Ace (Reckless Souls MC 2)

“I don’t know, Kenna. You’re not with Ace?”

I know why she hesitates, and now I understand. Completely.

“No, I’m going home. Mom is in New York, and I think Dad is in Sacramento trying to grease some elbows about something. It’s just me, and I don’t want to be alone. Can you come stay with me for a while?”

There’s another long pause, and then Kelsey exhales. “Okay. I’ll be there in ten—fifteen minutes. I’ll have Coop drop me off.”

My shoulders relax, and I feel something resembling a smile touch my lips. “Thank you.” The call ends, and I turn my gaze to Ace. “Okay.”

He nods and retraces his steps to the bike where one long leg swings over the seat until he settles himself.

“I’m not trying to make things worse for you, Kenna. I just want you to be safe.”

“I know,” I sigh and get behind him, tucking my dress between my legs and wrapping my arms around his strong, narrow midsection. “I’m not trying to be difficult, but this is hard, Ace. Really hard.”

The engine roars to life, and all conversation stops until he pulls up to my driveway. I hop off the bike, heart racing as I look around the driveway and the front yard searching for any threats. Ace steps off and stares at me, looking apologetic. “Kenna, this isn’t how I wanted things to go.”

I smile and nod. “I know. It’s not what I wanted either, but I asked to come. I’m not sorry about what I heard, but I’m just…sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, that you had to hear that about your friend. No one but Hector deserves to go out like that. Or Nogales.” His lips curve into an alluring grin that infuses me with warmth.

“Agreed.” We stare at each other for a long moment, the air between us crackling with awareness until it’s broken by the sound of a bike pulling up behind us.

“Thank you for worrying, Mark.”

He smiles. “Just try and stop me.”

I smile back, and we both take a step forward at the same time. A heartbeat later, we come together, lips fused into a kiss so hot, so scorching that by the time we pull back, an eternity later, my skin is smoking.

My heart races like I’m halfway through a marathon, and I remember exactly why I can’t walk away from this man, no matter how dangerous or how stupid this affair is.

“No thanks. I think I kind of like having you worry about me.”

His lips tug into another grin. “Good to know.” He brushes another kiss against my lips and takes a few steps back as Kelsey and Coop join us.

“Lock everything up tight and don’t answer the door for anyone you don’t know. Got it?”

Kelsey and I both nod obediently and make our way to the door. She looks to me for the security code. “Dad did some upgrades over the past few weeks…after everything that happened.”

“Good.” She steps inside ahead of me, and I turn to find Mark standing there with a serious expression on his face.

“Lock it up and set the alarm.”

“Doing it now. Be safe.”

“Always.” He nods and stands there until all the locks are engaged and the alarm set. I watch him on the surveillance footage on the screen inside the door until he finally walks away. Then the loud roar of both bikes as he and Coop ride out.

“You’ve got it bad.” Kelsey’s amusement is real. I can hear the smile in her voice before I turn to face her.

“I have unfortunate feelings for an inappropriate man.” The words rush out on a sigh, and my shoulders fall in defeat because I know my head isn’t winning this fight.

Kelsey stares at me with her brows arched in a question. “Inappropriate because he’s a biker?”

“In part, yes. But that’s not entirely it, either.”

I sigh and walk down the hall and right toward the bar. I need something strong to explain my feelings. Hell, the truth is I need it to understand my feelings. Two fingers of whiskey slide down my throat, and I sigh, eyes fixed on my sister.

“I no longer think Coop or Mark are bad simply because they’re bikers.”

“That’s progress,” she answers with a smile.

“They found Grace’s boyfriend, and he’s a member of the Iron Kings. I was there, Kels, and I heard everything about her death and how pointless it was.”

I pour another drink, and the words spill from my mouth, all the details Nico had revealed about the reason for Grace’s death.

“It’s all because one man is obsessed with obtaining what another man has. That’s insane!”

A dark shadow passes over Kelsey’s face, and I can tell her abduction has come back to life. “I can tell you that both Hector and Nogales are insane and psychopathic. You can’t expect men like that to act like rational human beings because they aren’t human.”