Craving Trix (The Aces' Sons 1)

“Jesus,” Cam mumbled, meeting my eyes.

“So, no one then,” I said uncomfortably. Shit, I did not want to know anything about my baby brother and his conquests.

It was times like those, when I knew that Leo was doing shit with girls, or getting drunk, or making decisions about the club, that I wished my twin brother had lived. We’d been born early, and though I’d survived with no problems as I’d grown, Draco hadn’t been strong enough. Even though I didn’t remember him, obviously, sometimes I got this weird ache in my chest, like a part of me was missing. I thought that was probably the universe’s way of reminding me that at one point, I’d been half of a whole. And the other half? Well, he’d protected me, even in the womb, because when we were born, I was significantly larger than he was.

Draco would know how to talk to Leo. He’d know the right things to say and Leo would listen to him, because Draco was a brother and I was a sister and those two roles were very different.

“Bea?” Cam called softly, catching my attention. “You okay?”

I plastered a smile on my face and nodded, turning to put the disc into my Xbox. As soon as it was all set up, I stepped over the two little giggling girls and swept my hand down the back of Cecilia’s head as I passed her before coming to an abrupt stop.

There wasn’t anywhere for me to sit. The little assholes had taken up every available seat and every inch of the floor in my living room.

Cam chuckled at my disgruntled expression. “Come here, Bea.”

He pulled me into his lap sideways and reached out to shove at Tommy’s shoulder until the poor kid was practically sitting in Leo’s lap.

“Hey!” Tommy grunted.

“Scoot over or sit on the floor,” Cam replied gruffly, shutting him up.

“Be nice,” I whispered, leaning into Cam as the movie previews lit up my TV.

“That was nice. If I wasn’t bein’ nice, I woulda kicked ’em all out hours ago,” he whispered against my neck, making me chuckle. “You’re good with them.”

“They’re easy. Give the boys soda and the girls nail polish. Boom. Everybody’s happy.”

“More than that, Sweetbea,” he argued dropping his arm from the back of the couch to rest his hand on my belly. “You’re gonna be a good mom.”

My heart thudded in my chest.

“Why do you call me that?” I asked quietly, changing the subject.

“What? Sweetbea?”

“Yeah, or Bea.”

Cam was silent for a long time, long enough for the movie to start and for Rose and Lily to pass out awkwardly, like little drunken sailors.

“My brother couldn’t say your name right,” he suddenly stated, not looking at me. “Called ya Bayatrix. Wouldn’t shorten it, either. Guess it came from that—called ya Bay, then at some point it turned into Bea.”

“Oh,” I breathed, staring at his emotionless face. “I didn’t remember that.”

“Didn’t think you would, baby,” he said, giving me a small smile before kissing my forehead. “Watch the movie, yeah?”

“Kiss me first,” I whispered.

His smile grew. “That’s my line,” he whispered back, right before his lips met mine in a soft kiss.

I woke up a couple hours later as Cam laid me gently down on the couch. The TV was turned off and the apartment was silent as I watched Cam gently pick sleeping Cecilia up like a baby, carrying her into the spare room. Leo and Mick followed him silently, carrying Lily and Rose. Unsurprisingly, Tommy was asleep on the floor. He was almost always the first of the older kids to pass out.

I waited for Cam to come get me, and I kissed his neck softly as he carried me into our room, refusing to acknowledge his need to take care of me or my desire to let him.

* * *

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!” Leo yelled through my bedroom door the next morning, making me groan.

“Go away,” I called back, glancing at my alarm clock. Seven a.m.

“We’re hungry!” Leo called back, knocking a rhythm on my closed door.

“You don’t stop knocking, you’re gonna be eating through a fuckin’ straw,” Cam growled, rolling over to wrap an arm around my waist.

The knocking stopped abruptly and I relaxed back into the bed. I really didn’t want to get up so early on a Saturday, but after a few minutes of listening to voices in my living room, I groggily sat up in bed.

“Where you goin’?” Cam asked quietly, his arm slipping down my waist to grasp my hips.

“Better get up before they tear up my house,” I answered, turning to lean down and give him a kiss. “Good morning.”

“Stay,” he ordered, tightening his arm.

“Go back to sleep,” I murmured back, kissing him again. “I’ll make breakfast and wake you up when it’s ready.”

“Make ’em eat cereal,” he argued.