Page 48 of Steal My Breath Away

“Not here. Not like this.” With a pained groan, he pulled me to my feet and kissed me full on the mouth. “Turn around. Lean over the railing. Lift your dress and show me that ass.”

My head reeling from his sudden change in demeanor, I did as he asked. I heard the crinkle of a condom wrapper, the gentle pressure of his hands on my hips, the press of his tip at my entrance, and then with a hard push, he was inside me.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me.” He pulled out and thrust in again, enough to tease but not enough to give me what I wanted.

“Harder.”

He withdrew and gave me just an inch, holding me in place with a firm hand on my hip. “Bossy.”

I hissed out a breath. “I’ll be anything you like if you keep going.”

“Be mine.” He pushed all the way inside me. And then he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my nape. “Tell me you’ll be mine.”

“Ace…”

His free hand slid over my hip to my clit, and he circled it slowly, moving closer and closer to the center. Pleasure built with every breath. His body was hard and heavy against me, his shaft filling me completely. He pulled out the tiniest bit and thrust in again, spiraling my pleasure.

I was so close, and he was so deep. I was him and he was me and we were together in a way that felt like it was always meant to be.

I came before I had to answer, my body tightening around him, hands gripping the cold wooden rail so hard my knuckles turned white. He followed me quickly into oblivion, my name on his lips as he fell apart.

He hugged me close after we dressed, kissing me softly, his eyes lingering on mine. We held hands in the car on the way home and then we spent the night together. But he never asked me for my answer. And I was glad. Because I didn’t know what to say.

CHAPTER 22Haley

FIVE YEARS AGO

“That was totally humiliating.” I stormed into the house, wobbling on a pair of heels that I’d taken from my mother’s closet. I didn’t know how Matt had found me, but he’d not only shown up with Ace at my high school, he’d also dragged me and Paige home. I’d been crushing hard on Ace for the past two years and to be shouted at and ordered home in front of him was just too much.

“What’s humiliating is finding your fifteen-year-old sister and her friend dressed like hookers and drinking in the field behind the high school with a couple of seniors, when they’re supposed to be inside at the dance where it’s safe,” Matt snapped, looking to Ace for support. Ace gave him a curt nod before following him in and closing the door behind us.

My cheeks burned, and I smoothed down the white tube dress that I’d bought at the mall on the weekend. Plunging, sleeveless and with side cutouts, it was the first piece of clothing I’d owned that made me feel like a woman. Paige had styled my hair in long soft curls, and we’d done each other’s makeup using a YouTube video as a guide. We’d taken dozens of pictures of ourselves in various sexy poses before we left. In our eyes, we’d never looked so good.

“If you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a child,” I spat out. “I don’t wear children’s clothing anymore. The dance was boring. The DJ sucked. Tom had stashed some wine coolers outside and offeredto let us have some. You drank when you were my age, so why shouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m a guy,” he snapped. “And, as a guy, I can tell you those dudes didn’t take you and Paige out there to look at the fucking stars or out of the kindness of their hearts. They wanted to get you drunk and…” He made a strangled sound, and his face turned red. Ace, who had been silent the whole way home, put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not stupid,” I bit out. “No one will be taking advantage of me, because I’m saving myself for someone special…” My voice trailed off when I noticed that the someone special was staring at me. I didn’t know why Ace was at our house instead of out with one of the multitudes of girls who were desperate for his attention. His dark, dangerous vibe and breathtaking good looks had made him one of the most highly desirable seniors in the school. He had a different girl under his arm every time I saw him, and he and Matt were always going out on double dates together. I also didn’t know why he was looking at me like he’d never seen me before. He’d had that look on his face since he and Matt found us in the field.

Matt looked from me to Ace and back to me. His jaw tightened and he pointed to the stairs. “Go to bed.”

“I’ll load up the game.” Ace turned on the television and plonked himself down on the couch.

Emboldened by the attention I’d had from the seniors, I put my hands on my hips. “I don’t take orders from you. Maybe I want to stay up and game with you and Ace and have a few more drinks. You can’t stop me.”

Matt was apoplectic at my show of defiance. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he yelled. “You’re fifteen, and Mom’s never around. Someone has to protect you. Someone has to keep you safe.”

At the word “safe,” Ace looked up. My body burned beneath his scrutiny. Was it my imagination or was he looking at me the way the seniors had looked at me when they invited me and Paigeoutside? Was he finally seeing me as a woman and not as a little kid?

“It’s not just up to you,” I said, my gaze locked on Ace. “We have a guest. Let’s ask him what he wants.” I teetered my way over to the couch and sat beside Ace, so close our bodies touched. He was all rock-hard muscle and blistering heat, and my blood pumped furiously through my veins, every sensation new and raw. I turned ever so slightly to glare at Matt, and my breast brushed against Ace’s thick bicep, sending a bolt of white-hot heat through my veins that made me tingle all over.

Ace stiffened and shifted in his seat, putting a few inches between us. His hands tightened on the controller; his fingers going rigid. I didn’t know much about boys, but I imagined he wanted me. Finally, in my grown-up clothes, I was worthy of his attention. Monday morning it would be me hanging off his arm in the hallway. Me kissing him behind the school during lunch break.

Empowered by what I took as interest, and the knowledge that I was no longer the child Matt thought I was, I leaned closer and whispered in his ear. “What do you want, Ace? Do you want me to stay?”

Ace stood so quickly, I almost fell over. “I’m gonna get a beer.”

“What the fuck?” Matt glared at me and then followed Ace into the kitchen. Curious, I slipped off my shoes and tiptoed into the dining room where I could hide behind the door and listen.

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