Page 17

ACE

I swallowed the last of the dregs of the whiskey in my glass. The alcohol didn’t do a damn thing—never did—but I liked to think the placebo effect did something for my nerves. Hopefully, that distillery we had invested in was onto something. I’d kill for a little buzz right now.

I’d gone to Liz Founty’s house as soon as I’d gotten out of my meeting with Striker.

It’d only been a clan meeting, going over the theft and the evidence that Sean was involved.

I spoke to the distributor on the phone, personally—and that was the only reason why he’d agreed to meet with Striker and me tomorrow.

I had to ensure this theft didn’t turn into something bigger.

I needed to keep Lakeview safe while Harley and Dylan were here, no matter what that took.

It was late, and the moonlight streamed into the empty living room. At night, the house felt emptier. There was too much space here, too many bedrooms, too much land. It was all too much for one man.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me to share my home with my fated mate.

My dragon whined at the mere thought of it.

Having Harley here, in my territory, close to my bedroom, where I should be taking care of her, pleasuring her, keeping her safe…

She’d be close, but entirely out of reach.

Fuck, it would be harder than not having her at all.

An engine rumbled outside, cut off, and then footsteps crunched briskly up the gravel driveway. I heard Dylan’s excited voice chattering before I heard the knock on the door. My dragon sensed them both—my son and my mate.

This felt so right, and at the same time, it wasn’t anywhere close to enough.

I set my glass aside and strode to the door. “Come on in,” I said with a smile. “Make yourself at home.”

“Yay!” Dylan’s voice echoed all the way up to the rafters. “This is so awesome.”

“Don’t get too excited, kiddo,” Harley said. “Remember, you’re still in trouble from earlier.”

Dylan’s expression fell a little. Obviously, Dylan had thought Harley had forgotten about something.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Tell your dad what you got in trouble for,” Harley said as she set her suitcase down in the foyer and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked like a stern, serious mom.

Seeing that unfamiliar expression on her face turned me on—just a little.

But in my defense, everything about her turned me on.

“Um… I yelled at her,” Dylan said meekly.

“About what?” Harley prompted.

“I didn’t want to go back to Mama Liz’s.”

“Right,” Harley said. “And you used the strong words and tone that we’re not supposed to, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Dylan toed at the floor. “I was… I was really mad.”

“I get it.” I stepped closer to Dylan and set a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and I saw my own hazel eyes looking back at me. God, would I ever get used to the resemblance? “I know how big your feelings can be when your first shift is coming. I remember how that feels.”

“You do?”

“Yep. It’s not easy. But that doesn’t mean you get to disrespect your mom, okay? Not under any circumstances. She’s pretty amazing, and she’s doing a good job with all this craziness, don’t you think?”

Dylan nodded.

“How’s your dragon feel?” I asked.

Dylan rubbed his chest. “I dunno. Bad?”

“You wanna apologize?” I felt Harley’s gaze on me.

Dylan nodded. He turned toward Harley. “Sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean it. I was just so mad.”

“It’s okay, baby,” Harley said. Dylan lunged at her and hugged her. Harley laughed and squeezed him back. “Really. It’s okay. You and your dragon aren’t in trouble now that you’ve apologized. Your dad’s gonna help you with the big feelings.”

“Okay.” Dylan pressed his face into Harley’s chest. “My dragon feels better.”

“That’s good. Why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep, Dyl? It’s late.”

“Can I play some video games first?”

“No, sir,” Harley said. “And if I find out you did, you’ll be in major trouble.”

“Okay, fine.” He let go of Harley, then walked toward me and hugged me as well. “Night, Dad.”

I swallowed hard. “Night, Dyl. And no video games. ”

Dylan grabbed his suitcase and hurried upstairs to his room. Then Harley and me were alone in the big, empty room. The moonlight made her auburn hair shine. Dark shadows fell over her face. She sighed and made her way to the kitchen. “You have any tea?”

“Check in that far left cabinet,” I said. “It’s usually well-stocked for guests.”

Harley opened the cabinet and stood on her tiptoes to peer inside.

She reached up to the top shelf for a box of teabags, and the edge of her sweatshirt slid up, revealing a thin strip of skin over the top of her denim waistband.

She pulled down one of the boxes, rifled through it, and withdrew a teabag.

She turned on the kettle and searched the cupboards for a mug.

I leaned against the back of the couch and watched her move around the kitchen like she owned the place.

“Sorry you had to overhear all that at Mom’s,” Harley said, leaning against the side of the kitchen island, her legs crossed at the ankle. “She’s always been…”

“Feisty?”

Harley chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m glad you’re here instead. It’ll make everything easier for Dylan.”

She nodded. “That’s what’s important to me. And… Thank you. For being so kind to him. I know this is a lot to take in.”

My dragon huffed in my chest. She was thanking me? For doing the bare minimum to take care of our son? “You don’t need to thank me. It’s my responsibility. I’m proud and happy to do it.”

Under the moonlight, her cheeks turned faintly pink. My dragon thumped against my ribs, urging me to step closer—to touch her, to kiss her, to feel that flush of skin under my lips. Having my fated mate so close after ten years without her was an exercise in self-control for both of us.

“I’ll show you your room,” I said.

“I know where it is.”

“I know, but let me be a good host, huh?”

She huffed a small laugh, then nodded. I scooped up her bag from the foyer and led her up the stairs. Harley paused at Dylan’s door, then motioned me to step closer. She cracked the door open. Inside, Dylan was sprawled on the bed, half-under the covers with one leg sticking out, dead to the world.

“He must’ve been exhausted,” I whispered.

Harley hummed her agreement.

I was standing so close I could smell the delicate scent of her skin: warm, musky, with a fresh floral edge from her soap. It was the same smell I’d gotten addicted to a decade ago. My dragon whined with need, and I felt his presence push closer to the skin, longing to be close to our mate.

I took a step back. I could get lost in her aroma. Too much closeness and I might do something we would both regret.

Harley closed the door gently. I took another step back to give her space and led her to her room. I set her suitcase down.

She leaned back against the closed door. She had one hand on the doorknob. I was close again—too close. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to be near her all the time, even though I couldn’t have her the way I wanted.

“Thank you,” she said, gazing up at me through her lashes. “Really. It means a lot to me—to us.”

The curve of her waist, her hip, her thigh. Motherhood really had been good to her. She was curvier than she was when we’d met, and I longed to map the differences between the woman in my memory and the woman she was now. My fingers itched to touch her.

Harley’s head knocked against the door. She tilted her face up toward mine and met my eyes.

It’d be so easy to step closer, grasp her hip, her waist, tug her close and taste her lips again…

I took a step back. My dragon huffed in dismay, and the sulfur of frustration burned at the back of my throat. God, I wanted her. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep tonight with her so close, yet so out of reach.

“Sleep well, Harley.” My voice came out lower than I intended, rough like gravel.

“You too,” she whispered. She picked up her suitcase, then slipped into her room and closed the door behind her.

I scrubbed my hand over my face. On one hand, my dragon was settled, knowing our mate and our son were safe and accounted for. On the other, frustration burned through my entire body like a fever.

I went to my room and collapsed face-down on the bed. This was going to be even harder than I’d thought.

The next morning, I awoke early after a fitful and frustrating night of sleep.

I rolled over and squinted at my alarm clock—barely eight.

I was used to silence in the mornings, but this morning, my sharp ears easily caught the sound of Dylan’s laughter and Harley’s low voice shushing him.

The coffeemaker was gurgling, and something was sizzling on the stove.

Not a bad way to wake up. Still, I had to get moving. Our supplier wouldn’t be keen to chat if we were late.

I got out of bed and pulled on a thin white undershirt and loose sweatpants. I’d get dressed properly for the meeting, but for now, my dragon was urging me to check on Harley and Dylan. I hurried down the stairs without so much as a glance in the mirror.

What I saw in the kitchen nearly made me trip over my own feet.

Harley was wearing an oversized T-shirt.

The neckline slid off her shoulder, and the hem fell to mid-thigh.

When she reached up, I got a glimpse of her sleep shorts, barely visible under the shirt.

But all I saw was the bare expanse of her smooth legs.

Her hair was pulled into a bun atop her head, and even the skin of her nape drew me in.

She turned toward me. Her smile faltered slightly, and that familiar flush rose in her round cheeks.

Her blue eyes danced over my chest and my arms. Ah.

My undershirt was pretty thin. This was the first time she’d gotten a look at the tattoos I’d gotten over the past decade. My dragon preened at the attention.