Chapter 32

"You realizeyou're old now, right?" Lincoln says, swatting Ace.

"You've been calling me old for a decade, Linc. I'm not the one who wanted a birthday party. This is all you," he spits back. Ace sends me a look as we walk down the sidewalk. "I would have been fine with a good bottle and some cigars on the back patio."

Lincoln barks out, "Bullshit, Ace. You love this shit."

"Hey, Grant."

I wave at the owner of Crescent de Lune as we make our way through the bakery and down the back staircase to the speakeasy.

"You seem to have a lot of new friends lately." Lincoln jabs as he fixes his rolled sleeves.

"She's one of the sisters who owns the bakery. She's been making Laney's coffees for me in the mornings." And it's as soon as I say it that I realize what I've done.

"You're getting her coffees in the mornings?"

I shift my glance at him, and his eyes widen a fraction with amusement. "I take care of what's mine, brother."

"'Bout time you said it. You were so obvious when I was making her laugh that day at the river. And I was hoping that dance didn't go to waste."

Ace chimes in from behind us. I hadn't realized he was right there. "She's good for you." He smacks Linc in the back of the head. "You were flirting with her while your daughters were watching?"

"Ace, leave my little princesses out of it when I'm talking about women. And since when is flirting a bad look?" He points at him. "When's the big, bad Atticus Foxx going to go after who he wants?"

"Lincoln, who is it you think I want?"

A silent exchange goes on between the two of them, one I recognize well. They get along, but there"s been an unspoken rivalry ever since we were kids. "I wake up alone by choice." He shoves his hands in his suit pants pockets and keeps his attention ahead of us, unfazed. "Sleepovers are too messy."

Lincoln chuckles, and I follow. "Ace, being messy is half the fun."

"Says the hot mess," Ace mumbles back.

I just smirk, shaking my head. They're my best friends. You don't go through as much as we have as a family and come out of it any other way. That was never an option for us. I hate how I've kept things from them, my feelings for Laney, the bourbon I've been making. "Mind if I talk to you guys about something later?"

"You having big feelings today, Grant?" Linc teases, clapping my shoulder.

I swat his arm away. "Get off."

Ace looks back before we push through the doors. "Whenever you're ready, Grant."

The dimly lit main room of Midnight Proof greets us, along with the smooth jazz filtering through the crowd. Servers hustle around with full trays of drinks and the main bar is stacked at least three people deep all the way around. The couches are filled with tourists, likely making their way down from the horse races or ready to finish their bourbon trail with the kind of vibe only a speakeasy can offer. We have a bit of an audience as we head up the flight of stairs and toward the private space on the second floor. The three of us together always garner some attention, but Ace has a few famous friends who I'm sure have already made themselves comfortable in the VIP space.

Lincoln throws open the double doors and the private party is in full swing with nearly twenty guys packed around a poker table in the middle of the room. I couldn't care less about the starting pitcher for Chicago about to lose a hand to the MVP of the National League. My body buzzes, eager to see Laney. I know there's a room full of men that are going to want what's mine.

I see her the second my brother shifts out of my line of sight. Her strawberry blonde hair is pinned to one side, showing off her neck and bare shoulder. So fucking beautiful. She moves around the bar, pouring out liquors into her mixer while she laughs at what one of the guys is saying to her. Her lips are painted in that red that instantly reminds my dick how much we love that mouth, but it"s what she's wearing that has the rest of my attention. The peachy-pink color of her sheer top is just a few shades off her skin tone and draped in crystals that catch the light from the chandeliers hanging low in the room. Her black bra peeking through the sheerness accentuates how fucking exquisite her tits really are. My mouth waters just looking at her.

"Daddy's here!" Hadley croons out as she comes around from the bar. "Happy birthday!"

"Jesus," Ace mumbles, trying to brush off how much Hadley gets to him lately.

"Your brother really has no sense of humor," she says as she loops her arm in mine. "Lincoln, I need you to get me a bottle from the bar downstairs."

I smile at her. Hadley is one of the few people who can make me laugh, no matter what. And it's usually at Ace's expense. "You're an instigator. You know that shit pisses him off."

She waves her hand in the air. "People only get mad when stuff hits too close to home." Her eyes widen dramatically. "Do you think your brother is into daddy kink?"

"Hads, I don't want to think about what my brother is into."

Poking my chest, she smirks. "But I know what, or rather who, I should say, you've been getting into."

Laney watches as we get closer to the bar, pouring out whatever she was shaking up and twisting a lemon rind as garnish. I leave Hadley's statement unanswered, so she pats my chest and moves on toward the poker game happening behind me, where I hear her taunt, "Ace, it might be your birthday, but you're going to lose all your money tonight."

I get a full look at what Laney's wearing, and I'll be honest, it's easily hitting epic fantasy levels with this woman. She looks like a vintage pin-up girl meets a modern-day goddess. Her top was just the start, the way it teases what she's working with, but her legs are strong and thick. I regret not leaving my mark somewhere near that too-short seam of her black shorts.

With a smirk, I crook my finger for her to come closer. She smiles and quickly peeks around to see who's looking.

I'm hoping it's just about everyone in here.

"What'll you have, cowboy?" she asks. But instead of my drink order, when she's close enough, I lean over the bar, tip her chin with my pointer finger, and kiss her lips. Light and sweet. Just enough to tell her I have no problem with who sees it. Pulling back slowly, her eyes find mine right away.

"Bourbon neat, honey."

She gives me a coy smile, knowing that there was nothing discreet about that. She turns back toward the row of bourbon, and I enjoy taking her in up close. The softness of her touch and the bite of her wit is really the only thing I want to drink in tonight. But bourbon will have to do while I wait.

Hadley comes up to the bar within the next few seconds, her gaze flicking to my brother. "Linc! Where's that bottle I asked for?"

Laney laughs as she comes back with a bottle of Foxx and gives me a healthy pour. "I'll grab it, Hadley. I need to run to the ladies' room anyway."

"How long?" Linc asks me. If it wasn't for Hadley shouting his name, I would've forgotten he's right beside me.

Hadley stays in her spot and listens for the answer.

"4th of July."

Holding out her hand to Lincoln, she says, "Pay up. I told you it was new."

"You had insider information," he says, pulling out his wallet.

He pulls out five crisp, one-hundred-dollar bills. "You made a bet?"

"Just about how long we thought it'd take for you to see it. I thought for sure it was right after we went to the river with Lily and Lark. The way you shot daggers at me when I was pushing her on that tire swing..." He laughs. "Fucking priceless."

I glance around the room for her. The poker table is rowdy as one of the guys decides to put my brother all in as soon as he is dealt. I smile, thinking about how Laney would likely give them a run for their money. It takes three more hands before Lincoln loses his chips, but instead of making a big deal about it, he yells out, "Alright, I'm too old for shots, but Hadley, let"s break open that bottle of Pappy you've been keeping for me."

Looking back toward the bar, I realize Laney's still not back. Maybe she got caught up helping someone downstairs, but it's when my gut tells me something might be wrong that I'm talking over my brother and interrupting. "Hads, did Laney come back up yet?"

"No. Can you go find?—"

I'm already through the double doors and heading for the stairs. In the main room, a jazz singer croons something old and romantic over the sound system, and I scan behind the bar to see if I spot her. Nothing. When I come down the stairs and look down past the ladies' room, that's when I hear her.

"You lied to me," she shouts. I walk closer to where she's standing. A man only slightly taller than me is in front of her. Who the fuck is this guy? He's leaner, so if I need to, I can easily muscle him out of here.

Her eyes catch mine and the small shake of her head has me slowing down as I take another step. Turning, he looks over his shoulder. "Who the hell is that, Laney?"

Eyebrows furrowing, her nose scrunches. "You have no right asking. We're not anything to each other, Phillip."

Fucking Phillip.

"How can you fucking say that?"

I don't think so.I point at him as I step closer to Laney. "Watch your mouth when you're talking to my girl."

The corner of her mouth tips up as I step forward just enough to create more space in between them. I place my hand on her lower back, and she moves just a fraction closer.

"What are you even doing here?"

"I should say the same about you. I've been calling and texting." Even though he tries to keep his voice down, it comes out rushed when he says, "We were..." He takes a shaky breath. "You just disappeared."

"Should've told you something." I stare him down, and she relaxes just a bit more into my hand. The tense way she's got her hands balled up at her sides and posture perfectly straight, it's obvious that she's more than uncomfortable with him.

He raises his hand up at me, as if that's going to stop me. "This is between us," he says, eyes narrowed.

I look toward the front of the room and catch Brady's attention. The sheer size of him clears a path.

When my eyes drift, so do hers, as she tilts her head to see past his shoulder. There are a few guys near the bar paying attention to this exchange. "Is this your bachelor trip?" But she doesn't let him answer. Instead, she smiles and shakes her head. "Go back to your life. Go get married and have a fuck ton of kids, for all I care. But do me a favor, forget about ever seeing me here and let me live mine."

"You don't mean that."

It's like he hits a switch with those few words, because her entire body tenses, and this time, she's not nervous. She's pissed. "You're going to tell me what I mean now? How about what I want? Are you going to tell me that too? I'll tell you what I didn't want. You. That night. I didn't—" She sucks in a breath, trying to steady her words. "I didn't want it to get that far and..."

"What are you saying?" he spits back. "You wanted me the same way I wanted you. Don't pretend like you didn't."

"No, I wanted someone I used to know, and you wanted to feel something before you went ahead and promised yourself to someone else. I made a mistake."

I've had enough. She's had enough. I lean into her and tell her, "Hadley's office is the last door on the right."

She looks up at me, tears brimming her eyes. "He's not worth it."

She's right, but I can't just let this guy think he's gotten the last word. He treated her like a convenient side-piece. To me, she's the only person I want to focus on. "I'm just going to make sure he finds the exit."

With a wave of my hand, Brady comes up quickly, asking him to leave.

"Are you kidding me? This is my bachelor party."

Brady just smirks at him. "Looks like your party is moving somewhere else."

I glance up at the stairs and see Lincoln watching all of this happen. He'll have my back if I need it. And right now, there's no way this guy is leaving Fiasco without a reminder of why he should never come back. I follow Brady as he escorts Phillip out the front door and through the bakery. When his feet hit the sidewalk, I don't stop.

"Now that it's just us, let me be a little clearer about exactly who I am."

He looks over my shoulder toward his friends who are on my heels. I'm outnumbered, but I can handle guys like this—all talk, barely any substance.

"I gotta head back in, Grant," Brady says from the door.

"I'll be right there. Let Lincoln know I'm out here, will ya?" I turn back to the asshole. My body thrums with a mix of anger and anxiety to get back inside to Laney. "You're going to do as she asked. Because if you don"t, I have no problem sharing with some of your friends in New York, specifically at your place of business, that you're a lying cheat." I rub my palm against the scruff on my cheek. "I have a feeling your soon to be father-in-law might find that information a little bit interesting, don't you think?"

His lips part just enough to know I've surprised him. He was expecting a right hook, but with guys like him, I'd rather hit where it hurts.

"Grant, you alright out here?" Lincoln calls out from the door. Right on time.

"All good, just making sure my friend finds his way home."

I turn toward Phillip, his eyes shifting behind me, clearly nervous about the way I'm stalking toward him. "You're going to forget about her. You're going to forget you saw her here. You're not going to mention it to anyone."

He holds up his hands, flinching back at my proximity. "Listen, man, I don't want trouble. Is she okay?"

"She's not your business anymore. She's mine. I want you out of my town. Tonight." I take a step closer. "If I find out you've even said so much as her name again—even if it's to tell your fiancée what you did—I will make your life hell."

He doesn't say anything. A wide-eyed response and his obvious lack of backbone were enough to know he's not going to be a problem for her. I'll still make sure one of Del's New York City contacts pays him a visit in full uniform at work just as a reminder, though.

I breeze past Lincoln. I'm only interested in seeing Laney right now and making sure she's okay.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" he asks, catching up with me.

"Nope."

He stops at the stairs. "Are you coming back up?"

I ignore him and keep walking straight for Hadley's office. When I close the door behind me, Laney's leaning against the small desk and picking at her fingers. She looks less rattled than when I left her, but she needs to know there's nothing left to worry about. The small space is quiet, considering there's a packed bar and band just beyond the door and down the hall.

She stands up, starting to say, "There's something else I need to?—"

I lock the door. "That's done."

Her eyes shift to the door, and then back up to me. "What?"

"With him. That's done now." I don't want her spending another second thinking about that part of her past. She's torn herself apart about the way things happened with him, and I hate that seeing him ripped it open again.

Biting her lip, she studies me. "Did you hurt him?"

"Threatened him to stay away. Gave him a good tap in the back to make sure he heard everything you said."

She looks down at her hands. "Is it awful to say thank you for that?"

I close the distance and tuck my finger under her chin, tilting her face up. The way she looks at me is something I don't take for granted. Her pretty eyes have flecks of blue and swirls of brown that remind me of my bourbon now in the dim light behind the desk and the way she looks like she's pouting when she's waiting for me to say something.

Close to her lips, I whisper, "Turn around." She searches my eyes for what I'm asking, but the second she sees it, she turns her back to me. I run my hands along her bare shoulders, over her smooth skin. This need I have to feel her, have her, is overwhelming.

Moving her hair to one side, I lean in and kiss her right below her ear, in that one spot that makes her hum when I spend enough attention on it. She tilts her head back, leaning it against my shoulder as I let my hands roam over the rough material of her top. I trace along the seams and over the crystals that meet her skin. She looks so perfect in my arms like this. I feel such a need to protect her, make her feel good, and see her for exactly who she is: strong, sexy, and exactly what I want.

I bend just enough to run my nose along the side of her neck. She has that soft floral smell, like the wildflowers behind my house, and a hint of bourbon from my lips.

"He wasn't the reason I left."

I knew there was more, but I'm not going to push. Not now.

Nodding against her, I drag my hand down the curves of her body and between her thighs. I rub her pussy over the satin of the bottoms she's wearing as I press my hardening cock against her ass.

"Can I be the reason you stay?"

There it is, at the core of why I've kept mostly to myself. Why I hated the idea of her crashing into our lives and living across from me. It's the one thing I've been scared to want, never mind ask of anyone. For themto stay.

She runs her hand up the arm I have wrapped around her middle, lifting it away from her body and up toward her mouth. She kisses my palm, and with a breathy exhale, she says, "Yes."

I rest my lips along the back of her neck, letting them linger so I can absorb what that does to me. It's like knocking aside far too many years of being incapable of really caring for someone. She circles her hips against me in response, and it feels so fucking good. "Do that again."

Leaning forward, she places her hands on the desk and then grinds her ass back into me.

I trail my fingers along the edges of where her barely-there bottoms meet the cheeks of her perfect ass. "Tell me what you want." My thumbs dip just past the seams to tease her.

"You. I want you."

Her words spark a heat around the edges of my skin, drawing goosebumps to the surface, and making my cock swell beneath my pants. I take a step back.

"Pull those down so I can see how much."

She peeks at me over her shoulder, a smirk on those pretty painted lips, and hooks her thumbs into the waist to pull them just past the curve of her ass. The garter belt and straps stay as she rolls down the black satin. I can't help it; she's just begging for my mouth, so I don't think as I drop to my knees, grab one of her ass cheeks in each hand, and spread her apart. Her pussy glistens, she's so wet. "Fucking hell, honey, this all for me?"

She makes the sexiest sound, a cross between a gasping breath and a soft moan. I press my face into her and flatten my tongue, trying to reach her clit. I give it a pulse before I drag it down and back all the way to her puckered asshole.

"Please don't tease me. I need that fat cock to fuck me right now."

I bite one of her cheeks because, Christ, that mouth. "I don't have a condom, baby."

Still peering over her shoulder, her lust-filled gaze meets mine as I glide my fingers along her drenched lips. "I said I want you. Now do what you're told, cowboy."

Goddamn, I like that. I rub my cock over my jeans. I'm so fucking hard it hurts. The truth is, I couldn't care less about any repercussions of not using one. But I don't want her to regret anything. Not with me. "Yes, ma'am."

She leans forward, thrusting her ass out. "Make me messy."