bet he would never misuse his handcuffs….
An electric jolt of desire shot down her spine and straight to her sex. Dammit. She hated Ace, and she hated her betraying body for wanting him all over again. With handcuffs.
“You can go.” Ace waved a dismissive hand in Gary’s direction, his gaze locked on Sophie’s lips. Could he read her mind? Could he see she hated him and wanted him, too?
Gary’s brow creased with worry. “Sophie?”
“Thanks, Gary, but I’ll be fine. You get going or you’ll miss the late-night darts tournament at the station.” Her gaze flicked to Ace, and when she saw he was watching them with avid interest, she crossed the room and kissed Gary’s cheek. Not the same as having three men in her lap, but effective just the same given the scowl that crossed Ace’s face. “Let me know if you’ve got any time free tomorrow.”
Gary gave Ace a cocky grin and waved as he left the room. “Sure thing.”
“You kissed him.” Ace’s eyes burned into her as she shrugged off her sweater. The apartment was damned hot, or maybe it was her body’s betraying response to the breathtakingly handsome, and now furious, biker scowling in the center of her room.
“So what? Maybe after you’re gone, I’ll invite him and a couple of his friends over to watch TV on my lap.”
Ace huffed and his eyes narrowed. She wondered if he would charge if she held up something red.
“He’s not your type. Kinda gangly like a scarecrow. I could snap him in two.”
“He’s gone out of his way to help me,” she said evenly. “He’s a good guy. He follows the rules. He upholds the law. He’s perfect for me, and now that I’ve been suspended and don’t have access to the system, I need him to help me find Jason.”
Ace’s frown deepened. “Suspended? Is that why you came to the clubhouse?”
Emotion welled up inside her chest. She didn’t want his help. Not now. Not after he’d shown her he was no different than Ryan.
“I think you should go.”
Ace stiffened. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why you came to see me.”
“Suit yourself. I’m going to bed. You can make yourself comfortable on the floor.”
He studied her, considering. Before her brain even registered he’d moved, he had her in his arms.
“I fucked up, babe.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “My whole life, I’ve always had to be ready to walk away. I never bothered unpacking my bag at the foster homes ’cause I knew it wouldn’t be long before they kicked me out. After we had words at Jason’s house, I figured that was it. So when the girls sat down with me to watch the game, I didn’t ask them to leave. That was me moving on, the way I always do. But it didn’t feel right. What you saw was all it was gonna be, and if I’d known you were there, you wouldn’t have seen that at all. The girls at the club are friends, and I was glad of their company, but I’m not interested in being with anyone but you.”
Sophie stiffened in his arms and he tightened his grip, holding her against his chest as if he was afraid she would run away.
“What you want is what I’m used to,” he murmured. “Casual. Fun. No commitment. But when I’m with you, I want more. I’m not saying I want a relationship, ’cause I don’t even know how that would work between us, but I want more than just one night with you.”
God, she wanted to believe him, but she’d worked hard to get over Ryan, building up walls around her heart so she would never get hurt like that again.
“Trust is a big issue for me, Ace.” Arms around him, she twisted his shirt in her hands. “I hear the words you’re saying, but I don’t know you well enough to know if I can trust you. I trusted Ryan, and he betrayed me. I never even saw it coming. After he broke into my house and tried to kill me, I couldn’t trust my own judgment. I had to take a leave of absence from my job because I started second-guessing myself. I thought things would change when I came out here, but when I saw you with those girls on your lap, I saw Ryan and I felt like an idiot. Like I’d let it happen to me all over again. But I shouldn’t have expected you