Craving Rose (The Aces' Sons 5)

“Brought you a present,” I said, setting the box in my hand on the bar top.

I knew the moment she realized what I’d done because her eyes widened.

“You didn’t,” she murmured.

“Open it.”

She pulled the box toward her and lifted the lid, her smile lighting up the damn room.

“These are gorgeous,” she said, pulling the black Harley boots out. “Holy shit.”

“Gonna need somethin’ better than the high tops you’ve been wearin’,” I said, grinning.

“How did you know my size?” she asked, running her fingers over the leather.

“I notice shit,” I replied.

“Wait,” she said, pausing to look at me. “Why do I need boots?”

“Wanna ride up to Seattle next week?” I asked, holding her gaze.

“Hell yes,” she said, her smile growing bigger. “But if you get one of those t-shirts that says if you can read this, the bitch fell off, I’ll nut punch you.”

A startled laugh fell out of my mouth. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” I said honestly.

“Tommy did that the first time Hawk went with him on a charity run,” she said ruefully. “I thought she was going to murder him in his sleep.”

“I give you permission to murder me if I ever act like your brother Tommy,” I replied.

“Deal.” She leaned across the counter and crooked her finger at me so I’d lean in and kiss her.

“You smell good,” I said against her lips as her fingers slid down the side of my throat.

Rose laughed. “I haven’t even showered today,” she said, pulling away. She pointed to her hair, like that was supposed to mean something.

“Still smell good,” I said with a shrug. “You wanna shower at my place tonight? We could make it a group activity.”

“A group?” she teased. “How many people you plan on inviting over?”

I took the joke as it was meant and chuckled, but it still made my stomach lurch. There was no way in hell I’d ever share Rose, with a man or a woman.

“Just me and you, baby,” I replied.

“I get off at midnight.”

“Probably again at 12:30,” I said, making her grin. “We’ll see how it goes from there.”

“Sweet talker.”

“Always.”

Chapter 9

Rose

“Stop fussin’,” Mack ordered as I fidgeted with my hair. “You look fine.”

It was nine o’clock at night, and we were expecting Mack’s parents to pull up at any moment. Things had gone back to normal after Mack had apologized, and if I was honest with myself, I knew that I’d been testing him. Sure, I’d been pissed when he’d snapped at me on the phone, but it hadn’t really been that big a deal—not if I looked at it logically. But we all have baggage, and part of mine was a history of relationships with men that treated me like crap. I was determined not to let myself fall into the familiar habit of letting things go just to keep the peace, so I’d stood my ground and given him the silent treatment until he’d said he was sorry. It wasn’t my finest moment, but oh, well. His apology had given me the reassurance I’d needed.

Of course, a new pair of hotshit boots hadn’t hurt, either.

But now, Kara was bouncing around the house with excitement and Mack was looking out the screen door every five minutes, and I was freaking out. The three of us had a good thing going, we’d formed a little unit that worked. Now, we were adding two more people to the mix. People Mack adored. People who could change everything if they didn’t like me.

I had never been so nervous to meet someone’s parents in my life.

“They’re here!” Kara squealed suddenly, bolting out of the house.

“Showtime,” Mack said to me, smiling as he grabbed my hand and tugged me out the door.

By the time we reached the front steps, Mack’s parents had parked and were climbing out of a mid-size RV, stretching their arms above their heads and grinning from ear to ear.

“Nana!” Kara yelled, heading for Mack’s mom first.

“Holy cow,” his mom replied as Kara flung herself into the older woman’s arms. “You’ve grown at least a foot since we saw you in April!”

“Two inches,” Kara said proudly.

“You’re going to be as tall as me soon,” Mack’s mom said indulgently.

I didn’t think that would be happening, ever. If I guessed right, Mack’s mom was nearly six feet tall. Slender and angular, with cheekbones that looked like they could cut glass, she may have been the most striking woman I’d ever seen. She also kind of looked like someone who gave great hugs.

“I thought men went for women who reminded them of their mothers,” I said under my breath, making Mack chuckle.

“What about me?” Mack’s dad called to Kara, swinging her up in his arms with a laugh.

Where Mack’s mom was all angles, Mack’s dad was not. He was big and barrel chested, and even though he was in his sixties, he didn’t look like he’d lost a bit of muscle. The man was built like a tank, and now I knew exactly what Mack would look like in thirty years.