Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
S tupid cards!
Ace stormed into his office, the door bouncing against the wall with the force of his push. He didn’t even know why he was so upset.
Liar.
Yes he did. He had been looking forward to a relaxing night with his siblings, playing cards and catching up. A night away from the sweet temptation of a certain blue haired beauty. But then there’d she’d been. Invited to the game. Millie was terrible at poker which he found endearing, but her sweet lemon scent tempted him from across the table all night. Her soft red lips conjured up images of them in his mind wrapped around his cock. It was fucking difficult to keep his poker face on when he had a painful hard-on underneath the table.
And then she had to pull out those ridiculous cards. Who the hell kept Tarot cards in their purse? He supposed she had to since it was one of her side gigs. And speaking of side gigs, what was with that studio stuff? Was that why she needed the five thousand he was paying her? Why hadn’t she just told him about it? He would have found a way to help.
You are helping her, jackass.
True, but she hadn’t wanted to do this spy stuff for him until the money came into the picture. Ace might be an asshole, but he hated to think Millie was spying for him against her will simply because she needed money for her dream.
“Fuck,” he muttered into the empty office.
He should talk to her. Offer to let her out of their deal. He could figure out another way. Put up more security cameras or something. Maybe he could ask Kelley to spy. He was sure she wouldn’t betray them by stealing. She’d been with Jacks since nearly the beginning. It couldn’t be Kelley…right?
No. He couldn’t ask Kelley. The more people he told, the more likely the thief would catch wind of it and stop. Then they’d never catch the person. Besides, Millie sounded like she really needed that money.
I could loan it to her. Ace mused over the idea. He shook his head, knowing she wouldn’t go for it. Millie didn’t seem like the type of person who took favors. Even if he phrased it as a payday loan, that was a lot of money, and she’d insist on paying interest or some such nonsense and then they’d be more entangled than they were now. Making the dark dirty things he dreamt about doing with her in the middle of the night an impossibility.
Fuck! He slammed his hands down on his desk, hanging his head as defeat washed over him. Why was she so stubborn? And why did he have this damn voice screaming in his ear about the inappropriateness of sleeping with an employee. He wished things were different, but life was what it was, and he couldn’t change it.
“What the hell, Ace?” Millie’s voice demanded from behind him.
Ace lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder. There she stood. All five foot nothing of her in his doorway trying her best to look intimidating. The bright blue hair did not help that mission. Nor did the sweet pink flush of her cheeks.
“Did everyone leave?” he asked.
“Yes.”
She crossed her arms under her chest. The movement lifted the sweet round breasts, his mouth salivating as he imagined teasing them with his tongue. Making her scream out for more as he feasted on them.
“They all left after your little temper tantrum,” she continued with a scowl. “So you can stop acting like a sullen baby now.”
Her words pulled his attention back to the moment at hand. Sullen baby? Could babies even be sullen?
“Where do you get these phrases,” he asked.
She blinked, losing some of her ire at his admittedly odd question. He hadn’t meant to ask it, it just popped out.
“What?”
“Never mind.” He turned and leaned against the desk, mirroring her pose. “What do you want, Millie?”
“I want you to take that stick out of your butt and loosen up.”
A storm of emotions churned within him. He was tired and angry and turned on. He didn’t even know he could be all those things at once, but somehow, she brought it out in him.
“You do realize I’m your boss, right?” He pushed off the desk and took a step toward her. “Did you talk to your previous bosses this way?”
She matched him, taking a step into his office.
“No. None of my other bosses were this stubborn.”
He held back a laugh. She was one to talk about him being stubborn. That was the pot calling the kettle black.
“You need to tell your siblings about the thief,” she insisted. “Let them help out.”
Not this again. He’d made his stance on this clear. Why couldn’t she understand?
“I’m handling it,” he insisted. “They don’t need to be bothered.”
“They’re adults, Ace, not children.”
He knew that, but sometimes it was hard for him to see his siblings as grown people. He still remembered teaching Del to ride a bike. Putting bandages on Charlie’s knees when she fell off her scooter. Their dad had been deployed so much and their mom needed help. Four kids was a lot. He’d been more than happy to step up. Guess somewhere along the way he’d forgotten he was their brother, not another parent.
Still…he shook his head, taking another step closer. “Things need to be looked after.”
She copied his step until they were a foot apart. “I agree, but you don’t have to handle them alone. Ace, you have siblings who I bet would be more than willing to help. It’s their business too. Do you know how much I would kill for support like that?”
He shook his head, dismissing her logic. “You don’t understand.”
She snorted. “You’re right. I don’t. I don’t understand how someone could be so pig-headed and stubborn not to take help when it’s offered.”
Oh. She wanted to play this game, did she? Ace curled up the corner of his lips as he stared down at her. “Oh really? Then how about I handle this thief stuff on my own and just give you the money. You need it for your studio, right? Your dream? Let me help with that.”
Grey eyes narrowed. Her body tightened as she took another small step closer. So close now he could smell that tempting lemon scent mixed with the sharp sting of Jacks liquor she’d been selling all night.
“I work hard for what I want. I don’t need anyone’s help.”
He arched one eyebrow at her statement. Didn’t she see how similar they were? How could she not understand his need to handle this alone when she was doing the same damn thing?
“It’s not the same!” she insisted.
Sounded pretty damn similar to him.
“Really?” he asked, stepping forward until they were nearly touching. This close he could see the tiny fleck of gold in her right iris.
“Yes, because even though we’re both very independent and don’t like needing help. I’m willing to go after what I want.”
The hell did that mean? He had Jacks. It was the only thing he’d ever wanted. Not the only thing. His subconscious said, bringing up a vivid image of the Tarot reading. The two lovers, hands clasped filled his mind as he stared at the tempting woman in front of him. Surely, she couldn’t mean…
He leaned down until their faces were inches apart, staring into those beautiful eyes that made him yearn for things he shouldn’t crave.
“And you think you know what I want?”
The tip of her sweet, pink tongue came out, wetting her lips as she stared into his eyes with unchecked desire.
“Don’t I?” she whispered in a husky voice.
Then she placed her lips against his. The softest of brushes, not even a kiss. A tease. One that broke the carefully constructed wall he’d been trying to keep around this woman. All his logic, his rules, his standards came crashing down at the barest hint of a taste. He wanted more.
No.
He needed more.
She pulled away, uncertainty filling those beautiful eyes as he stood there, unable to move. He knew the second he did, everything would change. There would be no going back to how things were. He didn’t know if they were ready for that.
“Ace?” Her uncertainty turned to hurt as she started to pull away. “Fine, maybe I don’t know what you want—”
Fuck it.
Grasping her hips, he pulled her into him and slammed his mouth down over hers. No soft, barely there kiss. She’d tempted him for too long and now he was going to feast.