“Oh, my God, Jace, why haven’t you married that girl?” Denny fanned himself, breathing heavily when we approached the bar.
Taking a large swig from his drink, Jace squinted at the sharpness of the alcohol ripping through him. “I never said I wasn’t going to marry her.”
Okay. Hold up a fucking minute. Remember when I said we’ve never talked marriage? Knowing that, you can probably sense my shock here.
Jace winked.
Breathe, Aubrey. Just breathe.
“All these people saw what you just did . . . ” His commanding voice drew my attention back to him.
When I didn’t have words, he laughed, the sound echoing. “How do you feel about that?”
“Dirty.”
“Don’t. Feel sexy. You have confidence right now . . . something I haven’t seen from you in a long time.”
I could feel my face turning a brighter shade of red at those words. He noticed. Leaning forward, he ran his fingers gently over my cheeks, then stopped and cupped his hand around the side of my face. Naturally, I leaned into him.
“It was hot. Don’t be embarrassed.”
The problem for me was that this was all kinds of embarrassing.
You know how when a girl blushes, men think it’s cute, or sexy?
That wasn’t me. I wasn’t one of those girls. No, I was the one who appeared to be having an allergic reaction. My chest would get all splotchy, and then I would start itching. It was never attractive. I once had a guy ask me if I needed Benadryl when all I was trying to do was ask for his number.
Jace’s words got me thinking.
Had I lost my confidence along the way? I would say yes, I had. Giving birth to two kids does that to some girls. It makes us question our bodies.
You know exactly what I’m talking about, too. Most people do.
“I worked up a sweat,” I admitted, fanning myself. He laughed.
Our time was up in the magic room, as I now referred to it, so we hit the bar. Jace begged me every few minutes to leave, which was tempting, but I had so much adrenaline running through me after that I couldn’t wait to go dance with him again.
“No . . . let’s just dance,” I said when he had his hands around me, begging to leave.
“No. You don’t seem to understand.” His voice dropped, and his eyes focused on mine, the too-blue heavy with want. “I’m done. I can’t take it. If I go dance with you now . . . I’ll probably come in my pants. That’s gross.”
Y
OU KNOW
those times where everything just seems to fall into place and it seems that maybe you will finally have a night where nothing goes wrong?
I’m pretty sure they don’t exist in my life.
At the bar, Jace near me, I ordered us a few shots and intended on going back to our table and maybe dance, if Jace had calmed down. His bites at my neck and grabby hands told me otherwise.
“Can I buy you two a drink?”
Flames of hostile silence enveloped me when I saw Ridley standing there.
Why does shit like this happen? Why?
“Ridley . . . ” There was a warning in my voice. I hoped, for his sake, that he understood finally. “Just leave.”
Jace didn’t miss my reaction to Ridley. But, to be fair, Jace never missed anything when it came to me. He knew me better than I knew myself.
“That was a sexy dance you did in there.”
I looked over at Jace again; rage filled his eyes. Ridley had just seen what I did . . . for Jace.
Talk about feeling disgusted. I wanted to throw up.
I felt dirty. And one look in Ridley’s direction immediately told me that was how he wanted me to feel.
My eyes down, I was careful not to respond in any way. I didn’t want Ridley seeing any type of reaction from me.
When I did look up, he winked at me without a hint of subtlety. Sick bastard.
I started to say something and then just bit my tongue.
“You’d better leave now,” Jace said, taking a step toward him, getting angry. He had an anger that could blind the sun and set fire to ice.
“I haven’t gotten what I came to town for.” I caught something in Ridley’s eyes that made me uneasy. “Until I do . . . ” he shrugged reaching for his beer on the bar, “ . . . I’m staying here in Seattle.”
Jace’s protective side stirred. If you knew him, you knew which side you wanted to be on when he got this way.
“Why are you here?” I asked in a shaking voice, Jace turned and looked at me, and then back to Ridley.
Ridley looked around, his face somber, apparently deciding on what he was going to say. “I have some unfinished business in town.”
“I know what you did at the pier, and you’ll pay for it,” Jace said, watching Kasey and Axe move closer and then returning his gaze to Ridley.
Say what?
Ridley laughed, and I felt Jace’s hand twitch in mine. “Okay, yeah, you have the upper hand right now, only because I want you to know that I started it, but don’t think for one second I’m not at least five steps ahead of you. You’ve got nothing on a guy like me . . . Jace.”
“If you touch Aubrey, I’ll kill you.”
He laughed. “Is that a threat, hero boy?”
“You may be able to control a woman, but you’ll never control me. And it’s not a threat.” His voice was even, calm, but anyone around us knew by the timbre Jace meant what he was saying. “It’s a goddamn promise.”
“Are you baiting me? Do you really think that’s wise right now?”
“You know . . . I don’t get you.” Jace shifted his weight, leaning against the bar to appear relaxed though I knew he wasn’t, still with one hand holding mine. “A normal person would have moved on. What’s your problem that after eleven years you’d come back to get to her?”
Ridley watched Jace over his drink and then winked, setting the half empty glass on the bar. “It’s that easy, man. It’s common knowledge that anytime you want to control someone, have some kind of power over them, you just take what they love.”
“You stay the fuck away from her and my kids. I mean it.” Jae wanted to fight him so bad, show him through the months of built-up frustration behind his fists that he meant what he said. “I don’t care why you’re here — just leave them alone.”
“I’m not here for her or them. Aubrey means nothing in this.” Ridley shrugged, stepping away completely and angling his body out the door. “But she might if I don’t get what I want.”
I could tell Jace was barely holding his tongue; the venom he wanted to speak was there in the way his jaw clenched and then slackened with each word Ridley spoke. He didn’t want to give into him and let him see what he held so near to his heart. The one thing Ridley knew he could have on Jace – had he needed the upper hand.
And then Jace couldn’t take it anymore.
“Don’t touch her,” he said, keeping his eyes on Ridley.
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, I’m warning you. And if it’s not taken seriously, it’d be a threat.”
Ridley’s eyes barely moved, but I knew Jace had gotten his attention this time.
“What makes you think I care?” Ridley asked, staring at Jace, waiting for his reaction.
“Because you should care,” Jace warned him.
Ridley smiled. “I don’t see why you don’t like me, Jace . . . I never did anything to you.”
“It’s not that I don’t like you.” Jace returned his smile, baiting him. “I hate you. There’s a difference.”
“Well, shit, don’t hold back.” Ridley threw his head back, laughing.
“I won’t.” Jace was getting annoyed. “Why are you here?”
“Tell me, Jace, what is it that makes you hate me? Is it that I took her virginity when you thought it should be something she gave to you?”
“Is that a question” — Jace stepped forward, backing Ridley up against the wall — “or are you just trying to piss me off?”
“I don’t think I’m trying,” Ridley taunted him. “I think I’ve already got you pissed off.”
Ridley could easily knock down a woman, but with Jace, Ridley had another thing coming if he thought he stood a chance against him. Jace had him on height, size, and ability. He carried around forty pounds of gear, hauled two-hundred-pound men over his shoulders down ten-story buildings. Ridley didn’t stand a chance, and I think he knew that. This wasn’t about some kind of tough-guy thing. He was only here to get inside Jace’s head.
“Got nothing to say now, huh?”
That did it. Jace couldn’t take it any longer, and punched him. It happened fast — he pushed me back into Axe’s chest and then delivered a precise punch to Ridley’s jaw.
It took him a second to gain his bearings but once he did, Ridley tried to fight back. Which didn’t work in his favor, and only made Jace punch him a couple more times.
I was trying to control my crying, but it became a useless effort, as usual. My head began throbbing. Jace never liked to fight. With anyone. And now look at him. Throwing punches and defending himself to protect me.
“I can bring you to your fucking knees and you know it,” Ridley said, backing up and wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. Spitting to the side, he repeated the motion and looked at Jace. “You may not be afraid of me, but you’re afraid of something.”
“Really, how can you bring me to my knees?” Jace once again stepped forward, mocking almost, but the bouncer had arrived and started pushing the two of them apart. His expression was livid and like a bull, his chest heaved with deep breaths. “You better be ready to finish this fucking fight asshole!”
“All right, boys, break it up.” His large hands settled on their chests, pushing and stepping between them. The crowd around us broke apart slightly, watching and waiting to see where this was going.
“Your family,” Ridley said, too quiet but Jace heard. Those were the words he knew would make Jace crazy. He counted on it. “I’ve got your attention now, don’t I?”
Jace’s stance became more protective, reaching for me and taking my hand in his, his grip a little more possessive.
His eyes flared with Ridley’s words. “What?” Jace stood there, broad-shouldered. “You’re stupid if you think that’s going to scare me.”
It did scare Jace, I could tell, but he wasn’t going to give Ridley the satisfaction.
“I’m being serious,” Ridley said, his posture showing he was ready for anything.
And that’s where the advantage was. When it came to me, or anyone close to him, Jace tended to get a little clouded on rationality. Ridley had patience. Something Jace lacked.
“I’m being serious, too.” Jace never let up, his stance protective. “Fuck you. Get out of here.”
“I’m not finished with my beer.” He lifted his glass, which was still on the bar, and took a slow drink. “I think I’ll stay.”
“No. Listen, you stupid fuck.” Jace got right in his face, towering over him by at least three inches, his hands fisted in his jacket just about the time the bouncer tried to get in between them. “You’re not going to win this fight. Know why? Because I have something you want. Her.”
“And oh, how easily that can be taken from you.” They struggled a little, both shoving and pushing, trying to get the bouncer out of the way, but he was probably the size of both of them put together.
Ridley never knew when to shut up. It was apparent he still didn’t, but he also didn’t know what Jace was capable of.
“I’ll play dirty if I have to. Try to take her. Try. And watch what happens, motherfucker!” And there was the side of Jace that not many have ever seen and most never wanted to see. The side that was condescending and protective, and fought for what he believed in. The side that would walk through fire to save the ones he loved.
“You actually think I’m scared of a guy like you? I could easily still have Aubrey . . . if that’s what I wanted.”
“You see, man, you’re missing the point here.” He stepped near Ridley again, glaring at the bouncer, and for some reason, the bouncer stepped back. I doubted he was scared of him. “You’re not for her. I am. I was made for her. To love her, to protect her. To save her. So if you think you can take her, you’re wrong again. You can try, and maybe you will hurt me in the process like you want. But you can be goddamn sure that I will make you pay for it.”
The tone of his voice surprised me. He sounded irate. He glared at Ridley, disgusted, and was about to go after him when the bouncer shoved him back. Surprisingly, he turned to Ridley and said, “You’re out of here, man. I warned you.”
Ridley went, willingly. He’d done what he needed to do.
Ruin my night.
But he said one thing that threw me as he was leaving. “Aubrey.” I looked up at him and then back to Jace, not giving him the security of having my eyes. “Tell your mom I’m looking for her.”
I focused on those words for a moment, but they didn’t make a lot of sense to me.
Jace sighed and pulled me to the other end of the bar, where Axe and Kasey had moved with the girls. Kasey looked at him and then me. “We’re calling it a night. You guys okay?”
Jace nodded. I think they were a little nervous to leave, but it was time. Axe took Lauren and Shanna with him, and then Kasey and Kari followed them out.
We stayed for a minute and Jace ordered another beer — maybe to calm himself down. I wasn’t sure.
“I may be losing my head right now.” His hand gripped his beer so hard his fingertips turned white, his hand still trembling. “I may be. But I’ll tell you what, I’m going to give every last part of myself to ensure he doesn’t take my family. I am
never
not going to fight when it comes to that. When it comes to you, I
don’t
back down, and I
don’t
stop.”
I could see it in his eyes. He was hurting and scared. His face was impassive as he watched the crowd, his mind elsewhere.
For fifteen minutes Jace said nothing. Absolutely nothing. And to be honest, I didn’t expect him to. Jace had a way about him where his anger was suppressed until suddenly he snapped. You could see it. And sometimes he was vocal about it. Most of the time he’d maintain a silence about him. He had a deadly attitude, though. This time wasn’t any different.
“What are you going to do?”
Again, nothing.
His fist connected with the wall near the bar, breaking the silence.
Jace’s expression changed, and I couldn’t understand why. “That fishing vessel was his uncle’s boat.”