Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“I…I don’t know, Mark. She never said much, I swear.”
He nods and gentles his voice as his broad shoulders fall.
“I got it, McKenna, but just take a deep breath.”
Ace inhales and exhales slowly for a full minute until I follow his lead.
“Yeah, that’s it. Good girl. In and out. Slow in and slow out. Now, just clear your mind and think about the last time you saw Grace or talked to her. Did she say anything?”
I squeeze my eyes shut and then let the tension flow out of my arms and legs until I can see Grace’s sweet face in front of me. And then I remember our conversation, and I open my eyes to Ace’s semi-scowl.
“You’re not going to like it, but I’m trying to be helpful.”
His jaw clenches, and he nods. “I’m listening.”
A small smile touches my lips at his promise. “I was trying to convince her to come with me to check out your clubhouse to see what kind of nefarious stuff you guys were up to so I could convince Kelsey to come back home.”
“All right. And what did she say?”
I shake my head. “It was weird. She seemed worried but like, very worried. She told me I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and the last look she gave me was filled with concern.”
Tears spill from my eyes as I think about her last words. “She said I just couldn’t stand that someone was making a choice different from my own, and now I’m thinking maybe she meant herself too.” My shoulders fall in disappointment. “I failed her, Mark. I let her down. I was her best friend, and instead of supporting her, I made her feel that she couldn’t come to me.”
Ace’s big hands rub gentle circles on my shoulders, and strangely, it works to calm me. “There’s nothing you can do about that now, McKenna. You want to honor your friend? Help me find the assholes who did this to her. Tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything, Ace!”
“You do, dammit. You have to know something in that thick head of yours.” Now he’s pissing me off. “Just shove your emotions aside for now and think, McKenna.”
I shake my head. “I can’t think, thanks to you! My best friend was just murdered for crying out loud! Am I next? What is this all about?”
He lets out a long breath and flashes a grimace. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. Right?”
I shove his touch away because it’s scrambling my brain and making it hard to think about anything. “Stop it, just stop!”
He pushes off the sofa and takes a step away from me, hands up in a gesture meant to satisfy me. “Fine. I’ll stop.”
His voice, like he’s taming some wild animal, doesn’t help. “Shut up. Just shut up, all right? Stop talking to me like I’m crazy.”
“Oh, you’re crazy as hell, but I’m just trying to keep this who thing from going off the fuckin’ rails. Just use that pretty head of yours for anything you can remember.”
His lips twitch in an effort to suppress a smile, and it infuriates me.
I point at him, and his gaze sobers. Suddenly, the air between us crackles and my belly flips. No. Whatever is happening at this moment, I don’t want it. Okay, I do want it, but now isn’t the time for the bad boy distraction Ace represents.
“Ace.” My tone is meant to be a warning but it comes out like a breathy plea.
His lips pull into a crooked grin, and he licks his lips.
Oh, what the hell? I can’t say who moves first, but a beat later, our bodies tangle up, all arms and legs, our mouths fuse into a kiss so hot that I swear the mansion is burning up all around us. His touch is like fire, but not just any type of fire. It’s the blue part at the bottom, the part that burns so bad you’ll never recover.
Big hands roam my body, cupping my ass and molding over the curves of my hips and waist. His hands move up my back until his thick fingers tangle in my hair.
His hands leave me breathless while his mouth devours me. His kiss consumes me in a way I didn’t know was possible. I lean into him, let my body sink into his. It is the kiss to end all kisses, the kind of kiss that makes a girl do really stupid things.
Like shack up with a biker.
That thought brings me up short, and I freeze, take a step back, and push Mark away from me while my chest heaves. “You…you had no right!”
He lets out a huff of laughter and shakes his head. “Sweetheart, you kissed me back, so please, spare me playing the role of the innocent virgin. Your hard nipples say otherwise.”