Page 31 of Ace

I used one finger to tilt her head back so I could skim a quick kiss across her lusciously pink lips.“Dinner.With me.Fancy-ass.Not a cheap take-out joint.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m irresistible?”

She snorted.“Try again.”

“Because you’re stuck with me for the next while, and we can’t spend all our time in bed.We should probably get to know each other better.And I’d really like to take you out on a date.”

“Like a real date?Okay.”

It was my turn to look confused.“Okay?Just like that?”

A gorgeous smile lit up her face.“Just like that.Remember, you said fancy, so I expect you to deliver.”

“Done!”

“So where are we going?”

It was my turn to grin.“You’ll have to wait and see.It’s a surprise.”

“Fair enough.Just tell me, do I need a ballgown, or will a dress and heels suffice?”

I pretended to consider.“I think a nice dress and some heels will work.”

“And just when is this fancy date taking place?”

“Tonight is as good a time as any.Say six thirty?”

Her jaw dropped.“Tonight?You know those kinds of places need reservations, don’t you?Like weeks ahead of time?Especially for a Saturday night.”

I gave her a smug look.“Not a problem.I know a guy.“

Chapter Eight

Emma

Why on earth had I agreed to this?For one thing, I hadn’t bothered to grab any dresses when I’d been home.Didn’t exactly think I’d need them, bunking in with a biker and all.When I mentioned it to Ace, though, he’d sent one of the minions over to my place to grab some dresses and my pitifully scant array of shoes.

I eyed up my three choices they’d brought back.In their defense, I only had four dresses, and the prospects had brought three of them back along with all four of my pairs of shoes.I picked up the green sheath and held it up in front of me.

Nope.It made me look like a cucumber on steroids.Not sure why I’d never turfed it.The pink one was out as well.A typical bridesmaid dress, it was much too frothy for a dinner date.That left the sky-blue cocktail dress with the back pretty much missing.I’d never actually worn it anywhere outside of the house.It showed a little more skin than I was comfortable with, but if I could come up with a sweater or a wrap to wear over it, it would suffice.

If the man expected to be dazzled, he needed to give me more than a couple of hours to get ready.Hanging up the chosen dress on the back of the bedroom door, I headed into the ensuite to fluff and buff as best I could in a strange bathroom.

An hour later, after some serious primping, I was ready.Butterflies fluttered in my gut.Why, I’m not sure.This was Ace.I’d known him forever.He’d seen me with pigtails, with mud caked on my clothes, and probably worse.Hell, he’d seen me naked less than twenty-four hours ago.So why was I nervous about seeing him with my hair and makeup done properly and a pair of three-inch heels?

Because you like him, and you want him to see you as something other than his little brother’s playmate, whispered the demon on my shoulder.

Well, we’d done the horizontal nasty already, so I doubted he saw me as a kid anymore, but the little demon was right.I liked Ace.A lot.Maybe more than l should.

This was different than the crush I’d had on him as a kid.He made me feel safe.Secure.I couldn’t think of when I’d ever felt this comfortable with another person.And that was the problem.I’d worked so hard at getting out of the crappy neighborhood I’d grown up in, getting on the path to a degree and the possibility of feeling I belonged in the respectable community.I couldn’t just throw all that away because my knees went weak when I saw Ace’s eyes darken with lust.

Was there a way to reconcile my world to his?Did I even want to?

I grabbed my purse and headed to the living room.I intended to enjoy tonight.Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about reality.

“Wow!”Ace scanned me from head to toe.“You clean up good, babe!”

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