Page 24

ACE

I leaned against the counter and sipped my coffee, watching Harley move around the kitchen as she made breakfast even though Dylan was still fast asleep.

She was so damn gorgeous with her auburn hair loose and simple shorts clinging to the curve of her thighs. She looked so at home in my kitchen as she chopped vegetables for an omelet.

Harley looked over her shoulder at me, her cheeks flushing.

My dragon growled with hunger. With the need to make her mine.

I was proud of Dylan for managing his tail’s first appearance so well, but the timing hadn’t been ideal. If I’d had a few more moments, I would’ve had Harley beneath me on that very couch, gasping my name.

“Usually I’d make Dylan get up,” she said, more to herself than to me, “but he could use the sleep after last night.”

“He’s going through a lot,” I agreed.

She sighed and raked one hand through her hair, pushing the long strands off her face. Even those simple gestures made me crazy. I wanted to run my tongue up the curve of her arm. I wanted to devour her.

She met my eyes, and the flush on her cheeks deepened.

I knew she wanted me just as bad. I had to get her alone. The tension was too much. We needed to have a conversation—a real conversation, not snippets stolen in between meals and work and in the cool darkness of night.

I needed her attention on me. And what happened then would happen.

“I’m gonna make a call, then I’ll go wake Dylan.”

She nodded, and I stepped out onto the deck. Putting my mug on the railing, I grabbed my phone and watched Harley move around the kitchen. Was she singing to herself? Fuck, I wanted to be near her all the time.

“Pretty early for a call, Ace,” Hawk said as soon as he answered. “There a problem?”

“Something like that,” I said. “You have time for uncle duty today?”

“Duty, huh? You finally getting your head out of your ass and making a move on Harley?”

My dragon huffed his approval. “Not exactly.” Cue my dragon’s disapproval. “I have to have a real conversation. I need to know where her head is at.”

“Yeah, there’s definitely something between you two,” Hawk said. “Better to clear the air either way.”

If Hawk had noticed the tension, it was definitely getting bad.

I needed clarity. We both did. If Harley was serious about keeping things hands-off between us, I’d respect that.

Even if my dragon didn’t like it. Maybe I’d eventually reject her, and we’d try to move on with our lives.

But the mere thought of doing that pissed my dragon off.

“So you’ve got time today?” I asked.

“Definitely. I’ve got a meeting with some of the distillery guys to fill out some health inspection paperwork, but after that, I’m wide open. Mia and I were already planning on taking Bella to the playground. Think Dylan would be interested in that?”

“Definitely, especially if you’ll feed him afterward.”

“It’s a deal,” Hawk said. “Anything to get things moving between you and Harley. It’s killing me , dude.”

True to his word, Hawk showed up hardly two hours later, with Bella on his hip and Mia right at his heels. Bella was wearing a massive pair of pink sunglasses that made her look like a bug. Mia wore a matching pair. “Where’s my favorite nephew?” Hawk hollered as he walked inside.

Dylan burst out of his bedroom and appeared at the top of the stairs. “Uncle Hawk?”

Harley glanced up from her laptop, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Hi, guys.”

“I’m on uncle duty,” Hawk announced too loud. Mia mouthed ‘sorry’ at Harley, making her laugh and shake her head fondly. “It’s playground day. How’s that sound, Dylan?”

“Sounds pretty good to me,” I said with a grin. “That okay with you, Harley?”

“Please, Mom?” Dylan raced downstairs. His hair was a mess, and he looked like he’d only changed out of his pajamas five minutes ago. The extra sleep had done him well, and now he was bubbling with energy. “Please, can I go?’

“I don’t see why not,” Harley said.

“Yeah!” Dylan and Hawk said simultaneously.

I barked a laugh. “All right, all right, you’re going to burst Bella’s eardrums.”

Upon hearing her name, Bella shouted “Ace!” and reached for me. I swept my niece out of Hawk’s arms and spun her around, making her shriek in delight.

“Put your shoes on, Dylan,” Harley said.

Dylan raced down the stairs and nearly fell on his butt in his eagerness to grab his sneakers by the door. “Where’s the playground? Is it cool? Is there a jungle gym? I’m really good at climbing, I can show Bella how to do it.”

“Bella might be a little too small to climb,” Mia said, “but she loves the swings.”

“I love the swings too.”

“Remember your manners, Dylan,” Harley said. “Make sure you listen to Uncle Hawk and Aunt Mia, okay? And be on your best behavior.”

I handed Bella back to my brother. “Yeah, I think Hawk’s the one you need to worry about. He’s got the behavioral issues.”

Hawk laughed. “I promise Dylan won’t catch his first charge at the playground.”

“What’s that mean?” Dylan asked.

Harley rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

“Mom,” he grumbled.

“Let’s get out of here, kiddo, before it gets too hot outside.” Hawk clapped Dylan on the shoulder and led him out the door. Mia had Bella say bye, then the four of them left.

The house suddenly felt very still and quiet.

It was as if a crazy storm had rolled through and passed in a matter of minutes.

I went into the kitchen and put on another pot of coffee.

The mid-morning sun streamed through the big windows, falling in golden stripes across the table and making Harley’s auburn hair gleam.

The coffeemaker bubbled, but all I could hear was the beat of Harley’s heart.

She fidgeted in her seat at the table, then shut her laptop.

“Well, if they’re having a park day, I might as well use this time to run a few errands,” she said. “It might be good for me to run by Mom’s, too…”

“Can we talk?”

Her eyes widened. “Talk?”

“Talk,” I repeated. “About us.”

“Us?”

I chuckled. “Sounds like we’ve got a parrot in here.”

That beautiful flush returned to her cheeks. “I—yeah. Yeah, we can talk. That’s probably for the best.”

I poured two mugs of coffee and walked outside to the back deck.

The fresh air would help, and I wanted her to know I was serious about this.

The couch inside would be too tempting. My dragon still wanted her on her back beneath us, and I couldn’t entertain those thoughts before we had this conversation.

I handed her a mug, and she accepted it with a hum of gratitude.

She folded one hand around the mug, and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with the other.

In the warm light, she looked even more beautiful, and she nearly took my breath away when she gave me a small smile.

“You asked Hawk to steal Dylan away, didn’t you? ”

I took a sip of my coffee. “Maybe.”

She nodded and gazed out to the lake. I knew we were both thinking about what might have happened last night had we not been interrupted. But I was done waiting for something to happen.

“I think you know how I feel about you,” I said.

Her gaze jumped to mine, her eyes going wide. My dragon preened at the attention.

“I’m tired of pretending it’s not there,” I continued. “I know you feel it too. I want to be honest with you, Harley. I want us to be honest with each other. Am I making it up? Or do you feel something between us, too?”

“I—I—” Harley stammered, then took a sip of coffee. She looked so damn adorable when I caught her off guard that I wanted to make her more flustered. I wanted to hear her cry out my name in that sweet voice.

“I still want you,” I said. “I know that much is obvious. But I think it’s more than that between us, Harley. I… I want to try again.”

She gaped at me, blinking fast.

“I know you’re not the same woman I met ten years ago, but the more I get to know who you are now, the more sure I am. I still want to be with you. My dragon definitely does.” Internally, he huffed and urged me to pick up the pace. He wanted us to be mated as much as I did.

After a long moment, Harley turned and looked out at the lake. “It’s… it’s not that simple.”

“I’m not denying that, but I can’t ignore it anymore. We should be honest with each other. But whatever happens next is your choice.”

That made her gaze jump back to me. “That kind of choice isn’t simple either, Stephan.”

“I’ll give you some time to think,” I said. “I know you’ve had a lot going on. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon, so you’ll have some peace and quiet in the house.”

Her shoulders sagged a little, and only then did I realize how tense she’d been. “Thanks. That’ll be helpful.”

“You can always tell me to get the hell out of here,” I said with a smile.

“It’s your house!”

“While you’re here, it’s yours, too.”

“I don’t ever want you to ‘get the hell out’,” she said. “But some time to think will be nice.”

“There’s a walking trail through the woods by the lake. It’s relaxing, when you’re not busy worrying about Dylan accidentally setting the house on fire.”

She laughed. “I’ll just worry about him setting the playground on fire.”

“That’s why Hawk’s there.” I checked my phone. “I do need to get out of here, though. I should be back around dinner. Want me to pick anything up?”

“No, no, I’ll be fine.” She smoothed her hair down. Her expression was softer now, almost unsure. “Thank you. Really.”

My dragon nearly purred. I didn’t want to leave, but I knew it was best for both of us.

She hadn’t pushed me away when I’d told her I wanted her, which was a good start.

That was a pretty good start. I wanted to reach for her, to embrace her, but instead I walked away with the promise to return soon.

I met Striker at the garage, and he followed me to Michel’s shop with a box truck.