I smiled and dropped my gaze to my hands in my lap, unsure what to say. I mean, I’d been up early and just worked a double, and I knew he was getting better and that he would have to leave but… I wasn’t sure I was ready for him to go. Not yet.
“I guess I sort of figured you’d get better and leave and that would be it,” I confessed. I cleared my throat and swept my wig off my head and tossed it up on the back of the couch.
“Is that what you want?” he asked and sounded as unsure as I felt.
“I don’t, no,” I confessed, and it was hard to meet his eyes, but I made myself do it anyway. “I feel safe with you around. Is that crazy?”
He smiled and laughed a little and the accompanying wince wasn’t as pronounced this time. “Depends on who you ask,” he replied honestly. “One of my boys? No, it’s not crazy at all. Your average citizen? They’d probably call you certifiable.”
“Yeah, well, you’re a wolf in wolf’s clothing. It’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing you’ve got to watch for.”
“I know that’s right,” he agreed.
“I’d like to see you again,” I murmured. “When you’re better.”
He smiled, and it was almost enough to reopen the split in his bottom lip.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said and ducked back into the kitchen to make my tea.
“Two teaspoons of dried tea in the pot, add hot water, if you want it like I make it, add a half teaspoon of the raw sugar to the cup before you pour,” I told him.
“Thanks,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “I was gonna ask.”
“I thought you might,” I told him with a laugh, knowing he had no idea how I made my tea.
He brought two cups, balanced on saucers, around the corner and lowered one to my raised and waiting hands. I lowered the offering to the top of my leg and wrapped my hands around the cup, sighing in relief as the warmth radiated through the porcelain and into my chilly hands.
“Cold out there?” he asked.
“Very,” I answered, sipping carefully. He lowered himself onto the couch next to me.
“Should have gotten in a hot shower.”
I shook my head. “In the morning. My hair will never dry all the way and will turn into a hot mess if I try to sleep on it wet.”
“Ah. I volunteer as tribute,” he said carefully. “Feel free to warm frozen appendages against me.”
I laughed. “Are you sure you’re from this planet?” I asked.
He grinned and said, “Nah, what was that old book or plan thing or whatever? Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus?”
“Never heard of it,” I said with a shake of my head.
“Oh, ouch.” He put a hand to his chest and made a face. “Makes me feel old or some shit.”
“Ha,” I muttered. I did not picture Mace as old, even if he was older than me by some; how much, I couldn’t tell. It seemed rude to ask.
“Go ahead,” he said.
“What?” I asked and raised my eyebrows.
“Ask.”
“Ask what?” I asked.
“Whatever you were just thinking – I’m open. Ask me anything.”
“Anything?” I perked up a bit.
“Anything,” he said, and his grin was slow and sweet with just the slightest hint of spice.
“Why are you called Mace?”
He laughed and held his ribs when he did it and asked, “Out of all the things you wanna know, that’s it?”
“I didn’t realize I was limited to one question,” I said with a lazy grin.
“Ahhh, I can be tricky. Okay, alright; why am I called Mace? Well, now that’s a story…”
He sighed out and bowed his head and looked up at me without raising it. He asked, “You’re sure that’s what you want to know?”
My smile grew, and I nodded. “Oh yeah.”
He groaned, huffed out a breath, and said, “This is going to make me sound like such an asshole… Okay, so this was back right before I patched into the club. I was still a prospect, but like the same weekend I earned my colors, so I was on the tail end of it, right?”
“Sure,” I said nodding, sipping my tea and smiling behind the rim of my cup. I liked his voice. It was velvety and smooth, rich and decadent all at the same time. I could honestly listen to him talk for hours if he would let me.
“So, the guys had been up my ass, like more than usual. Of course, when you get your colors, you don’t know it’s gonna happen. All those decisions are made behind closed doors. So, I’d been tasked with pretty much all manner of petty-ass fucking bullshit for days and one of those tasks was to walk the ol’ lady of the then VP from the strip club she worked at to the bar the boys – including her ol’ man – were at.”
“Okay.” I nodded my understanding and curled up in the corner of my couch comfortably.
“Right, so we’re halfway down the block from the bar and the guys and the VP are all sitting out front in this little gated off patio area. It’s summertime, and it’s warm for around here. We’re almost there and this homeless dude starts hassling my VP’s ol’ lady for money and I tell him to fuck off. This dude, he gets all belligerent and my VP is getting pissed. I’m shaking my head and telling this guy to fuck off and he opens up his mouth to really start screaming at me… and that’s when I pulled the cannister of pepper spray out of my pocket and hosed that motherfucker right down
