Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson)
My eyes widened in the darkness, and my hands flew up to cover my breasts. “Can you see?” I screeched.
Ace took his sweet time responding. “Of course not.” He chuckled. “That would mean I could see in the dark.” He lowered his voice. “But if I could, I’m sure I would like what I’d see very much.”
I swear I forgot how to breathe.
Ace laughed again. The sound did something to my insides.
“Let’s get my shirt on you and take your jeans off so you can rest.” There was a rustling as he picked up something next to us. “Arms up.”
“Hold on.” I stopped him before he could put his shirt on me. “I…I want to take my bra off first.” I swallowed down my embarrassment.
Part of me couldn’t believe I had just said the word “bra” in front of my best friend
—my best male friend—while the other part felt…excited? Was that the right word?
Eager, maybe?
Even if I was still overwhelmingly confused about the state of our relationship, I couldn’t deny that I loved getting such intimate attention from him.
It was the sort of attention only a boy attracted to a girl could give, and vice versa.
I wanted to know if I turned him on as much as he did me. Maybe, then, he would realize his feelings for me were more than just friendly ones.
A deep purring started up in Ace’s chest. My breathing hitched. Arching my back, I reached behind me to grab the clasp of my bra.
Ace ran his fingers down my biceps. “I’ve got it, baby,” he whispered.
He slid his arms underneath me and pulled my hands away. His hot breath tickled my neck as he grabbed the clasp and made quick work of it, fully removing my bra and tossing it to the side.
My nipples brushed against his bare chest for the briefest of moments, just before he pulled away, and it took everything in me not to push closer to him.
Ace sat back. The sound of his purring increased. My clit pulsed.
Now I was the one having mood swings. Just now, I was panicking at the thought of him seeing me in just my bra, and now, I wished the lights were on so he could take in my bare breasts on full display.
The shroud of darkness was making it easier to feel sexy, confident. It almost gave me enough courage to wrap my arms around his neck and press his lips to mine.
I didn’t get the chance to act on that ridiculous thought, thank goodness.
Ace yanked his T-shirt over my head, quickly covering me up, and then moved down to unbutton my jeans before sliding them off my legs.
His touch wasn’t nearly as gentle as before. It was almost like he was in a rush to cover me up. I couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.
Soon, I was lying in my usual bedtime clothing.
And our heated moment was over.
Ace lay down next to me and hauled me to him, spooning me from behind. We’d always found the position to be so intimate and sweet.
But it was also one a couple would definitely do, and Ben’s words popped back into my mind: “So what, he uses you behind closed doors but refuses to announce your relationship to the public?”
I didn’t even need to open my eyes to know Ace wasn’t in bed with me the next morning. I felt the lack of his presence. It made my skin crawl and my chest tight.
I was never good at sleeping without Ace. Ever since that first vacation together, it just felt wrong to close my eyes without him next to me.
The room was still dark, but as I blinked my eyes open, I could tell it was morning from the heat of the room.
My heart raced. In my state of drowsiness, I forgot I had fallen asleep at Ace’s house. But where was he?
I shifted the covers to the side, and the white glow of his phone cast a light across his jaw. Ace was standing by the end of the bed, pacing back and forth, furiously texting on his phone.
I let out a breath of relief. His eyes snapped to mine.
Uh-oh, someone’s in a touchy mood this morning.
“Go back to sleep, Doe. It’s still early.”
I glanced at the clock on the bedside table, stretching my arms over my head. “It’s seven in the morning. Shouldn’t we start getting ready for school?”
The last thing I wanted to do was go to school. I didn’t want to see Ben all bloodied and bruised from Madoc’s beating, nor did I want to deal with the stares and whispers.
But I’d missed enough after skipping out the day before.
“No,” Ace replied, “you had a stressful day yesterday, and I know how much your migraines take it out of you. You’re sleeping in and that’s final. We’ll go to school later once you’re rested.”
I couldn’t deny that I was still tired. I suppose drifting off for a little while longer couldn’t hurt…
I sprang up into a sitting position. “Oh my god, I forgot to tell my parents I was staying over!” I lunged for my phone on his bedside table, but Ace was gently gripping my forearm in a flash.
He caressed the inside of my wrist with his thumb. “I texted your parents last night with your phone and told them you were staying at Marta’s.”
I settled back down onto his pillows. I liked that they smelled like him. “Oh. And they believed it?”
Ace nodded. “I’ll always take care of you, Doe. You know that. Will you go back to sleep for me now?”
I shifted on the bed. I wouldn’t be getting a wink of sleep if Ace didn’t come back to bed but I couldn’t tell him that though. That wasn’t the sort of thing you said to your best friend.
Yeah, right, as if he’s just your best friend, ?my inner voice said. ~You would spread your legs for him and beg him to fuck you right now if he told you to.~
My face flooded with heat. Whoa, where did that come from?
“Doe”—Ace’s stern tone pulled me back to reality—“just do as I say. I need you to get some more rest, yeah?”
I swallowed. I was suddenly desperate for him to hold me. “I just… What about you? Are you going to sleep too?”
Ace studied me for a moment, and then his expression softened. He rounded the bed and slipped under the covers, then he pulled me close and kissed the side of my neck.
All the tension in my body dissipated at once. Just like I knew it would.
“Is this better?” Ace asked.
I pressed my face to his bare chest before he could see me blush. “Mm-hm,” I murmured.
His fingers danced up and down my spine, leaving goosebumps behind.
A huge yawn escaped my mouth. “Hey, I had a weird dream last night.” My eyes were already starting to shut again.
“Oh, yeah?”
“We were at your family’s old lake cabin. The one we used to go to every summer before your mom passed.”
We hadn’t been there in years. I wondered if his father sold it after Ace’s mom died.
“We were probably only eight years old, and we brought a bunch of blankets and pillows out to the backyard and made a fort with the lawn furniture. Do you remember when we used to do that?”
“Yeah, I do.” Nostalgia laced his voice. “You always made me do all the heavy lifting and then got mad when I put something in the wrong place.”
It was true. I was very serious about my fort building when I was little. I liked having a special place to hang out where only Ace and I were allowed; somewhere cozy and safe to talk and share secrets.