and a zip-up hoodie on over her pajamas,” Rose said as I stuffed my wallet and keys in my pockets. “So she’s all ready to go.”
“Thanks, baby,” I replied, pausing so I could kiss her.
“You better wash your hands,” she said, pulling my fingers away from her cheek so she could kiss my palm. “You smell like you, me, and a faint whiff of condom.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Do you need me to drive you guys?” Rose asked as she followed me to kitchen. “She can’t ride on the back of your bike like that.”
“Nah, I’ll take the Mustang.”
“You have a Mustang?” she asked, grinning.
“1964, fully restored, flat black,” I said, glancing at her as I washed my hands. “I told you I like making the old ladies purr.”
“We’re so getting down in the backseat of your car,” she whispered as Kara came down the hallway.
“Sounds good,” I replied.
“Okay, this is really starting to hurt,” Kara complained.
“You ready, princess?”
“Yeah.”
I herded the women toward the front door, turning off lights as we went.
“Send me a picture of your stitches,” Rose told Kara as we walked outside. “I have a gnarly pic of the stitches I got when I was little and we can compare.”
“I’m gonna say I was doing something cool,” Kara replied. “Like jumping off the roof.”
“Why, so you can look like an idiot?” I mumbled, locking the front door. Rose snickered.
“I tripped over my brother’s shoes,” Rose said out the side of her mouth. “And hit my head on the coffee table.”
“Dang,” Kara muttered.
“But I told everyone that I got in a fight.”
“No way,” my daughter said, her eyes wide.
“No one believed me,” Rose said with a shrug. “They won’t believe you, either.”
“Why not?” Kara asked.
“Because they know your dad would kick your ass if you did something like that,” Rose said easily. “I’ll see you guys later.”
I waved as Kara called out her goodbye.
Rose drove away as I opened the garage door and ushered Kara toward the Mustang.
“So,” she said. “You and Rose?”
“Me and Rose,” I confirmed, opening her door.
“I like it.”
I chuckled as I closed her in and rounded the hood.
“She’s fun,” Kara said as I climbed in the car. “And she’s really cool.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“She doesn’t care what anyone thinks,” she said, watching me as I maneuvered us out of the garage. “You know? She just does her own thing, and that makes her even cooler.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
“I can’t believe she’s with you,” Kara said, her surprise a shot right to the gut.
“Hey,” I complained. “I’m cool.”
“You’re like the least cool person I know,” Kara murmured, closing her eyes as she relaxed into the seat.
I wanted to argue, but what could I say? Of course I was the least cool person Kara knew—I was her dad. I didn’t let her do all the fun shit she wanted, and I made her go to bed on time. I glanced at her and smiled.
I was pretty sure that Rose and I were equally matched.
Chapter 7
Rose
“I am the champion!” Kara crowed, doing a little dance in her seat.
“I should have never taught you how to play,” I replied, gathering the cards from the table.
“Sore loser,” she said with a grin.
“Poor winner,” I shot back, sticking my tongue out.
“You have a concussion,” Mack called as he came into the room, wiping his hands on a rag. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I am,” Kara argued. “We’re just playing a game.”
“And I can see by the look on your face that you feel like shit,” he said, shaking his head. “Go in and lay down for a while, yeah?”
“Fine,” Kara grumbled. “See you later, Rose.”
We watched her walk through the main room and disappear through the archway that led to the guys’ rooms. “I’m sorry. I just thought I’d keep her company for a while.”
“Nothin’ to be sorry for,” he said in surprise. “She woulda been bored outta her mind without you here. Clubhouse is pretty quiet during the week.”
“I didn’t even notice that her head was bothering her.”
“You haven’t been lookin’ at her face every day for the last twelve years,” he said easily. “She’s alright. The rest’ll probably help, though.”
“Yeah. I better head home, anyway,” I said, grabbing the card game as I stood. “Will you give this to Kara? Maybe she can find someone else to beat later.”
“Sure,” he replied.
It had been two days since the last time we’d touched, but neither of us made an attempt to change that. I hadn’t exactly been spreading the news that we were, what, dating? I guessed that was as good of a label as anything. No one knew we were dating, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to broadcast it yet.
The club was really tight knit, and the men gossiped almost as much as the women. I was kind of enjoying flying under the radar for once.
“You wanna come over for dinner tonight?” he asked as he walked me outside. “I’m grilling.”
“You’re always grilling,” I teased.
“Gotta take advantage of the nice weather while we have it,” he replied. “Plus, it’s the only way I can make somethin’ decent.”
“I’m a good cook,” I boasted as we reached my Jeep. “Like, seriously good.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yep.” I nodded. “I have no idea how it happened. My mom says it’s in my genes. My great gram was crazy good, too.”
“I look forward to getting a taste,” he said, his lips curving up at the edges.
My skin warmed. “Everything you say sounds dirty.”
“That time I was tryin’,” he said with a laugh as he stepped backward. “Stop by around six.”
“I’ll be there.”
As I drove away, I let out a huge breath. Jesus, I’d nearly jumped him standing out in front of the garage where anyone could see us. I had no idea how we’d keep our relationship to ourselves. I had a feeling that anyone that saw us together would notice the chemistry between us in less than two seconds. It was impossible to ignore.
On that thought, I pulled out my phone and called Lily.
“Thank you,” she answered with a sigh. “I needed to take a break.”
“You work too hard.”
“Yeah, yeah, tell that to my clients. Whatcha doin’?”
“I’m headed to your house,” I replied.
“Then it looks like I’m on lunch,” she said happily.
“Don’t forget to clock out,” I teased.
“See you soon,” she said before hanging up on me.
It only took a few minutes to get to Lily and Leo’s house. Just like the rest of the kids, they hadn’t strayed too far from their parents. Only Lily’s older sister Cecilia had cut the apron strings and moved all the way to California. Some of us had wandered a bit, but we’d eventually found our way back to the ten-mile radius surrounding the clubhouse.
“I’m here,” I yelled, letting myself in.
<
br /> “Kitchen,” Lily yelled back.
“Woman, you better be making me lunch,” I announced as I made my way through the house.
“You’re lucky I’m hungry,” she joked as I reached her.
“Ooh, ramen. Lunch of champions.”
“It’s easy and fast,” she shot back. “Cut up some green onions and we’ll make it fancy.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” I replied as I opened the fridge.
“I’m glad you came to visit,” she said, looking at me over her shoulder. “But you usually leave me alone when I’m working. What’s up?”
“Well,” I said, pulling out a cutting board. “Me and Mack have been fucking like rabbits, and I figured you’d want to know before the whole club was talking about it.”
Lily’s jaw dropped as she stared at me. “No fucking way.”
“Way.” I nodded. “Wait, aren’t we missing a certain three-foot tall gentleman?”
“Gray’s at my mom’s. Now, spill.”
“He showed up at my house, we went for a ride. Then went for a ride.”
Lily chuckled.
“He stayed the night at my place,” I said with a grin. “And then the next night, he asked me to stop by after work and we broke in his bed.”
“Holy crap.”
“Seriously,” I murmured.
“Is this just banging, or is it a relationship?” she asked, grabbing some bowls out of the cupboard.
“A relationship, I think,” I said, tossing some onion on top of our bowls of ramen. “I mean, Kara fell and busted her head while I was at his place, so she knew I was there. He didn’t ask me to hide or jump out the window or anything.”
“Well, that’s good,” Lily said as we started eating. “Because that would’ve been a dick move.”
“He says he’s all tangled up in me,” I told her quietly, unable to hide my smile.
“Oh, nice,” she breathed. “I like this. I like Mack. He’s a good guy.”
“He is a good guy,” I agreed. “But I’m just taking each day as it comes, you know? I always fall head first and then when the dude leaves, I feel like shit.”
“I think that’s good,” Lily replied. “Have some fun. See how you guys mesh before things start getting messy.”
“Exactly.”
“But he is all tangled up in you,” she said, happily. “So don’t play too hard to get.”
“I think that ship has sailed,” I joked. “I’m pretty sure he’s already gotten me…multiple times in multiple positions.”
“Yes,” Lily yelled, raising her fork in salute.
* * *
That night, I packed a small overnight bag just in case, mixed up a batch of macaroni salad, and headed over to Mack and Kara’s for dinner. Mack hadn’t told me to bring the clothes or the food, but I’d been raised to never go to dinner empty handed. Different levels of association meant different offerings. If I didn’t know a person well, wine was always a winner. If I was headed to a friend’s house, I brought a side dish that went well with the main dish. And if it was family, I didn’t bring anything unless they asked me to.
I left the overnight bag in the car and brought the salad with me as I strode up the front walkway.
“You’re here!” Kara said excitedly through the screen as I stepped onto the porch. I laughed as she did an awkward ballet pose with one leg extended out behind her.
“Don’t let your dad catch you doing that,” I said as I opened the screen door. “How’s your head feeling?”
“It’s fine,” she said with a sigh, wiggling it from side to side.
“It wont be for long if you keep doing that,” I warned, pointing at her.
Kara grinned. “Dad’s out back,” she said as she led me through the house. “I have to go take a shower.” She pirouetted and pranced down the hallway, leaving me at the entrance to the kitchen.
I took a minute to look around. I’d been in Mack’s house a few times before, but never had a chance to actually pay attention to it. There was something undeniably sexy about a guy who didn’t live like a bachelor. Mack didn’t half-ass anything, and his house was no different. He’d made a home for him and Kara, complete with curtains on the windows and photos on the fridge. I took a step closer to check out the photos. There were a few different ones of Kara with an older couple that had to be Mack’s parents, if the uncanny resemblance between the man and Mack was anything to go by. Kara’s school photo was front and center, and beneath it was her latest report card—all A’s. There was even a picture of my niece, cheesing for the camera in her own school photo. As I leaned in to look at the slew of magnets from different cities down the west coast, Mack came up behind me.
“I always bring Kara home a souvenir when I’m on the road,” he said, making me nearly jump out of my skin.
I spun around to face him. “I was just—”
“Snooping?” he asked in amusement.
“Putting this in the fridge,” I argued, lifting the bowl a little for emphasis.
“What’s that?”
“Just macaroni salad.”
“You brought food?” he asked, his eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Just a side dish,” I said as he strode toward me. “It goes with anything off the grill.”
My last word was garbled as his lips pressed to mine. I barely registered as he took the bowl from my hands and placed it on the counter behind me. I was too caught up in the feel of him, the soft scratch of his beard and his tongue sliding against mine. He tasted like beer and mint, and it was a surprisingly good pairing. I slid my hands into his hair as his fingers dug into the cheeks of my ass, and both of us groaned. It felt like it had been years since I’d last touched him. An eternity.
We stood there in the kitchen having a PG-13 make-out session until Mack suddenly ripped his mouth from mine and took a full step backward.
“What?” I asked dazedly, reaching for him again.
“Shower just shut off,” he replied, clearly frustrated as he slicked his hair back with his hands. “Kara’ll be out in a minute.”
“Then we still have a minute,” I said, taking a step toward him.
“I’m gonna need one,” he replied ruefully, backing away. He slid the heel of his hand down the erection tenting his jeans and my mouth watered.
“We could hide,” I said hopefully.
“She’s twelve, not six,” he said with a laugh. “She’d know exactly what we were up to.”
“Oh, God,” I muttered, shuddering at the thought. I remembered hearing my parents go at it when I was Kara’s age. I’d run completely out of the house and nearly vomited when I’d realized what the noises were.
“You’re lookin’ a little green,” he said, his lips twitching.
“We need to be quiet,” I said seriously. “Like, really quiet.”
“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?” he asked, trying and failing to hold back his laughter. “She’s gonna be out here in about thirty seconds. We aren’t startin’ shit now.”
“I mean always,” I replied, starting to panic a little. Had we been too loud the other night? Is that why she’d fallen out of bed? I shuddered again.
“What’s your deal?” he asked in confusion.
“Do you think she heard us the other night?” I whispered as the bathroom door opened. I froze, then let out a breath of relief as Kara’s door closed.
“Hell, no,” he said easily. I must have looked as freaked out as I felt because he pulled me into his arms. “You mighta been outta your mind,” he murmured into my ear. “But I’m always conscious of that shit. We weren’t loud.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“Number one, because I’m a parent, and I’m always aware of where my kid is and what she can hear and see me doin’,” he replied. “And number two, Kara woulda given me a ration of shit and gagged every time she saw me for at least twenty-four hours afterward.”
“She knows we’re together, though?” I asked, tipping my head
back to look at him.
“Hard to miss when you come outta my room in the middle of the night,” he said, his voice laced with amusement.
“And she’s okay with it?”
“Yep,” he replied. “She said you’re way too cool for me, though.”
“That’s because I am,” I replied instantly.
“Is that right?” he asked, his fingers going to my ribs to tickle me. I jerked and snorted, trying to get away, my laughs coming out in big guffaws, and that’s how Kara found us.
“Ew,” she said, strolling into the kitchen. “Child in the room!”
“You want some of this?” Mack asked her, letting me go so he could lunge for his daughter.
Kara screamed as he wrapped his arms around her, his hand going straight into her armpit.
“Careful now,” he said breathlessly, laughing as Kara screamed and giggled. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head before letting her go.
“I kept the shampoo off my stitches,” Kara said, tilting her head back to show them off to her dad. “Like a boss.”
“Good job, princess,” he said. “Why don’t you grab some plates and silverware. Burgers are almost done.”
“Need help?” I asked as Mack pulled condiments out of the fridge.
“Sure,” he said, shooting me a smile. “Take these to the back deck?”
I took the bottles from his hands and brought them outside to the table on their back porch. They had a nice little set-up back there, with a barbecue off to the side and an umbrella shading the table. Kara followed me outside and set out all the place settings, turning things just so.
“You guys eat out here a lot?” I asked as we went back inside.
“Every day in the summer,” she replied. “Except last year, when the bees were bad.”
“It was a shitshow,” Mack said, carrying my bowl of macaroni salad and a plate of burger fixings toward us. “I had to call a damn exterminator.”
“You aren’t supposed to kill bees, you know,” I said.
“They were wasps,” he replied, smiling. “Little bastards weren’t pollinating shit. Grab us a couple beers?”
His shoulder brushed mine as he walked outside.
“You want something?” I asked Kara.
“Dad, can I have a soda?” she yelled.
Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons) Page 11