Laces and Lace
Page 140

Shea looked over and then back from what Karson assumed were Nate and Sabrina. “Her parents?”
“Dad and soon-to-be stepmom,” he muttered before taking a pull of his beer. “They are hell-bent on breaking us up.”
“Wow, assholes,” he agreed before taking a sip of his own beer.
As they watched highlights on the TV, Karson didn’t bother looking back at his in-laws. He couldn’t believe that they did that after sitting with Lacey and acting like they approved of Karson. It was sickening. Shaking his head, he pulled his phone out when it vibrated to see it was Lacey. She was home and wanted to tell him she loved him. Smiling, he wrote her back and decided to leave his little conversation with her dad for tomorrow. She was tired, and he didn’t feel like keeping her up as they hashed it out.
Sitting back in his chair, he tucked his phone in his pocket and was ready to go. It was getting late, he was tired, and there was a chick staring at him. Really staring at him. Like she was eating him up with no concern for others.
Looking at Shea, he asked, “Do you know her?”
“Nope, not at all,” he answered and soon the girl was making her way toward him.
She was gorgeous, banging body, and a dress that didn’t leave much to the imagination. She had dark hair, darker eyes, and lips as red as a stoplight, but Karson wanted nothing to do with her. Before Lacey, he would have jumped at the chance to tear her apart, but now, she did nothing for him.
“Karson King, you just gonna stare at me or are you gonna say hello?”
Huh?
He gave her a friendly smile. “Sorry, do I know you?”
“Well, yeah,” she said with a grin. “Jeez, you don’t remember?”
His head cocked to the side. He remembered every girl he been with. Their names may be fuzzy, but he never forgot a face, and he was pretty sure he’d never been with this one. “You must have me confused with someone else.”
“Nope, we spent the night together about a year ago, met here.”
He shook his head. “Nope, wrong guy. Maybe my buddy Jordie?”
“No, it was you. I would never forget you.”
He laughed as her hand reached out, moving up his arm. Edging away from her, he smiled. “I’m married now.”
“Oh?” she asked, leaning into him, which made him lean into Shea trying to get away from her. “She doesn’t have to know about us.”
“There is nothing to know,” he said, taking her by her arms and moving her back some. “I love my wife.”
“That’s what they all say, but it’s fine, whatever. Break my heart,” she feigned hurt, but Karson saw right through her. When her hands rested on his thigh, he went to move them, but then her lips pressed against the side of his mouth. Before he could react and push her away, she was backing up, grinning.
“What the hell?” he asked with a glare. “I told you I’m married. Don’t fuck around like that.”
“Oops, hope she doesn’t find out,” she blinked not so innocently. “Good thing no one is watching us.”
“Hey, this isn’t funny. Go on and troll on someone else,” Shea bellowed. “We don’t have time for shit like that.”
She pouted as she puckered her lips out at Karson. “He has time. He always has time for the ladies,” she said, and when she reached out again, he stopped her.
“Leave me alone,” he warned. “Go. Now.”
“Aw, always so domineering. I love that, but I’ll go since you are obviously ‘committed’ to your wife,” she said, putting air quotes around committed. Glaring, he watched as she backed up, going to the other side of the bar with a conniving little grin on her face.
Looking over at Shea, he said, “I have no clue who that is.”
“Obviously someone trying to cause problems,” he said with a shake of his head.
Then it dawned on Karson.
Whipping around, he looked to see his in-laws grinning as they stood up, putting their jackets on. When Nate met Karson’s gaze and nodded his head to him, he knew that Nate had caused that. He knew with all the fibers of his soul that he had been set up. Or tried to be set up. He’d brushed her away like a fly, but why were they grinning like that?
Standing up, he rushed to catch up to them, taking ahold of Nate’s arm to stop him. “What the fuck are you up to?”
Nate grinned. “I have no clue what you are talking about.”
And then he tore his arm from Karson’s grasp and started for the door, leaving Karson in his wake.
Son of a bitch.
When Lacey rolled over the next morning, she stretched her body out as she slowly opened her eyes to the picture of her and Karson in front of their home with a “Sold” sign in their hands. His face was priceless and he looked every bit like a man who was utterly blissful. Lacey mirrored his expression, excited for their future, but seeing that picture meant one thing.
She was in her apartment, alone.
She hated that. She wanted to be home in Karson’s arms, but that wouldn’t happen for another four days. She had a full day, and that would keep her busy until she flew out to Nashville. Thankfully, she was meeting Elli for lunch tomorrow too, so really, she only had to get through two days without any distractions to keep her from missing Karson terribly. She figured she’d work. She wanted to do a new summer line of bathing suits, and to do that, she needed to come up with something amazing.
Sitting up, she pushed her hair out of her face and saw that her phone was blinking beside her. Reaching for it, she saw she had some missed calls from Rachel and then texts from Karson. Clicking on his text, she cuddled in the blankets as she read them.