Page 41 of Altered By Lead (Undercover Sinners 2)
My eyes duck to his pants without really meaning to.
On second thought, maybe he already has the huge ass sword taken care of.
"Talia?" he prompts, and I give myself a little shake to clear my head.
"Uh, I don't think so." I inspect the plethora of bags he holds for me—like the perfect shopping companion—and try to think what else I need. After he promised I had no need to worry about a budget, I suddenly found so many things I had to have. Mostly french lingerie which I already switched into in the bathroom. Just in case.
Coming up blank, I shrug. "I think that's everything.” We even managed to secure a mattress, tying it to the roof of the Hummer for the drive back. It almost makes me sad for a minute there, knowing that we’re just about done with our day. It’s been nice. Too nice. Almost perfect. I even had my hair trimmed and dyed a dark chocolate brown. When I asked Mace if it suited me, all he did was grunt. I’m starting to realize that sound is a mark of approval.
Mace gives me a nod and starts piling all my bags into the back of the vehicle. "Did you want to …" He trails off, and I wonder if maybe he just reached his quota of words for the day. Or year. He talked a lot on the way here.
"Maybe what?" I ask, following his line of sight across the street to where a cute young couple giggles over a shared sundae. "Mace-y, are you asking me to get ice cream with you?" I can't fight the grin spreading over my face, made worse when he flicks those impossibly beautiful eyes my direction, a muscle in his jaw ticking.
He doesn't reply, but snags my hand in his and tugs me across the road to the garish pink shop. Just before pushing the door open, he pauses and looks down at me with soft eyes.
"I like when you call me that," he admits, his hand tightening around mine as he continues into the shop with me behind him.
I snort a laugh. "You hate when I call you that."
He gives a small shrug, his attention intense on all the different ice cream flavors in front of us. "I thought I did," he mutters, "until you didn't do it anymore. Then I missed it."
My brows shoot up at this out of character sharing of feelings, but I don't want to ruin the moment by dwelling too hard. Instead, I clear my throat and assess the flavors myself. "Can I get a double cone, please?" I ask the girl behind the counter. "Chocolate and espresso."
Mace places some money on the counter to pay for both of us, then orders his. "Bubblegum rainbow stripe and cookie dough."
My face splits into a wide grin as I hear his choices, and I look up at him.
"What?" he frowns back at me. "It's what I like."
I raise my hands in a defensive gesture. "Hey, no judgements here, big guy."
The girl hands over our ice creams and we wander outside with them. It's a nice day so we just kind of ... stroll, licking our desserts and enjoying each other’s company.
I haven't forgotten that it's all fucking fake. It's constantly there in my mind that the guys have four million dollars resting on their ability to make me fall in love. But so long as I know, so long as I guard my heart, surely I can just enjoy their futile attempts?
Just as we reach the little park, Mace stops and pulls his phone from his pocket. He glances at a message on the screen, then just grunts and shoves the phone back in.
When he says nothing, I arch a brow at him. "Anything important?"
"No," he replies, crunching on the last of his ice cream cone. "Just Hawke being a dick."
I snicker. "I thought you two were like ..." I hold up my sticky fingers and cross them, indicating how close Hawke and Mace always seem.
Mace's dark blue eyes narrow at me, and he catches my hand in his strong grip. "Do you want us to be like that, Talia? Maybe with you between?"
My heart stops. Or speeds up. Who gives a shit about my heart, Mace is asking ...
Oh fuck.
He holds eye contact with me as he very deliberately brings my fingers to his mouth and licks the sticky ice cream residue off them. All of it. Very thoroughly.
When he releases my hand, my knees are jelly and my cunt is screaming obscenities at me about all the dirty things Mace could do to us before we even get back to the Rogue Elk.
But something catches his attention over my shoulder and the fire in his eyes frosts over.
"What?" I stammer, still catching up. One second, I think we’re just going to sit right there on the park bench and fuck like bunnies and the next, Mace looks like he wants to murder someone. Which, admittedly, is not that different from his normal face.
