Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Harper
My heart is hammering. He's looking at me like he wants to devour me. Make me his, utterly and completely.
My gaze flicks between his eyes and his lips. His hand tightens around the back of my neck, thumb pressing against my pulse point where he can feel exactly what he's doing to me.
"Are you goin' to be a good girl and give me a kiss to say hello properly?"
There it is. I melt.
We're both seconds away from snapping. Right here. Right now. Everything else forgotten. Because when it's just me and Ace, the rest of the world ceases to exist. It always has.
"This is a bad idea, Ace," I whisper.
He tilts his head, his dark eyes burning into mine. "The Harper I fell in love with, she loved gettin' in trouble if I remember correctly."
My cheeks burn. "Yeah, because I usually had you chasin' me right into it."
He chuckles. "Best time of my life, Goldie."
I smile. "Yeah. Mine too."
His nose presses against mine, and I close my eyes. Every nerve in my body is screaming. Every wall I've built is crumbling. One inch. That's all it would take. One inch and I'm his again, and none of the rest of it matters.
"I ain't kissing you first, Harps." His whisper brushes my lips. "You make the first move. You're the one who ran away. You decide if you're coming back to me or not."
I pull back. Study his face. The way my heart flips so hard it hurts.
The inevitable pull between us I knew would happen. But the embarrassment still eats away at me, deep down. Of admitting I fucked up. That I was stupid. It’s still there, hiding in the background.
I slide my hands up his chest and around his neck, letting the moment settle. Feeling the weight of it right in my bones.
I lean in.
A man clears his throat behind us. Really fucking loud and I want to scream.
Ace groans against my lips. I pull back, but he doesn't let me go. Just turns his head toward the barn door.
"Hunter wants to see you… Both," Colten says.
God. I haven't seen him in years. He still looks the same—just a little older, a little more rough around the edges. Still as intimidating as ever, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and an expression that says he's been watching longer than we think.
He glances between us. His face doesn't change.
"Now," he says, nodding toward the house.
"I'll be there in five," Ace says.
Colten laughs. "Five minutes? You two need more like five fucking days to get this out of your systems. Come on."
My mouth drops open. Ace glares at his brother and, with a huff, removes his hand from my neck. Colten isn’t going anywhere without us.
"We ain't done, Harper," Ace whispers, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
His hand settles on the small of my back, and he leads me out of the barn, behind Colten, who puts his hat on the second we're back in the setting sun.
None of us says a word as we walk toward Hunter's ranch house.
Last time I was here, Ace's dad lived in this house.
Hunter was somewhere else on the property.
It wasn't this well-kept, either. Lola has added a woman's touch; now there is artwork lining the hallway, fresh flowers on the entryway table, and the smell of something cooking drifting from the kitchen.
It feels like a home now. Not just a headquarters.
We walk into the living room, and Lola's green eyes meet mine, her hair still a beautiful cherry red. She stands and says, "Harper."
"Hi, Lola."
We're by no means good friends. I helped her out on one of the worst nights of her life, and then I left. Just like I always do. But there's warmth in her voice. The kind of bond that forms between two women who've both loved Sterling men and survived it.
A girl with black hair is sitting beside her on the couch. She turns to look at us, and her eyes land on Ace.
Lola's friend. Violet. She barely said a word when I saw her last. I doubt she even remembers me. Her boyfriend was the useless asshole who failed designated-driver duties, which is what landed Hunter in a cell.
"Ace Sterling." Violet stands, hands on her hips. "You and I need to have a word."
She's biting back a grin. But there's fire underneath it.
Ace takes off his hat and holds it over his chest. He seems half scared of her, which has me thinking… why?
"No words needed. I was on time. You were two hours fucking late, Vi. You think I'm waiting around for you?" Ace remarks.
I frown and step to the side. Just watching. Colten rests against a beam, arms crossed, taking everything in with that quiet, calculating stillness he always had.
Violet stomps toward Ace. She spots me mid-stride, and her whole face softens.
"Hi, Harper," she says with a little wave.
“Hey.”
Well, she does remember me, I guess.
And then her attention snaps back to Ace. She barely reaches his chest. She doesn't seem to give a shit. She prods him square in the sternum.
"I text you. I told you I was going to be late. You, Ace Sterling, never replied."
My stomach tightens. I have no right to be jealous. No right to care about other women knowing Ace, about who he's spent time with, about who makes him laugh. I chew on my lip, watching as he takes a step back. Creating distance.
"You get one more shot, Violet. Otherwise, Jett can teach you how to ride a horse. Okay?" He holds up a finger. "But jab me in the chest again, I'll put you on a mare that needs breaking in."
Violet bursts into laughter. "I'm messin’ with you, Ace. Are you scared of me?"
"Yeah." He runs a hand through his dark hair. "I was concerned something was going to come flying at my head."
I don't even notice Lola approaching until she's beside me, her voice low enough that only I can hear.
"They're just friends, Harper. Violet has her attention very much elsewhere on a certain cousin."
"It's none of my business," I say.
She grins. "I'm not dumb. I know you're her."
I suck in a breath. Her. The one they talk about. The one who left. The ghost in the room every time Ace's name comes up.
"Just give them another shot, Harper." Lola squeezes my arm. "These men will do anything to protect you."
I nod. I don't know what else to say. Because suddenly I'm nervous as hell to come face-to-face with Hunter Sterling.
Mafia boss. Ranch owner. The man whose family I've been investigating. And I have to sit across from him and tell him another mafia family is paying me to dig up information on their enemies. Information that's buried in his backyard.
"Do you want some water? You look really pale," Colten says to me from across the room.
I blink up at him. "Uh. Yeah. Please."
He nods and heads for the kitchen. Colten sees everything and says very little, and I'm starting to understand that's what makes him the most dangerous person in the room.
Hunter jogs down the stairs. The first person he looks at is Lola. Exactly the way a man should—like she's the center of his entire world. He crosses to her, wraps his arm around her waist, and kisses the top of her head. She leans into him. Two people who fit.
Then his dark eyes find mine.
"Harper." He nods.
"Hi Hunter."
He's bigger than I remember. Broader. Harder in the face. Covered from head to toe in tattoos by the looks of it. But his eyes are steady. The eyes of a man who's deciding if he should trust me and hasn't made up his mind yet.
I get it. I hurt his brother. He knows I’m investigating his family, his legacy. But I’m hoping my information was right and that he’s starting to see he can trust me.
"Look. We ain't gotta do this like a formal meeting." He scans the room. "Let's head in the dining room, grab a beer, and discuss what the fuck is going on in LA and how we can help you, Harper."
The pit of dread in my stomach loosens. I smile.
"Thank you."
Ace nudges into my side. His arm brushes mine. "See? We got you."
I nod. And for the first time since I landed back in Arizona, I actually believe it.
I follow Hunter into the dining room. Ace's hand finds the small of my back again.
And I let it stay because it’s the only thing that gives me safety.