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“Did you just threaten my brother?” I asked Ace in a low whisper. Everyone around us was too busy digging into their food to notice my death glare.
Ace scooped some spaghetti onto my plate, serving me first, as always. “Of course not.”
He put a hand on the back of my neck, leaned over, and pressed a kiss to my forehead, his lips forming a smile against my hairline. I barely held myself back from elbowing him in the gut.
“Ace, I’m so glad you can join us for dinner tonight,” my mom said. “It’s always such a pleasure.”
“Thank you for having me,” he replied, putting pasta on his own plate now. “We should really do this more often. I’m sorry I’ve been keeping Doe all to myself lately.”
I took an angry bite of my garlic bread. I was starting to feel sorry about that too.
My mom gave him a sweet smile. “Well, you’re at that age, aren’t you? We’ve always known you were going to steal her away from us someday.”
I frowned. They always knew that?
Ace reached for my hand under the table, running his thumb over the top. “It was about time we got together,” he said with his eyes on me. “I’m lucky to have her.”
Butterflies attempted to swarm my stomach, but I quickly swatted down each one of the nasty little motherfuckers.
Frustration welled up inside of me. Ace knew he could butter me up by acting sweet around my parents and showing off with my brothers.
But if he thought I’d forget about the lies, the secrets, he was sorely mistaken. I was still pissed at him. Beyond pissed.
Halfway through dinner, amid the friendly chatter and clinking of forks against plates, my stomach flipped with sudden nausea, forcing me to pause. I couldn’t take another bite without being sick.
Of course, Ace instantly noticed my change in demeanor. His gaze traveled from the food on my plate to my face.
He had this weird thing about making sure I got enough to eat. Ever since we were kids, he loved making food for me and taking me out for meals.
I ignored him and focused on my breathing while I tried to get my rolling stomach under control. It was so strange. I had never gotten sick in the middle of a meal before.
Ace leaned in. “You not hungry, beautiful? You’ve barely touched your food,” he asked quietly.
Everybody else was busy enough with their own conversations to notice the interaction.
“I’m fine.” I made a show of picking my fork up and pushing my food around on my plate.
Ace narrowed his eyes but, thankfully, didn’t push me on the matter. Instead, he grabbed the pitcher from the center of the table and poured some water into the empty glass in front of me.
Goddammit, why does he always know what I need? ?I hadn’t even realized I was thirsty.
I downed the water, instantly feeling a little better. Ace gently dragged my chair across the floor so I was closer to him.
I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything else. I simply sat back and listened to Elliot and Thomas tell everyone about their science projects.
A clammy layer of sweat formed on the back of my neck as unexpected heat traveled up my spine. I felt tingly all over. And hot. Geez, did someone turn on the heat in here or something?
I looked at my dad, fidgeting in my seat. “Could we open a window or something?”
“It’s warmer outside than it is in here. It wouldn’t do much,” he replied.
“Are you hot?” Ace asked.
I nodded. “A little. But I’m fine. Really.”
Ace didn’t look convinced.
“Well, it’s a good thing we have ice cream for dessert then!” my mom cut in. “That’ll help cool you down. We made sure to get your favorite, Ace. Cookies ’N’ Cream, right?”
“You know me so well,” Ace replied, a smile playing at his beautiful mouth.
He placed an arm over the back of my chair, and, even though I wanted to, I didn’t shove him away. I was actually a little relieved to have him closer, even if I was still furious with him.
Trying not to think about it too hard, I placed my hand down on his knee where no one could see. That little bit of contact brought me so much comfort.
“Cookies ‘N’ Cream is my favorite too!” Everette said, jumping in.
“That’s because it’s the best. You have good taste,” Ace replied.
Everette’s little face lit up.
“It’s my favorite too!” Felix added, grinning brightly.
“No, it’s not. You only like sherbet,” Everette said to him. “You’re just saying that because I said it.”
“Am not!”
As that pointless argument broke out, I felt a strange and uncomfortable throbbing sensation start in the crook of my neck. It was coming from that little bump on my neck that I noticed a few weeks back.
I sucked in a breath and rolled my shoulders, wincing when the stiff movement only resulted in more pain.
Almost instinctively, I leaned over and pressed my side against Ace. He felt like ice against my hot skin, helping to soothe the fire building inside of me. My shoulders loosened a bit.
Ace casually played with the ends of my hair while he continued to converse with my mother, but I didn’t miss the way his lips turned up. He was getting his way.
Several moments passed like this. I tried to remain still, but it was hard.
Am I coming down with the flu or something?
Ace placed a hand flat on my shoulder. “You’re burning up,” he whispered low enough so no one else could hear.
I leaned further into him. Here we go. ?“I’m just hot. I’m fine.”
Ace abruptly stood. He looked down at me, his expression so serious that it could have turned anyone’s blood to ice. “Come on,” he said, holding his hand out to me.
I glanced at my family members, who all looked just as surprised as I was.
“What?”
Ace’s breathing was ragged. “You have a fever. You need to lie down.”
“Are you feeling sick, Dorothy?” my mom asked.
I shrugged. “I suppose a little. But it’s really not that big of a deal.”
I could tell no one believed me. Hell, I didn’t believe me. I was obviously struggling.
The fire racing through my veins was getting a million times worse. Beads of sweat coated my upper lip and an extremely embarrassing ache was starting up in between my legs.
My father pushed himself out of his chair. “Ace, can I speak to you for a moment?”
“No,” Ace answered instantly, his eyes still on me. “Let’s get you to bed. Please.”
Everything about him was tight. His nostrils flared with each lungful of air he took in. It was honestly a little scary.
My father rounded the table with careful steps and put a hand on Ace’s shoulder.
“Ace—”