Roux.
It’s Roux and…her dad.
Of course I don’t know this for certain, but it’s pretty obvious based on looks alone.
I nod, unable to keep my eyes from him. He stands easily six feet tall. Tattoos crawl up his neck. His dark hair is cut in a similar style as Roan’s flopping over one eye in a careless way. When his gaze sweeps over my body with mild interest, it’s then I realize I’m barely dressed.
“Oh,” I squeak out. “Come in. I just got out of the shower.”
Leaving them in the doorway, I rush back to my room. I find a pair of jeans and yank off the T-shirt to hunt for a bra. Once I find a black bra and an orange Hood River Cheerleader tank top, I run a brush through my hair and then brush my teeth. I still look like hell, but at least I have clothes on. When I finally make my way to the living room, I find Roux and her father sitting side by side on the sofa.
“Where’s Jordy?” I ask, cautiously approaching my best friend.
“Work,” she says. “Dad showed up and…” She trails off, panic glinting in her eyes. “There’s no room at our place and Roan is being an idiot.”
Her dad snorts out a laugh. “He tried to whip my ass, baby girl.”
Roux grins at his endearment. “He did.”
“Oh boy,” I let out in a rush of air.
“I’m Jace Hirsch,” Jace greets, offering a large, masculine hand that’s colored with tattoos. “And you must be the best friend.”
I chew on my bottom lip as I shake his hand. “That’s me. Uh, nice to meet you.”
This guy isn’t overly huge. Not as tall as Cal. Not even as bulky as Roan or Hollis these days for as much time they put in at the gym. But he exudes power. It’s in the intense glow of his coppery eyes. The hard set of his jaw and the way it clenches in tune with the way the muscle in his neck does. Like he’s a rubber band being pulled and snapped. Pulled and snapped. Pulled and snapped. One day, the rubber is going to break, flipping around and smacking everyone around him in the process.
His grin is disarming.
A hook.
Something he uses to lure people into his arm’s reach.
Neither of his children smile a ton, so it’s strange seeing the man who created them grinning so freely.
I put much needed space between myself and the man who unnerves me. “So you’re out of prison now?” I ask, trying and failing to make good conversation.
“Crazy, huh?” Roux asks, rubbing her cute stomach.
“My kids grew up,” Jace grunts. “Kids are having kids now. I lost a whole lot in there.”
The room grows silent and uncomfortable.
“Right, so would you like some coffee?” I ask, keeping my voice peppy and polite.
“Sure, babe. Don’t give me any of that black shit. I like a lot of sugar, sugar.” He smiles again, his amber eyes twinkling.
“Okay,” I mutter. “Roux, want to come with me?”
Jace gives me a knowing smirk as he leans back on the sofa and threads his fingers behind his head, making his biceps bulge. “I promise not to listen in on you two talking about me.”
I hurry into the kitchen, needing to be out of that man’s vicinity. Roux waddles in shortly after, chewing on her bottom lip.
“This is weird, isn’t it?” she asks.
I start a pot of coffee and nod. “Completely.”
“He’s not going to hurt you,” she assures me. “I promise.”
My smile is weak. I don’t know that I actually believe her words, but I want to. For her. This is her dad and she seems happy to have him here. Like my own father, he doesn’t look a day over forty. Dad keeps fit from the building’s gym and good diet, but Jace is cut in a way only prison can do to a man. The same way Jordy is.
“You’re just out visiting?” I ask lightly.
“Actually, your dad asked us to meet him here. Samantha is Dad’s lawyer. She wants to have a meeting. Garrett offered for them to come here.”
Penny stumbles into the kitchen, her blond hair messy and in her face. She’s wearing a huge hoodie that looks like she stole from our brother and Nike sweats. I open my mouth to warn her about Jace, but she’s still groggy from sleep. She grabs a banana and heads into the living room, plopping down on the sofa.
I quickly make a cup of coffee for Jace, making sure to sweeten it up as requested. When Roux and I walk back into the living room, Jace is watching Penny with amusement as she eats her banana like she was raised in a barn.
“Why is there a convict sitting on Dad’s sofa?” Penny asks, her mouth full of banana. “Is Dad taking on more pet projects?” She swallows and arches a brow at him. “You’re not like going to be our stepdaddy now, are you?”
“Penny!” I shriek, scowling at her. “Stop talking.”
“What?” Penny grumbles. “He’s not drooling all over the way your tits are hanging out of that tank you should have retired last year, so he must be gay. Is that even genetic? You’re totally Roan’s bad dad, right? It’s the eyes. Also, that stupid hair.”
Jace starts laughing, a deep chuckle at first, and then he’s laughing so hard he’s tearing up. I set his coffee down and pin her with an angry glare.
“Penny,” I hiss. “Go to your room.”
Penny laughs. “Oh, you were serious. In that case, no. I’ll stay right here. Someone has to make sure Dad’s boyfriend gets the third degree. Gotta make sure he’s not gonna break his heart.”
“Dad’s not gay!” I snap. “And I’m sure Jace doesn’t appreciate the third degree. Leave him alone.”
“Man,” Jace says once he’s composed himself. “Did I miss girls or what? Fuckin’ entertaining as hell. Penny, eh? You got a mouth on you.”
“She has no filter,” Roux
