Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons 5)

“I know I’ll be pissed if my piece is smaller,” Mack murmured from behind me, making me laugh quietly.

“Hungry, are you?” I asked, still watching Reb.

“Starving,” he murmured, making my cheeks heat again. Dammit.

“Didn’t you eat?” I turned to look at him and played it cool, hoping the fading light would hide my red face.

“Yeah,” he replied simply.

We stood there and watched the kids diving into their cake, and I struggled to find something to say. I hated that he made me so flustered. I’d known him forever. He was at least ten years older than me, and he treated me like his friend’s kid sister—but that didn’t seem to matter. The minute Mack joined whatever group I was in, I acted like a complete weirdo.

“Rosie,” my dad called. When I turned to see him staring at me grimly, my stomach lurched. Dammit. Someone had spilled the beans.

“What’s up, Father dear?” I asked as I headed his way.

“You and Copper are done?” he asked, searching my face.

“I think Copper is more done than I am,” I said with a humorless laugh. “But yeah. Who told you?”

“The grapevine,” he muttered, pulling me against his side. “You alright, sweetheart?”

“I’ve been better,” I confessed, fighting against the tears burning at the backs of my eyes. There was something about my dad’s gruff sympathy that got to me every time. When I was a kid, I’d always been brave as hell until my dad entered the room. His concern always made me act like a big baby.

“Man’s a dipshit,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “You’re too good for him, anyhow.”

“You say that now,” I replied drolly.

“Now that you’re shot of him, I can say it,” he said with a huff. “He’s a good soldier, don’t get me wrong. But the kid is stupid as fuck.”

I snickered.

“That’s why we’ve never agreed to his transfer up here,” he said quietly. “Though you didn’t hear that from me.”

I tipped my head back and grinned at him.

“I’m real glad you won’t be the one perpetuating those genes,” he said, his lips twitching.

“You’re terrible,” I said happily.

“Truth hurts,” he said with a shrug.

My laugh was cut off as I felt something thump against my back, followed by the sensation of icy water dripping into the back of my shorts.

“I told you I wasn’t finished!” Tommy yelled maniacally.

“Boy,” my dad called back as he lifted his arm off my back and shook the water off it. “You better run.”

“Oh, shit!” Tommy yelped.

The next few minutes were chaos. Earlier in the day, our water balloon war had been confined to a certain portion of the yard, far away from where all the old timers were congregated. There were no boundaries this time. I ducked and screamed as full water cups, buckets, squirt guns, balloons and the hose were used to full advantage. Even worse than the icy water were the pieces of cake being tossed around. It was a free for all, the entire group, from old Poet to little Gray getting in on the action.

“Got you!” Cam’s son Draco yelled, tossing a balloon at me as he ran past where I was trying to hide by the porch steps.

“Where the hell do they keep finding more balloons?” Molly yelled, her eyes wide as she raced toward me. She yelped as Will shot her in the ass with a long spray of water. “William!”

“I have an idea,” I gasped, laughing. Grabbing her hand, I dragged her inside.

“You’re a little cheat,” she said, giggling as I closed and locked the door behind us. Better safe than sorry.

“I think the word you meant was brilliant,” I shot back as I rounded the kitchen table.

“Oh, no,” she said as I slid open the window over the sink.

“I’ve never been so glad that you and Will are taking your sweet ass time on this house,” I said with a laugh when I verified there was no screen on the window. “Now, shh.”

Turning the water on as high it would go, I pointed the sprayer toward the yard and waited. It didn’t take long before someone stopped beneath the window, just like I’d hoped.

I laughed maniacally as I sprayed the large shadow, assuming it was one of my brothers or cousins. I was obnoxious and loud and feeling very proud of myself until he turned, and blocking the spray with an upraised hand, met my eyes.

“Shit!” I squeaked, my hand automatically letting go of the trigger.

“What?” Molly peeked over my shoulder. “Oh, no,” she whispered.

“Payback’s a bitch,” Mack said calmly, his eyes steady on mine as he slicked his hair back with one hand.

As he headed toward the back door, I yelped and ran toward the front of the house. “Tell Reb I love her!” I called to Molly. “I’ll see you guys later.”