Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons 5)

“You’ve got it bad,” she said in amusement.

She had no fucking idea. I flipped her off as I walked back toward the clubhouse.

Chapter 5

Rose

“I say you go for it,” Lily said as she dipped her brush into a plastic cup of paint. “I bet he knows exactly what he’s doing in bed.”

“Obviously,” I replied, glancing at her. “Was that ever in question?”

“Well, then, what’s the problem?”

“The problem is, after I rock his world,” I said dryly, “then what?”

“You worry too much.”

“Says the girl who ran away from Leo for years.”

“I didn’t run—” she said, making me laugh. “I made a strategic retreat.”

“Whatever.” I waved my brush at her and then got back to edging around the window. “It’s just that I can’t escape him. He’s everywhere.”

“I don’t even see Mack that often,” she argued.

“I do,” I muttered.

“Probably because you’re looking for him.”

“And you think I won’t be looking for him after I sleep with him?”

“Who said anything about sleeping?”

“What are you two whispering about?” my Aunt Farrah asked from the doorway, making me jump.

“Boys,” Lily sang with a laugh.

“No time for boys,” Farrah replied. “We need to get these rooms finished so I can go home and sit on my ass.”

“How did we get roped into painting two rooms?” I asked as my aunt left the room again. “You said one.”

“I lied,” Lily replied with a laugh.

Our discussion on whether or not I should throw myself at Mack was postponed by the trio of tween girls that joined us. At some point, Kara and Charlie had added Rebel to their girl squad, and the three of them giggled and whispered as they started painting along the baseboards on the far side of the room.

“Where’s your mom, Reb?” I asked.

“Auntie Rose!” Rebel said, gasping dramatically with a hand pressed to her chest. “I didn’t even notice you there.”

“I see how it is,” I complained with a smile as she came toward me.

“I was just teasing,” she replied, grinning. “I always notice you.”

“I always notice you, too,” I whispered in her ear as she leaned down to give me a tight hug. Reb’s hugs were always firm. She said soft touches hurt, like bee stings.

“I wasn’t lying,” Rebel said as she pulled away. “I was teasing. Dad says sometimes they’re the same, but they’re not always the same.”

“Right,” I said with a laugh. “Teasing is just supposed to be funny.”

“Funny, not mean,” she replied, looking over my shoulder. Reb had come a long way from the non-verbal toddler she’d been when I first met her, but she still didn’t like to make eye contact or accept hugs when she was upset. “Mom is downstairs with Gram. She said she needed coffee and a hundred aspirin.”

“She’s not going to take a hundred aspirin,” I said seriously, knowing that she didn’t always realize when someone was exaggerating.

“I know that,” she said as she crossed the room. “Two aspirin is the recommended dose.”

Lily snorted. “She told you.”

“She was teasing me,” I said proudly, shooting Lil a grin. “Did you hear that?”

“Sure did.”

“Draco is not cute,” Rebel said loudly, making the other girls shush her. “Tell her, Charlie. Dad says he’s stinky.”

I choked on the spit in my mouth, and coughed like a lunatic as I tried to hide how interested I was in their conversation.

“He’s not stinky,” Kara said furtively, glancing over at us.

“That’s because he always showers before you come over,” Charlie replied easily. “When it’s just me, they smell like wet dogs.”

“That’s because you’re their aunt,” Kara said, her cheeks rosy. “I don’t shower when my grandparents come to visit, either.”

“You don’t shower?” Rebel hooted.

“I do shower!” Kara replied with a laugh, poking Rebel in the side. “I just don’t shower especially for them.”

“But you do shower especially for Draco,” Rebel replied, like she was finally figuring out how it all went.

“No—” Kara shook her head. “Let’s talk about something else.”

It was quiet for a few moments while me and Lily tried not to laugh.

“Mom said I can get a new bike,” Rebel said nonchalantly, glancing at the girls to see how impressed they were. “A purple one.”

My throat got a little tight as Charlie and Kara oohed and aahed.

“Lucky,” Kara said. “Are you gonna put stickers on it?”

“Maybe a couple,” Rebel said seriously.

“I’d definitely do stickers,” Charlie commented, pointing her wet brush at Rebel. “Really customize it.”

“Yeah,” Reb said quietly, nodding. “Customize it.”

“Do you know if you’re getting light purple or dark?” Kara asked.

“I’m glad none of the kids are assholes,” Lily said quietly, drawing my attention back to our side of the room. “Remember how shitty people were to me when I couldn’t see?”

“Of course I do,” I replied grimly. “I was the one throwing punches and getting suspended.”

“Punches?” Lily said, her lips twitching. “I can distinctly remember a baseball bat.”

“That kid was huge and the bat was just sitting there,” I replied defensively. “I had to get creative.”