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all over the sleeve of his Armani suit. Oh, God. I dropped my head in defeat.
    “Yeah, you’ve probably heard of him. Ronald Jordan? I’m surprised Leeta didn’t tell you she was dating criminal royalty.”
    Dad turned to me, his expression tight as he waited for an explanation. I glanced at Mom for help, but she was busy focusing on her roll as though it were a kidney she was preparing for a transplant.
    “It’s not as bad as it sounds—”
    “Leet, let me finish. I might as well tell him everything, right? A rival gang member of my dad’s murdered my mother in front of my brother and I. My sister committed suicide last year. My brother is in jail as well. The same jail as Dad, actually. Which makes it really handy for family gatherings.” He pushed his plate away, tossing his napkin on the table in front of him. “Anything else you want to know?” he challenged.
    My heart broke for him. He had seen his mother murdered? I mean, I knew she’d been killed, but I’d had no idea he had witnessed it. I couldn’t even imagine how awful that would have been. I’d known she hadn’t been around since he was a kid, and that his dad had raised him and his brother—if you could call that parenting.
    Mace was a very private person, especially when it came to his background. Some days he would let me in and I’d see this wonderful, fun guy, and other days, all I could see was the pain that consumed him.
    “Leeta, maybe you should calm your friend down,” Dad said, his voice stiff. I rubbed my temples. How could I have possibly thought this would go well?
    Calm him down? I was on the verge of storming out on his behalf. I was proud of Mace for remaining so calm.
    “Maybe you should stop trying to make him uncomfortable?” I suggested sweetly to Dad.
    “Maybe it’s best if I leave,” Mace interrupted. He dragged his chair back and stood up, his eyes clouded with anger. He turned to me. “Call me when you’re done, yeah?”
    Shaking my head, I watched him storm out of the restaurant. I turned back to Dad. I was so angry I was trembling. I stood up and threw my napkin on the table.
    “Would it have killed you to be civil?” I said acidly, reaching for my handbag.
    “Come on, Leeta. What the hell are you doing with that fool? You can do better. You had better.” And there it was: he was never going to get over me breaking up with Ben.
    “You don’t get it, Dad. Ben didn’t make me happy. Mace does. You might not like the package, but if you gave him a chance . . .”
    I laughed as Dad scowled at me. Why am I even bothering?
    “All you’re doing here is pushing me away,” I warned as I backed away from the table.

    Stalking out through the restaurant lobby, I scanned the room for Mace. I spotted him outside, walking to his bike. I raced after him.
    “Mace!”
    He turned around and waited for me to catch up. “I’m sorry, Leets. But I couldn’t sit there and be judged like that.” He ran his hand through his dark, curly hair, his blue eyes sad.
    “I’m sorry. My dad can be an asshole.” I ran my fingers over his ripped chest, with one thing on my mind: making him realize just how important he was to me. “Take me home?”
    “Sure,” he sighed. He handed me the spare helmet. “Jump on.”
    #
    There was nothing quite like soaring through the streets on the back of a bike with your arms curled tightly around a hot, sculpted body. I leaned my face against the back of his jacket, holding him as close to myself as I possibly could without mounting him.
    It took me a moment to realize we were headed to his house, not mine. Smiling, I held on a little tighter to my man. He pulled into his driveway and steered the bike into his garage.
    We walked inside through the internal door in the garage. His house was a far cry from my inner-city apartment. Situated in one of the poorer suburbs in Melbourne, his street was one I’d feel nervous about walking down alone at night. Well, nowadays I’d feel nervous