Page 19 of The Heart

Jace nearly spits out his drink, cracking up laughing beside her. I nod, unable to hide my smile. Her eyes go even wider, looking over at Sebastian and Luke who are standing peaceably side by side at the bar.

“Girl,that’s… that’s alotof man,” she says. “Like,a lot.”

“Oh, I fucking know.” I laugh, leaning into Colton. He’s sturdy. And he smells good.Fuck.I get too horny when I’m drunk, and my guys causing a scene doesn’t help the situation.

“So… do you guys all… live together?” Ava asks, then looks guilty for it. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.” She waves a dismissive hand, taking another swig of her drink.

“No, no, it’s fine.” I chuckle at how uncomfortable she suddenly seems. “Yes, we live together. And in case you didn’t notice, we’re not exactlyshy. I’m so sorry, we’re probably not the most professional employers. I really hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable,” I say, suddenly concerned that she might have a problem with it and not want to work for us anymore.

My heart sinks a little at that.

We’ve only been working together for about a month, but I already love Ava. She did an incredible job tonight, and she puts up with all the testosterone on the team like a fucking champ. I really hope she chooses to stay.

Ava thinks for a moment, slowly setting down her glass as she swallows, then looks up at me.

“Leena, I’ve worked a lot of shitty jobs with a lot of really shitty employers. You guys are the best bosses I’ve ever had. You’re all so accomplished and organized, and you know what the hell you’re doing. I really fucking appreciate that, and I’m so proud to be learning everything I can from you guys. Fuck being professional over the comms or on Bar Night. And I don’t give a damn who you sleep with. Watching you guys tonight, seeing how much they care about you, I’m fucking jealous of you, girl. I wish I could getoneperson to treat me like that, and you somehow wound up with two of them. So cheers to that, I’m fucking staying around, if that’s alright with you,” she says, raising her glass.

“Of course that’s fucking alright with me. Thank you for all your hard work and for saving me from…” Luke and Sebastian return in all their masculine glory, shoving Colton off me in way of greeting, then dragging him by the collar toward the pool table as he gives us a smirk and a salute. “...all of that,” I say, gesturing a hand out toward the lot of them.

Ava laughs, and then we hear a moan coming from beside her. Ryan places a hand on the table and pulls himself upright.

“Well, good morning, sunshine,” Jace says, and we all chuckle at how Ryan’s hair and glasses are both askew. The man looks around, confused, then at Ava. And I don’t miss the way he immediately turns his attention to his water and straightens his glasses.

“If you’ll excuse me, I love this song,” Jace gestures with his beverage toward the area where a DJ is set up beyond an indistinguishable heap of gyrating humans dancing to the thrumming beat.

I suddenly realize how cold it is now that someone has opened the outer doors to let the night air in. I stand to grab Luke’s jacket, taking in his scent as I put it on. God, I miss him. And he’s literally right across the room. I stare toward my men, watching them shove at each other over their game of pool.

It’s adorable.

I love everything about them. Luke is the soft to Sebastian’s rough. He’s the one who always sees the bright side of things, who encourages both of us. Sebastian is… so much fucking more than he lets people see.

When we were in the safehouse and I found out that they weren’t just the hired muscle I assumed them to be, I never thought I could respect them more than I already did. But after working and living with them? I am in awe of these men. They are organized, hard working, kind and professional.

Well, sometimes they’re professional.

And sometimes, they throw their co-owner over a shoulder, toss her in a van and fuck her into so many orgasms that she can’t see straight.

But other than that, they’re very professional.

“Go ahead, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Ava says, tipping her head toward Ryan who is actually looking a lot better after his nap. I smile at her, nodding in thanks before making my way over to a hightop near the pool table to watch.

I settle onto one of the barstools, and it only takes a moment to realize that Sebastian and Luke are on separate teams.Oh boy.Even though I’m drunk and ready for bed, I know they won’t let us leave until someone is declared the winner.

As Sebastian studies the table to line up his next shot, Luke wanders over, standing close to me. He leans on his cue stick, giving me that dimpled smile when he sees the addition to my outfit.

“What, did you get cold?” he lectures me about the dress, but I know he’s not actually complaining. And I know how much he likes to see me in his clothes. It’s some sort of possessive man thing. You would think he would be used to it considering how often I steal his shit at home.

“It might be a little chilly. And a littlelate,”I say, pulling his jacket close. We both know damn well that saying it’s early would probably be more accurate.

“Hmm,” he hums, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to my lips. “We better get you back to the hotel then.”

“You’d better.” I kiss him back, loving the feel of him and wishing we weren’t in public any more.

“Let me just kick Seb’s ass first, then we can get out of here,” he says, watching as Sebastian’s teammate sinks their last ball, then fails to pocket the eight.

“You’re up!” Sebastian calls over to us.

Luke gives me another quick kiss before turning his attention to the table. But when he lines up a shot at the eight ball that could win him the game, Sebastian casually leans against the table, saying something only Luke can hear before joining the other guys to watch. Luke furrows his brows and his jaw tightens as he tries to concentrate. He takes his shot.

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