Page 27 of Ace

I lay down beside her and wrapped my arms around her, carefully avoiding the gunshot wound.Lowering my head, I nibbled at the tender skin on the back of her neck.

* * *

Emma

I woke up wrapped in my lover’s arms.

I tasted the word, rolled it around on my tongue.Lover.

Yeah.It felt good.I’d never relied on anyone else, and the thought was terrifying, but I was okay with having a lover.

Ace had made love to me last night.Making love was totally different than fucking.Everything he did, every move he made, he made with my feelings uppermost.

I blushed all over again when I thought about how many times I’d climaxed.

I stretched, smiling when Ace grumbled in his sleep and snuggled closer.

Dropping an affectionate kiss on the top of his head, I slipped out from under his arm and headed to the bathroom.I hadn’t had time or energy to unpack my stuff the previous night, so I rifled through the contents of the garbage bag to find something to put on.I wasn’t comfortable cavorting around Ace’s house in the nude.I was well aware that one or two of the prospects were lurking in the shadows to protect us.

Donning a pair of jeans and a comfy sweatshirt, I wandered out into the kitchen.

I wanted a coffee, but that chrome monster did not look like something I could figure out.Maybe with an owner’s manual.And a couple of hours of instruction.And a butler.That might work to coax a drinkable beverage out of it.

Frankly, the thought of attempting to use it had me opening cupboards and searching for a substitute.Ace didn’t look like the tea drinking kind of guy but looks could be deceiving.

I managed to find some mugs in the cupboard beside the sink, and a dubious looking can of hot chocolate.By dubious, I mean it looked like it had been purchased when I was in grade school and jammed into the back corner of the cupboard.

Maybe I could just go with hot water and pretend it tasted like coffee?

A knock on the door interrupted my explorations.Abandoning the search for life saving caffeine, I padded out to the front room and peered out the peephole.

Thor stood on the front porch, balancing a tray of takeout coffee in one hand and a paper bag in the other.Saved!

I fumbled with the deadbolt and threw the door open.“Come in!”I snatched the tray of caffeinated goodness from his hands and turned to find Ace glaring at me.

Clad only in a pair of boxers, he looked like an avenging demon.A deliciously well-appointed demon.His hair, tousled from a night’s sleep only made him look sexier.Hands on his hips, he narrowed his eyes as he clipped out the words.“You.Do.Not.Go.Near.The.Door.”He made it sound like the verdict at a murder trial.Harsh and final.

“But it’s Thor.And he had coffee.”I frowned in confusion, stretching out my arms to show him the tray.

“Um.I should go.”Thor shuffled his feet, his gaze firmly locked on the floor.

“Go.”Ace didn’t take his eyes off of me.

Thor beat a hasty retreat, pulling the door closed behind him.

“What the heck?”I shouldered past Ace to place the tray down on a side table.“I looked first.I knew it was one of your minions.It’s not like I’m an idiot.”I picked up one of the cups which had my name scrawled on the top.“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“No.I just don’t think you realize just how deadly the people who are after you can be.What if they were waiting for you to look through that peephole so they could shoot you?What if they had a gun on Thor just out of sight of the door?”His stance relaxed just a tiny bit, and I hated that I noticed the way his biceps flexed.

“Wouldn’t they have had to get past your guard dogs first?You told me you had guys patrolling the perimeter.”My temper was starting to get the better of me.I put the coffee cup down and turned to face him, my hands on my hips.

“I do.”He took one step closer to me, and I could suddenly smell that scent that was peculiarly Ace.“That’s not the point.Someone could take them out.Or slip past them.These are not rebellious kids we’re talking here.They’re hardened killers.Assassins.”

“You expect me to just sit here and not even answer the door when I know who’s there?”

“That’s exactly what I expect.I intend to protect you from everyone, including yourself.”

“What if I don’t want your protection?”

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