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  Up To No Good

  Aces Wild, Book 11

  Annabella Michaels

  Contents

  Other Books by Annabella Michaels

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Afterword

  Ace’s Wild

  Ace's Wild is a multi-author series of books that take place in the same fictional town. Each story can be read in any order. The connecting element in the Ace's Wild series is an adult store owned by Ace and Wilder. The main characters from each book will make at least one visit to Ace's Wild, where they'll buy a toy to use in their story! The only characters who crossover to each book are Ace and Wilder. And with various heat and kink levels, there's sure to be something for everyone!

  Thanks for giving the series a chance! We hope you enjoy the books!

  Christina Lee, Riley Hart, SE Jakes, Alice Winters, Devon McCormack, Max Walker, Annabella Michaels, Neve Wilder, Jaclyn Quinn, Morningstar Ashley, Davidson King, NR Walker, Luna David, & Lane Hayes.

  Up to No Good

  Ace’s Wild, Book 11

  Copyright © 2019 Annabella Michaels

  https://annabellamichaels.com/

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover design by: Designs by Morningstar

  Editing done by: Jaclyn Quinn

  Interior Design and Formatting provided by Flawless Touch Formatting

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author, Annabella Michaels, author. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original publisher only.

  This book contains sexually explicit material and is only intended for adult readers.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Other Books by Annabella Michaels

  Souls of Chicago Series:

  Feeding the Soul, Book 1

  Music of the Soul, Book 2

  Protecting the Soul, Book 3

  Renewing the Soul, Book 4

  Constructing the Soul, Book 5

  Uniting the Souls, Book 6

  Ever-Greene, Book 7 (A holiday novella)

  Tricking the Souls, Book 8 (A Fall novella)

  Hamilton’s Heroes Series:

  Found, Book 1

  Finally, Book 2

  My Heart Series:

  Written on My Heart, Book 1

  Stand Alone Books:

  The Swap

  Picking Up the Pieces

  Chapter One

  COLE

  I took a step forward as I spotted my suitcase coming around the carousel. The woman beside me raised a questioning eyebrow as I reached for the black suitcase which sported a large, pink unicorn name tag on the handle.

  “Gag gift from my brother,” I explained to her. “Jokes on him, though, because it actually comes in quite handy when I’m trying to figure out which bag is mine in a sea of nondescript, black luggage.”

  Her face smoothed out into a broad grin. “That’s a great idea. I may have to look for one of those myself.”

  “Just don’t get the pink. I’d hate to mix our luggage up if we’re ever on the same flight again,” I teased as I raised the handle on my suitcase. Her tinkling laugh followed me as I turned and walked away.

  As I made my way to the front of the airport, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. According to the app, the Uber I'd ordered while waiting for my luggage was only two minutes away, so I decided to wait outside by the curb. Cold wind whipped around me, and I shivered as I zipped up my coat, thankful for its thick, wool lining.

  Living the past few years in New York, I'd experienced subzero temperatures that we rarely ever saw in North Carolina. Still, it was cold enough that the forecast was calling for snow. I smiled as a memory popped into my head; one that I hadn't thought of in years.

  "Are you sure about this?" I asked skeptically as I twisted and turned, trying to reach my arms far enough behind me to zip up my jeans, the movements made even more difficult since they were inside out. "I don't know what wearing our clothes backwards and inside out while doing a crazy dance has to do with snow."

  "Of course, I'm sure. Jeffrey Scott told me about it, and he's one of the smartest kids in my class. He said he's done it three times, and every time, there was snow when he woke up the next morning," my brother assured me. He brushed my hands out of the way and finished zipping and buttoning my pants for me.

  I had never met Jeffrey Scott before, but Jayce was eleven years old, three years older than me, and knew a lot more about the world than I did. If he trusted Jeffrey, then that was good enough for me.

  "Okay, but let's hurry. It feels weird having my clothes on backwards," I grumbled as I yanked at the collar of my shirt for the hundredth time.

  Jayce swiped his shirt off and turned it inside out before pulling it back over his head. When he was finished, we turned and looked at ourselves in the mirror. My eyes traveled over the two of us, and I couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up.

  "We look ridiculous!" I exclaimed.

  Jayce laughed. "Especially you with your pockets hanging on the outside of your jeans. But it'll all be worth it if we get a snow day tomorrow."

  "You think it'll snow enough for school to get canceled?" I looked at his reflection hopefully.

  "With you and me working on this together? You bet." He ruffled his hand over my head, and I smiled up at him.

  I shook my head with a grin as I pictured the two of us running down the stairs and into the living room where our parents were watching TV on the couch. They'd listened as we'd explained Jeffrey Scott's theory, and even though I was sure they'd wanted to laugh, they'd hid it well. Then Jayce and I proceeded to shimmy and shake all around the house to some imaginary tune, giving the snow dance everything we had.

  Sure enough, the next morning, there was snow. Just as Jayce had predicted, school was canceled, and we spent the entire day building snow forts, having snowball fights, and making snowmen that looked like each member of our family. It was a great day, but best of all, it solidified Jayce's image as a hero in my mind.

  I looked up as a car honked its horn. It pulled up alongside the curb, and the passenger window slid down. "Are you Cole?"

  I glanced down at the app on my phone, checking to make sure the driver's picture matched the man in front of me before answering. Seeing that it was in fact the car I'd ordered, I nodded. "Yeah. George?"

  "That's me," he answered as he climbed out of the car. He rushed around to my side, taking the suitcase out of my hand and lifting it as if it weighed nothing. "Go ahead and hop in. I'm just gonna stick this in the trunk then we'll get going."

  I felt bad having him carry
my luggage for me, but he'd already walked away before I could argue. With no other choice, I slid into the back seat, setting my laptop bag beside me. A few seconds later, he was back behind the wheel and we were leaving the airport.

  "So, where are you from?" George asked cheerfully.

  I glanced out the window, the traffic thinning the farther away we got from the airport. "I'm actually from around here, born and raised, but I’ve spent the last few years at college in New York."

  George let out a low whistle. "New York, huh? I've been there once. It was a bit too much if you ask me. Too much noise, too many lights, and way too many people. I guess I'm just a simple guy. Give me a stretch of sand and some gentle waves and I'm happy."

  I nodded my head in agreement. It had been hard to leave my hometown after graduating high school, but the excitement and opportunities in New York City were too much to resist and I'd taken off with all the hope and enthusiasm of someone that age, ready to take on the world. And while New York followed through on its promises, after a while the lights and the crowds began to grate on my nerves and I longed for the fresh air and open spaces of home.

  "What’s your area of study?" he asked, keeping the conversation going as he checked his side mirrors before sliding easily into the high-speed lane. At this time of night, there wasn't much traffic on the interstate.

  “Chiropractic,” I answered absently as I shot off a quick text to my family to let them know I was on my way. They’d all offered to pick me up at the airport, but I knew from talking with my mother that things had been a bit crazy at home lately, so I’d insisted on getting my own ride. It only took a few seconds for Dad to respond that dinner was in the oven and they couldn’t wait to see me.

  "What are you here for? Business or pleasure?" George asked, moving on to a new topic seamlessly. With his friendly and outgoing personality, I was sure he made a lot of money in tips. I watched out the window as he turned off the exit that would lead us to the small town where I’d grown up.

  "Pleasure. My older brother is getting married, and I'm his best man," I explained.

  George’s smile made his eyes crinkle at the edges as they met mine in the rearview mirror. "That's great, man! You and your brother must be really close."

  “Yeah, we are,” I responded as I looked out at the darkening sky, thinking back. Things hadn't always been good between Jayce and me. When he'd started high school, things had begun to change. Having always been athletic, he’d easily earned a spot on the football team. That, combined with his good looks and outgoing personality, created the perfect cocktail that had all the guys wanting to hang out with him and had all the girls clamoring for a chance to date him.

  With practices and games, pep rallies and parties, Jayce was hardly ever home, and when he was, he usually had a group of friends trailing along after him. If it hadn't been for the fact that we lived in the same house and had to share a bathroom, I probably would've never seen him. I was happy for him that he had made so many friends and was having such a good time, but at the same time, it hurt. I suddenly felt invisible, and I missed my brother.

  Things only got worse when I entered high school. Jayce was a senior then, captain of the football and basketball teams, president of his class, and Homecoming King. I, on the other hand, was awkward and bookish and horribly shy; all traits that set me even further apart from my brother and made bridging the gap that had formed between us, seem impossible.

  It wasn’t until Jayce was away at college that the two of us finally began to reconnect. He’d been attending North Carolina State University for a few years when he’d decided to reach out. I’d been shocked as hell when he’d called me out of the blue one day and invited me to come stay with him at his off-campus apartment for the weekend.

  He’d seemed happy to see me when I’d arrived and was eager to give me a tour of the campus. He’d introduced me to several of his friends, and I had been surprised to see the pride on his face when he’d told them that I was getting ready to graduate at the top of my class. The more time I spent with him, the more I saw how happy he was—and not in that, we-just-won-the-state-championship-game kind of way I saw in high school. Instead, it was a truly content, comfortable-in-my-own-skin kind of way. It hadn’t been until that evening that I figured out the reason why.

  Jayce took me to dinner at his favorite place; an authentic Mexican restaurant that was only about ten minutes from his apartment. We’d just been seated when a stunning blonde had walked in. She was tall and graceful, like a dancer, and had the kind of face that belonged on the covers of magazines.

  Her face lit up, and I stared in shocked awe as she walked right over to us and kissed my brother. They smiled at one another, the look in their eyes making me wonder if they even remembered that there was anyone else in the room. I cleared my throat loudly, and they turned to look at me.

  Jayce grinned broadly. “Cole, this is my girlfriend, Evelynn. Evelynn, my brother, Cole.”

  Her smile was warm and friendly as she moved around the table and gave me a hug. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” she’d gushed.

  “You have?” I’d asked, turning a surprised look toward my brother.

  Jayce gave me a sad smile, as if it bothered him that I even needed to ask. “Of course, she has. You’re my brother, and it’s important to me that she gets to know you. I haven’t even told Mom and Dad about her yet. I wanted you to be the first.”

  Much to my horror, my eyes suddenly filled with tears, and I coughed into my hand, reaching with my other hand for my water glass and taking a long sip. When I looked back up, Evelynn was smiling softly at me as if she understood, and I wondered what all my brother had told her about me.

  The rest of the evening had been amazing, with Evelynn and I getting to know each other and Jayce smiling with satisfaction as he’d watched the two of us. By the time we’d left the restaurant and had walked Evelynn to her car, I’d felt sure that I’d made a new friend, and hopeful that Jayce and I would be on our way to repairing our relationship. The two of us had stayed up talking the entire night, catching up on all the things we’d missed. Jayce had apologized for hurting me in high school, and the sincerity in his words had made it easy for me to forgive him.

  Now, nearly five years later, Jayce and Evelynn were about to get married, and my brother and I were closer than ever. Rarely had a day gone by since that weekend, that we hadn’t either called or texted each other, and that went for Evelynn as well. She fit in with our family seamlessly, becoming a sister to me and a daughter to our parents.

  I smiled at the sign announcing that we’d arrived in Vintage Ridge. I hadn’t been home for a visit in several months, but from the looks of things, not much had changed, a fact that brought me comfort and filled me with a sense of familiarity and belonging that I’d never been able to find in New York.

  Happiness filled my chest as we pulled into my parents’ driveway. The glow of the colorful Christmas lights outlining the two-story house, the lit tree displayed in the front window, and the smoke billowing out of the chimney, all worked together to give the place a warm and cozy feeling. I grinned when I saw the electronic Christmas countdown set on the front porch, a gift to our Dad from both me and Jayce the year before. Only twenty-two days until Christmas and even less until Jayce’s wedding.

  George parked next to Jayce’s SUV and then hopped out of the car to get my suitcase from the trunk. I thanked him and wished him a Merry Christmas, making a mental note to leave a generous tip for him on the app. Cold wind whipped around me as I climbed the steps to the front porch, but as I stepped inside, I was suddenly enveloped in warmth, the smell of my mom’s home cooking and the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen.

  “Hey! Did someone order a best man?” I hollered as I took my coat off and hung it in the entryway closet.

  I chuckled as I heard a gasp and the scraping of chairs then the rush of feet as they all came out to greet me. We all took turns
hugging and Mom kissed me on the cheek. I favored my mom’s sandy-blonde hair, bright green eyes, and slighter frame, while Jayce was a younger version of our father with his jet-black hair, gray eyes, and the same tall, broad-shouldered build that Dad had.

  “I ordered a best man, but all I got was this mediocre one, so I guess you’ll have to do,” Jayce teased, reaching out to tousle my hair before I could stop him. I glared at him, but it carried no heat since I couldn’t stop grinning.

  “Oh, hush. You can’t ask for a better man than Cole. In fact, I might just marry him instead,” Evelynn announced, looping her arm through mine and giving me a conspiring wink.

  “Well, you’re not my usual type, but I think we could have fun together,” I agreed.

  “Hey, now. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Jayce said with a pout.

  Evelynn looked at me. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  I tilted my head, pretending to study my brother. “Well, he has nice hair and teeth. I’m not fully convinced he’s housebroken, but with a little work, I’m sure you can whip him into shape.”

  “You little—” Jayce lunged for me and everyone laughed as I quickly ducked behind his fiancée.

  Evelynn stopped him with a hand to his chest. “Easy there, killer. There will be no maiming of a member of the wedding party, got it?”

  “Got it,” he agreed, his eyes softening as he gazed at her. He grinned as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

  “Come on, you guys. Dinner’s ready and I’m starving,” Dad said. Evelynn followed our parents back into the kitchen.