Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Ace drove away from town with May seat-belted next to him.
The troopers had his Ford, so he’d pulled his plow truck out of storage and removed the plow.
The older rig rode steady on the narrow road with his suspension barely reacting to the uneven patches left behind by a long winter.
Gravel popped softly beneath the tires where the pavement thinned.
The engine hummed low and constant, a sound he’d always found calming.
May rolled down her window and lifted her face toward the breeze. Cool air rushed inside, carrying the scent of pine, damp earth, and distant water. “Such a nice night, although I do miss darkness.”
Ace glanced at the sky. It wasn’t full sun, but the light lingered in that strange Alaskan way, like a cloudy afternoon that refused to fade. The clouds hung low and gray, heavy but undecided. He didn’t need his headlights.
A plane caught his eye as it moved overhead, its drone cutting across the quiet. He tracked it automatically. He’d never admit it, but sometimes he dreamed about flying again. Knew he had to but wasn’t ready. Yet he wouldn’t be able to offer anything to anybody until he got his head on straight.
Anybody like May Smirnov.
It felt right having her beside him. The realization settled heavily inside him.
The timing was terrible, and he knew it.
In fact, he wasn’t sure she even liked him and couldn’t blame her if she didn’t.
He’d spent the last six months getting wounded in increasingly creative ways, half the time just to be near her.
Pathetic.
May glanced over at him, blue eyes bright in the lingering light. “You didn’t have to drive me home. You could’ve taken the two influencers up on their offer.” Her lips curved as if in amusement.
Ace snorted. “That’s okay. I’m not quite sure what they were offering, but I know I’m not interested.”
“They’re both pretty.”
He hadn’t noticed. “Sure.”
“And more age-appropriate than Laura was.”
His jaw clenched. “Laura wasn’t my type, and I wasn’t hitting on her. I just wanted to make sure she was safe.”
“From Tyler.”
“Yeah.”
May studied his profile for a second before turning back toward the window.
Wind lifted a few strands of her hair, tossing them wildly before they settled again.
Silence stretched between them, filled with road noise and the steady rush of air.
Then she spoke quietly. “Do you think Tyler killed her?”
Ace flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. Considering I’m the troopers’ prime suspect right now, I hope they’re interviewing him as strongly as they did me. I should’ve made sure she got home.”
“You’re not responsible for everybody in town,” May said. “She was with a bunch of friends at the bar.”
“I know.”
The plane circled again in the distance.
May squinted through the windshield. “I saw that plane earlier. Is that the Jackson boys?”
“I think so.” Ace lifted his chin toward the sky. “They’ve been running tourists up to Loon Pond.”
May frowned. “Where would they land in the middle of the mountains?”
Ace smirked. “It’s a pretty big lake between two mountains, and there’s plenty of room for a sea plane.”
“Then why call it a pond?”
He shrugged. “It’s Alaska. Everything’s smaller or bigger than it sounds.”
She chuckled softly and looked out the window again.
The road curved gently, trees pressing closer on both sides. Tall spruce and pine crowded the edges, while birch trees flashed pale trunks between the darker growth. The wilderness felt endless out there, and he loved it. Always had and always would.
“It’s a pretty night, isn’t it? Well, night that’s all lit up,” May said.
Ace glanced at her. She looked relaxed. More than she had all evening. The tension Kyle stirred in her had eased, though he could still see the faint tightness in her shoulders. He cleared his throat. “Do you want to come home with me tonight?”
She jolted, head snapping toward him. “Ace?”
“No. Not like that.” He shook his head quickly. “Though yeah, I’d love it if it were like that.”
Color bloomed along her cheekbones.
“I mean,” he continued, forcing his tone to remain steady and his intentions as pure as possible, “Kyle’s in town, and so is a murderer. I thought you’d like to have the spare room at my place.” He’d ended up with Hank’s cabin, which had plenty of room.
May stared at him. The truck filled with silence again, heavier this time. “That’s actually kind of you.” She sounded suspicious.
“I mean it. You could choose any room, and I wouldn’t make a move.” Ace paused. “Well, unless you made one.”
May’s brows lifted. “Then you’d say what?”
Ace turned his head, meeting her gaze fully. His hands stayed loose on the wheel. He knew this road better than he knew his own mind. Every bend. Every dip. Every place ice liked to linger too long into spring. “I’d definitely say yes.”
She laughed then, full out, and the sound slid straight through him. Warm. Bright. Alive. “At least you’re honest.”
Ace’s mouth curved. “Always.” He wanted to be true with her. She deserved the best of him. “Would you say yes?”
“No,” she said, turning toward the window.
But the pause before the word didn’t escape him. He clocked everything about her from the faint tension in her shoulders to the way her fingers toyed with the edge of the door. She hadn’t sounded a hundred percent certain. Not really.
He was smart enough not to push. “So,” he said easily, “what do you say? Spare room. No pressure.”
“No. I’m not going to hide from Kyle, and I’d assume whoever killed that poor young woman knew her.” She exhaled softly. “Strangulation is personal. My bet’s the boyfriend, considering how rude he was to her that day you needed to intervene.”
“He’s my bet, too.” Even so, unease crawled under Ace’s skin. “I don’t like you out there all by yourself.”
Her house sat miles from town, tucked down a long stretch of road where the wilderness swallowed sound and light. The nearest neighbor was several miles away. Too far for comfort.
“I can take care of myself, Osprey.”
“Yeah, but…” Ace glanced at her.
She was tiny. Strong, sure, but still small enough to make his protective instincts kick hard. She didn’t have Ophelia’s FBI training, and Brock had nearly lost his mind over Ophelia more than once.
For the first time, Ace understood why. “All right.” He pulled up to her house, gravel crunching beneath the tires, and cut the engine. Silence rushed in, thick and immediate. Then he hopped out and walked around to open her door.
“Well,” May said as she stepped down, “Hank really did teach you all manners.”
Ace chuckled. “Believe me, he was big on manners. Even while gruff and cranky, Hank was a gentleman at heart.” He walked her to the door, close enough to catch the faint scent of her shampoo. It was clean, soft, and distracting. He waited while she unlocked it, then opened the door for her.
“Well, thank you—”
“Hold on.” He stepped inside and did a quick sweep of the two-bedroom place. The house was neat, decorated exactly like her with clean lines and calm colors. The cute place was comfortable without trying too hard.
May lounged against the doorframe. “Did you want to check under the bed?”
“I did.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty secure here.”
“I know.” He’d already clocked the locks. Solid. Reinforced. Double security on the windows. “Have you expected Kyle to come after you for a while?”
May hesitated and then swallowed. “Sometimes, yeah. Other times I thought I was being ridiculous.” She shook her head. “He’s a U.S. senator. He’s not going to risk his career over a woman who’s not interested.”
Ace’s jaw hardened. “He seems like a narcissistic asshole to me.”
Her lips twitched. “I totally agree.”
He eyed the oversized couch in the living room. “How about I sack out on your sofa?”
May turned. “Ace.”
He met her stare.
Awareness crackled between them. His gaze dipped briefly to her mouth before snapping back to her eyes.
“I’m a big girl and know what I’m doing.” She stepped back, breaking the moment. “Go home. Get some sleep. I’m sure the troopers will want to talk to you again tomorrow, unless Tyler confesses.”
“Oh, that kid will confess,” Ace said.
“If he killed her,” May replied.
Ace nodded slowly. “His temper’s too volatile and they’ll get him to break.”
May studied him. “The troopers are that good?”
Ace huffed a laugh. “By the end of my interview, I thought I was guilty.”
She smiled up at him. “Thanks for driving me home.”
“Sure.” Ace didn’t step back or break eye contact. The night air had cooled, but heat still pulsed low in his bloodstream. “How about I kiss you this time?”
Need flashed in her pretty eyes.
“One kiss,” he said gently. “It’s okay to say no.”
She jerked her chin up. “I know it’s okay to say no. I’m perfectly comfortable doing so.”
Ace’s mouth twitched. “Good. I’m glad.”
She stared at him for a long moment, something shifting behind her eyes. Then she exhaled. “All right. One kiss.”
He didn’t move right away. Yeah, he could be patient when he wanted. The silence stretched tight between them, charged and fragile. Finally, he stepped closer, lifting a hand to her chin. His touch was slow and deliberate.
Her gaze flicked to his mouth. “Are you all healed?”
“Yeah. It was minor.”
“It still looks like it might hurt.” Her eyes darkened with the blue deepening.
“Let’s find out.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers, soft and testing.
She sucked in a breath.
Then he kissed her.
Fully.
His hand slid to the back of her neck, his fingers curling as he cupped her head. He held her gently but firmly, angling her mouth to his. The kiss deepened instantly, heat flaring fast inside him.
She tasted warm and sweet. She made a small sound against his lips, and something inside him snapped loose. Hunger surged through him, raw and demanding. Her hands fisted in his shirt, gripping tight as she kissed him back, matching him, meeting him.
The world narrowed.
Ace let the kiss go on, slow and consuming, until breathing became necessary. Until restraint became impossible. Reluctantly, he lifted his head.
May looked up at him, eyes bright, mouth slightly swollen.
“Now can I stay the night?” he asked.
Awareness returned to her gaze in a sudden flash. She stepped back quickly, the heat cooling into caution.
Ace saw it.
Felt it.
Understood it.
“No,” she said softly. She didn’t sound completely certain, but a no was still a no.
“All right. Lock the door behind me.” Ace turned, his body on fire, and his every nerve raw. His cock throbbed painfully, and his jeans felt too tight. He stepped onto the porch and waited to hear the door click shut and the lock engage behind him.
Only then did he move.
He climbed into the truck and drove slowly down the lane. At the bend, he pulled off to the side and switched off the ignition. From there, he had a clear view of the small blue-and-white clapboard house tucked against the trees.
Something about Senator Kyle Mercer didn’t sit right with him.
Ace leaned back in his seat. He wasn’t going to sleep much, so he might as well stay close and keep an eye on her.
His phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Yeah?”
“Thought we were meeting for a drink,” Brock said, sounding rough and tired. “I just finished interviewing the kids from Montana.”
“Any luck?”
“Nope. But I was lucky the troopers let me sit in since you’re still their main suspect.”
Ace keyed in. “What about Tyler?”
“Tyler hooked up with some gal named Brandy. They were together all night. Every one of those kids has an alibi, even though most were drunk.”
Damn it. Ace stared at May’s darkened windows. “Then who the hell killed Laura Jordan?”
“I don’t know.” Brock paused. “But I do know you lied to the troopers.”
Ace’s shoulders jerked back.
“Where were you last night, Ace?”
Ace rested his head against the seat, his gaze fixed on the quiet house. “I went up to see Smitty.”
Silence reigned for a moment. “You did?”
“Yeah. He wasn’t home. I waited a couple hours and might’ve fallen asleep in the truck. Then I headed back to my place around two.”
“Smitty wasn’t there?”
That just figured, didn’t it? “No.”
“And you didn’t leave a note?”
Ace frowned. “Why would I leave a note? He’s probably out illegally hunting.”
Then Brock sighed. “Why now?”
Ace continued to keep watch over the woman in the house set into the trees. “I figured it was time.”