An Aces Christmas (The Aces' Sons)

Every time I caught his eye, a little zing of electricity shot up my spine. Like we had a secret just between us. It was exhilarating and I wasn’t in any rush to push things further. I’d see him the next day and the next and the day after that. The world seemed wide open and full of possibility.

A couple hours into the dance, after eating the crappy food and drinking our weight in punch, me and Charlie headed to the ladies’ room.

“Okay,” she said, laughing as we made our way into the quiet hallway where the bathrooms were located. “I’m glad you made me come.”

“I told you it would be fun,” I said, grinning. I pulled at the high neck of my dress a little. It felt like it was tighter than before and it was kind of itchy, but I was having too much fun to care.

“You were right and I was wrong,” she said, pushing open the bathroom door. “Remember this, because it will never happen again.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, following her inside.

“So, there’s apparently a party up in a room later,” she said through the stall while we peed. “Did you want to go, or do you think the ’rents will get pissed?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, pulling at my dress again. Why did it feel so tight? I could feel it every time I swallowed. “Do you know whose party it is?”

“No idea,” she said.

As we stepped out to wash our hands, she continued. “My parents don’t care because they know I’m with the boys—but I know that won’t cut it for Mack.” She laughed. “Your dad’s a bit more strict than Farrah and Casper.”

Running my hands under the water, I nodded, but didn’t reply. I was starting to really feel like shit. What the hell was going on?

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I don’t feel good,” I rasped, staring at Charlie as I tried to pull air into my lungs. “I don’t—”

“What the hell?” she asked in confusion. Her voice was laced with worry. “Come on, lets go get the guys. We can go.”

I followed her out of the bathroom, but we didn’t make it three steps down the hallway before I had to stop.

“Can’t breathe,” I choked, pulling on her arm. “Help.”

I pulled at the neck of my dress, scratching at it with my nails as I started to panic.

“Oh God,” Charlie gasped. “Oh God. Okay. It’s okay,” she said, reaching around me to unfasten the two buttons at the base of my neck that held the top of my dress up. “It’s okay.”

I started to sway, but I couldn’t seem to keep my feet under me, even as I felt the fabric fall away from my throat. I was suffocating. Holy crap, what was wrong with me?

“Help!” Charlie screamed at someone—I couldn’t see who she was talking to through the black spots that danced across my vision. “Help!”

Then, there was nothing.Chapter 5GreasePresent

“Was today hard for you?” Callie asked, kneeling on the bed behind me to drape her arms over my shoulders.

“Nah,” I replied, shaking my head a little. “It was a good day, sugar.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh, kissing the side of my neck. “But it brought back a whole lot of memories for me. I’d imagine it was worse for you.”

“It did,” I agreed.

Sitting outside the prison, the memory of walking out into the parking lot full of bikes had hit me hard. I’d been so young back then. Young and in love and dying to get home to the woman I’d left behind and the kid I’d barely gotten to know. The memories were bittersweet. Freedom was something that I’d always taken for granted until I no longer had it.

“Did everything go okay?” Callie asked as I twisted and pulled her into my lap.

“It went fine,” I replied, running my mouth along her jaw.

I didn’t want to think about being locked up. I didn’t want to think about that part of our lives or the shit that had come afterward. It had taken us a long ass time to move past the things I’d put her through. I’d spent the entire day fighting to keep those memories in the back of my mind where they belonged.

“Farrah called me old today,” Callie said, tilting her head back so I could reach her throat. “She said I’m going to end up living in a shoe.”

“She what? A shoe?” I said in confusion, pulling away. “No. Nope. Not discussing your crazy friend while you’re naked in my lap.”

“Oh, don’t pretend like she’s not your friend, too,” she said, reaching up to run her fingers through my hair. “I swear, the two of you are ridiculous.”

“You know what’s ridiculous?” I asked, flipping her onto her back. “The fact that you’ve been naked for at least ten minutes and I’m still not inside you.”