by Melody Anne
“What happened?” she asked, moving to his monitors and pushing a few buttons.
“I don’t want this damn IV in my arm. I’m going home,” he yelled.
She seemed flustered, but Ace didn’t care. He wanted out of the hospital. He shifted on his bed, hating how weak his body felt. He was winded from this little bit of movement.
“The doctor hasn’t signed you out,” she told him, seeming to get some of her nerve back. “Did you rip your IV out?”
“I don’t like being drugged,” he told her.
“You can’t just rip it out,” she said, moving toward him again.
“If you try to put it in me again, I’m going to play doctor on you,” Ace warned her, his voice lowering to lethal levels.
She was smart enough to back off. “I’m getting the doctor,” she said before her eyes moved around the room again, and then she made a quick retreat.
“That was a bit uncalled for,” Sherman told him.
“Yeah, I’m an asshole. I get it,” Ace said with a sigh.
He shifted his legs off the bed and touched his feet to the cold ground. His body was breaking out in a sweat, and he was growing more frustrated by the minute. Weakness was for the pathetic. He refused to allow any kind of injury to hold him back.
“You’re going to fall on your ass if you try to get up,” Nick warned.
“I’m stronger than I look right now,” Ace assured his brother.
“I got ripped apart in a helicopter crash a year back, and I thought I was tough too. I just made life a hell of a lot harder on myself and everyone else by fighting every step of the way,” Nick told him.
“You look like you’re doing well now,” Ace said. He wanted to tell his brother he’d been there when he’d been in that terrible crash, that he had been worried for his family. He didn’t say that, though. His siblings couldn’t know he’d kept an eye on them through the years. He didn’t know why they couldn’t know, but he just knew the shell he’d placed around himself was the only thing keeping him intact. At least for right now.
“I am, because I pulled my head out of my ass and let my soon-to-be wife help me,” Nick said.
“You’re getting married?” Ace asked.
He’d kept up on his brothers over the past several years, but this was news to him. He felt a pang and didn’t know what to think about the situation. It wasn’t as if he’d made it possible for his brothers to get ahold of him, but he still couldn’t help feeling hurt about not knowing.
“Yes, I am. In two weeks,” Nick said, his face transforming with a radiant smile that even shot light from his eyes. His future wife must be one hell of a woman to put that look on Ace’s brother’s face.
“Congrats,” Ace told him. He actually meant it. But when he realized he was allowing too much softness in his voice, he immediately firmed his lips. Going soft wasn’t acceptable.
“Thanks,” Nick said, his stupid grin growing even brighter. “Let’s get you on your feet so you can be my best man.”
The words processed in Ace’s head, and he felt that damn stinging in his eyes again. Good thing he’d ripped out the IV, ’cause he was obviously a mess due to the ridiculous drugs they’d forced in him.
“I haven’t been around. Don’t you think Coop or Mav would make a better best man?” Ace said with a laugh that had no merriment in it.
Nick moved to his side and placed his hand on Ace’s shoulder, refusing to allow Ace to look away. His smile dimmed, but there was sincerity in his expression as he reconnected with his brother.
“I love all of you equally,” Nick told him. “But from the moment I asked Chloe to marry me, I knew I had to find you, knew you had to stand beside me.”
Silence was once again booming in his ears as Ace tried to keep himself together. Ace loved all his brothers, but he and Nick had been paired off for a lot of their lives. They simply had a truly special bond. But even though Ace didn’t deserve Nick’s loyalty, it meant the world to him that he still had it.
“Well, I can’t stand anywhere as long as I’m locked up in this room,” Ace said, clearing his throat as he looked away from his brother.
“That wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic yes, but I’ll take it,” Nick said with a laugh. He squeezed Ace’s shoulder, and then Maverick stepped up on his other side.
“If you insist on getting up, then we’ll help you. I’m sure you could use the bathroom,” Mav told him. Mav wasn’t being as open as his other brothers, and Ace could see that not all was forgiven between the two of them. Hell, he’d expected Maverick’s chilliness from all of them, but if he were being honest with himself, he’d have to admit it hurt.
“I don’t need help,” Ace grumbled.
“Okay, then humor us,” Nick insisted.
Ace quit arguing with them. It wouldn’t do him any good, anyway. Then he was glad they were there when he managed to rise from the bed. His legs shook as he stood there for a moment, one brother on either side of him. His first step made him feel like an infant trying to walk for the first time, but after he made it a few more steps, he felt a little more sure of himself.
They made it to the bathroom door, and Mav backed away, but Nick stayed at his side as he stepped through.
“I’ve got it. I don’t need you to hold anything for me,” Ace told him.
“That’s good,” Nick said with a laugh. “I think that’s going above and beyond for brotherly love.”
Ace showed his first real smile in a long time. He stepped forward on his own and let out a sigh of relief when Nick shut the door, leaving him alone in the bathroom. It took a lot of effort to make it to the wall and grab ahold of the bar before he sat down and looked longingly at the shower.
He might hate weakness, but he knew he was in no shape to step in there yet. Instead, he sat on the toilet and laid his head in his hands as he let the reality of his situation settle in on him.
He was back home again. His family was on the other side of the wooden door, and he didn’t have to hide from them anymore. He was taking too long and Nick knocked on the door, but Ace assured him he was still fine. He just needed a few moments to compose himself. Ace was truly home—where he had belonged all along.
What scared the hell out of him was he could hear his uncle and brothers whispering—which they obviously didn’t do too well—while he sat there fighting a breakdown.
“What do you think he will do now?” Maverick asked, that note of suspicion clear in his voice.
Sherman was the first to speak to that question. “Don’t any of you worry. I have the situation all taken care of for Ace.” The grin Ace was sure his uncle was wearing couldn’t be masked by a closed bathroom door. Ace was almost sure his life was going to get a hell of a lot harder than it had been in the CIA.
His throat seemed to close as he tried to swallow. What new fire had he just been pushed into? And how quickly could he escape?
CHAPTER FOUR
Ace adjusted the ridiculous bow tie that was trying to strangle him as he looked around the crowded ballroom. Only for his brother would he be willing to slip into a monkey suit and dance for the masses.
He’d been in the field for so long pretending to be someone else that he wasn’t quite sure who he was anymore. It wasn’t a feeling he liked at all. On top of all that, to be thrust into a regular life with the force of a hurricane wasn’t helping.
He was on leave from the CIA, had managed to find a tiny apartment in the city of Seattle, and was finding it more difficult to reintegrate into normal society than to dodge a bullet. Why was it so much easier to live a lie than real life? He wasn’t sure.
He leaned against the wall, desperately wanting to sneak out of the room and smoke a fine cigar. But he’d promised Nick he’d stay for the entire wedding and at least part of the reception. He wasn’t sure how long he’d actually last, though.
“Ace, time to take a walk down the aisle,” Mav said, stepping up to him and slapping him hard on the back. Ace had a feeling Mav
really enjoyed getting a slap in, even if it was under the ruse of brotherly camaraderie. The two of them were eventually going to have to talk about things.
Even with that thought, Mav’s words sent a shiver of fear straight down Ace’s spine. He felt a shudder rip through him. Walking down any aisle might just be worse than a death sentence.
“I’m not the one taking the walk. I’m only here for moral support,” Ace said through clenched teeth.
“Don’t worry, brother. When you see who you get to walk next to, you’ll be more than willing to take that plunge,” Maverick told him with a wicked laugh.
“I don’t think so,” Ace grumbled.
But he followed Mav through the crowd, letting out a sigh of relief when the doors closed and they were in the back hallway of the massive hotel where the wedding was taking place.
Mav cracked a few more wedded-bliss jokes as the two of them took a left and then went through another set of doors to where the rest of the wedding party waited—minus Nick, who must be at the head of the aisle. Standing there in a fitted suit surrounded by his family while they analyzed him must be punishment for what Mav would deem as Ace abandoning his family. Of course, he had left them. In all honesty, he probably deserved the discomfort he felt.
“They just sent everyone in to take their seats,” Cooper said. It had been a long time since Ace had seen his brothers so dressed up. He wouldn’t go so far as to say they looked good, but Nick certainly had gone all out with his wedding. Okay, maybe they did look pretty damn good. Ace wasn’t exactly known for being humble.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Ace. Nick has been very worried about you,” Chloe said as she moved through the throng of people and came right up to Ace, throwing her arms around him and squeezing.
“Don’t mess up your dress,” Ace told her, but he surprised himself when he hugged her back and actually felt a slight tug to his heart.
“You skipped out on dinner last night, so I have to hug you when I can,” Chloe insisted, squeezing a little harder before she let him go. She stepped back with tears in her eyes. “I’m just so happy you’re here.” A tear slipped from her eye, and he reached for her cheek to help before stopping himself.
“We better get you down the aisle before my brother comes out here and kicks my ass for holding you up,” Ace said, having to clear his throat.
“Okay, I’ll quit trying to make you feel uncomfortable, but get used to me, ’cause I’m a sorta in-your-face kind of girl,” she warned.
Ace was grateful when she turned her attention to her bridesmaids. He looked over at the smirk on Maverick’s face and sent a glare his brother’s way as he adjusted his tie for the millionth time.
“Looks like you’re partnering up with me,” a woman said. Ace turned to give her the mandatory smile that was expected, and then his jaw just about hit the floor. “I’m Chloe’s best friend, Dakota Forbes.”
Ace stood there like a stupid man while he tried to find his voice. She had bright green eyes with a Disney-type sparkle to them and high cheekbones that didn’t need even the barest touch of makeup. Her lips were full, the kind that were most definitely made for kissing, and they were painted bright red, making his mind instantly go to the gutter.
The maid of honor dress she wore was red, matching her lips, and hugged her delicious curves in all the right places. His thoughts definitely sank farther down into the gutter, and he was grateful his brother hadn’t decided to get married at a church or he feared he might be struck down by lightning for the immoral thoughts rushing through him like crashing ocean waves.
“Hey, big boy, my eyes are up here,” Dakota said with a laugh, snapping Ace’s gaze from her terrific breasts to her laughing eyes. She licked her lips, and his pants became unbearably tight. He had instant thoughts about where he wanted those painted lips of hers to be on and around his body.
Ace was never a man without words, but he couldn’t seem to find a single syllable in his vocabulary as he gazed at this woman. Had he known his brother’s wife-to-be had such a delicious best friend, then maybe he would have made it to the dinner the night before. Damn, he’d missed out on staring at her during what normally would be a very tedious meal—and possibly talking her into coming back to his tiny apartment with him. Well, weddings were all about the hookups, weren’t they? The mood he’d been in all day had just improved a hundredfold.
“Did you say Forbes, like in the Forbes?” he asked when his brain was working somewhat normally again.
She laughed out loud. “I know you think that’s a unique line, but you would be absolutely amazed how much I get asked that. And before you expect an answer,” she said before pausing, “some things are better left to mystery.”
Ace was growing hotter by the minute next to this damn woman. He might even be falling into instant love—well, that was if he was capable of such an emotion. If he was, this woman would be holding his heart already. He could say with certainty that he was, however, in lust.
“Ready to walk down the aisle?” he asked, his lips turning up in a confident smile.
“Hmm. Are you?” she said, giving him such sass his pants felt as if they were on fire and his heart was surely going to beat out of his chest.
“Oh, I’m certainly ready for anything,” he told her. Yes, he was going to bed this woman!
“Be careful, Ace. You might get caught if you aren’t careful,” she warned him.
Ace decided to ignore the cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck. This woman was sugar and spice and everything nice. She was confident, beautiful, and capable of making him ache in so many ways, he couldn’t remember ever feeling such hunger. It had been too long since he’d taken an interest in the opposite sex, and she was waking him up in such pleasant ways.
“She’s your new sister-in-law’s best friend. Not someone to bed and run from,” Cooper whispered in his ear, instantly irritating Ace. He didn’t respond but shot Cooper a look that clearly told him to mind his own business.
Dakota looked between the two of them, but she didn’t seem at all concerned that Cooper was whispering to him. She seemed to be floating as she stood before them. He wondered what it was that made her so damn happy.
The music started, and Ace found himself standing at the back of the line as his brothers and their wives walked side by side down the aisle. Too quickly, it was his turn to do the same.
Dakota slipped her arm in his and gave him one more blinding smile before she began moving. The sweat on the back of his neck dripped down his back as he stared straight ahead, trying not to scope out the crowd for signs of danger.
The gorgeous woman next to him helped ease that response in some ways, but in others, she made it worse, because he felt the instinctual need to make sure nothing happened to her. The intimate setting—rose petals on the ground, ribbons festooned down the aisle—made this so much worse.
There was no way in hell Ace had ever thought he would follow his brothers down the matrimonial aisle. But standing beside a beautiful woman as they made their way to the front of the decorated room put frightening things in his head. He was almost glad when she pulled away from him to go stand next to the other bridesmaids. Then the wedding march music began and Chloe walked down the aisle, her eyes shining and focused solely on Nick.
Ace looked down as he stood beside his brother. Maverick was beside him and patted Ace on the back as if he could hear the turbulent thoughts rushing through his brain. This time the pat didn’t seem like a punishment, but Mav pulled back quickly, making Ace think, for just a moment, his brother might have forgotten he was supposed to be angry with Ace.
Ace didn’t hear a word spoken in the ceremony, didn’t pay attention as his brother spoke words of love to his new wife. All Ace seemed able to do was glance across to the other side of the stage, where Dakota looked so delectable. Her eyes clashed with his several times during the ceremony, and the little wench didn’t seem at all shaken up like he was. At one point, she even winked at him.
That was most certainly a good thing, Ace determined. It meant she was just as interested in him as he was in her. But even though he told himself he didn’t give a damn what anyone thought, his brother’s words kept repeating themselves in his mind—she wasn’t just any woman, and she couldn’t be messed with. The marriage made Chloe Nick’s bride—and that meant Dakota was now part of their family. Crap!
Looking up for only a moment before his eyes once again zeroed in on the ground, Ace made sure he turned his lips up as Nick kissed Chloe. He clapped when he heard the rest of the room come together in applause. And then he moved behind his brother and Chloe and accepted Dakota’s arm in his as they made their way back down the aisle.
He didn’t dare breathe in her scent the entire walk, but as soon as they exited the door, he pulled away from her. She patted his arm as she smiled at him, and he cursed his traitorous body and how much he wanted this woman.
“That was so beautiful. Chloe deserves a man as wonderful as Nick. I almost had to kick your brother’s ass for hurting my best friend, but he wised up and now I adore him,” Dakota said.
“Wait. What?” he asked as her words processed in his head. She stared at him, waiting for him to continue. “You almost kicked Nick’s ass?” That was something he would have loved to have seen.
“Yeah, I grew up with four brothers, and I don’t take crap from anyone,” she said with a laugh. “Nick was having a crisis of conscience or something, so I came to beat some sense into him. But he realized he was in love with Chloe, my beautiful and amazing friend. Albeit he thought he was having a heart attack, but still, he got the point rather quickly after realizing what the chest pains were all about,” she continued.
Ace couldn’t help it. A burst of laughter started low in his belly and then exploded from him. He could just imagine the scene—his brother gripping his chest as he tried to understand what in the hell was going on with him. Once he started to laugh, it seemed there was nothing on earth that was going to stop the sound.
Dakota’s lips turned up, and soon she was laughing with him. She had no idea what was going on inside his brain, but she didn’t seem to care. She just continued laughing as she reached out to him again and held on as she bent over.