Page 16

16

Ace

We’re rolling along.

The first firm the city hired did a respectable job prepping the site, but I ordered a second Geotech survey just to be absolutely sure. The city didn’t like it, but they want this shit built right just like I do.

Besides, it’s my site. My rules. My build.

I stand just outside my trailer, scanning the progress, nodding as Jamal goes over the rebar placement.

“I want another check tomorrow,” I say, and he nods, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Got you, boss.”

We’re still behind schedule, but with the way things are going, we might be able to catch up.

My chest puffs out a little bit.

I should have never doubted myself. I let that little nagging voice take up residence in the back of my head and whisper bitter nothings in my ear. But this is what I do. Plans, precisions, results.

The wind shifts, carrying the scent of the river below, and for the first time all morning, I take a deep breath. Things are steady here now. Predictable. I’m in control.

Unlike my personal life.

Raya’s playing a game with me, I see that now. I haven’t texted her since yesterday, and I ain’t even worried about it. This is her way, and I just have to deal with that shit. She’ll come back when she’s ready, and I’ll be waiting, because I wanna see what happens next. It’s sheer morbid curiosity at this point.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I hope it’s her.

It’s my sister.

I step inside my trailer. “What’s up, Kam?”

“Hey.” She pauses. “I saw Arnelle.”

Fuck.

My grip tightens around the phone. I turn, staring out the window, watching as my team moves to the rhythm I set. It’s grounding.

“Where?” I ask, keeping my voice neutral.

“We had dinner.” Kamryn hesitates. “I thought you’d wanna know.”

“So this wasn’t a run-in? You planned it?”

She sighs. “It wasn’t a plot or anything. I wanted to see her.”

I rub my jaw, exhaling slowly. Time hasn’t done anything to lighten the weight her name still carries with me. It’s heavy. Burdensome. It drags me back to a place I hate to visit.

The hospital, with its sterile walls. The smell of antiseptic thick in my nose. Arnelle on the bed curling into herself, sobbing quietly, almost apologetically. Even though I was next to her, holding her, I felt like I was fifty miles away.

I couldn’t prevent it. I couldn’t fix it. There was nothing I could do to take her pain away, and I couldn’t give her back what we lost. I couldn’t even give her a reason to stay.

And I don’t blame her for that.

I clear my throat. “How’s she doing?”

“Well, she looks amazing,” Kam says lightly. “She’s doing good. Just signed a contract for her first book.”

I nod. “Good for her. She always talked about that.”

Arnelle’s an interior decorator. She specializes in making things beautiful and cozy. That huge social media following she amassed must have finally paid off for her. I’ve never been much for it, but she made it work for her. I feel a twinge of pride.

Then I wait. There’s something else coming, I know. My sister is smart, but never slick.

“So…I have something else to say, and I don’t want you to trip.”

A beat of silence. “What is it?”

“I don’t like Raya.”

I close me eyes. “Here we go.”

“Something’s off with her.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You say that about everybody.”

“No, but I mean it this time. I think she lied about Spelman, or at least when she graduated.”

My jaw clenches.

I already know she’s lying about something.

I’ve been planning to bring it up since the cookout, I just haven’t had the chance. But the last thing I’m gonna do is tell my sister that. She thinks she’s planting seeds of doubt, but the roots are already buried deep.

“What makes you think that?” I ask anyway.

“She was weird when Mama brought it up,” she says. “I’m telling you, something’s off. I feel it in my gut.”

So do I.

But saying it out loud means admitting I’ve been lowkey ignoring it in exchange for the thrill of what very well might end up being crazy pussy.

There’s a saying…I don’t know who said it, but all men have heard it.

Never stick your dick in crazy.

She’s not. I mean, she could be, but I don’t want her to be. I want her to be real. I’m enjoying this too much.

“I knew the minute I saw her, Ace. Remember? She’s trouble.”

I bristle. “Funny, cuz I don’t remember ever judging you for the some of the niggas you’ve been with.”

She snorts. “Yeah, and I’m not with them anymore.”

“Who says I’m with Raya? We’re just kickin’ it.”

Silence.

Even I don’t believe that shit.

Kamryn sighs. “Okay. Just…keep your eyes open.”

“Bye, Kam.”

Now I’m wondering what my mother thinks. I have no doubt they’ve gotten on the phone, wine in hand, and cackled over how stupid Ace is for messing around with a lying weirdo. I didn’t miss the looks they shot each other that day.

It’s funny, because I didn’t mind it with Kenzie. I used those looks as a litmus test and let the data guide me out the door. But with Raya, I don’t like it. The minute she walked through the back gate all soft and quiet and unsure, my protective instinct kicked in.

Whatever’s going on, I’ll get to the bottom of it. Me. Not my sister. Not my mama.

Especially not my mama.

Her concern’s probably performative anyway, so it’s whatever.

Somebody knocks on my door.

The knock is soft. Too soft. Man or woman, everybody on my team knocks like they’re the fucking police.

I know it’s her.

I keep my posture relaxed, taking a seat behind my desk and leaning back, stretching out. I’m giddy as hell, but I don’t call out. I don’t invite her ass in. I make her wait. She’s gon’ feel it just like I did.

Finally, the door creaks open, and there she is.

Red .

The dress clings to her body like a second skin, highlighting curves I can’t possibly ignore. She steps inside, slow and purposeful, savoring the moment and the goofy ass look I’m sure is on my face. She doesn’t walk over to me, she glides.

And she smells good. Sweet. Lickable.

I wonder if my team has gotten back to work yet. Every last one of them stopped what they were doing when she walked by, I know they did.

“I was in the area,” she says. “Thought I’d stop by.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Yeah? Just happened to be around?”

She licks her lips. “Something like that.”

You can google the work site if you know where to look. And there’s GPS, if you’re so inclined. But I don’t think too hard about it. I’m not sure I wanna know.

I’m certain I don’t care.

She prowls around, staring at the walls and papers covered with plans she can’t possibly understand. She trails a finger across the whiteboard, making half of ‘No Excuses’ disappear from the lower section of the schedule.

My eyes follow her, drinking in the beautiful, sensual sight of her in that fucking dress. My dick behaves, for now, but I’m not optimistic.

She moves around my desk and sits right at the edge a little to the right of me. If I slide over just a few inches, I can be between her legs. But I don’t. I won’t.

She crosses them, and I’m grateful.

I keep my expression neutral. I don’t acknowledge the last time we saw each other. Her, in the window. Me, watching.

She knows I’m thinking about it. She wants me to think about it.

The memory is still sharp. It should be, the way I’ve replayed it in my head since that night. But I won’t give her the satisfaction.

I shift in my seat, heat licking up my spine.

“What are you up to this weekend?” she asks from her perch.

“Not sure yet,” I say flatly.

She scoots over a few inches until her ankle brushes my arm—just barely, like a whisper, but it’s enough.

Tightness grows in my groin.

She tilts her head, watching me. “Wanna go somewhere?”

I give her a slow shrug. “Depends. What you thinkin’?”

“Maybe a road trip. Somewhere fun.” Her voice drops. “Just us.”

My throat dries out. Not even a swallow brings relief.

I should say no.

I should find out why she lied, and we need to talk about what happened the other night. I can’t leave town with her under these circumstances. It’s insane.

And yet…

I can see us on a beach.

In the water.

In the hotel room.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I say, already planning the drive.

“I figure we can talk,” she says, and now she’s speaking my language. “You’ve been wanting to do that. It’s time.”

She holds my gaze, waiting for a decision I made five minutes ago.

Her slow smile tells me she already knows, so I say, “Hilton Head.”

She nods, and I wonder what she’ll say if I offer to eat her pussy. It’s her fault; she put it right there in front of me. All she has to do is uncross them legs.

My eyes drop to her feet. Her sandals are thin ropes threaded through her toes and around her ankles. One tug of the end of the tie and I could have her toes in my mouth.

Fuck. Now I’m hard.

She stands, maybe because she saw it, or maybe because her work here is done.

“You’re leaving?” I call after her, pathetic and needy.

With her hand on the doorknob, she turns back to me and grins wickedly. “Pack light. We won’t be wearing much.”

With that, she takes her leave, and I pull up my calendar.

I guess I’m going to Hilton Head.