Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7) by Kaylie Hunter (great books for teens txt) 📗

head tilted back against the bed, eyes closed, and an arm stretched toward us. The bedroom light, which was still on, glared brightly. I closed my eyes, taking a mental moment, before shifting Nicholas onto the bed and adjusting his blanket around him. Wild Card woke startled, but relaxed when he realized it was me. Dropping his arm, he rotated his shoulders and his neck.

As I climbed out of the bed, careful not to wake Nicholas, Wild Card stood. We walked out together and I turned the light off, waiting a minute to see if Nicholas woke. When I was sure he was sound asleep, I closed the door.

Turning to Wild Card, I lifted onto my toes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he said, resting a hand on my shoulder.

I stared up at the man who was always there for me when it counted. Even when we couldn’t be in the same room together for more than five minutes without screaming at each other—or worse, when we’d gone months without speaking—he always came through when I needed him.

Without thinking, I raised on my toes again and kissed him. Really kissed him. His firm, warm lips wrapped with mine as his arms folded around me and pressed me against him. My hands wandered into his hair, tugging him closer as I felt the heat of his tongue meet mine.

He moaned as he turned us and moved me backward into my bedroom. As he fumbled to close the bedroom door, I scrambled frantically to unbutton his shirt. I expected when he started moving us again that we’d land in my bed, but he walked us into the bathroom instead. Holding my ass with one hand, he used the other to start the shower. I moaned as my body reacted to his touch, his strong hands, his warm mouth, his heated chest rubbing against mine. Without taking our clothes off, Wild Card lifted me and stepped into the tub, placing us both under the stream of freezing cold water.

He covered my mouth with his hand so I wouldn’t scream. Leaning his head against my shoulder, he laughed. I shoved his hand away and pushed past him to get out. He continued to laugh as he shut the water off.

“What the hell?” I said, grabbing a towel to wrap around me. My teeth chattered as I tried to dry off.

“Sorry,” he said, stepping out and sloshing water all over the floor. He chuckled again, placing his hands alongside my face and tilting my head up. “Friends, remember?” He grabbed a second towel and wrapped it around me. “We tried being each other’s comfort buddies back when we were married. The result was you not speaking to me for over a year. I’m not willing to risk that happening again.”

“You could’ve just turned me down for sex,” I said, shivering.

Wild Card smacked his lips against mine in a quick kiss. “You weren’t the only one who got carried away with that kiss. We both needed a dash of cold water. Besides, at least you have clothes to change into.” He looked down at his soaked shirt and jeans. “Mine are in my duffle in your war room at Headquarters.”

“Why is your duffle in my war room and not in your apartment?”

“Jerry ran out of apartments so I gave up mine for Grady.”

“You should’ve said something. I didn’t mean for you to give up your place.”

“I usually sleep on one of the couches here when I’m in town, anyway.” He shrugged as he looked down at me and moved a lock of hair out of my face. “Food is better on this side of the highway.”

I tossed him a clean towel from the cabinet. “Do you want me to send Tyler to Headquarters to get your clothes?”

Wild Card started to unbutton his jeans. “Better to wait until daylight when the guards can see who’s who.”

I turned my back as he pulled his wet jeans off. “I’ll see if I can find you something to wear.”

I slipped out of the bathroom and dressed in yoga pants and a thick sweatshirt that came to the top of my thighs. I dug around in the drawers and then the closet, but failed to find anything large enough for Wild Card.

“Any luck?” Wild Card asked as he stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel.

“Nope. Do you want me to wake Whiskey?”

Wild Card shook his head. “It’s four in the morning. Let him sleep.”

“You can crash in my bed. Whiskey will be up in another hour, and I’ll bring you some clothes then.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m wide awake and freezing. I need coffee.”

“Coffee sounds good,” he said, walking over to the door and opening it for me.

I looked down at him in his towel. “You’re going to wander the house in only a towel?”

He shoved me out the door and down the hall as he followed, chuckling.

I went to the kitchen and started the coffee pot, which someone had prepped the night before. As the pot brewed, I leaned on the breakfast bar to wait. Wild Card settled at the table, tucking his low-riding towel as he sat.

I caught his smirk before I forced my eyes away to stare at anything but him. “This isn’t going to work. I can’t relax with you sitting there naked.”

“I’m not naked.”

“Close enough,” I said, going into the living room and partially opening the blinds. I turned the porch light on and off three times and a minute later unlocked the door for Tyler.

“What’s up?” Tyler asked.

“Do you have any clothes Wild Card can borrow? His got wet.”

Tyler glanced into the dining room. Wild Card was still sitting there in his towel, grinning. Tyler shook his head and stepped through the door. “I’ve