“Hello, boys,” Mom sing-songs. “It’s nice to finally meet you. James has told me all about you.”
“He has, has he?” One of the boys slides his narrowed gaze to his uncle. His tone is cold, icy even, sending a shiver skittering up my spine.
A beat passes, then James clears his throat. “Ace,” he warns, flicking his head to where Mom and I are standing.
According to Mom, Ace is the eldest. He and his twin brothers lived with their mom until she died suddenly. Since they had nowhere else to go, and the twins are still minors, James offered to take them in.
“Hey,” Ace replies, his eyes gliding down my body and back up. Another shiver works its way through me, only I can’t decide if it’s a nice one or bad one. Ace looks like he either wants to throw me down on the table and do very bad things to me, or murder me with his bare hands.
It’s unnerving.
He’s unnerving.
They all are.
But then, what did I expect? Kids from Sterling Heights aren’t like kids from the Bay.
“Hi, I’m Remi,” I say. “I go to Sterling Prep, so we’ll all be in the same class.”
None of them look pleased about that.
“Shall we get seated?” James motions for us to move to the table. As always, he pulls out a chair for Mom, and as always she makes a scene of getting situated. I swallow a frustrated huff. I love her something fierce, but I wish she had more backbone. My experience with guys may be lacking, but I know my worth, and I’ll never rely on a guy for anything.
Before I can take the seat next to Mom, one of the twins slides into the chair. The other twin takes the one opposite, leaving two empty seats between them.
Ace watches me, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Whichever chair I take, I’m going to be stuck between him and one of his brothers.
Just perfect.
“I don’t bite,” the twin sitting nearest teases, grinning up at me. “I’m Conner.”
He seems friendlier than his brothers, so I take the seat beside him, trying to ignore the way Ace’s leg brushes mine when he finally sits down.
Just then, Ellen enters the room with a tray of drinks. “Dinner will be served shortly,” she says, pausing when she catches sight of the boys. “Oh my, you must be Ace, Cole, and Conner.”
Her eyes run over the three of them as she steps back. “Now, you two must be the twins,” she says, pointing between Cole and Conner. “Which means you must be—“
“Ace.”
My body tenses when his hand lands on my thigh. Hard. Possessive. As if I’m a piece of property he just claimed.
What the hell is he doing?
I swat his hand away, resisting the urge to stamp my heel into his boot.
Asshole.
“Oh, you boys remind me so much of… never mind.” Ellen hurries off, leaving a tense atmosphere lingering in the room.
“So, boys, are you excited to start at Sterling Prep?” Mom beams at them, and I can’t decide if she’s trying to make it easier on James, the boys, or whether she’s just oblivious to all the tension.
Ace leans back, casually throwing his arm around the back of my chair. His hand brushes my shoulder and I bristle. “What’s not to be excited about?” he drawls.
“Oh yeah,” Conner chuckles. “We’re real excited, Sarah. All the new friends we’ll make.” The way he says it sounds so dirty.
“Boys, please…” James lets out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his jaw.
James has been good to us over the years. He’s been there, in the background, helping us and offering Mom a shoulder to lean on. But it was after she got out of a bad relationship a few years ago that James offered her a job at his company. She spends almost as much time there as he does, so it’s hardly a surprise they finally crossed the line from friends to lovers. At least, I think that’s what this is.
I suppress a shudder. That is one visual I don’t ever need.
“It’s okay, James.” Mom flashes him a warm smile. “This is an opportunity for us all to get to know each other.”
“Sarah’s right, Uncle J. Don’t you think he’s right, Ace?” Conner smirks.
“Hell yeah, I can’t wait to get to know you better.” His finger ghosts over my shoulder, and I jerk forward.
Something tells me he isn’t talking about getting to know my mom.
“Remi, sweetheart, is everything okay?”
“It must have been a bug or something.” I cut Ace with a scathing look. “Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom.”
I leave the five of them in awkward silence. I need air. I need to get away from Ace Jagger for a second. He’s unlike any guy I’ve ever come across. And when you grew up next door to one of the most popular boys in Sterling Bay, that’s saying something.
But Ace and his brothers aren’t like the guys from around here. They’re rough around the edges with a darkness that shadows them like a thunder cloud.
They’re probably in a gang. I’ve heard a lot of the kids from Sterling Heights are.
I make my way to the bathroom at the back of the house. Ellen’s soft voice fills the air as she sings a tune. Locking the door behind me, I stare at the girl in the mirror. The same long brown curls frame her face and big brown eyes. The same freckles dust her sun-kissed nose. But something is different. The smile she wears no longer reaches her eyes.
It hasn’t for a while.
Senior year is supposed to be the time of my life. Homecoming. Prom… Graduation. But nothing is the same anymore, and the thought of putting on the charcoal blazer, royal blue tie, and pale gray knee-length skirt that all the girls insist on rolling up to skim their ass, fills me with nothing but dread.
After waiting long enough, I wash my hands before slipping out of the bathroom, only to walk smack bang into a solid chest. “What the—“
“Easy there, Princess.” Ace smirks, his hands gripping my shoulder a little too tightly as he holds me at arm’s length.
“Get the hell off me.” I jerk back but he stalks forward, forcing me further into the bathroom.
“This isn’t funny,” I say firmly, despite the ratchet of my pulse.
“Do I look like I’m laughing?” His pierced brow rises. “I thought we could get to know each other better,‘ he mocks.
“Oh my god,” I breathe, disbelief clinging to every syllable. “Just who the hell do you think you are?”
Ace steps closer, and I edge back. He thinks it’s a game. It’s right there, glittering in his frosty blue eyes.
But I know guys like Ace, guys who think they can just take whatever they want without consequence, and I have no interest in becoming his sparring partner.
My back hits the counter, and my hands shoot out behind me to steady myself. He leans in, putting us face to face, and I’m sure he must be able to hear the gallop of my heart in my chest.
Calm down, I mentally demand.
Moving closer still, he inhales deeply, and my breath catches. “You smell so fucking good.”
“Ace…” I suck in a harsh breath. “Let. Me. Out.” The words leave my lips through gritted teeth as I try to maintain some control, but it’s futile. Ace holds all the power, and he knows it.
His mouth curves into a wicked grin. “Scared, Princess?”
“Stop calling me that.” I’m not a princess, not like most of the pretentious spoiled girls in my class.
His hair is unruly, falling over his eyes a little. The sudden desire to push it away washes over me. I internally groan at myself. I’m such a cliché, letting myself fall under the bad boy’s spell.
“Move or I’ll scream.”
Ace moves his mouth to my ear, his warm breath dancing along my neck. “Screaming only makes it sweeter.”
Without thinking, I shoulder him out of the way and dart around him.
“I’ll be seeing you around, Princess,” he calls after me. I glance back, scowling, but it only fuels Ace’s rumble of laughter.
I march out of there, wondering what kind of hell I’ve landed myself in.
I barely eat. Between Conner’s innuendos and Ace’s proximity, I feel nauseous.
“Is something wrong with your chicken, sweetheart?” Mom asks, frowning at all the food left on my plate.
“I’m just not hungry, sorry.”
“If it’s going spare, do ya mind?” Conner reaches for my plate.
“Jesus, Conner, show some manners,” James scolds him. “If you want more, I’ll have Ellen—“
“It’s fine. He can have it.” I push it toward him and he digs in, like he hasn’t just cleared his own plate.
My eyes flick to Ace. He and Cole are having some kind of silent conversation. I allow myself a second to look at him, really look at him. The dark hair, piercings, and tats peeking out from under his t-shirt and running up his neck make him look scary, but I know better than to judge a book by a cover, and I find myself wondering about their life in the Heights.
“Maybe you should take a photo, it’ll last longer,” he whisper-hisses, his intense gaze settling on my face. Mom and James are deep in conversation. Business talk, no doubt.
Cole barely cracks a smirk at his brother’s attempt to get under my skin.
“Actually, I was looking at your tattoos.”
“You like ink?” He seems surprised.
“I like art.”
He studies me like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve but quickly averts his eyes.
Okay, then.
Ellen breezes into the room and begins clearing away the plates.
“Thank you, Ellen,” James says. “It was lovely.”
“Clean plates all around, the best compliment a cook can ever have.” She turns her attention to the boys. “Now, who wants dessert?”
“Dessert sounds great.” Ace walks his finger up my thigh again, keeping his attention ahead.
I roughly grab his fingers, bending them backward. He lets out a garbled sound, tearing his hand away. Shooting him a saccharine smile, I cross my legs, putting as much distance between us as possible.
“So, Cole,” Mom says. “James says you play football.”
He shrugs, grunting some inaudible reply.
“Are you any good?”
“He’s going all the way to the NFL, baby.” Conner slaps his hand down on the table.
“Con,” Ace warns, and the two of them share a look.
“Remi’s friend Bexley plays for the Seahawks. He’s the quarterback.” Pride fills her voice, as if it somehow matters.
“Bexley? What the fucking kind of name is Bexley?” Conner barks out a laugh.
“The Danforths are one of the wealthiest families in the state. Bexley is following in his daddy’s footsteps and going to Stanford next fall. I’m sure Remi will introduce you all.”
The three brothers stare at my mom like she’s lost her goddamn mind, and I’m beginning to wonder if she has.
Ace and Bexley becoming friends… yeah, never going to happen.
“I can hardly wait,” Ace deadpans.
“I spoke to Coach Miller just last week and he’s looking forward to seeing Cole at practice.”
“You got him on the team?” Conner chokes out. “Cole… playing for the Seahawks?”
“Well, I assume he’ll have to try out like any new player, but yes, I pulled some strings.”
“You pulled some strings?” Ace’s tone makes my blood run cold. I glance down and notice his hand curled into a tight fist against his thigh.
“Ace,” James releases an exasperated breath. “This is a good thing. Cole has real potential…”
“Potential?” he spits. “What do you know about Cole’s potential?”
“Ace, man,” Conner says tightly.
“The Seahawks are a good team. Cole has a real shot at making his mark. But you’ve got to work with me here.” James’ expression turns pleading.
Ace hesitates, and I can sense his torment. Something is going on here, something deeper than just three boys plucked from the Heights and dumped in the rich end of town. Ace has made no attempt to hide his disdain for his uncle. Conner seems to think everything is one big joke, and Cole… well, I haven’t quite figured him out yet. He’s barely spoken two words.
“You think you can just—“
“Ace.” Cole shakes his head slightly, his eyes saying everything he isn’t.
“Fine.” The eldest Jagger brother shoves his chair back and stands. “I need a smoke.”
Of course he smokes.
I bet he rides a motorcycle and carries a knife, too.
We all watch him stalk out of the room.
“I think as far as first dinners go, that went well.” Conner grins at me, and I can’t help but smother my own smile. He kind of has a point.
“I’m going to get some air too.” Cole excuses himself and takes off after Ace.
“You’ll have to excuse my brothers. We’re not exactly used to all… this.” Conner glances down the table.
“It was perhaps premature on my part to expect you all to do this.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mom covers his hand with hers, “I think they did okay. So Ace is retaking senior year?” she asks.
“He is.” James grimaces. “It’s not ideal to have them all in the same class, but it is what it is.” He shoots Conner a knowing look.
“Why did he flunk last year?” The words spill out before I can stop them.
“That is a story for another day.” James dabs the corner of his mouth, throwing his napkin down. “Why don’t we move this into the sitting room? I’ll have Ellen serve us dessert there.” He and Mom get up and make their way into the adjoining room, leaving me with Conner.
“So your mom and my uncle, huh?” He runs a hand through his hair. It’s dark like Ace’s and Cole’s but has lighter tips. Out of the three of them, he looks the one least likely to eat me alive.
“Yep.”
“Are you around here a lot?”
“Sometimes, when Mom insists I come.”
“I see.” His lips thin, and I wonder what he’s thinking.
“Why?”
“Oh, no reason.” Conner stands up, looming over me. “Just watch your back, yeah?”
He walks away and leaves me sitting there.
I want to believe it’s a friendly warning, that Conner might be a Jagger brother you can trust, but something tells me it isn’t a warning at all.
It’s a threat.
