Laces and Lace (Assassins #6) Read online

  “I do, but if they don’t accept you, I’ll deal. You are my happiness.”

  He eyed her, his heart pounding so hard, it vibrated her own chest. “You’re mine, Lacey, always have been.”

  He took her mouth with his, kissing her so hard it curled her toes against the cold marble floor. Pulling back, he kissed her nose and whispered, “It’s me and you, baby.”

  “Forever,” she promised.

  “Forever.”

  “How long is the ride?”

  Karson looked back at Lacey as he opened her door. “About twenty minutes, why?”

  She grinned as she crossed her legs, holding her mother’s dress close to her chest. “I gotta pee and I don’t think I can wait. Can you stuff this in while I run inside real quick?”

  He leaned over and kissed her nose before taking the dress. “Sure, hurry up. My mom is waiting.”

  “Always so bossy,” she teased, her eyes locked with his.

  “You don’t know my mom and her impatient self. If we don’t hurry up, she’ll come after us.”

  “I got you. Be right back!”

  He watched as she ran off to the bathroom inside the rental car place before tucking her mother’s dress in the back along with their bags. They had been married for a whole day. One full of drama and lots of sex, but even with all the shit with her family and his own, he couldn’t help the grin that sat on his face.

  He was one lucky bastard.

  Leaning against the door as he waited for her, he pulled out his phone and checked his Facebook. After posting a status of wedded bliss that he was sure everyone would be disgusted by, he was about to Like a picture that Shea had posted of his hockey team of children when his phone started ringing; it was Kacey.

  “Hey you,” he answered happily. Even though it was about to be a freak show once he brought Lacey home, he was excited to see his family.

  “Hey! Where you guys at? You land yet?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Obviously since I’m talking to you.”

  She paused. “Eff off, you on your way?”

  “No, waiting on my wife to pee and then we will be leaving. Just got the car packed. Everything okay?” he asked, tucking his hand in his pocket for warmth. He should sit in the car, but he wanted to help Lacey in, make sure she was settled before he got in himself. The car was running with the heat on full blast, which was good since he was freezing his balls off. Shivering in his coat, he wished he was back in Tennessee. At least there if it was cold one day, it was warm the next. In Wisconsin, though, it was just fucking cold. All the time.

  “Yeah, well, Ma is driving me insane getting ready for you two. I was hoping you were almost here so I wouldn’t have to deal with her.”

  “Well, if you got your own place, you wouldn’t have to,” he suggested. “I mean, what twenty-seven-year-old female wants to live with her parents? Don’t you have a girlfriend yet?”

  She let out a frustrated breath as he grinned like a kid with his hand in the candy jar. It was his life mission to drive his baby sister crazy, and bringing up her sexual orientation was the newest button he had discovered that really riled her up.

  “I’ve told you a billion times, I’m not gay, and I like living with our parents because there are no bills. Since I am training for the Olympics, I can’t work much. You know this. Don’t make me kick your ass in front of your new wife,” she sneered. “And for your information, I am dating a guy right now.”

  He rolled his eyes. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure she liked guys, and it would help him out if she’d just admit that she liked women. She played harder than some men he knew and she was ball-buster; she took no shit at all. Yeah, she may date guys, but they ran off as soon as she wrestled them to the ground and made them cry uncle. She was a tomboy through and through and crazy as hell. She even had her hair in a short pixie cut because long hair got in her way, or so she told everyone. He was pretty sure she just wanted to be a guy. He had never even seen in her a dress. Like, ever. That had to mean something.

  “Whatever you say, sis. You know I’ll love you no matter what.”

  “Oh my God, I am so beating your ass when you get here.”

  “Bring it, sister,” he laughed just as Lacey came out the door, pulling down on her hat so that her ears were covered. She looked adorable, her face red from the cold, bundled in her jacket and scarf. He wanted peel each of the layers off and devour her, but that would have to wait. They were off to meet his parents.

  Yay. Yes, that was dripping with sarcasm.

  “We are leaving now. See you in a bit,” he said and then hung up without waiting for her to answer. “Ready, sweetheart?”

  She grinned. “Yes, I think I will make it without peeing on the seat.”

  “That’s always a good thing,” he said as she passed. Reaching out, he smacked her ass, causing her to jump before looking back at him with a playful glare. “You’re hot, and I love you.”

  She rolled her eyes as she giggled. Going onto her tippy toes, she kissed his chin. “Love you more.”

  His grin was unstoppable as she climbed into the car and he shut the door, running around. Getting in, he basked in the warmth, rubbing his hands together before taking off and saying, “Off we go.”

  “Yay!” she cheered, holding her hands to the vents. “It’s like crazy cold here.”

  “Yeah, it’s insane.”

  “For real,” she agreed, wrapping her arms around herself and looking out the window. “You grew up here, right?”

  “I did. It’s a great place to live when it’s not cold,” he said with a grin.

  “Do you like it more than Nashville?”

  “No, I love Nashville. Tampa was nice too, the beach was beautiful, but Nashville is where it’s at for me.”

  Excitement shone on her face as she looked over at him. “I’m really excited to live there. I’ve never lived anywhere but Chicago.”

  Reaching for her hand, he laced his fingers with hers as he nodded. “You’re gonna love it.”

  “I can’t wait,” she said and he could hear the excitement in her voice. He was glad to hear it too. After their conversation with the Martin family, he expected her to be a wreck. He would have been, but she was good. She kept to her word, saying she wasn’t going to let them ruin their honeymoon, as she was calling it. But Karson already had plans to take her somewhere amazing for the summer. He was glad that she wasn’t letting them get in the way or bother her, but at the same time, he felt like she was bottling up her feelings, and he didn’t like that. He wanted her to be honest, to yell and scream that her dad, brother, and sister-in-law were idiots. He didn’t want her regretting everything later, and at least if they talked it through now, she’d feel better.

  “Answer me something,” she said, tearing him away from his thoughts.

  “Hit me.”

  When she pulled back and smacked his arm, he yelled out, “Ouch!”

  But when he glanced over at her, he just shook his head. She was grinning at him, playfulness in her sweet eyes. “What? You said to hit you?”

  “I meant with the question, Literal Lacey. Shit,” he said, rubbing his arm. “You hit hard.”

  “I take boxing.”

  “And that’s fucking hot,” he decided with a grin, making her snort with laughter.

  “Anyway, serious here.”

  “I was too until you slugged me in the arm,” he pouted.

  “Aw, want me to kiss it?”

  He smirked. “No, but I have something you can kiss,” he teased, wiggling his hips, gesturing to his cock.

  She giggled loudly as she shook her head. “Anyway!”

  He shot her a grin as he turned onto the street that held his high school. “Here is my high school,” he said as they passed his school. She looked out the window quickly as he glanced out toward his old school. He’d played some amazing hockey there and had the best time of his life. Things were so simple back then. His mom did everything for him, and all he had to do w