Fever (18 page)

been the most recent threat. But not even the fact that Gabe was fucking Jace’s baby sister and that

he’d broken her heart in the process had been able to destroy the bonds of friendship that existed

between them.

Gabe had made things right with Mia. He’d made them right with Jace.

Jace sighed and then his hands relaxed, his fingers uncurling from the tight fists they’d formed.

“No, man, but I appreciate it,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not crazy. I’m not obsessed.” Okay,

maybe he was, but it sounded a hell of a lot creepier than it was in reality. “This is something I have

to—
need
to—do. Bethany’s different. She’s
special
. And I don’t even completely understand why or

how. But I saw her and things changed. Everything changed. And I have to go with it now or spend the

rest of my life regretting it.”

“I get that,” Gabe said slowly. “Believe me, I get that.”

“Yeah, I guess you do. Mia,” Jace said by way of saying he understood.

“Yeah. Mia.”

“Then you get why I just need some space and time to deal with this my own way.”

Gabe nodded. “I get it. Ash would too, if you just explained. He’s pissed, Jace. Not because of

Bethany. Not because you’ve seemingly gone off your hinges. He’s pissed because he’s worried

about you and you’ve shut him out. You more than anyone know he’d do anything in the goddamn

world for you.”

Jace briefly closed his eyes as guilt sludged through his veins. “Yeah, I know.”

Fuck it all. He hated it when Gabe was right. Smug, superior bastard. Even now he had that

knowing glint in his eyes.

“I gotta get out of here. I left Bethany at the apartment. She’s taking Mia’s old place.”

Gabe lifted an eyebrow in clear confusion. “Surprised you didn’t lock her up in your place. Ash

said things were pretty . . . intense.”

“How the fuck would he know?” Jace muttered. “I wanted to give her some space. Some time to

adjust before I just take over. And you know that’s what will happen. Me taking over. It’s inevitable

and I want her secure and confident in herself—in me—before this turns into something else entirely.”

Gabe nodded. Yeah, he’d understand better than anyone. Except Ash. The need and desire for

control was a trait all three shared. Not just in certain aspects. In everything. In and out of bed. But

yeah,
especially
in bed.

Bethany had seen nothing of the way things would be with him and she was already so fragile, so

damn unsure of herself and her place in the world, that Jace was extremely reluctant to move things

too fast. If he scared her shitless and she ran, he’d never forgive himself.

“Work this out with Ash,” Gabe said quietly. “You know it’ll eat at you both until you do. And

before you bitch because I’m getting too personal, this affects the business too. We can’t afford fuck-

ups because you and Ash are at fucking odds. And if you won’t think of me, the business and your

own self and the fact that you’ll feel like a complete asshole for throwing away a nearly lifelong

friendship, think what it will do to Mia. She loves you both. Think what it’ll do for Bethany if she

ever finds out she drove a wedge between friends and business partners.”

“Jesus, you’re a manipulative bastard,” Jace said in disgust.

Gabe’s mouth quirked up at one corner. “Mia has said that about me a time or two.”

Jace shook his head. Then he changed the subject because he was tired of having his personal life

dissected by his best friend.

“Decided on a wedding date yet?”

“Fuck me,” Gabe muttered.

Jace’s eyebrow went up and he laughed. Then he laughed harder. “Wish you could see yourself,

man. You look like you swallowed a lemon. What the hell is my sister doing to you?”

Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “Look. I just want to get married. I want my ring on her finger,

her last name to be mine, her signature on a marriage certificate. Everything else is inconsequential.

I’d do whatever she wanted, whether it was holding the mother of all weddings, the likes of which

this city has never seen, or eloping to Vegas.”

Jace winced. “Uh, if I get any kind of vote, can we not go with ‘the likes of which this city has

never seen’? That sounds all kinds of fucked up.”

“Tell me about it,” Gabe muttered.

“So what’s the problem? Sounds like you’re being uncharacteristically accommodating.”

Gabe ignored the ribbing. His expression was utterly serious when he responded. “I love her. I’d

do whatever the hell it took for her to be mine. This wedding is for
her
. I’ve been there, done that,

didn’t want to do it again at all until her. The problem is, she hasn’t decided what she wants. And

until she does, the wedding is on hold. I don’t know the date because there is no fucking date. Part of

me wants to lay down the law and tell her we’re getting married at New Year’s but the other part of

me wants this to be special for her because it’s the
only
goddamn wedding she’s ever going to have.”

Jace smiled. It was funny as hell to see his friend in knots over a woman. Especially since the

woman in question was Jace’s baby sister. Some of the tension in his chest eased. This was his

family. Gabe. Ash. Mia. Always had been. It had been the four of them for nearly twenty years. And

family looked out for family. Hell, he got ten kinds of pissed every time Ash’s family gave him shit.

He’d damn near taken Gabe’s head off for hurting Mia. And then he’d felt sorry for the bastard and

hated to see him hurting when Mia refused to accept his groveling.

“You’re family, man,” Jace whispered. “Never going to forget that.”

Gabe blinked, but his jaw tightened. “Always. We’ll become brothers by marriage, but we were

brothers long before that. Just thank God I never viewed Mia as a little sister—or at least that shit

stopped when she hit adulthood.”

Jace burst out laughing and held his hands up. “Okay, okay, can we not have this conversation? She

is
my sister and I do not want to hear how you see her. It’s disgusting enough having to watch you two

together.”

Gabe grinned and then he grew somber once more. “Go make this right, Jace. Ash is hurting. His

family is giving him shit. You know it’s that time of the year. They don’t give a shit about him ten

months out of the year and then they want to pretend at Thanksgiving and Christmas. And now this

with you . . . I know we’re all three friends. I don’t ever question it. But I also know that you two are

closer. Always have been. Whatever happened between you hit him hard. He hasn’t been himself.

He’s all brooding and silent. Now you, I expect that from. Total brooding, moody bastard on a good

day.”

Jace flipped him the finger.

“But Ash? That’s not like him. He’s irreverent as shit and has a fuck-it-all attitude. Fix this. I worry

about both of you and if it’s all the same to you, right now I don’t want to worry about either of you.

All I want to worry about is getting my ring on Mia’s finger and moving forward with the babies she

wants.”

Jace groaned. “Christ, man, really? You had to go there?”

Gabe smirked. “Hey, I didn’t give you details.”

“Thank fuck,” Jace muttered. Then he sighed. “And yeah. Ash. I’m on it.”

He started for the door but when he got there he paused and turned around.

“Thanks, man,” he said sincerely. “I know I’ve probably never said this. At first I was too pissed

off to ever give you this. But I’m glad Mia has you. She’ll never find a better man. I know you’ll take

care of her.”

For a long moment Gabe was silent. His jaw ticked like he was trying to keep his reaction in

check. Then he simply nodded. “Appreciate that, man. You’ll never know how much.”

Jace smiled faintly. “Oh, I think I do.”

Again he started to go and then Gabe’s call halted him as he got into the hall.

“Jace?”

“Yeah?”

“When am I going to meet her?”

Jace gripped Gabe’s doorknob and breathed deeply. Then he met Gabe’s gaze and said, “When it’s

time, you will. Absolutely. Right now there’s a lot we have to work out.”

Gabe nodded. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, man,” Jace murmured.

Then he turned and went in search of Ash.

chapter sixteen

Jace leaned against the doorway of Ash’s office and waited for his friend to get off the phone. Ash

was turned away—he had no idea Jace was standing there or that he’d opened the closed office door.

Which meant that the phone call was absorbing all of Ash’s concentration because he hadn’t so much

as acknowledged Jace’s presence.

“I don’t really give a fuck what you and Dad want,” Ash said acidly.

Jace grimaced. Gabe was right. Ash’s family was fucking with him again. Persistent assholes. Jace

had never known of a more shallow, self-absorbed lot than Ash’s family. Jace was mystified how

Ash had come from a pit of vipers and not been shaped or influenced by them. God knew the rest of

his siblings hadn’t fared as well.

Gabe and Jace both used to tease Ash about being adopted. It was the only logical conclusion. Ash

was so different than his parents and his siblings. Where they were calculating, selfish malcontents,

Ash was laid back, had a good heart and was loyal to his bones. His family? Would stab you in the

back before you ever got all the way turned around. Hell, they’d stab you in front. They didn’t give a

shit. They’d leave their shoe prints all over you on their way past.

“Your manipulation won’t work. There is no way in hell I’d spend Christmas with my
beloved

family. I’d rather have my fingernails plucked out with pliers,” Ash bit out.

Jace sighed. Same old shit. Every fucking year. He was convinced they only wanted Ash around so

they’d have someone new to torment. When Ash had been younger, he’d made the attempt to keep

peace, to be a good son and brother. He’d attended the family gatherings—such as they were.

The first two years, he’d gone alone. Gabe and Jace had immediately noticed a difference. Ash had

brooded for weeks after and it had taken a long time for him to get back to himself. After the second

year of that shit, Jace and Gabe put two and two together and the next year, they’d insisted on going

with him. After that experience, they both had vowed never to allow Ash anywhere near his family

without a solid support network.

It may seem ridiculous, but Ash’s family was fucking
poison
.

After a few years of either Jace or Gabe or both accompanying him and witnessing firsthand the

dysfunction that was the McIntyre family, Ash had told his family to fuck off and he hadn’t gone back.

Not for lack of trying on their part. Jace knew that Ash was deeply shamed by his friends seeing his

family and instead of letting them continue to see his family in action, he’d simply pulled the plug.

Which suited Jace just fine. Ash was a better person when he wasn’t around the cesspool. He was

happier.

“We’re done with this conversation. Don’t call back. I won’t take your call next time,” Ash

warned.

He hung up the office phone and then swiveled in his chair. He did a double take when he saw Jace

standing in the doorway and then he frowned.

“What are you doing here? Would have thought you had shit to do.”

Jace sighed again and sauntered farther into the office. He slouched in one of the chairs along the

wall and put his hands behind his back, leaning so he could pull Ash into his gaze.

“Look, man, I was an asshole. You know it. I know it. I also know you just got finished talking to

your bitch of a mother and now you’re in a shitty mood so you’ll bite at me. I deserve it, so I’m okay

with it. What I’m not okay with is this space between us.”

Ash’s lips tightened. “You put it there, man.”

“Yeah, I get that too. I’m trying to apologize here, Ash. Don’t be a hard ass. Let me do it.”

Ash leaned back and drawled in a familiar tone that sent relief through Jace’s chest, “The mighty,

arrogant, demanding bastard Jace Crestwell humbling himself to make an apology? Do go on. This I

gotta see.”

“Fuck you,” Jace muttered. But he was already grinning.

Family.

Just as he’d observed in Gabe’s office. Just as he knew—had always known. This was his family.

And it was a family he wanted Bethany to have too.

“Now that’s an unusual apology,” Ash said. “Fuck you . . . I’m sorry . . . They sound
almost
the

same.”

Jace laughed. “God, you are such a dickhead.”

Just as quickly, he sobered and met Ash’s gaze.

“I’m sorry, man. I was a dick. I overreacted. I know you were trying to help. Trying to look out for

me. I appreciate it. More than you know. But I’m good. I promise. You may think I’m crazy. That I’ve

lost all perspective. But I’ve got this. I’m solid.”

“What do you have?” Ash asked curiously. “You have to see this from
my
perspective, man. We

have a threesome with a woman. Not unusual. Woman disappears next morning. Not unusual. The