Craving Lily (The Aces' Sons 4)

“Yeah, if you like leading a guy around by the short and curlies. It’ll never last. Rose’ll walk all over him.” She paused, then said even quieter, “Plus, he kind of looks like a bulldog.”

I coughed to cover up my laugh. I wished I could see him.

“Where the heck is Brent?” Rose asked a few minutes later. “He’s late.”

“Only like fifteen minutes,” I replied.

“More like twenty-five,” Jayden said kindly. “I was ten minutes late.”

“Oh.” I laughed awkwardly, reaching for my phone. “Maybe I should call him?”

“I’ll text him,” Rose said, taking the phone out of my hand.

“Don’t be an asshole. Maybe he got lost.”

“Then he should have called,” she said irritably.

Ten minutes later, Brent still hadn’t shown up.

Twenty minutes later, I could feel a blush creeping up my neck. Thankfully, I didn’t really think anyone could see it. Rose wasn’t helping the situation, though. She was practically ranting as she paced the floor. I could hear her high heels clicking on the hardwood with every pass around the room.

“You guys should go,” I said finally, cutting off her diatribe.

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” she replied. “I’m not leaving without you.”

She came to a stop in front of me and grabbed my hand, lifting it to her shoulder. “We go together.”

“Rose,” I replied softly, squeezing her shoulder. “This is embarrassing. Jayden’s been waiting almost an hour. Just go.”

“Nope.”

“Please,” I whispered, almost inaudibly. “Go. Don’t make this worse.”

“Not happening.”

“Rose,” I gritted through my teeth, loving her loyalty but cursing her stubbornness. “If you don’t leave with your fucking date so I can go change out of this bullshit dress, I’m going to have you killed.”

She was silent for a long time, but she must have seen something in my face because she finally mumbled, “I knew I should have told Jayden to bring two corsages. I’m going to punch Brent in the ballsack when I see him.”

“Good. I’m not sure how tall he is, so I’d probably miss if I tried.”

“You sure?” she asked, reaching up to put her hand on mine.

“I’m sure.” I swallowed hard. “Go.”

Ten minutes later, I was still standing in the exact same spot, my heart thumping hard in my chest, when Tommy and Leo came noisily through the front door.

“Man, you need to work on that fucking exhaust,” Leo said. “It sounds like shit.”

“Fuck yo—” Tommy’s reply cut off. “Hey, Lil, I thought you guys would be gone already.”

I laughed humorlessly and reached for the bangles on my wrist, sliding them around and around. “It’s just me. Rose left already.”

“Weren’t you supposed to leave like an hour ago? Dude get lost?” Tommy joked.

“Tommy,” Hawk snapped, coming out of the kitchen, where she’d gone to give me a little bit of privacy. “Shut up.”

“What?” he asked in confusion? “What’d I say?”

“He never showed?” Leo asked gently.

“Maybe he fell in a sinkhole?” I replied around the lump forming in my throat.

“That motherfucker,” Tommy growled. “What’s his name?”

“On what planet do you fight my battles, Thomas Hawthorne?” I asked in irritation.

“This one,” he snapped back.

“Wrong.”

“Fine, I’ll ask Rose.”

“She won’t tell you shit and you know it.”

“She fuckin’ better!”

“Knock it off, you two,” Hawk butted in. “Tommy, leave her alone.”

My cousin didn’t say another word, but jabbed me in the side as he and Hawk passed me. His girlfriend must have been dragging him away. He wouldn’t have let it go otherwise.

“You’re beautiful,” Leo said after they’d gone. “Let’s see the whole thing.”

Smiling, I lifted my arms out to the sides and did a slow twirl.

“You better be glad your dad didn’t see you in this, Dandelion,” Leo said with a whistle. “He never woulda let you outta the house.”

“Which would have worked out fine, since my date never fucking showed,” I replied, dropping my arms to my sides.

“His loss, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, well, I better change. I need to call and see if my mom will come pick me up.”

“You want me to give you a ride?” His footsteps clunked on the floor until his voice was much closer than it was before.

I opened my mouth to answer and then shut it again. When I was a kid, I loved riding on the back of my dad’s bike. Saturday mornings, he’d wake me up before my brother and sister and we’d sneak out of the house to take a long ride before everyone got up. It was something just for us. After I’d gone blind, though, that had changed. Being on the bike was disorienting. The wind felt heavier and my balance felt off. It didn’t matter how hard I held on to my dad’s waist, it had never again felt like it had before. Like flying. Like freedom.

“I don’t know,” I said quietly, trying to work up my courage. Years ago, I’d ridden with my brother and uncle, but since I’d lost my sight, I’d only been able to ride with my dad. I just hadn’t been able to make myself ride with anyone else.