Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons 5)

“I’m here,” I yelled, letting myself in.

“Kitchen,” Lily yelled back.

“Woman, you better be making me lunch,” I announced as I made my way through the house.

“You’re lucky I’m hungry,” she joked as I reached her.

“Ooh, ramen. Lunch of champions.”

“It’s easy and fast,” she shot back. “Cut up some green onions and we’ll make it fancy.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” I replied as I opened the fridge.

“I’m glad you came to visit,” she said, looking at me over her shoulder. “But you usually leave me alone when I’m working. What’s up?”

“Well,” I said, pulling out a cutting board. “Me and Mack have been fucking like rabbits, and I figured you’d want to know before the whole club was talking about it.”

Lily’s jaw dropped as she stared at me. “No fucking way.”

“Way.” I nodded. “Wait, aren’t we missing a certain three-foot tall gentleman?”

“Gray’s at my mom’s. Now, spill.”

“He showed up at my house, we went for a ride. Then went for a ride.”

Lily chuckled.

“He stayed the night at my place,” I said with a grin. “And then the next night, he asked me to stop by after work and we broke in his bed.”

“Holy crap.”

“Seriously,” I murmured.

“Is this just banging, or is it a relationship?” she asked, grabbing some bowls out of the cupboard.

“A relationship, I think,” I said, tossing some onion on top of our bowls of ramen. “I mean, Kara fell and busted her head while I was at his place, so she knew I was there. He didn’t ask me to hide or jump out the window or anything.”

“Well, that’s good,” Lily said as we started eating. “Because that would’ve been a dick move.”

“He says he’s all tangled up in me,” I told her quietly, unable to hide my smile.

“Oh, nice,” she breathed. “I like this. I like Mack. He’s a good guy.”

“He is a good guy,” I agreed. “But I’m just taking each day as it comes, you know? I always fall head first and then when the dude leaves, I feel like shit.”

“I think that’s good,” Lily replied. “Have some fun. See how you guys mesh before things start getting messy.”

“Exactly.”

“But he is all tangled up in you,” she said, happily. “So don’t play too hard to get.”

“I think that ship has sailed,” I joked. “I’m pretty sure he’s already gotten me…multiple times in multiple positions.”

“Yes,” Lily yelled, raising her fork in salute.

* * *

That night, I packed a small overnight bag just in case, mixed up a batch of macaroni salad, and headed over to Mack and Kara’s for dinner. Mack hadn’t told me to bring the clothes or the food, but I’d been raised to never go to dinner empty handed. Different levels of association meant different offerings. If I didn’t know a person well, wine was always a winner. If I was headed to a friend’s house, I brought a side dish that went well with the main dish. And if it was family, I didn’t bring anything unless they asked me to.

I left the overnight bag in the car and brought the salad with me as I strode up the front walkway.

“You’re here!” Kara said excitedly through the screen as I stepped onto the porch. I laughed as she did an awkward ballet pose with one leg extended out behind her.

“Don’t let your dad catch you doing that,” I said as I opened the screen door. “How’s your head feeling?”

“It’s fine,” she said with a sigh, wiggling it from side to side.

“It wont be for long if you keep doing that,” I warned, pointing at her.

Kara grinned. “Dad’s out back,” she said as she led me through the house. “I have to go take a shower.” She pirouetted and pranced down the hallway, leaving me at the entrance to the kitchen.

I took a minute to look around. I’d been in Mack’s house a few times before, but never had a chance to actually pay attention to it. There was something undeniably sexy about a guy who didn’t live like a bachelor. Mack didn’t half-ass anything, and his house was no different. He’d made a home for him and Kara, complete with curtains on the windows and photos on the fridge. I took a step closer to check out the photos. There were a few different ones of Kara with an older couple that had to be Mack’s parents, if the uncanny resemblance between the man and Mack was anything to go by. Kara’s school photo was front and center, and beneath it was her latest report card—all A’s. There was even a picture of my niece, cheesing for the camera in her own school photo. As I leaned in to look at the slew of magnets from different cities down the west coast, Mack came up behind me.

“I always bring Kara home a souvenir when I’m on the road,” he said, making me nearly jump out of my skin.