Women’s shit? I laugh a little at that.
He strides off toward the clubhouse, and I can’t help but watch him go, admiring the broad muscles of his shoulders moving beneath his t-shirt and leather cut, the confident swagger to his step. I sense Ace’s gaze on me, so I force myself to focus on the ground.
I bounce my knee up and down, unsure what to do now. “I guess I’ll go and wait for Jack in my room.”
Ace cocks his head to one side and drags his hand through his curls. “Or… I can show you those pussies I was playing with.”
Eeew. I fix him with what I hope is a hard glare. “Ace, I don’t want to see a sex show between you and some women.”
He bursts out laughing. “Nah, that’s not what it is. Trust me. Come on.”
Standing, he offers me his hand.
I stare at it skeptically, then finally take it. “Okay, but I swear to God, if you take me to some sex club, I’ll tell Jack.”
“There’s no sex club,” he says as if the clubhouse itself wasn’t debauchery when I looked in.
It’s strange to be walking through the compound holding Ace’s hand, but it’s also nice. His hand is big and warm, and it feels protective. He strolls toward the big barn, and when we get there, he glances at my feet.
“Yeah, be careful in those, okay?”
I nod as I look around at all the old bikes, cars, andother vehicles. There’s the smell of oil, and leather again, and I wonder if Jack spends a lot of time here.
“It’s up the ladder.” He jerks his chin toward it. “You go first.”
I frown at him and look up into the hayloft above. “Up there?”
“Yeah. If you want to see.”
I’m not sure I do. “Why me first?”
“So I can make sure you don’t fall. Be careful on the ladder in those shoes.”
Unsure of this, but curious, I grab the ladder with both hands and place my heels carefully on the first rung. I’m fine with the first five steps, but then my heel slips. I let out a small squeak and cling to the ladder, my foot swinging in the air, my shoe barely staying in place. A hand grabs my ankle, holding me steady, and I freeze.
“I’ve got you,” Ace says.
He holds me as he carefully positions my foot on the rung, and I climb again. It’s only when I get to the top and clamber onto the hay that I realize he had a view of my ass the entire time.
Thank God I wore jeans for my date, and not a dress.
I shuffle up so he can join me, and he hauls himself over the top of the ladder with ease and crawls to the back of the area, which is covered in a scattering of hay.
I go to follow him, then pause, listening. I hear a snuffling and then a high-pitched meow. Realizing what the noise is, I grin. Ace moves to one side so I can see the stripey orange cat with the nest she’s made for herself and her babies.
Kittens!Of course. He’d asked if I liked kittens, and then all the talk of pussies. It hadn’t been what I’d assumed.
“You’re incorrigible,” I say softly, not wanting to scare them. “Que lindos son.”
Ace looks at me quizzically.
“Sorry.” I correct myself into English. “They’re so cute.”
“They’re so tiny, aren’t they?” He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and takes out some chicken which he gives to the mother before wiping his hands on the napkin and crumpling it up. “Not sure what else she can eat,” he says.
“Tuna?” I recall we sometimes used to give the cats on the compound canned fish. “Maybe get her some cat food?”
“Yeah, I’m going to. She only had them recently, and it’s been a bit crazy around here. Plus, if I buy cat food, and other people see it, then they’ll know about her. I kind of want to give her some peace and quiet for a while.”
