Page 55 of Untouchable

“Yeah, we can do that.”

“Can we get booze too, Papi?” Bodine shouts from the head of the line. I hear Katarina snicker from her place in front of me.

“Why are you asking him? Is he like, the unofficial daddy of the club now or something?”

“No,” I mumble.

“Yes,” Bodine and Mikey say in unison.

Katarina looks at me over her shoulder, giving me a once over. “Youtotallygive club daddy vibes in those shorts, Hernández.”

“And this is why I don’t wear them outside of the gym. That makes me sound like a gigolo or something.” She laughs then turns back around to keep walking. I’ve given up on trying to get Bodine to stop calling mePapi, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting them call meclub daddy, ever again.

“So is that a yes or no to the booze?”

“Fuck it, I could use a drink,” I say, earning cheers from the three of them.

CHAPTER 31

Katarina

“BASIC BITCH & MALIBU”

Iwould move into this house tomorrow if I could. The rustic, cabin vibes with a modern twist are really doing it for me. The natural wood and black trim are definitely making it onto my future home mood board. We spent all day at the Badlands and my photographer heart could not be happier. I got so many amazing shots I’m thinking of making a wallpaper out of them. Like, actually put it on the wall of your bedroom, wallpaper. We got back with supplies from the store, including all the booze Mikey and Bodine could fit in their saddlebags, and I haven’t looked forward to a Malibu and Diet Coke like this in a while. I had to showeragainwhen we got back—because the sun, wind, and dust made me feel like a dirty rug—but I’m glad I did because I took time to make it an everything shower and I feel like a new woman.

“Kitty Kat, get your ass down here, it’s game night 2.0!” Bodine calls up the stairs. I stop staring at the photo I took of all of us today, turn my camera off, and set it on the bed.

“Be right down!” I drop my towel and quickly get myself dressed, before heading downstairs to join the guys.

“Want me to make your drink?” Mikey asks as I walk into the kitchen.

“No, thank you. I want to make sure it’s strong enough.” I grab the bottle and can of Diet Coke, as he snorts.

“It’s Malibu, Kat. You could drink it straight out the bottle and it wouldn’t do shit.” I slap his arm and laugh.

“Leave me and myfavoritedrink alone.”

“Aw, she a little basic bitch. I love it,” Bodine teases, throwing his arm around my shoulder. I shake my head and finish making my drink, which is seventy-five percent Malibu, and twenty-five percent Diet Coke. The only acceptable ratio. I feel Bodine’s arm practically jerk off of my shoulder and frown.

“Bodine, chill. You almost made me spill my drink.” I laugh, but when I look up I see Ace standing at the other end of the kitchen. He looks sexy as ever, wearing a white T-shirt, more of his gym shorts, and his hair down, still wet from his shower. We all threw some clothes in the washing machine when we got here, which is lucky since I’m on my last pair of underwear. Well…my last pair ofnormalunderwear.

“Let’s play somegames,” Mikey hollers, as he and Bodine walk into the living room, plopping down in their seats. I grab a straw and stir my drink as Ace walks to the refrigerator behind me to grab a beer.

“Your hair looked good in the braid.” I barely hear him mumble from behind me.

“Oh, yeah, thanks. I just had to take it out to shower.” I don’t know why I’m explaining myself, it’s not like he asked why I didn’t have it in anymore. Then I feel his fingers combing through it from the nape of my neck to the very end and I realize how close he is to me now, making my heart beat a little faster.

“I like it down, too.” Goosebumps shoot down my arms, and I turn to face him, seeing his ever-intense gaze fixed on mine.

“Thanks,” I whisper, and he smirks.

“Let’s play some games.” He pats the side of my hip, for the second time today, and when he walks into the living room, I’mleft standing at the counter, realizing just how much I enjoy Ace’s hands being on me. Whether it’s to braid my hair, a simple pat on the hips, or squeezing my ass through my shorts pocket at the zoo. I’m still not sure I’ve completely processed that yet, but I’m not mad at it.

“Woman, let’s gooo.” The sound of Bodine’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and when I look at all of them, Ace is staring at me. Smirking like he could tell he was what was on my mind. I can feel my cheeks heat, and take a sip of my drink to try to cool them before walking over to join the circle.

“What are we playing?” I ask, sitting in the corner of the couch.

“Ladies choice.” I look down at the table full of card games and board games and my eyes widen.

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