Page 115 of Mace

I understand that about her, because I’m proud too, and she has stood on her own for so long that I can imagine she would find it difficult to give control to anybody else.

“Maylie, you’ve spent so many years taking care of other people. For once in your life, allow somebody else to take care of you.”

“Well, I’m still going to pay my way.”

“You know how you can do that?”

Her brow raises. “If this is about sex…”

I chuckle. “No, darlin’, I ain’t making you pay in sex. How you can pay your way is by doing something that fulfils you. What would you want to do with your life if you could choose?”

She pulls back from me as if my words burn her. “What do you mean?”

That question fills my stomach with an ugly, unpleasant feeling, as if she’s never considered the concept of doing something for herself. “Well, what did you want to do before your mum got sick? What was your plan for the future?”

“I don’t know. I was only fifteen when Mum got sick. I haven’t ever considered my future, and now… what could I do?”

“You can do whatever you want. Work, don’t work, go back to school… fill the apartment with feral cats, for all I care.”

She chuckles. “Really? Feral cats?”

I press my lips into her hair before resting my chin on top of her head. “Whatever makes you happy, Maylie. You don’t have to decide now, but it’s something to think about. You’re gonna have your hands full anyway with your sister.”

She smiles, as if even the mere thought of the baby Ivy is expecting is more than she can contain. “I know the way Ivy got pregnant isn’t great. I wish she would’ve had the fairytale with a man who is devoted to her, but… I’m not unhappy about it either.”

“I know, and you’re going to be the best auntie there is.”

She scoffs at me, as if my statement is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard. “Of course, I am. I’ve been practising for this my entire life. And I get to be the fun one for a change. It’s pretty crap when all I do is tell them off.”

“Do you want to see the rest of the apartment?”

“Of course.”

I take her hand, leading her through to the bedrooms, finally stopping in the master suite. The room is huge, double the size of the bedroom she currently has, and she spends a long time walking the length of it.

“These windows are amazing.”

The glass spans the entire length of the room, with a door opening out onto a private balcony for us.

“It’s tinted,” I say, enjoying the way her brows come together. “The glass,” I clarify.

I walk over to her, turning her around so her back is to my chest, and I carefully position her hands on the panes, shoulder-width apart.

She glances over her shoulder at me, a hint of curiosity dancing in her eyes that quickly fades into need as I run my hand down her spine.

“We can see out, but as long as there’re no lights on inside, no one can see in.”

I reach around her front, flicking open the button of her jeans and shoving them down her hips.

“Mace, what are you doing?”

“Exactly what I want,” I say. “Be a good girl and bend over farther for me.” She’s a little hesitant, but she slides her hands down the glass, pushing her ass out.

What a fuckin’ picture she is.

I slip my hand over her cotton underwear before grabbing the waistband and tugging them down. I can already see the wetness has seeped into the material, which makes me smirk as my fingers trail underneath her, pushing through her slit. The first touch makes her gasp, and her body twitches. “Mace…” I’m not sure if my name is meant to be a question or a plea, but I keep hooking my fingers along her folds before finding her clit and applying pressure as I circle around it.

She pants, letting out a moan low in her throat that makes my cock solid.

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