Page 31 of Steal My Breath Away

“Everything.”

CHAPTER 16Ace

“Knock knock.” Mav thudded on Haley’s bedroom door before pushing it open. “Ready to head out, Ace? I called Paige and let her know Haley’s okay. She says she might not kill you after all.”

Mav wasn’t a bad guy, and I appreciated the subtle warning that I’d be in big trouble if Tony found out I was still around when I was on mandatory leave. I also couldn’t fault his timing. I’d crossed another damn line telling Haley what I’d been denying for so long, and I needed to get out of there and figure out what the hell I was doing.

“I’ve got to go.” I moved to stand, and Haley grabbed my arm, waiting for Mav to leave before she said, “You can’t say that to me and just walk away.”

“I don’t have a choice. Tony won’t just pull me off your detail for good if I don’t take time off; he’ll fire me.”

“I want to come with you.” She grabbed a bundle of papers and held them up to me. “This is pain and loss and all the other emotions that I can’t let out. If I stay here, I’ll get sucked back in. I need to get out of my head.” She scooped up more papers, pressing them against her chest. “My head is still here.”

“Mav has to go where you go. He’ll tell Tony if you come with me.”

“Not if he doesn’t know I’m gone.” She ran over to her window and looked out over the roof. “I’ll tell him I’m going to bed and climb out.” Her eyes sparkled when she turned back to me. I knew that look. She might have been older but the daredevil side of her was still there.

“Absolutely not.”

She pushed open the window and leaned out into the night. “It’s not too steep and there’s a thick tree branch hanging right beside it. I would just have to jump from the branch to the ground.”

My pulse kicked up a notch, and I crossed the room and slid an arm around her waist to pull her back. Big mistake. She fit perfectly against me, her body soft, her ass pressed so tight against my cock, I was hard in an instant.

Haley sucked in a sharp breath and looked at me over her shoulder, her lips parted, eyes dark with sensual promise. “By ‘everything,’ did you mean ‘everything’?”

I didn’t know this new Haley well enough to share all the dark thoughts that were going through my mind. I didn’t know what she would do if I spelled out exactly how I wanted to touch her, to taste her, to make her writhe in pleasure and scream my name. I didn’t know how to be that open because the two times I’d let my guard down with her, it hadn’t gone well.

“I don’t…”But I did.

“Does ‘everything’ include this?” She covered my hand with hers and slid our joined hands underneath her shirt. Her skin was warm and soft and I couldn’t help but caress her, spreading my fingers until the tips brushed along the edge of her bra.

“Is this what you want?” I cupped her breast, squeezing gently, my thumb brushing over her nipple peaked beneath the silken fabric.

Haley shuddered and sank farther into my body. “Yes.”

Fuck it.I twisted my free hand through her hair and tugged her head back, baring her neck for the heated slide of my lips.

“And this?” I murmured, breathing in the floral fragrance of her skin.

“Yes.” She arched against me, her ass rubbing against my fly, an exquisitely painful pleasure that had me gritting my teeth as I fought for control.

“I want everything, too,” she whispered. “Everything you want to give me.”

It was an effort to release her, and almost impossible to walkaway when she turned to face me, her cheeks flushed with heat. “Stay here. I’ll go and talk to Mav to see if we can work something out. I’m not in his good books right now. He wasn’t happy when he found out I was in the basement gaming with Chad and Theo.”

A maelstrom of emotions crossed Haley’s face. “You were downstairs?”

“I was off duty, but I wasn’t going to leave officially until I talked to you and explained the situation. I spent the afternoon at the gym with Chad and Theo and then we were gaming until Paige sent me her threatening messages.”

Haley leaned up and gave me a peck on the cheek. “You weren’t going to leave me.”

“No, bug. I wasn’t going to leave without talking to you in person. I would have slept on their fucking couch if I had to.”

I wasn’t aware I’d used her old family nickname until a pained expression crossed her face. “No one has called me ‘bug’ for a very long time.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled. “It’s not a bad memory.”

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