My hands float to his hair, and as I tug on the ends he groans. Pulls me closer. Kisses me harder.
It’s the kind of moment where everything else drops away. There’s no dangerous loan shark or hired killers. There’s no gambling ring. There’s no society expectations. There’s just me, Ace, and our lips.
And his hands. God, his hands.
Every place he puts his hands is intentional. Like he wants me to feel this in the best possible way. One slips down my side while the other cups my face. Then he’s sliding a hand over my hip and the other coasts around the side of my breast, making me shiver in his hold.
His lips tear away from mine, only to draw a line of hot kisses down the side of my jaw. I gasp, and he freezes.
No! Don’t stop! That was a good gasp!
Glancing up at me, his eyes are so heated, so dark, and so Ace. His bottom lip catches between his teeth, and his low murmur makes my thighs clench and my lower belly flutter.
“Just kisses, baby. I promise…this doesn’t go further than that tonight.”
Tonight. The word is like a satin promise.
I’ve never been shy about what I do with guys. If I want to, I make out with them. Sometimes I go a little further if the mood is right. But with Ace, everything is different. I’m nervous about what he’s feeling when his hands travel over my skin. I’m breathless because of the way his kisses make me feel. It’s all so intense, so much more.
Like fire and gasoline, and our closeness is the match.
Like our bodies are connected, meld ourselves together, slow and simmering. Ace rolls on top of me, one hand crawling up my side underneath my shirt, his lips still possessing mine. Every part of me feels perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
He keeps his promise. He doesn’t push me further than I want to go, even though if I’m honest I’m probably willing to go past any line I’ve ever crossed before. His lips touch me, caress me, own me long into the night, and then he holds me close while we fall asleep.
When my eyes flutter open the next morning, the first thing they land on is Ace’s forearm. It’s slung across my midsection, and as soon as I feel him, my insides begin to smolder. Turning my head to the left, I find Ace is on his side, his arm reaching across me like a protective shield.
I don’t want to move. No, all I want to do is cuddle closer to him and snuggle in for a day in bed.
I’ve never spent the day in bed with a guy, but it seems like such a delicious idea for Ace and I. Trying to move minimally, I reach over to my nightstand to check the time on my phone.
Yep. Only an hour before I have to be in my first class. So I’m not spending the day in bed with anyone. The last thing I need is to fall behind in my classes now, when the finish line is so close.
After I put my phone down, I turn into Ace, placing my hand against his cheek. His lashes are long and dark, touching his skin as he blinks with the haze of sleep still in his eyes.
“Hey.” A slow, dangerous smile works its way across his face. That forearm flexes, and pulls me closer. We’re face to face, and I’m not even sweating my morning breath.
He’s too much of a distraction.
“Hey.”
He stretches, and my eyes travel down his body. We slept on top of the covers, and his t-shirt rides up as his arms lift above his head.
Damn. That’s what I was feeling last night.
When I meet his gaze again, he’s wearing a smug grin.
“Don’t.” I nudge him. “Don’t even say it.”
His grin grows. “Don’t say what? Oh, you mean you don’t want me to mention anything about the fact that you were just blatantly checking me out?”
I slap those rock-hard abs, and he doesn’t even flinch.
“Ouch.” A small chuckle escapes him.
My eyebrows pull together in a frown. “That didn’t even hurt, did it?”
His eyes are full of mischief, but he keeps his voice innocent. “Did you want it to?”
His expression softens and he uses a thumb to trace my jaw line, then my bottom lip. “I’ve never done this before.”
Shock ripples through me, like circles radiating from a thrown stone in a pond. “What? Slept with a girl?”
He nods, holding my gaze hostage. “Yeah. Just slept with a girl. And all night.”
And just like that, there’s a running movie in my head of all the things Ace has probably done in bed with a girl without sleeping. My stomach rolls, a sudden nauseous feeling taking root.
“Naima…it’s good. I liked it. Too much. I’m supposed to be staying away from you…I shouldn’t even be here.”
The expression in his eyes is intense, like saying these words are tearing off a tiny piece of something inside of him. He looks tortured.
Shaking my head, I return his caress, my hand cupping his cheek. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m not scared.”
Sighing, he pulls away and sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He runs agitated hands through his mussed hair. Which is super sexy after he’s slept on it all night. “You should be.”
Standing, he moves until he finds his boots on my side of the floor and pulls them onto first his right foot, then his left. I take my time, sitting up and climbing out of bed while I stretch my tingling arms and legs.
When I’m done, I glance at Ace to find his eyes locked on me. They’re on fire, burning with desire and affection. The expression warms me and sends a fresh wave of tingles
