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Every bedroom in the house had a bathroom and walk-in closet. It was much nicer than the house I grew up in in Massachusetts, not to mention bigger.
My mom and I had no idea what we were going to do with all the space when we first moved in. That quickly changed after she met Joe and got pregnant.
I still remember running through the empty house on my first day in Colorado with Ace by my side. He helped me pick this room. We were both so excited to live near each other.
“Aren’t you going to leave?” I asked.
Ace didn’t respond; he was busy with something on his phone.
“Ace, you need to leave so I can get dressed,” I tried again.
“I’m not looking,” he grunted back without looking up. Whoever had just texted him must have had something important to say. He frowned at his phone. “Besides, I’ve seen you get dressed before.”
I huffed. “Yeah, but not since we were ten,” I muttered under my breath. Then I stomped off to get dressed in my closet.
***
I chose to put on sweatpants and one of Ace’s hoodies. I normally tried to look a bit more presentable but decided I wanted to be more inconspicuous, especially with the mark on my neck.
And anyway, sometimes—not always—it felt better not to be seen.
Ace looked up at me when I exited the closet. He looked like a whole meal spread out over my bed in his casual dark jeans and blue shirt that clung to his hard muscles like a layer of wax on a statue.
He oozed power and dominance in a way that made me want to curl up beside him and let him take care of me.
Or maybe to lie back on the bed, spread my legs, and let him have his way with me.
Or maybe both.
Both sounded good.
He shook his head. “You’ll overheat in that. Go change.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll be fine like this.”
Ace stood. “No. Go change.”
I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. “We should leave. Go outside and come through the front door, I’ll tell my parents you came over to have breakfast. I’m sure there’s enough food.”
“Not until you change.”
I didn’t want to argue with him. But I also didn’t want him to make me change. So, I just stood there, feeling exhausted.
He must have seen the defeat in my expression because, the next thing I knew, he was standing in front of me and tugging me to him by my waist.
“What’s going on, Doe? Tell me who I need to fucking murder.” His words were harsh but his eyes were soft.
I averted my gaze downward so I didn’t have to meet his eyes. “I’m just feeling self-conscious today. I want to wear clothes that hide my body a bit. Is that so bad?”
“Hide your body? Why the hell would you do that? I already told you, you’re perfect. Absolutely stunning. You have nothing to be self-conscious about.”
“I thought you would be happy to hear I was covering up. You get mad any time you catch another guy looking at me.”
“Nobody is going to look at you because they know I would kill them if they did. You showing skin is for my benefit.”
His gaze darkened. “A man should never ridicule a woman for the way she dresses.
What he should do is hunt down anyone who thinks they have any right to her solely based on the clothes she has on.”
He brushed his hands over my arms. “I want to be able to see how beautiful you are. It’s what gets me through the day.”
I was suddenly feeling extremely frustrated. I dropped my forehead against his chest. There he goes again, saying things that make my heart swell and my panties dampen.
Ace pressed his lips to the top of my head and breathed in deeply. “Fuck, you smell good. Your scent is killing me.”
“What does that even mean? You’re the only person who ever says I smell good and you’ve been saying it a lot lately. What do I smell like?”
He breathed in again, rubbing his nose over my hair. “Like my own personal aphrodisiac.”
I froze. Surely, I hadn’t heard him correctly. “Wait, what?”
He dropped his nose down so it was right over that weird bump on my neck and inhaled deeply. Then, without warning, he wrapped his lips around it, sucking it into his mouth.
My knees buckled and I moaned. He held me closer to him, taking all my weight into his arms, lapping at my shoulder and throat.
How does that feel so good? So much for Ace’s promise to keep his hands to himself.
“Fuck, I just can’t help myself,” Ace growled against my skin, seemingly thinking the same thing I was. “Just one last lick and then I’m done, I promise. I promise.”
Who is he promising? Me or himself?
His tongue dragged over the column of my neck, and I shuddered. He groaned, one lick quickly becoming two.
And then three. He couldn’t stop.
And I didn’t want him to. I became overcome with the way his lips and tongue moved over my skin. I couldn’t get close enough to him.
Arching my back, I pushed my breasts against his chest, my hands making fists in his shirt. My legs shifted against each other, seeking friction.
Ace made an approving rumbling sound that traveled all the way down to my toes.
“That’s a good girl. That’s right. You need me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I whimpered. “Ace…”
“What do you need, Doe?” he asked, gripping my waist tightly in his huge hands.
“Tell me what you want.”
I want you.
I could admit my feelings for him right there and then, and this could all be over—
all the worrying and suppressed emotions. We could be together as a couple.
Happy.
Or I might push him away and lose him forever.
Did I really want to risk that?
“I…I want…” Fear gripped my tongue, refusing to let me speak.
“Come on, beautiful. I’m not giving in until you say the words,” he breathed in my ear. “Say it, and it’s yours. That’s all it will take. Just tell me what you want from me, Doe, and I’ll do it.”
Emotion was suddenly thick in my throat. I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I whispered breathlessly, slumping against him. “I don’t know what I want.”
His body softened against mine. With a sigh, he moved back, putting a little bit of distance between us.