Page 74 of Ruthless Beasts

She waved him off. “That’s what the big, burly, grumpy guard you got there is for.”

I pretended not to see the exchange between Max and Hannah as she stuck her tongue out at Max. I answered his question as Max stepped forward to grab Genie’s bag. “Attached to you, of course.”

“Clearly, no one is attached to me.” He laughed.

“I am,” I whispered, and his eyes heated for a moment as he looked down at me. Then his head jerked up. “Have a nice night, Genie.”

I guess the real question was, was he attached to me too? He made it so hard to read. His emotions, his thoughts, his wants, he was so closed down. Mercer made what he wanted clear. In fact, he didn’t just use his words; he used his body, his wit, his actions. But Ace? Sometimes I thought he wanted me. It was the little sparks of things here and there. The heat in his eyes, the soft smiles, helping with the garden, little things. But then he closed himself down again, making it impossible to know for sure.

I wanted to say more to him, but Hannah cut in, clearly not reading the moment. “Ace, I was telling Belley about how you’re a hard ass to work with and you’re teaching me the ropes at work.”

“Belley?” He raised a brow in question.

I cringed. The nickname is hardly favorable. Hannah beamed at my discomfort. “She hates the name, but I’ve been calling her that for ages.”

“And how long is ages?” Ace released me, and I wanted to pull him back. I liked their body heat near me. All of them. One of them. I just couldn’t get enough. He toed off his shoes before he let his body fall back onto the couch, and I couldn’t help it. I followed, sitting next to him. Close enough to feel his heat, but not touching. I didn’t want to cross the boundaries he was trying to set. Except it was he who reached over and pulled me closer to his side.

“We met in middle school. My father is a man of…” She pursed her lips. “Power. We went to the same private school.”

“A man of power,” Ace stated. “Should we be worried about this? You are living on our property, after all.”

“I can handle myself,” she stated.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” Ace defended. “But Bellamy and our child could be at risk if you’re holding out information of danger.”

Our. Every single time, the statement made me weak.

Hannah thought for a moment before speaking carefully. “I’ve not talked to my father in a long time, Mr. Barrett. I left that life and his rules, and I’ve been happy on my own since the moment I turned eighteen. I’ve struggled like most young adults, and I can admit I’ve done some things I’m not exactly proud of. But I can assure you I’d not put Bellamy in any danger. She is the only family I have now.”

“And us, by extension,” Adam offered as he stepped into the room, holding up some boxes of pizza. “Please, if you ever need something, ask us.”

“Yes, sir.” Hannah nodded vigorously.

“And Hannah?”

“Yes, Mr. Barrett.”

“When we are not at the office or on a work site, fewer formalities are fine.” Ace tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment before adding. “Besides, I suspect we are going to be seeing a lot of you. Probably too damn much, honestly.”

“Never too much.” I poked his side.

“Matter of opinion,” Adam said dryly. “Did Hannah tell you she already has a workplace admirer?”

I swore I heard Max grunt, but when I looked his direction, he was looking straight ahead. Hm, curious. I’d question my guard on that later. I grabbed Hannah’s hand, pulling her down in my lap, not missing the way Ace’s hand shot out to protect my stomach. “Tell me of this admirer.”

Hannah’s face instantly reddened. “Well, to start, it’s a one-sided admiration that I wished Adam would not try to put power to.” She stretched Adam’s name out and he only grinned, the look so damn charming I wished he would have been closer soI could kiss him. Damn, when had I crossed all the lines in my mind, went from being here temporarily to being all in with this beautifully scarred and broken man?

“It’s the head of housekeeping, Christopher Johnson.” Adam’s brows wagged. “He thinks your girl is something.”

“He gives me the creeps.” Hannah shivered. “He keeps talking to my boobs.”

Ace leaned forward, resting his forearm on his leg. “I’ll talk to him. I didn’t realize he did that.”

“I’ll talk to him too,” Max mumbled under his breath, and Ace glanced at him for a moment, trying to read him, except the man remained stiff, not moving a muscle.

“That’s inappropriate,” Adam cut in. “I hadn’t realized the disrespect, only that he talks to her like she’s a goddess. If it continues, I’ll have him fired. We don’t need sexual harassment in our establishment. Come eat before the pizza gets cold.”

Adam disappeared toward the dining room, but none of us moved. Partially because I had Hannah weighing me down, but also because leaning against Ace was comfortable. Finally, with a sigh, Hannah pushed herself off my lap, and I had no real excuse to stay here. Not when the smell of pizza wafted around me, and my stomach growled.

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