Looking through the rearview mirror, he met his niece’s eyes. “It’s not big.”
“It is, too. It has five bedrooms, and it’s two stories, and it has a pool.”
The way Della said it made it sound like a mansion. He supposed to her it might be, but to Allie, who’d lived in a penthouse in New York, far from it.
He spared a look in Allie’s direction. “It isn’t big. A total wreck when I bought it, had only four bedrooms. Remodeled a lot, pretty much every room, and I added a garage and a master suite.”
She nodded.
He pulled up the drive, waited for the gate to close behind him, then drove up to his house, and parked along the circular drive. It was a two-story brick home with an attached two-car garage surrounded by two large willow trees that shaded the area around it. He’d hung a tire swing on one of them for Della.
He hopped off the car, helped Della out, then walked up the steps to the porch where he’d hung a swing. Turning, his gaze hit Allie, taking everything in. “Allie? You coming?”
She nodded and neared.
He unlocked the door, opened it, letting Della and Allie in first. “Della, wanna get washed up for dinner while I show Allie around?”
She nodded and dashed up the stairs.
He faced Allie. Her eyes wide, she studied his home from the foyer. The layout was open concept. To the right, a small seating area with a brick fireplace. Straight ahead, the main sunk-in living room. It also had a brick fireplace. On the mantle, he had several framed pictures of Della and Tina. A large sectional sat in the middle. In front of it, a flat screen TV. A large window framed a clear view of the backyard, and beside it, a set of double French doors led outside to the back porch and yard.
To the left of the living room was the dining room. There, too, was a large window. A dark wood table positioned in the middle seated six. Between the dining room and kitchen was a hallway that led into a storage closet, bathroom accessible from the backyard, the laundry room, and garage.
The kitchen, twice the size of the dining room, he’d remodeled the most, installing new, stainless-steel appliances, dark-wood cabinets, and light-granite countertops that circled the entire area.
He scanned his home, and then his gaze darted to her. She stood in the middle of the dining room, her eyes on the mahogany wooden table.
She ran her fingers over it. As if sensing his eyes on her, she met his gaze. “This is a beautiful home, Jace.”
She was just being nice. He smiled. “You haven’t seen it all yet, Allie.”
“Think I’ve seen plenty to know it is, but if you insist, lead the way.”
He led her through the French doors outside to the porch and the backyard. The pool sat fifty feet away from the back doors surrounded by several lounge chairs and a patio table for four. He showed her his office, then led her upstairs to the four bedrooms. Last, he took her into his room. He had a four-poster bed, also dark wood, a dresser, armoire, and TV. Beside the TV, a walk-in closet he didn’t think he’d ever be able to fill. To the other side, the en suite bathroom with tub and shower. At the back end of the room were two large windows. In between, a set of double doors leading onto the second-story balcony.
She went to the doors, parted them, and stepped outside. He followed her and found her resting her weight against the railing looking out into his backyard. He came up behind her, wrapped his arms round her waist, buried his face in her neck, and feathered a kiss under her ear.
She turned to face him and pressed her lips against his. “It’s beautiful.”
“Know it’s not fancy or—”
She placed her fingers over his lips. “It’s beautiful and homey. Perfect for a family.” She lifted a brow, then teased, “…or a hot, angry, badass biker with a big heart who loves his sister and niece.”
He hid his smile. “Did you just call me a hot, angry, badass biker?”
Allie flushed. She looked away from him. After a moment, she met his stare. “Before I knew your name, that’s what I called you.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t believe you.”
“Why would I lie, honey?”
His heart squeezed. He loved when she called him that.
“I had names for some of the other guys, too.”
The smile fell away from his lips. Knowing he could come to regret, he asked, “What were they?”
“Dash was Tatted Sleeves, Bud was Tatted Chest and…” She hesitated. “I actually feel guilty about this one, but it’s kind of true.”
Who the hell was it? What the hell was it? He shouldn’t have asked. If she’d called any one of his brothers “hot” he’d definitely have to punch them in the face.
“Ripper was Dead Eyes.”
Dead Eyes? Damn, not bad and true. Sometimes, he swore Ripper was dead inside. Then again, sometimes he showed another side of him, like the night he tried to comfort Allie. “Pretty good.”
She smiled.
After dinner that night with Della, Allie, and Army, he dropped Della off at home and headed to his empty house. For the first time in more than a week, he lay on his bed. He thought about Allie until he drifted to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It had been a little over three weeks since Ty had come back, and it had taken getting used to. Mainly, she missed Jace. While Ty had been gone, she gotten used to having Jace around. Their relationship went from easy to hard, complicated, and sometimes outright frustrating. Not because they began arguing or fighting but because a number of other reasons.
Things changed drastically. Her brother and the club still didn’t know she and Jace were an item, and Jace had to get back to his life with the club and with Della and Tina. He’d been going on “runs,” which he didn’t share with her because he couldn’t, club business and all that. He had shared he and Ty usually went on runs together. When she worried, she worried about both of them. Two to three runs a week: Mondays, Tuesdays, and sometimes Thursdays. Those nights, she spent with either Cuss or Blaze. She preferred Cuss, not only because she had a soft spot for Cuss, but also Cuss knew about Jace and her. After Jace’s runs, he’d come over and spend the night. Cuss would then leave. She had no idea where he went, but knew he didn’t go back to the compound. Otherwise, it’d blow their cover. She paid him back by making him dinner on those days.
During one of those nights, Jace came over after his run, and she noticed he carried a gun. What type? She had no freaking clue. Quite frankly, she didn’t want to know. She was terrified of guns. He caught her looking at it and told her not to worry. Right, well, it didn’t quite work out like that. She then began worrying for not only Ty and Jace, but the rest of the guys too, much more than she had before.
Usually, she saw Jace three times a week: either Monday or Tuesday when Cuss watched her, Fridays when he watched her, and Saturdays when she spent the day with him and Della. She used Della as an excuse to spend an extra day with him telling her brother she wanted to see Della. True, she loved Della, but she also wanted to be with Jace even though they weren’t free to act like a couple because they were often out in public, not to mention in front of Della. Though he often found ways to touch her or steal kisses, so it was worth it.
Apart from those days, it was impossible to see him. Ty spent Wednesdays, Sundays, and sometimes Thursdays with her, and Jace spent that time with Della and Tina. Once, she’d seen him on a Sunday at the club’s cookout.
That day, they had their second argument.
She sat with Tiffany, Mia, and Lynn planning their next shopping trip when Cuss walked up to them. She hadn’t seen him yet and smiled at him.
He nodded. “Hey, Miracle.”
“Are you volunteering to take us shopping again?”
Cuss chuckled and nodded.
The next moment, Jace stood in front of her, the muscle in his jaw jumping. “Allie. Inside. Now.”
She hadn’t known what to think, but she went. He looked like he was about to lose it, so it wouldn’t be good, not in front of the entire club. When she headed inside, he dragged her into an empty room and shut the door. He still had that angry look on his face, but he didn’t say anything.
“Is everything okay?” Another one of her stupid questions, but the silence had been too unbearable.
“No, everything isn’t okay,” he snapped. “Don’t want you goin’ anywhere with Cuss.”
Her eyes widened. It had been so absurd to hear that since Cuss often covered for them. “What? Why?”
He closed the distance between them and leaned into her. “’Cause I don’t like him calling you ‘Miracle.’ It fuckin’ pisses me off, and I’m fuckin’ tired of hearing it.”
What? If it wasn’t for Cuss, she’d hardly ever see him. She wanted more time with him, not less. “Well, too bad.” She knew the minute after she said it, she shouldn’t have.
The vein in his neck began pulsing. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. Snaking his other arm around her waist, he crushed her against him. She didn’t bother fighting back. It would’ve been useless. Instead she let herself enjoy the moment, her body against his.
“Don’t fuckin’ play games with me, Allie.”
Taking a deep steadying breath, she chose her words wisely. “He’s taken.”
He tightened his hold around her back, his eyes narrowing to slits. “You say he’s fuckin’ taken. Does that mean he wasn’t, you’d be with him instead of me?”
“Are you jealous?”
“No fuckin’ shit,” he shot back, immediately.
Her jaw dropped. A warm feeling settled in the center of her chest. Maybe it was a little crazy, but it made her feel like he cared, a lot. Her anger melted. She softened against him. “I’m not interested in anyone but you. He calls me that because I can get Ty out of a bad mood…”
She tilted her head and explained, “He likes Tiff. A lot. I think he’s liked her for a long time, but he says she’s too good for him. I told him all a woman ever really wants is to be understood and loved, and if he thinks he can give her that, he should go for it.”
She didn’t know whether it was the way she’d melted or what she’d said, but that instant, his anger faded. He kissed her, and he didn’t stop. It led to make-up sex where they’d had no choice but to be quiet.
By now, she was tired of lying to her brother, sneaking around, and pretending she didn’t care about Jace when she knew she was head-over-heels in love with him.
She knew she was deeply in love because he hadn’t changed, not one bit. He was still the same caring, attentive, and loving man he’d been the first week. If possible, he’d grown more attentive. He called her at least three times a day, in the mornings, at lunch, and in the evenings, if he wasn’t with her. He also texted her randomly, to tell her he missed her, to tell her he was at the club or on a run. It seemed like he told her everything, except that wasn’t really the case.
He hadn’t opened up to her about his past. In fact, last week she asked him about his parents, and he’d shut her down. Not that she was one to talk; she didn’t like rehashing the past, but they were an item. She should know more about him. She hadn’t hid anything about her past. Besides her father and Mia, he was the only other person whom she’d told the truth about Wyatt. Well, she supposed he somewhat guessed, but she confirmed it instead of shutting him out.
This to her, especially after realizing she was in love with him, troubled her. It made her think maybe he did, in fact, see her as temporary in his life. She could be overanalyzing and overly insecure, but problem was, after the night he told her he’d never get tired of her, he hadn’t talked about the future or about when they should consider telling her brother and the club. He didn’t even seem bothered he saw her only two to three times a week.
They hadn’t been together long. She shouldn’t be concerned about this, but she was. She didn’t know what to do. It’s not like she could ask anyone for advice. No one was supposed to know, and it didn’t feel right to let Tiffany, Mia, or Lynn know she was in love with Jace before she told him.
With these thoughts tumbling through her mind, she slung her purse over her shoulder and walked out to her car. A Friday afternoon meant the next two days she’d spend with Jace. Regardless of her many insecurities, this made her happy.
She reached her car, her eyes gravitating to the driver’s side back tire of her Camaro. The rim of her car rested on the pavement. Cursing silently, she grabbed her phone out of her purse and called Triple A. Her brother worked at a garage but she called someone else for help because without a doubt, he wouldn’t let her pay, and she wasn’t totally useless. She had a savings account and a job. She could afford a new tire. She had to do it fast before Jace showed up. He often did Fridays.
“Triple A.”
“Hi, I need a—fuck!”
Totally warranted. She caught sight of the front driver’s side tire and it, too, was flat.
“Hello?” The voice drifted through the phone.
She barely heard, rushing to the other side of her car where she noticed those tires, too, were flat.
“Hello?”
Allie stared at the tires not seeing them, but feeling a weight settle on her chest. Her eyes welled with tears.
“Miss? Are you okay? Miss?”
The voice snapped her out of her innate state. “Yes, I’m fine. I won’t need your services.”
She hated what she was about to do, what she had to do, but there was no way around it. This wasn’t a coincidence. This was Wyatt. She knew when the rock cracked her window in the middle of the night, but she’d pushed it out of her mind without ever discussing it with Jace or Ty.
She knew two weeks ago when she found a note on her car, yet convinced herself one of the guys had played a prank on her. Never mind deep down she knew neither one of them would try to scare her, especially not like that. She convinced herself because she wanted to pretend it wasn’t true. And now, she couldn’t ignore it anymore. She had to face the facts. Wyatt was messing with her life because he couldn’t let go.
She was thankful neither Ty, Jace, or the club had been implicated in beating Wyatt, but now she had the sinking feeling she knew why Wyatt hadn’t involved cops. He was seeking revenge another way.
Without further thought, she dialed Jace. Thankfully, he answered on the first ring.