Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“G us, I think I’ll need to order those new bearings.” Maggie wiped her hands on a rag.
The man nodded. “Yep.”
Shit . Another expense. “I’ll send an email. You’ll put this back together?”
“On it.”
She headed to the office and pushed through the door.
She paused. Ace had taken over her desk.
He was working on a sleek laptop and absorbed in whatever he was doing.
Today, he wore a blue-checked shirt, with the sleeves rolled up.
His hair was tied back in a stubby tail and he had scruff on his cheeks.
Her belly pulsed. She took a second to take in the tattoo on his forearm.
She remembered, vividly, tracing it with her tongue.
Then she remembered him in the shower this morning, gloriously naked and wet, jerking that long cock for her.
God, she was about to self-combust.
He looked up. “Hey, you okay?”
She nodded. “I want to put my drone up for a bit. My old one, obviously.” She wrinkled her nose. “My old, old one.”
He rose. “I want to check it out first. I can add some extra security to keep anyone from accessing it.”
She nodded. She went to the shelf where she stored the drones and reached for the large box.
Ace shouldered in front of her. “Don’t even think about carrying that.”
“I think that—”
He held up his hand. “I’ve got it.”
“Fine.”
He carried the drone box outside for her. It was sunny today. Spring was well and truly trying to break through. Gus gave Ace an evil stare. Her employee hadn’t been impressed when she’d turned up with Ace.
Ace crouched, and synced his tablet to the drone controller. “This’ll just take a couple of minutes.”
She nodded.
“Maggie?” Gus called out. “Need you to check these rotors.”
“I’ll be back,” she told Ace.
She watched him scan the area and the fence line. She followed suit. There was no one watching today. All she could see was Ace’s hot, little Porsche 911 parked by the gate. He’d driven her to work in it.
Gus stepped off a stepladder. “There’s a bit of abrasion. Doesn’t look too bad.”
Maggie climbed up the ladder. “I’ve already spent a fortune on these rotors.”
A second later, hard arms wrapped around her and yanked her off the ladder.
She only had time to squeak in surprise. Ace set her on the ground, his face like a thundercloud.
“Ace—”
“No ladders. No climbing. No lifting heavy things.”
Okay, he was just worried, even if he was being overbearing about it. “I know my limits.”
“No arguments, either.”
Gus glared at Ace. “Girl has her own brain.”
Maggie tried for some patience. “Look—”
“She’s also pregnant,” Ace said. “No climbing. No lifting.”
Gus blinked, his bushy brows drawing together. “Pregnant?” His weathered face turned red. “You let some asshole knock you up?”
Maggie looked up at the blue sky for a beat. “Gus—”
“Who?” he demanded. “Where is he? Is he treating you right? If he isn’t, I’ll—”
“That asshole would be me.” Ace crossed his arms over his chest.
The men stared at each other. Maggie smoothed a hand over her hair, waiting for a tumbleweed to roll past.
“No climbing or lifting,” Ace repeated.
Gus grunted, then nodded. “Got it.”
Maggie tapped her foot. “I’ll just stand over here and look helpless.”
Ace grinned at her, but then he looked back at Gus, his face turning serious. “And you need to keep an eye out. Someone tried to kill her yesterday.”
She gasped. She hadn’t told Gus. Hadn’t wanted him to worry.
“Kill her?” Gus’ face darkened. “What the hell are you talking about, Oliveira?”
“Someone planted a bomb in her vehicle.”
Gus’ brows went up. “That’s why you aren’t in your Jeep and you have a guard dog.” Gus scowled at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She swallowed. “Well—”
“Because you always have to do everything yourself. Because that father of yours always makes you feel like dirt.”
Her heart thumped. “Gus—”
“Always trying to prove you can do anything.”
Ace was scowling too, and nodding.
Uh-oh . If these two bonded over this, she’d never hear the end of it. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Well, I’m worried.” Gus looked at Ace. “Who?”
“Don’t know yet. We’re working on it. I’m going to install a camera in the hangar, but I need you to check the helo every day for any tampering.”
A muscle ticked in Gus’ jaw as he nodded. “You’d better take good care of her, Oliveira.”
“That’s the plan.”
Maggie threw her hands up. “Hello, still over here and in charge of my life.” She scowled at Ace.
For some reason, that made him grin and yank her in for a quick kiss. After leaving her breathless, he spun and strode back to the drone.
“I’ll take care of the rotors.” Gus turned back to Hetty. “No climbing or lifting, girlie.”
She rolled her eyes. Heaven help her when she actually looked pregnant. They might just wrap her in bubble wrap.
Ace finally gave her the okay to take the drone up. She was excruciatingly conscious of him staying outside, working on his tablet, and leaning against the wall of the office building.
Keeping her safe.
Her fingers fumbled on the controller. Dios . She was going to fall totally in love with him. She knew it. Her pulse jittered.
She wasn’t sure Ace was ready for that. What happened when she was safe, and he wanted his bachelor lifestyle back?
Maggie would end up with a broken, shattered, irreparable heart, that’s what would happen.
She landed the drone and squashed all her thoughts. Right now, she had work to do, and a flight in Hetty to prepare for after lunch.
She headed back into the office, where Ace was now working.
“How did it go?” Ace asked.
“Well, my drone didn’t try to kill me.”
He shot her a look.
“I got some good shots. People can’t get enough of good-quality pictures and footage of San Francisco, the Bridge, and the Bay.”
“That’s good. I ordered lunch from MaMo.”
She stifled a moan. “I love everything from MaMo.”
His brown eyes met hers, and his lips twitched. “I know. You mention it constantly. I got you arepas.”
Her favorite. She was addicted to the fried corn pockets stuffed with chicken and gouda. The little restaurant specialized in food with a South American flair. A funny feeling flashed under her breastbone. He knew her so well.
As they ate lunch, Ace took a call, and Maggie savored her arepas. Her nausea from the morning was now a distant memory. She did a quick search and pulled a face. Apparently, morning sickness could occur at any time of the day, and last longer than the first trimester.
Great . She needed to tell her parents. Her mouth went dry. No rush for that one.
Ace wandered back to the office and she listened appreciatively to his low, sexy voice. The image of a baby resting on his chest as he spoke to it popped into her head from nowhere. Warmth bloomed in her chest. Would he be hands on? Talking about the baby still made him uneasy.
Suddenly, the door swung open. She expected to see Gus’ grumpy face, but instead, the handsome, clean-cut face of Chris Hammett appeared. He was the guy she’d gone on a few dates with last month.
“Maggie.” Chris’ face twisted with concern. He was dressed in a suit, since he worked at an investment firm.
She rose. “Chris…”
She was engulfed in a hug.
“Jeez, gorgeous. I just heard about the car bomb. I was so worried. Why didn’t you call?”
She blinked. She’d called him the day after her night with Ace to cancel their upcoming date and cool things off. He hadn’t been happy about it, but after a few more calls, she hadn’t heard from him.
“I…” She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t actually given him any thought.
“Back off,” a deep voice growled.
The whip of Ace’s tone, now lethal, made her jolt.
Chris was yanked away, and she found herself clamped to Ace’s side.
Chris’ hazel eyes narrowed. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Chris—” Maggie needed to de-escalate the situation. “This is Ace. He works at Norcross Security.”
“Where you work sometimes.” Chris relaxed. “Is he your bodyguard?”
“He’s keeping an eye on things.”
“So, you’re in danger?”
“Well, it’s complicated.” She didn’t want to go into details with him. “Ace, this is Chris Hammett.”
“Her boyfriend,” Chris said.
Maggie’s eyes went wide. What the—?
She felt Ace’s body lock. She pressed a hand to his chest. “Chris, we went on a few dates.”
“Good dates. I didn’t want to cool things off. I still don’t. You’re smart, funny, a good kisser.”
Oh. God . Ace’s muscles flexed under her fingers.
“I’m sorry, Chris.” She kept her tone gentle. “Things have changed.”
“It looks like someone might be trying to hurt you. I want to help. Move in with me.”
She blinked.
“She’s already living with me,” Ace growled.
“You’re a work colleague. You can stand down.”
Ace made a sound that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She stepped in front of him and he pressed up against her back.
“Chris, it’s sweet and really nice, but not what I want. I’m fine.”
“Maggie, gorgeous.” He held out his hands. “We were good. We’ve got a chance for something great.”
Oh, God . “No, we don’t,” she said, as gently as possible.
Chris held out a hand. “Give me a—”
Ace stepped between them. “Maggie’s mine.”
Those words, said with so much conviction, made her jolt.
Chris’ face hardened. “Look—”
“Mine,” Ace repeated. “It was me watching her come this morning.”
Oh, hell. She fought back a wince.
Chris stiffened.
“It’s me she’s living with. Me keeping her safe.” Ace leaned closer. “And it’s me who’s the father of the baby in her belly.”
Ah, Ace Oliveira. Subtle as a sledgehammer.
But then every muscle in her went tight. For the first time, he’d very much staked a claim on the child they’d made. Said he was a father. She looked at him and his gaze met hers. Something strong passed between them.
Chris recoiled, his gaze dropping to her stomach. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yes,” she said.
“You were fucking me and him at the same time?”
She bristled and shoved forward. “I never fucked you. We had a few dates, Chris, that’s all.”
“Knew you were holding back. Guess you were hedging your bets.”