Mace (Untamed Sons MC: Birmingham Chapter #1)

23. Maylie

TWENTY-THREE

MAYLIE

My happy glow doesn’t last long.

When we walk back into the clubhouse, there are several naked women walking around. One of the guys has a girl pressed back against the couch, doing things to her that I didn’t know were possible.

I cover Toby’s eyes quickly, pulling us back out the room and ignoring my brother’s protests.

Mace curses under his breath.

“Does that happen often?” I ask as the door swings shut.

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

I squeeze his hand, letting him know it’s okay. I don’t expect him to change his life for me, but as much as I’d love to live in the bubble we’re creating, I can’t allow my brother to spend his days watching members of Mace’s club fucking like rabbits. Toby’s at an impressionable age, and I’ve done everything I can to protect him from things like this .

“It’s only boobs,” Toby protests, moving towards the door. Ivy grabs the back of his sweater, pulling him back.

“Which you’re far too young to see,” my sister says, and for once, it feels nice to be on the same side as her.

Toby rolls his eyes. “You guys never let me have any fun.”

Mace rubs the back of his neck with the hand not locked in mine. “This place ain’t exactly kid friendly.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “It’s not like I expect your club to adapt to what I need. We can head home. Link isn’t a threat anymore, so there’s no reason for us to stay here anyway. Besides, Toby has school tomorrow, Ivy has college, and I have work tonight. We need to get back into our routine.”

For a moment, I’m sure he’s going to deny my request, but then he nods and leads us down the corridor to the rooms we stayed in last night.

I pack up my stuff, my stomach heavy. I liked sleeping next to Mace, and I liked waking up with him even more. I don’t know how to explain that to him or how to ask him to stay with me without sounding stupid.

When I go to pick up my bag, Mace takes it from me, his eyes meeting mine. “Thank you,” I say.

Mace drives us back to the flat, and my thoughts are chaotic as I try to work through my disappointment of getting back to normality. He keeps his hand on my thigh, something I notice he does every time we’re in the car. I like it. It makes feel possessed by him.

When our building comes into view, the heavy weight in my stomach grows worse, and I’m nervous as he parks up.

Everything about this place feels… wrong, like it be longs to another life, one I’ve already left behind. I’m not the same Maylie I was when I left here, and I don’t know how to go back to her.

Mace squeezes my hand, bringing me out of my turbulent thoughts, and I flash him a smile I don’t feel as we head into the building all together. Mace’s steps are assured and confident, so different from mine, which feel uncertain and weary. I don’t know if Toby and Ivy pick up on the vibe, but both of them are uncharacteristically quiet as we approach the door to the flat.

My stomach sinks into the floor. It doesn’t change anything, and yet, coming back here feels like a return to a past I want to leave behind.

Mace still has my keys, so he unlocks the door and steps inside first. Toby, who is last in, locks it behind us. Link shouldn’t be a threat, but I’m glad he’s thinking about our safety.

“Wait here,” Mace orders.

Ivy wiggles her eyebrows at me as he disappears into the flat, and I shake my head at her in warning.

“Is he always this intense?” Ivy murmurs.

“Pretty much,” I say back in a low voice.

“I like him,” Toby adds as he drapes his arms over mine and Ivy’s shoulders. “He doesn’t seem like he takes any?—”

He breaks off as Mace reappears in the hallway. “It’s clear,” he says.

Ivy stifles a yawn, stepping around us. “I’m going to bed. I’m pretty tired.”

I grab her wrist before she can escape and drag her into my arms. The hug I give her is so tight and so needed.

“I love you so much,” I say to her quietly .

She clings to me, and I feel whole for the first time in months. “I love you too.”

When we break apart, her eyes are full of hope. “Go and rest.”

She heads towards her bedroom, and Toby does the same, muttering something about homework, but considering my little brother has never voluntarily completed any homework without having his arm twisted, I get the impression he’s giving me space.

As soon as we’re alone, I turn to Mace, smiling, and he holds his arms out to me. I go to him, letting him wrap me in his embrace.

“Thank you for everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything,” he says.

But he’s wrong. “I know, but I want to.” I roll to my toes so I can reach his mouth and kiss him.

He holds me against him, his arms wrapped tight around me as he devours my mouth. Kissing Mace is fast becoming my favourite thing to do. I went from never being kissed to wanting to do this every moment of the day. He tastes incredible, and whatever technique he uses sends waves of anticipation through me every time his tongue tangles with mine.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” I ask as we pull apart, both of us struggling to reclaim our breath. I’m really hoping he says he’s free. I’m not ready to let him go quite yet.

He pushes a lock of my hair behind my ear, the intensity in his gaze dizzying.

“You want me to hang out here for a bit before we have to go to work?”

I do, but I also don’t want to seem too needy. “You don’t have things to do?” I hedge, trying to keep the hopefulness out of my words.

“The only thing I have to do is take care of my girl.”

Oh, I am in so much trouble. My stomach dips and flutters. Is swooning still a thing? “Then, yeah, I want you to stay here.”

I lead him into the living room, and we sink onto the sofa. Instantly, he pulls me onto his lap, and I wrap my arms around his neck.

“I don’t feel so good about leaving my brother and sister here while we’re at work. What if Link comes back?”

“He won’t, but you don’t have to worry about that. My brother’s gonna sit with them until we get back.”

“How do you always think of everything?”

I brush my fingers through his hair. “I think of everything I need to ensure your safety.”

Mace and I cuddle up on the sofa for the rest of the day, watching crappy movies and talking shit. It’s so normal, and I love every second of it. Toby joins us at one point and then Ivy. I expect Mace to be irritated by the intrusion, but he banters with my siblings, and each time he does, my heart soars higher.

As it approaches time for us to head to work, Mace orders food, and for the first time in a long time, we sit around the kitchen table all together. My brother and sister joke and bicker while Mace interjects here and there, his hand interlaced in mine, even though it means he has to eat one-handed.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt happier than I do in this moment, but my problems still sit on the peripheral, trying to encroach on this moment. I should tell Mace about my money issues and pervy Bernie, but I don’t want to ruin this. Besides, I can fix that myself. I just need a little time.

Riot turns up half an hour before we have to be at work. He is surprisingly punctual, considering he gives the vibe of someone who runs to his own schedule.

“Hey, sunshine,” he says to me as he steps into the living room, which earns him a glare from Mace.

“Hey, Riot. Thank you for coming over tonight. I feel so much better knowing you’re here with them.”

“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what family does for each other.”

Family…

It’s such a foreign concept to me, having people around who can help. My throat is choked, and I lower my head to grab my boots from under the sofa, also hiding my torn expression from him.

When I slide onto the edge of the sofa, Mace and Riot are on the other side of the room, talking in low voices. I don’t know what he’s saying to his brother, but Riot is nodding along with a hint of a smirk on his lips.

As I lift my head, I see Ivy is watching Riot, and I mean intensely watching him. I recognise the doe-eyed look—she’s hot for him.

Oh, baby girl, he’ll eat you alive.

She must feel my attention on her because she quickly averts her gaze.

Mace drives us to Temptation, and I forget about Ivy’s crush, Bernie, and babies. Instead, I try to focus on the insane churning in my gut. What if I’m terrible at managing? What if I let Mace down? I don’t want to embarrass him .

“You’re thinking too hard,” he accuses, squeezing my thigh.

“Sorry. I’m just trying to prepare for tonight. I want to do a good job.”

“Baby, you don’t need to prepare. You’re so smart, and you know this job. All you have to do is handle complaints, do the staff rotas, pass the finance stuff over to Dash, and arrange any new hires. You can do this without even breaking a sweat. You don’t have anything to worry about. You’re going to be amazing.”

His belief in me gives me the confidence I need to walk inside the building with my head held high. We’re a little earlier than usual, so there’s no one on the door yet, but I find Archie and the other security staff sitting at the bar, talking with Bella and Felicity, one of the other bar staff. She usually works opposite shifts to us, but I’ve been scheduled with her a few times when Bella’s had time off.

Archie grins at me the moment he sees me. “Well, if it isn’t the new manager. Looking good, Maylie.”

I’m wearing considerably more clothes than I usually would, having pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans with ankle boots and a black blouse. I want to be professional but also avoid looking like a suit.

Mace grips my hip in what I can only describe as a possessive move, and it’s one every single person in the bar sees. I know I should be annoyed, considering I’m trying to make the jump from bar staff to manager, but I like his hand on me. Since he’s my boss and doesn’t seem concerned about PDA, I don’t sweat it either.

As I glance at Bella, I expect to see a smile or something positive in her expression, but what I get is open hostility. It almost has me suck in a breath as her jaw clenches before she averts her gaze.

Steve looks just as pissed, and my good mood sinks into the floor.

Has my happiness come at the cost of my only friend?

I force a smile as I turn back to Archie.

“Thanks, Arch. Is everything in place for tonight?”

“Of course.”

Mace briefs the staff, and I listen, taking mental notes for when I have to do this without him. When everyone disperses, I head after Bella when she makes a beeline for the stock cupboard.

I need to talk to her, but I don’t want Mace to hear if she’s going to be negative or vile about him. He hasn’t done anything to warrant the mistrust they have for him.

She’s leaning down to grab a crate of beer when I step into the doorway of the stockroom. “Everything okay?” I ask.

“Fine,” she says, the word tight. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Bella—”

Her eyes blaze. “Are you out of your mind?”

My eyebrows draw together. I knew she was annoyed, but the venom in her words takes me by surprise. “I don’t think so.”

“Are you dating him?”

I blink, the question catching me off guard. What we’re doing is so much more than dating, but I don’t know how to explain that to her. “Yeah. We’re together.”

Bella lets out a muted screech. “You are out of your mind! Do you have any idea the reputation his club has? They kill people, Maylie. They have a string of murders attached to their name. What the hell do you think happened to our old owners? They didn’t just give the bar to them. The Sons massacred every single member of the Pioneers.”

Cold spreads through my veins. I don’t want to think about that. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Am I? He’s got you under some kind of spell, Maylie. Don’t you see that? You’ve been here five minutes, and the second you get involved with him, you suddenly get promoted to manager. Do you honestly think you would’ve got that job if you weren’t screwing him?”

The ugliness in her words opens fresh wounds all along my body. I know I’m not qualified for the position—I told Mace as much myself—but hearing it from my friend hurts.

“Are you annoyed that you didn’t get the job?”

She folds her arms over her chest, the tank top she’s wearing pushing her boobs higher. “Of course, I am. I’ve been here for years. I’ve done my time in the trenches. That job should’ve been mine. I know far more about this business than you ever will, and I haven’t had to fuck anyone to get where I am.”

Wow. My stomach hollows out at her words, and nausea coats my throat. I don’t even recognise her beneath the anger she shoots at me.

I got Mace, but in return, I lost Bella, and it makes my heart heavy as I step back from her, the chasm growing between us. “Thank you for so eloquently pointing out my many failures. If you don’t like the changes happening, then you probably should take that job Steve suggested.”

I turn, walking away from her, but before I reach the door that leads back to the main floor, she grabs my arm, forcing me to turn back to her. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Maylie, I’m really not. But don’t you see how fucked-up all of this is?”

I pull out of her grasp, glaring at her. “Do you know what I see? I see someone who liked me when I was just a little miss fucking sunshine. You liked the version of Maylie I was, the girl who never made waves and never bothered anyone, but that’s not who I am anymore. And yes, you probably are more qualified to do this job, but you’re also kind of a bitch, Bella. You’d run half the girls out of here within a month. Mace sees my potential. He knows I can do this. It hurts that the person I’ve been friends with the longest doesn’t have that same faith in me. I don’t know why you think I’ve stolen this from you, as if it was your right to have this job when you were never a consideration for it.”

I don’t give her a chance to respond before I tear the door open and storm out onto the main floor, my heart thundering in my chest. Anger has my teeth grinding together as I head over to Mace.

“You okay?” He wraps his hands around my hips, pulling me between his legs. I know I should be professional, to prove to people that I didn’t get this job because I’m sleeping with Mace, but I don’t care who knows it. My entire life, I have never had a single handout from anyone, and I’m not going to apologise for taking advantage of someone else’s kindness when it’s offered.

“I’m perfect.” I take his face in my hands and kiss him with everything I have.

Sitting down, he’s just at the right height for me to devour his mouth completely, and I slide my tongue against his, relishing his taste and his warmth. I hope to hell this thing between us is real because as much as he says he won’t give me up, there’s no way in hell I’m letting him go either.

“Not that I mind, but what was that for?”

“Everything. Thank you for believing in me and for helping me.”

“Always, darlin’.”

The rest of the shift passes without any incidents, though Bella refuses to talk to me. Not that I want to talk to her.

As angry as I am, I’m also hurt. She knows how bad things have been for me, knows how much I struggle, and I would have expected her to understand this job is the only way I can stay afloat. She was also talking about leaving, so what does she care if I take this position over her?

When the club empties out and the cleaning duties have been done, I hang around long enough to make sure the bar is closed up and everybody has left. Mace waits with me, quiet as usual but a calming presence at my side before he drives us home.

I’m so tired, so mentally drained, I cannot wait to fall into bed.

Mace doesn’t ask me anything during the drive home, but I can tell he wants to.

When we get back to the flat, Riot is sprawled on the couch, one leg on the cushions, the other planted on the floor, and his gaze is locked on the TV. The flat isn’t destroyed, and the silence suggests both my siblings are in bed.

He glances up as we enter before reaching for the remote to turn it off.

“Was everything okay?” I ask.

“Your sister got pretty sick. ”

“Is she alright?”

“Don’t worry, I held her hair while she barfed. She went to bed early, and I left her with some water. Toby played games with me for a bit, and the little extortionist got at least twenty quid out of me before he went to bed.”

“I’m not even going to ask how that came about,” I say. Sometimes, it’s better to just not know things. “Did you eat the cakes I left for you?”

He grins. “Of course, I ate them. Your cakes are amazing, Maylie. You take requests?”

I shake my head, laughing under my breath.

“She ain’t a fucking bakery, Nate,” Mace growls at him.

Riot holds up his hands defensively, pushing up from the sofa and grabbing his leather vest off the back of it.

“You can stay on the sofa. You don’t have to leave. It’s late.”

“He does have to leave,” Mace says.

“Sweetheart, my night is still young. There are plenty of things to be done before the sun rises and plenty of women willing to do it, but I appreciate you looking out for me.” He pats his brother’s shoulder as he passes him and leaves.

Mace wraps his arms around me the moment he’s gone, and I lean my head against his chest, soaking in his strength and his warmth. “You gonna tell me what the issue is between you and Bella?”

“I know your instinct is to try and fix everything, but I don’t need you to fix this. I can handle it.”

He lifts my chin off his chest so he can look into my eyes. “I know you can, but?—”

“No buts, Mace. Bella’s not an issue.”

It hurts to say that, but she chose her path .

He tugs the tie out of my hair, letting it fall loose around my shoulders, and his fingers thread through my strands. Every touch of his sends waves of need through me.

As always, the world narrows to just him and me, everything else fading into nothingness as we claim each other completely.

I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like him, but there is no way I would give it up now. Everything Mace has brought into my life has made it better, fuller, richer.

I want to give him everything, every part of me, even the parts I’m scared to expose. I want him to be mine completely, and I want to be his.

“I want you to… to fuck me,” I say to him.

He pulls back so he can study me, and I wish I could read what he’s thinking. “You don’t have to rush into anything.”

“I’m not. I want this. I want you.”

“Babe, you have me.”