A shudder rolls through me as he pauses.
“Our lives are a fucking mess when we don’t have it. We spend all our time trying to get it.”
His voice has gone dark. Like there’s no trace of the Ace that draws me in, pulls me close.
But wait…is that true? Doesn’t this side of Ace draw me in just as surely as the rest of him? It’s the whole package, not just the pretty parts. I’m just as pulled to the scarred, the dark, the ugly.
Whether I want to be or not.
My voice comes out as a hoarse whisper. “There’s more to you than that, Ace. You might not realize it, but there is. And I can see it.”
He finally turns his head and those striking eyes pierce me where I lay. The contact feels like an actual touch, and my breath stutters. “What you think you see in me…I don’t want to lie to you, Naima. It’s just not there.”
The tortured break in his voice clues me in to the hopelessness he’s feeling at that moment. Oh, it’s there, Ace. You just don’t know it. Maybe no one has ever shown you the best parts of yourself. I can.
I turn my head back toward the ceiling. But I grab his hand in mine, gripping it with fierce determination. He holds on tight; his grip is just as savage as mine. His sharp intake of breath overtures the emotion rolling off him.
“So…my uncle has some connections. He’s totally clean; his bar is legit. But he’s been to prison before” —he looks at me quickly, gauging my reaction— “and he knows people. He’s going to see what he can find out. And once I have a name for the loan shark, I’m going after him. I’ll see what I can find out. I need to get to him before he gets to me.”
I swallow hard. The fearful lump in my throat just won’t go away. “That sounds dangerous. I actually don’t like that plan very much at all.”
Ace’s sigh sounds exhausted. Has he even been sleeping?
I try to picture the guys in the fraternities around campus. What they’re probably all doing right now. If they aren’t sleeping, their biggest worry might be passing heir next exam. Or how they’re going to get into the Flavor-Of-The-Week’s pants. Or maybe, and this doesn’t happen often, they might be worrying about what they’re going to do after graduation. But a good number of them will be sliding right into whatever corporation their parents own.
They definitely aren’t agonizing about tracking down a murderer before said murderer finds them.
“Why…” I start, my voice careful. I know I’m cresting dangerous territory here. But I want to know the man lying beside me. His depth is unfathomable, and I’ve jumped in and am sinking fast. “…Does it feel like this isn’t the first time your life has been on the line?”
He turns toward me again and smiles. But his smile is sad, hollow, weary. It’s not the smile a normal twenty-four-year-old should wear. “You see things, don’t you, angel?”
Angel.
It’s the third time he’s called me that. I’ve never thought of myself that way. And I’m pretty sure no one else ever has either. But when the sweet nickname rolls off of Ace’s tongue, I’m warm and tingly all over. Like I just swallowed an entire cup of hot cocoa and am so very thirsty for more. It’s a new experience…and it’s nice. More than nice.
Okay, levels above nice.
“Anyway, I’ll be okay. Like you said, I’ve been the underdog before. Always claw my way to the top.” One side of his mouth tips up in a crooked grin that melts my insides, creating even more warmth.
“Ace. You can let me help you. It doesn’t have to be me going after this crazy loan shark or whatever. But I have a brain, and I can help you think strategy when you’re ready.”
He stares at me for a long moment. His gaze is intense and scrutinizing. I want to squirm beneath it, but I hold tight, staring right back into those deep, deep eyes.
“Yeah. You’re smart and you’re tough. I might run a few things by you.” He pulls out his phone, his mouth stretching into a wide, genuine grin that makes my heart flip-flop in its place in my chest. “First thing I want to run by you? Is that whole kissing request you made a little while ago.”
His voice has gone all deep and sexy, and oh my God. My body has a mind of its own as something inside me sizzles and unfurls. I’m now experiencing what it feels like to be insanely turned on. And I realize I’ve never truly felt it before.
He grabs hold of me and pulls me toward him, pivoting his body at the same time so that we’re both lying lengthwise on my queen-sized bed. Our faces pause less than an inch apart, but our bodies are pressed together from chest to knee.
His eyes are wide, bright, and full of fire. “Can’t stop thinking about those lips.”
His rough whisper scrapes against parts of my skin I’m not usually aware of. My eyes flutter, keeping time with my fluctuating heartbeat.
His eyes dart down to my lips before they swing back up to meet mine again. “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be staying away from you. It’s what you need. It’s what I know has to be done. But I couldn’t.”
My breath mingles with his as I whisper. “Good.”
Thirteen
NAIMA
When I inhale, he blankets my senses.
He smells good. Like fresh citrus mixed with mint….and wind.
And at the same time his smell hits me, his big, strong hand cups the back of my head. Just when I’m feeling the zing from that possessive connection, that firm and mesmerizing mouth claims mine.
And damn does he possess me. Like no man has ever
