Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons) Page 7

  “I’m leaving,” I sang when I got close to my parents, internally shaking my Mack fog away.

  “Not drivin’,” my dad replied.

  “Of course not.” I leaned forward and gave him a hug. “Will’s giving me a ride.”

  “Probably a good thing he’s taking Molly home,” my mom said in amusement.

  “Amen,” I replied as I hugged her, too. “Are you coming over to help us paint at Lily’s tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.” She glanced across the room. “It’s going to be fun dragging your Aunt Farrah’s hungover ass out of bed.”

  “Good luck with that,” I replied, grinning at the sight of my aunt shaking her ass while my uncle laughed.

  Thankfully, Mack had disappeared by the time I caught up with my brother and Molly outside, and the car ride to pick up Rebel at Trix and Cam’s was short. Will didn’t have time to grill me before we got there, and once Reb was in the car, I knew he wouldn’t. My niece was the sweetest person on the planet, and because she was so sweet, she didn’t really understand the whole don’t-repeat-this-conversation-or-you’ll-embarrass-your-aunt thing.

  I practically bolted from the car when we got to my apartment with a thank you and a wave. Eventually, he was going to ask me why I’d been goofier than normal around Mack, but that wasn’t a problem for tonight. No, tonight was for reliving that kiss and figuring out what the hell I was going to do about it.

  Chapter 4

  Mack

  The churning of my stomach woke me up, and I groaned as I rolled onto my back and stared at the cement ceiling. I’d slept at the club after Kara had done me the favor of asking to stay the night with Casper and Farrah’s daughter Charlie. It was a good thing, too, because I’d needed almost an entire bottle of tequila to erase the taste of Rose from my mouth.

  I probably shouldn’t have kissed her. Not like that. But when she’d stared at me, full of bravado with her lower lip quivering, I’d lost all sense of reason. She was gorgeous—a fact that had been harder to ignore lately—and she’d been giving me shit, even though I could tell she was really upset. The combination had been hard to resist.

  I had a thing for strong women. Mouthy ones. The women who didn’t know when to stop. My mother was that way. My dad always said she didn’t know when to say when. Kara’s mother had been that way, too, before Kara. I hated thinking about the personality change that had happened after our daughter was born. The way I’d listened when people called it the baby blues, and said it would fade away. How I’d picked up the slack when she couldn’t, thinking I was doing the right thing, instead of getting her the help she’d needed.

  Doctors knew a whole lot more about that shit nowadays. They didn’t ignore it when a mama spent hours thinking of all the things that could go wrong, fearful to drive or cook or bathe their own babies. They didn’t let it go on forever, until those mothers killed themselves in some misguided attempt to keep their families safe.

  I shook off the memories and pushed myself up. No use reliving the past. There wasn’t anything I could do about it now, no way to go back and change things. I’d keep the knowledge tucked away until it was time for Kara to have babies, so I’d know what to watch for, but until then, thinking about wasn’t good for anyone. I’d fallen into my own pit for a while after we lost Mia, and I’d never go to that place again. Kara deserved better.

  “Yo,” Will called, banging on my door. “You up, brother? Church in five.”

  “I’ll be right out,” I called back, wincing as my own voice made my head pound.

  I pulled on some fresh clothes in a hurry and headed to the main room of the club for some coffee before heading into the war room. I’d only had a seat at the table for a couple years now, even though I’d been a member since before Kara was born. I’d been busy proving myself in the beginning, and then I’d had so much shit on my plate when I’d lost Mia that the boys had known I’d be no use to them. They’d let me come into work bleary eyed and pass up parties for movie nights with Kara, and they’d slapped me on the back and asked if I needed anything almost daily.

  By the time I had a grip on my new reality of single parenting, old Samson’s wife had gotten sick, and he’d chosen to give up his spot to take care of her. I was voted into the man’s seat, and the rest was history.

  “All here?” Grease asked, leaning back in his chair. He looked almost as bad as I felt.

  As soon as Dragon smacked the gavel on the table, Casper started speaking.

  “We’re getting a lot of fuckin’ chatter and nothin’ concrete,” he said, scowling. “Not sure what’s goin’ down yet, but somethin’ is happenin’ down south.”

  “How far south?” Hulk asked.

  “San Diego, as far as I can figure,” Casper replied. “Our eyes and ears are shit these days. But the boys in Sacramento are already dealing with missing shipments, so it’s makin’ its way north. A big fuckin’ cloud of trouble.”

  “How many missing shipments?” Dragon asked.

  “Just two, so far.”

  “That’s two too many,” Will muttered. This morning, his hair stuck straight up, like he’d just rolled out of bed, and he oddly resembled the moose that he was nicknamed after.

  “No shit,” Grease spat.

  “We’re all good so far?” Dragon asked me.

  “Haven’t had a single issue,” I replied, knocking wood on the tabletop. “Been quiet as a Sunday morning.”

  “Run an extra guard, anyway. It’ll be quiet until it ain’t.”

  “Done,” I agreed. I felt eyes on me and glanced to my left to see Leo staring, his mouth tipped up at the corners.

  Shit. That didn’t mean anything good.

  “We got a run comin’ up,” Grease said, scratching at his beard. “Nothin’ big. Children’s hospital charity. Should be an easy ride, Seattle and back.”

  “Women and kids?” Hulk asked. “Don’t know what Trix has got planned for the boys this summer.”

  “Just women,” Grease replied. “Party with the boys in Seattle that night.”

  “So we’ll be shittin’ and pukin’ our way south the next mornin’,” Tommy said with a laugh. “Awesome.”

  “You can’t handle your liquor, might as well stay home,” Casper shot back.

  “I’m good,” Tommy said quickly, raising his hands in the air with a grin.

  “Amy and Poet have offered to keep the kids,” Dragon said, glancing at me. “That includes Kara.”

  “Appreciate it,” I replied.

  “I’m sure we’ve got Reb covered,” Will said. “That ain’t really Molly’s scene.”

  “Probably a good thing,” Tommy joked.

  “You just worry about keeping your woman conscious on the way back down,” Will shot back. “We’ve all seen Hawk after a bender.”

  “She’s a fuckin’ Amazon,” Tommy argued, making us all laugh.

  “That poor girl has some nasty hangovers,” Casper said in amusement.

  “Fair point. Maybe we’ll stick to smoke,” Tommy mumbled.

  “If we’re done here?” Dragon asked, unamused. He looked around the table, and when no one spoke, slammed the gavel down, signaling the end of our meeting.

  I stretched my neck from side to side as we shuffled out of the room. I needed a new mattress for my room at the club. The thing was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t even make myself sleep on it unless I was too drunk to ride.

  “What were you doin’ last night?” Leo asked, his tone insinuating that he knew exactly what I’d been up to.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked easily, pouring myself another cup of coffee. “After you and Lily came back out here, I spent the night drinkin’ you under the table.”

  “Earlier than that,” he said, tilting his head to the side with a smile. “Spend any time outside?”

  “A bit,” I replied slowly.

  “Long enough to cause some whisker burn on a sensitive skinned woman?”

  “Did you just say sensitive skinned woma
n?”

  “I’ve been livin’ with Lily too long,” he replied, waving his hand dismissively.

  “No shit,” I replied. “Must be why you’re askin’ me who I was with last night.”

  “She’ll tell my woman all about it,” Leo said. “Just a matter of time.”

  “Nothin’ to tell.”

  “Guess I was way off base, then?” he asked, fishing. I ignored the question.

  “Good chat,” I muttered, walking away as he chuckled.

  I didn’t give a shit if anyone knew I’d kissed Rose the night before. It wasn’t some big secret, and we were both single adults. But I knew that even if no one really cared, they’d all have plenty to say about it, especially her brothers. Rose was their little princess, and from what I’d seen, they were even more protective than her dad. Where Grease gave Rose enough rope to hang herself, if it were up to the boys, she’d never even catch sight of the rope.

  I wasn’t at all interested in having a sit-down with Will and Tommy about my intentions toward their sister, when all I’d done was kiss the woman.

  Instead of riding over to Hulk and Trix’s, where Kara had spent the night with Charlie, I decided to walk. I needed the time to clear my head.

  I needed to figure out what I was doing, messing around with Rose. Was I really going to go there? It was probably stupid that I was just now thinking about the ramifications of seeing a woman who was so tangled up in my day-to-day life that it would be impossible to escape her should things go sour.

  Rose had her shit together, lived on her own and worked like a damn machine—but she was young. Damn young. I’d been changing diapers while she was in elementary school. The thought of that made my nausea worse.

  She was beautiful and fun as hell. I knew we’d have a good time together. That didn’t worry me. What worried me was the decision I’d eventually have to make if we had a little too much fun, got a little too close, and I had to cut her loose.

  Hell, maybe I was overthinking things. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day, and when I got to Trix’s, the kids were already outside. They’d built a ramp in the front yard and were taking turns jumping it on a couple of dirt bikes. I smiled as I watched Kara double check her helmet and tug on her borrowed gloves.

  Stopping far enough away that they didn’t notice me, I watched as Kara took the jump, landing beautifully on the other side.

  “I got higher than both of you!” she yelled, pointing at Curtis and Draco. “Ha!”

  “No, you didn’t,” Curtis argued.

  “Yeah, she did,” Draco said with a laugh. “It’s because you weigh less than us,” he told Kara, reaching forward to gently help her with her helmet.

  My entire body tightened as I watched how carefully he pulled her hair from the buckle, but relaxed again when I realized Kara was oblivious.

  “It’s because I’m better and you know it,” she said easily, grinning. “Pay up.”

  “This is bullshit,” Curtis mumbled as he put a crumpled bill in her hand.

  “Language, C!” Trix scolded from where she was sitting on the front porch. I hadn’t even noticed she was there. “Kara, your pop’s here.”

  “Dad,” Kara said, turning toward me. “Did you see me? Nailed it!”

  “Yeah, ya did,” I replied, walking toward the group.

  “I need a dirt bike,” she said as she peeled off her gloves and handed them to Charlie.

  “We’ll see,” I replied noncommittally.

  “Just a pit bike,” she continued, pushing her hair out of her face. “I don’t need anything big.”

  “We’ll talk about it later.”

  “Aw, man,” she complained, the faintest hint of a whine in her voice.

  “You can come ride ours whenever you want,” Draco said, smiling at Kara until he got a look at my face. “I—uh, I mean, if your dad’s cool with it.”

  Trix laughed, and I looked up to see her watching us from the edge of the porch.

  “Want a cup of coffee?” she asked as I walked toward her.

  “Wouldn’t turn it down.”

  I followed her into the house as the bike started up behind us.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Trix said, motioning toward the front of the house. “Draco’s just like his Grandpa Casper—he’d cut off his arm before he hurt her.”

  “That’s not helping,” I grumbled.

  “Now, Curtis,” she said, drawing his name out. “He’s the one I’d worry about. The kid’s got girls calling the house already, and he talks to every single one. Boy’s going to give me gray hair.”

  “They’re too young for all that shit,” I said as she handed me a cup of coffee.

  “Time’s passing quick, man. It won’t be long.”

  “Bullshit,” I shot back, making her laugh.

  We walked back onto the porch and sat down in a couple of chairs, where we could see the kids riding. Draco was currently the one with the helmet, and he was listening intently to whatever his twin was saying, nodding his head and smiling.

  “I don’t know how you do it with two of them,” I said, glancing at Trix. “I can barely get Kara to school on time.”

  “Boys are easier,” she said with a wave of her hand. “And I’ve got help.”

  I nodded.

  “I don’t know how you do it. Cam’s good at taking over when I’m at my limit. I can’t imagine doing it alone.”

  “You just do it,” I said quietly, watching my girl jump up and down while she cheered for Draco. “When there’s no other option, you just do.”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “I guess so.”

  “She’s pretty easy,” I said, relaxing into the chair. “When she’s not whining about something she wants or doesn’t want, or both.”

  Trix laughed. “Sounds about right. I wouldn’t want to go back to that age. The angst. The drama. Yuck. It’s only going to get worse.”

  “I wish I could keep her a little girl,” I said ruefully.

  “No chance of that.”

  “Guess not.” I watched as Kara and Charlie did some weird handshake and whooped.

  “Though,” Trix said thoughtfully, “maybe you’ve got some time.”

  I chuckled.

  “You ever think of finding someone?” she asked nonchalantly.

  “You, too?” I complained, making her smile. “My mother asks the same thing all the damn time.”

  “Well,” she said, smiling, “you’re a good guy, you have a good job, you don’t look like an ogre—”

  “Thanks.”

  “It’s not like you couldn’t get someone.”

  “I’m good.”

  “I could hook you up—”

  “No, thanks,” I said quickly, cutting her off.

  “You already have someone,” she said accusingly, leaning forward in her chair. “Who?”

  “I’m free as a bird,” I replied, lifting my hands in surrender.

  “I don’t believe you,” she muttered, turning toward the driveway.

  I cursed inwardly as I followed her gaze, watching Rose’s Jeep creeping toward the house. Something in my face or body language must have given me away, because Trix started laughing.

  “Leo was right?” she said in surprise, looking back and forth between me and the Jeep. “When did that start?”

  “Your brother gossips like an old lady,” I snapped. “And nothing has started.”

  “Bullshit,” she replied. “I knew something was up with that prank war.”

  “Rose has prank wars with people all the time.”

  “Her brothers,” Trix clarified. “Not you.”

  “I pissed her off.”

  “I’m guessing you did more than that,” she said in amusement as Rose parked and climbed out of the Jeep.

  She was wearing a pair of old Levi’s cut-offs that were baggy and faded, and they shouldn’t have been attractive. On anyone else they would’ve looked ridiculous. But on Rose, they were hot as hell. I couldn’t fucking figure i
t out.

  “Hey,” Rose greeted, her eyebrows rising as she realized I was on the porch.

  “Hey back,” Trix said as I gave Rose a nod. “Did I invite you over and forget?”

  Rose laughed, and I felt the noise deep in my gut.

  “No, I’m just here to get Charlie. We’re painting over at Lil’s today,” she said, making her little cousin groan.

  “Can you come back later?” Charlie pleaded. “We’re riding.”

  “I see that,” Rose replied. “But no can do. I’ve been sent by the parentals.”

  “I totally forgot that was today,” Trix said, leaning over the porch railing. “But I can head over in a couple hours.”

  “No worries,” Rose said with a wave. “We can use the help whenever.”

  “Can I come?” Kara asked, throwing her arm around Charlie’s shoulders. “I’m a fantastic painter.”

  I knew for a fact that my daughter had never painted a bedroom in her life.

  “It’s up to your dad,” Rose said with a smile. “But I don’t care.”

  “Dad?” Kara asked, bouncing up the porch steps. She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned back to look at me, smiling so wide that I could see her back molars. “Please?”

  “You sure she won’t be in the way?” I asked, meeting Rose’s eyes.

  Damn, I probably shouldn’t have done that. Not if I wanted to play shit cool. Looking at her, really looking, brought every single memory from the night before to the surface. The way she smelled and tasted and felt. I could feel a smile pulling at the edges of my mouth.

  Rose’s eyes widened and she quickly looked away. “Yeah,” she said, trying and failing to seem unaffected. “She’s more than welcome.”

  “Then it’s okay with me,” I replied.

  “Yes!” Kara let go of me and danced away.

  “Kara, grab your bag,” I reminded her before she could jump off the porch.

  “You, too, Charlie,” Rose said.

  “I’ll help them grab their stuff,” Trix murmured, grinning.

  As soon as they’d gone into the house, Rose practically ran for her Jeep.

  “See ya later, Mack,” Draco called as he and Curtis rolled the dirt bikes around the side of the house. I guess it wasn’t as fun to show off when no one was there to watch you do it.