Page 38 of Little Nightmare

“Sure you do,” I teased.

He glared. “Last year you were so much easier to deal with.”

“Last year you were blissfully unaware of your purpose in life. Now look at you, mob boss to the De Lange family and almost married.” I grinned. “You’re proposing soon right?”

He pointed at me. “You’re distracting me. I don’t like it.” He moved his finger toward Ace. “She’s dangerous.”

“Tell me about it.”

It was almost distracting enough. The normalcy of Ivan standing in front of me giving me shit, Ace being annoyed with me as per usual.

Almost.

But Louis was missing.

Ivan’s phone went off. “Well, if you want to keep all your body parts…” He sighed. “Looking at you, Ace. Put on some clothes. Dante’s almost here, and he’s in a really cheerful mood, threw his coffee cup against the wall and everything this morning.”

“Why?” I asked.

Ivan shook his head. “Too hot? Too cold? I don’t know. He read a text and lost his shit. I’m pretty sure it has to do with you, though, so congratulations for giving him an ulcer in his early forties.”

I gave a small bow. “I do what I can.”

Ivan grunted. “Clothes, and try not to misunderstand that when I say clothes I mean ones that completely cover your body. None of this, ‘oh, I thought I just had to cover tits’ sort of shit. My head also is on the chopping block, and I want to see tomorrow.”

“Heard there’s an early sunrise.” I winked.

His eyes narrowed. “Like I said, dangerous. You have ten minutes.”

"How could I possibly?—”

“Nine!” he snapped, slamming the door behind him.

Rude. I jumped out of bed and pulled off my clothes like I normally did, I always jumped out of the left side, walked to the shower and…

I paused as a choking curse erupted from the other side.

I winced and looked over my shoulder. “Old habits.”

He clenched his teeth. "Make new ones.”

With a smirk, I turned fully toward him. “Okay.” I put my hands on my hips. “Look your fill and consider a new habit officially formed. They say it takes seventeen days to break one. How many do you think it takes to make one?”

He stalked toward me, shirt still off, only in grey sweatpants, his muscles bulging with every step. “Stop being difficult!”

He picked his folded shirt off the back of the chair and shoved it at my breasts.

I didn’t take it. “I’m not being difficult.”

“It’s literally your reason for living.” He seethed. “I did the nice thing, the right thing, which is completely foreign to me, and the way you repay me is to accidentally get naked right before your dad gets here? Do you have any clue what the fuck he’ll do to me if he sees us together?”

"Tell me.” A dark voice said from the door. “What the fuck do you think he’ll do? I’m curious.”

I quickly put the shirt over my breasts and stared up at my dad standing in the door and a very pale looking Ivan right behind him holding his phone up as if to say I texted and you’re the idiot for not checking. Again.

My lower lip wobbled. “I can explain. Nothing happened.”

"You’re naked.” Dad tilted his head. “He’s half naked. And you’re both pissed. I don’t buy it.”

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