I need you to love me, p.20
I Need You To Love Me, page 20
He tips my chin, soliciting my attention, and his hand brushes across my cheek. I tear my gaze from the hundreds of eyes and look at his handsome features. The neatly trimmed stubble softens his sharp jawline, and his eyes catch the golden ambiance from the chandelier above us. I get lost in the endless constellations in front of me.
It’s as though I’m the only one in the room worth his attention, and everyone else is merely a trifling distraction. No one’s ever looked at me like that.
“You know, I wasn’t always an asshole or full of myself,” he finally notes, tilting his head to the side.
“Really? One would think you came out of the womb with an elevated ego.”
He chuckles, but it fades quickly. “Rather the opposite, actually. For more than half of my life, I sought validation from the one person who would never give it to me.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Ace rarely opens up to me on his own, and for him to admit this, is significant.
“For as long as I can remember, I always looked up to him. And I convinced myself he could do no wrong. Perhaps, that’s why I ignored the signs that were in plain sight. I didn’t want to believe the man I held in high view was capable of such things.”
There are many things Ace holds himself accountable for, one of them being his father’s unfaithfulness to his mother. Ace believes he should’ve seen the signs—the secret cabin, the extended business trips. But he was only a kid. He shouldn’t take that burden onto himself.
“I grew up with people who had their fathers around. Logan’s dad wasn’t a saint, but he spent time with Logan, took his family on business trips and holidays. Theo and Josh’s father was an unfaithful man, but he too accepted both of his sons without forcing them to live up to unattainable standards. With my father, I always felt like I wasn’t enough. I was always trying to prove myself to him, fighting for his attention daily when all he cared about was his job.”
My heart breaks for him. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like. Ace still carries it with him, and he always will.
“The first time my father laid a hand on me was when I told him I didn’t want to pursue law. The second time was the night he left. I still wonder if the outcome would have been different if I’d decided to follow in his footsteps. Would I have finally gained his approval? Would he still have left?”
My grip tightens on him. “Jesus Christ. You must know that wasn’t your fault, and you can’t keep wondering what if. Your father is a horrible man. You can’t hold yourself accountable for him leaving.”
He nods. “Even though I know that, it still lingers at the back of my mind. I think that was a pivotal moment in my life. After that, people’s perceptions of me didn’t matter anymore. It was like a switch was flicked, and I didn’t care how much of a disappointment I was. The only thing that mattered was that I didn’t end up like him.”
Ace snickers under his breath. “But I guess that went out the fucking window too. I’m just as bad as him, if not worse. He took the law into his own hands and bent it for himself. I’m no different in that regard.”
I shake my head, refusing to believe it. In a way, I disregarded the law too, and I don’t think that it makes us bad people. We’re just people who made terrible decisions.
I place my hand on his cheek. “Ace, you’re anything but a disappointment. If my opinion counts for anything, I think you’ve become an incredible man. You put on an act, but underneath it, you’re selfless, kind, and anyone would be a fool to think otherwise once they got to know you. You’re nothing like your father.”
A grin flirts at the corners of his mouth. “It counts for everything.”
He leans down while tilting my chin to meet his remarkable mouth. The kiss is thorough and fervent, and his tongue darts out to sweep my bottom lip. I can’t help but smile during it, placing my hands around his neck and greedily pulling him in.
Our chemistry is a lustrous flame, igniting brighter by the second, withstanding even the most catastrophic downpours.
When we come apart, I realize no one’s paying attention to us anymore. There are others on the dance floor, not many, but more than I expected there to be. I appreciate that Ace shared a vulnerable part of himself to make me at ease.
The rest of the night, Ace discusses business with some significant investment partners. Again, I find myself feeling out of place, but I knew it would be like this. I’m merely a journalist in a place full of entrepreneurs and well-known celebrities. An outsider in many aspects.
One moment, I’m standing next to Ace, and the next, I turn, and he’s not there. I scan the room and spot him striding toward me. How long has he been gone? I was too busy watching the women to the right of me who are having some kind of disagreement.
Ace drapes his arm around my waist and tugs my back closer to his chest. “There you are,” he murmurs, his warm breath tickling my neck.
I inadvertently brush my bottom against him since we’re already so close, and my pulse hastens at the feel of him.
I have a drink in my hand, and I turn to Ace. While keeping my eyes on him, I remove the olive that’s floating on top and place it in my mouth. I suck on it and then extract it by the toothpick, still whole, making a pop sound with my lips. No one notices except for him. Teasing Ace with my mouth has become effortless now that he knows what I can do with it.
“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” I smile before placing the empty glass on a waiter’s tray.
Walking past the women who are still in the midst of an argument, I sense Ace behind me. He snakes his arm around my waist, constricting his grip and guides me toward a shadowed corner of the hallway, where a tall potted plant obscures everyone’s vision of us.
“Is something wrong, handsome?” I ask in the most artless voice I can muster, batting my eyelashes for the full effect.
His beautiful eyes pierce mine while his jaw grinds in irritation. “Yes, we’re leaving.”
“Already?” I pout. “But I was having so much fun with you.” I travel my fingers to his chest and twirl his tie between my thumb and forefinger.
He seizes my hand with his. “We’ll have more fun alone.”
I don’t doubt that.
Ace grasps my jaw with his other hand, skimming his thumb over my lips. “By the time I’m done with you, the whole city will know my name.”
I’m aware I’m playing in a perilous territory, but trouble has never felt so damn tempting—especially when it looks like that.
Ace has removed his suit jacket and rolled up the shirt sleeves, forcing his strong biceps muscles to strain against his shirt. My thoughts race with everything he’s capable of doing, and my hands sweat.
I didn’t think tonight was going to be any different. Ace made it clear that sex was off the table, at least until the deal was over. Has that changed?
“You’re quiet. Was it something I said?” he questions with a cocky, deliberate grin. His hand rests on the gear stick, occasionally shifting it as he drives.
It’s everything he said. And if his words alone can me feel like this—hot and bothered—I can’t even begin to imagine what the rest of the night is going to entail. He’s a man of his word, and if he makes a promise, he’ll keep it.
The anticipation mixed with a raw desire for him delivers heat to settle between my legs. Though his ego is getting the better of him, and the smug look on his face is driving me insane.
“I’m just thinking of all the things I want you to do to me, Ace. But first, I want to suck every single inch of you.” Again.
I’ve never thought much about going down on a man before. It’s always been for their pleasure, and it didn’t do much for me. But with Ace, it’s different. I want to please him. I want to see the hazy, half-lidded look on his face when I take all of him. I want it to be all he thinks about until I do it again. And again.
“Calla…” he warns, but his grin doesn’t falter. As much as he’s trying to act like that didn’t affect him, his body stiffens.
Good. “Was it something I said?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. The light from the streetlamps illuminates the inside of the car, and I notice how his mouth curves upward.
“I like this,” he declares.
“What?”
“You and your dirty mouth.”
Oh, I bet you do.
Abiding by the speed limit, Ace drives through the narrow streets where people are only beginning to emerge from their apartments and hotel rooms, ready for the night ahead of them.
There’s an entire city in front of us to explore, but we’re craving to explore each other instead. We have lost our minds. Being apart for so long, trying to fill the empty void with others but never being fully satisfied, has left us starved for each other.
I place my hand on his thigh, unable to keep any distance between us. He inhales sharply. My fingers travel up, and I already feel him hard underneath my fingers. A satisfied smile colors my face.
If we weren’t already pulling up to the hotel, I’d love to see how much self-control Ace has when my mouth wraps around him in a moving vehicle. Instead, I palm him through his pants, and he grunts, clenching his teeth.
“Calla, I don’t have much control left, and if you keep doing that, I won’t hesitate to take you in the car.”
I gulp loudly. Every word that manifests out of his mouth makes me wetter. I squeeze my legs together but maintain my hand on him.
He parks the car in front of the hotel and climbs out, drooping his jacket over his arm to cover the stiffness in his pants while handing the parking valet the keys. In a heartbeat, he’s next to me, resting his hand on my lower back, guiding me toward the elevator.
Every step we take feels like a waste of time, time that can be spent doing something we have both been waiting too long for. Ace must be having the same thoughts, because he quickens his pace toward the elevators, and his jaw ticks in annoyance when an elderly couple enters behind us.
The elevator isn’t vast, and we stand toward the back. Ace cups my ass, as though silently claiming me. He leans down and brushes his lips against my nape before murmuring, “I’ve been wanting to taste you again, to feel you writhe beneath my tongue. But most of all, I’ve been dying to fuck you, to be inside you…”
My eyes widen, and I glance toward the elderly couple, sincerely hoping they don’t hear his vulgar language. My brain stops functioning, and I have nothing to say as the thrilling fervency dances beneath my skin.
The asshole has left me unequivocally speechless.
18
The Release
Calla
When we reach the top floor, Ace interlaces his hand with mine. He scans the keycard, unlocking our suite. I walk toward the kitchen and set my purse on the counter with shaking hands. The room is chilly from the air-conditioning we must have left on, and goose bumps scatter along my skin, from my legs and up my spine. Why am I so nervous?
Ace steps behind me. I don’t turn around. Instead, I grip the benchtop for support. My legs are weak, like I’ve been running laps around Central Park. I swallow hard as my heart drums in an unwavering beat.
“Don’t get nervous on me now, love.”
He wraps his hands around my waist, and his calloused fingers brush against the delicate material of my dress. The room shrinks, urging us together while my sole focus is on keeping my breathing even.
“I’m not nervous.”
Ace moves his hands upward. Every part that he touches catches fire, and the blazes ripple through my skin like an inferno. His fingers tentatively graze my ribcage, and his thumb brushes underneath my breast, precisely where the dress turns to mesh.
“No?” he muses as he drags his fingers up my arms and toward my back, where they hover above the zip of the dress. “May I?”
“Yes.” I squeeze my eyes shut.
With my permission, Ace sweeps my hair to the side and unzips me, allowing the dress to pool at my legs. The cool air greets my body’s heat, but it doesn’t provide any sort of relief.
“What did you say in the car? You want to suck every inch of me?” he drawls against my neck, letting my hair fall down my back again.
My teeth scrape my lower lip as the arousal pools in between my legs.
“Turn around,” Ace instructs without waiting for a response.
I turn to face him and see the ravenous storm building behind the shadows of his eyes. My top half is bare, and my nipples pebble with each passing second. I hold my breath as Ace traces his forefinger around one like he has all the time in the world.
“Do you want to fulfill your promise?” he asks as he circles it again, unhurriedly, using only the tip. “Or would you rather I show you what I’ve been dying to do?” he refers to what he said in the elevator.
I exhale, and then I’m forced to sharply inhale when Ace flicks my nipple before moving on to the other. I can’t think. I can’t speak. I whimper as I try to form a sentence, a fragment. Something. What has gotten into me?
“Words, Calla. I like words,” Ace informs me with a delighted smirk as he rolls my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
“You,” I manage to elude.
He chuckles darkly. “Gladly.”
Ace closes the distance and puts his mouth over mine. I instantly part for him and allow him to kiss me with hunger and permanency. The kiss is everything I hoped it would be and more. It captivates, tugs me further in, and propels bolts of electricity through me like I’m an active circuit.
Ace’s tongue is hot and teasing, showing me what he’s capable of doing in other places, and I gently tug on his lip with my teeth. My legs tremble, and I steady myself by grasping his sturdy arms.
Breathing becomes arduous as I battle with the desire to consume him entirely. He supports me with one hand, and with the other, he clears the bench, sweeping everything that was on top of it onto the ground. Paper rustles. Glass shatters. He lifts me and positions my body on the kitchen counter. Cool stone meets my bare ass.
Ace drops to his knees in front of me. The image is quite extraordinary. He’s still fully dressed, apart from his jacket that’s draped over a chair. He gazes up at me, insatiable desire clear in his expression, like he’s been waiting for this all his life.
He places his large hands on my thighs and searches my face for permission. It’s this—the way he asks for consent even though he knows damn well I need him makes me vulnerable. Ace is a gentleman who knows how to be dominant. God, I love that. I love—
“Please,” I beg, needing more contact, more of his touch before I go insane.
Ace chuckles once again. The deep, low sound permeates the quiet room. He lowers his head and places his lips against my inner thigh, softly kissing it. I feel everything—the way his mouth sucks gently on every spot. The way his stubble brushes against my smooth skin, forcing me to crave him that much more.
His finger goes in between the thin waistband of my garter belt, he pulls it and releases it abruptly. The unexpected sting makes my eyes widen, and I part my lips as a hiss escapes them.
Ace places the pad of his thumb gently through my lacy underwear. He’s barely touched me there, but the tension is already building inside. I buck my hips forward, wanting release. The friction of his thumb and my panties heighten the pleasure, so I do it again.
He grins and looks up at me. “You’re so fucking wet, love.”
Without warning, he dips his head and kisses me through the sheer material. The flick of his warm tongue against my sex is just enough to drive me crazy.
“Ace,” I moan his name and tilt my head back, parting my legs farther. Then, I feel a rough tug followed by a snap as he tears my lacy panties off, including the garter belt that costs more than my monthly salary. I look down at him, narrowing my eyes. “Ace! They were expensive!”
“I don’t care. I’ll buy you more. You should know better than to wear this around me. I prefer you with nothing on.” He draws me closer, resting my legs over his broad shoulders, and adjusts his pants as his erection grows.
Out of habit, my hands reach for his hair, and I tangle my fingers through the softness of it.
Parting my folds with two of his fingers, Ace’s expression is nothing short of haughty and animalistic. Without warning, he drags his tongue up my center, licking it up as if he intends to devour all of me. It’s gradual and concentrated. I lose all sense of place and time as my yearning builds deeper, passionately swirling in my core. With just a simple movement of his tongue, my head spins, and my legs tremble.
The entire universe shatters.
“Sweet—” he murmurs against me, “—like butterscotch.”
His tongue sweeps where I need it the most, and I gasp when he unrelentingly sucks on my clit. There are no words to explain what he does to me, but it’s nothing short of incredible. My breathing quickens when he continues to form an astounding pattern with his tongue, slow at first, but his speed increases with each passing second.
Ace knows my body better than I do, and if he desired to, he could make me come within seconds, but he holds off. Instead, he takes his time, gliding his tongue up and down my entrance—curving the tip of it inside. He isn’t sloppy, on the contrary, it’s impressive how skillful his strokes are. Slow and teasing, he pays attention to every tender spot and drags out my pleasure.
A moan with his name on it spills from my lips when he slips a long finger inside of me, and I tug on his hair.
“Tell me no man has ever made you feel the way I do.”
There’s been pleasure with other men, but nothing like this. Nothing has come close to the earth-shattering feeling that’s ascending in me now. Whether it be the familiarity or perhaps something considerably more, Ace marked my heart a lifetime ago. He inked it permanently with his existence in a thousand ways, and there’s no way to erase him.
“No one. Only you.”
“Good.” Ace slips a second finger inside me, curling both of them to reach that sweet spot. The male arrogance glows vividly on his expression as I beg him to take me on the kitchen counter while I shamelessly grind my hips on his face, and he pumps his fingers in and out. If I weren’t so turned on right now, I’d be embarrassed by the sounds saturating the room—my frantic moans, the apparent noise of my slick wetness.
It’s as though I’m the only one in the room worth his attention, and everyone else is merely a trifling distraction. No one’s ever looked at me like that.
“You know, I wasn’t always an asshole or full of myself,” he finally notes, tilting his head to the side.
“Really? One would think you came out of the womb with an elevated ego.”
He chuckles, but it fades quickly. “Rather the opposite, actually. For more than half of my life, I sought validation from the one person who would never give it to me.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Ace rarely opens up to me on his own, and for him to admit this, is significant.
“For as long as I can remember, I always looked up to him. And I convinced myself he could do no wrong. Perhaps, that’s why I ignored the signs that were in plain sight. I didn’t want to believe the man I held in high view was capable of such things.”
There are many things Ace holds himself accountable for, one of them being his father’s unfaithfulness to his mother. Ace believes he should’ve seen the signs—the secret cabin, the extended business trips. But he was only a kid. He shouldn’t take that burden onto himself.
“I grew up with people who had their fathers around. Logan’s dad wasn’t a saint, but he spent time with Logan, took his family on business trips and holidays. Theo and Josh’s father was an unfaithful man, but he too accepted both of his sons without forcing them to live up to unattainable standards. With my father, I always felt like I wasn’t enough. I was always trying to prove myself to him, fighting for his attention daily when all he cared about was his job.”
My heart breaks for him. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like. Ace still carries it with him, and he always will.
“The first time my father laid a hand on me was when I told him I didn’t want to pursue law. The second time was the night he left. I still wonder if the outcome would have been different if I’d decided to follow in his footsteps. Would I have finally gained his approval? Would he still have left?”
My grip tightens on him. “Jesus Christ. You must know that wasn’t your fault, and you can’t keep wondering what if. Your father is a horrible man. You can’t hold yourself accountable for him leaving.”
He nods. “Even though I know that, it still lingers at the back of my mind. I think that was a pivotal moment in my life. After that, people’s perceptions of me didn’t matter anymore. It was like a switch was flicked, and I didn’t care how much of a disappointment I was. The only thing that mattered was that I didn’t end up like him.”
Ace snickers under his breath. “But I guess that went out the fucking window too. I’m just as bad as him, if not worse. He took the law into his own hands and bent it for himself. I’m no different in that regard.”
I shake my head, refusing to believe it. In a way, I disregarded the law too, and I don’t think that it makes us bad people. We’re just people who made terrible decisions.
I place my hand on his cheek. “Ace, you’re anything but a disappointment. If my opinion counts for anything, I think you’ve become an incredible man. You put on an act, but underneath it, you’re selfless, kind, and anyone would be a fool to think otherwise once they got to know you. You’re nothing like your father.”
A grin flirts at the corners of his mouth. “It counts for everything.”
He leans down while tilting my chin to meet his remarkable mouth. The kiss is thorough and fervent, and his tongue darts out to sweep my bottom lip. I can’t help but smile during it, placing my hands around his neck and greedily pulling him in.
Our chemistry is a lustrous flame, igniting brighter by the second, withstanding even the most catastrophic downpours.
When we come apart, I realize no one’s paying attention to us anymore. There are others on the dance floor, not many, but more than I expected there to be. I appreciate that Ace shared a vulnerable part of himself to make me at ease.
The rest of the night, Ace discusses business with some significant investment partners. Again, I find myself feeling out of place, but I knew it would be like this. I’m merely a journalist in a place full of entrepreneurs and well-known celebrities. An outsider in many aspects.
One moment, I’m standing next to Ace, and the next, I turn, and he’s not there. I scan the room and spot him striding toward me. How long has he been gone? I was too busy watching the women to the right of me who are having some kind of disagreement.
Ace drapes his arm around my waist and tugs my back closer to his chest. “There you are,” he murmurs, his warm breath tickling my neck.
I inadvertently brush my bottom against him since we’re already so close, and my pulse hastens at the feel of him.
I have a drink in my hand, and I turn to Ace. While keeping my eyes on him, I remove the olive that’s floating on top and place it in my mouth. I suck on it and then extract it by the toothpick, still whole, making a pop sound with my lips. No one notices except for him. Teasing Ace with my mouth has become effortless now that he knows what I can do with it.
“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” I smile before placing the empty glass on a waiter’s tray.
Walking past the women who are still in the midst of an argument, I sense Ace behind me. He snakes his arm around my waist, constricting his grip and guides me toward a shadowed corner of the hallway, where a tall potted plant obscures everyone’s vision of us.
“Is something wrong, handsome?” I ask in the most artless voice I can muster, batting my eyelashes for the full effect.
His beautiful eyes pierce mine while his jaw grinds in irritation. “Yes, we’re leaving.”
“Already?” I pout. “But I was having so much fun with you.” I travel my fingers to his chest and twirl his tie between my thumb and forefinger.
He seizes my hand with his. “We’ll have more fun alone.”
I don’t doubt that.
Ace grasps my jaw with his other hand, skimming his thumb over my lips. “By the time I’m done with you, the whole city will know my name.”
I’m aware I’m playing in a perilous territory, but trouble has never felt so damn tempting—especially when it looks like that.
Ace has removed his suit jacket and rolled up the shirt sleeves, forcing his strong biceps muscles to strain against his shirt. My thoughts race with everything he’s capable of doing, and my hands sweat.
I didn’t think tonight was going to be any different. Ace made it clear that sex was off the table, at least until the deal was over. Has that changed?
“You’re quiet. Was it something I said?” he questions with a cocky, deliberate grin. His hand rests on the gear stick, occasionally shifting it as he drives.
It’s everything he said. And if his words alone can me feel like this—hot and bothered—I can’t even begin to imagine what the rest of the night is going to entail. He’s a man of his word, and if he makes a promise, he’ll keep it.
The anticipation mixed with a raw desire for him delivers heat to settle between my legs. Though his ego is getting the better of him, and the smug look on his face is driving me insane.
“I’m just thinking of all the things I want you to do to me, Ace. But first, I want to suck every single inch of you.” Again.
I’ve never thought much about going down on a man before. It’s always been for their pleasure, and it didn’t do much for me. But with Ace, it’s different. I want to please him. I want to see the hazy, half-lidded look on his face when I take all of him. I want it to be all he thinks about until I do it again. And again.
“Calla…” he warns, but his grin doesn’t falter. As much as he’s trying to act like that didn’t affect him, his body stiffens.
Good. “Was it something I said?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. The light from the streetlamps illuminates the inside of the car, and I notice how his mouth curves upward.
“I like this,” he declares.
“What?”
“You and your dirty mouth.”
Oh, I bet you do.
Abiding by the speed limit, Ace drives through the narrow streets where people are only beginning to emerge from their apartments and hotel rooms, ready for the night ahead of them.
There’s an entire city in front of us to explore, but we’re craving to explore each other instead. We have lost our minds. Being apart for so long, trying to fill the empty void with others but never being fully satisfied, has left us starved for each other.
I place my hand on his thigh, unable to keep any distance between us. He inhales sharply. My fingers travel up, and I already feel him hard underneath my fingers. A satisfied smile colors my face.
If we weren’t already pulling up to the hotel, I’d love to see how much self-control Ace has when my mouth wraps around him in a moving vehicle. Instead, I palm him through his pants, and he grunts, clenching his teeth.
“Calla, I don’t have much control left, and if you keep doing that, I won’t hesitate to take you in the car.”
I gulp loudly. Every word that manifests out of his mouth makes me wetter. I squeeze my legs together but maintain my hand on him.
He parks the car in front of the hotel and climbs out, drooping his jacket over his arm to cover the stiffness in his pants while handing the parking valet the keys. In a heartbeat, he’s next to me, resting his hand on my lower back, guiding me toward the elevator.
Every step we take feels like a waste of time, time that can be spent doing something we have both been waiting too long for. Ace must be having the same thoughts, because he quickens his pace toward the elevators, and his jaw ticks in annoyance when an elderly couple enters behind us.
The elevator isn’t vast, and we stand toward the back. Ace cups my ass, as though silently claiming me. He leans down and brushes his lips against my nape before murmuring, “I’ve been wanting to taste you again, to feel you writhe beneath my tongue. But most of all, I’ve been dying to fuck you, to be inside you…”
My eyes widen, and I glance toward the elderly couple, sincerely hoping they don’t hear his vulgar language. My brain stops functioning, and I have nothing to say as the thrilling fervency dances beneath my skin.
The asshole has left me unequivocally speechless.
18
The Release
Calla
When we reach the top floor, Ace interlaces his hand with mine. He scans the keycard, unlocking our suite. I walk toward the kitchen and set my purse on the counter with shaking hands. The room is chilly from the air-conditioning we must have left on, and goose bumps scatter along my skin, from my legs and up my spine. Why am I so nervous?
Ace steps behind me. I don’t turn around. Instead, I grip the benchtop for support. My legs are weak, like I’ve been running laps around Central Park. I swallow hard as my heart drums in an unwavering beat.
“Don’t get nervous on me now, love.”
He wraps his hands around my waist, and his calloused fingers brush against the delicate material of my dress. The room shrinks, urging us together while my sole focus is on keeping my breathing even.
“I’m not nervous.”
Ace moves his hands upward. Every part that he touches catches fire, and the blazes ripple through my skin like an inferno. His fingers tentatively graze my ribcage, and his thumb brushes underneath my breast, precisely where the dress turns to mesh.
“No?” he muses as he drags his fingers up my arms and toward my back, where they hover above the zip of the dress. “May I?”
“Yes.” I squeeze my eyes shut.
With my permission, Ace sweeps my hair to the side and unzips me, allowing the dress to pool at my legs. The cool air greets my body’s heat, but it doesn’t provide any sort of relief.
“What did you say in the car? You want to suck every inch of me?” he drawls against my neck, letting my hair fall down my back again.
My teeth scrape my lower lip as the arousal pools in between my legs.
“Turn around,” Ace instructs without waiting for a response.
I turn to face him and see the ravenous storm building behind the shadows of his eyes. My top half is bare, and my nipples pebble with each passing second. I hold my breath as Ace traces his forefinger around one like he has all the time in the world.
“Do you want to fulfill your promise?” he asks as he circles it again, unhurriedly, using only the tip. “Or would you rather I show you what I’ve been dying to do?” he refers to what he said in the elevator.
I exhale, and then I’m forced to sharply inhale when Ace flicks my nipple before moving on to the other. I can’t think. I can’t speak. I whimper as I try to form a sentence, a fragment. Something. What has gotten into me?
“Words, Calla. I like words,” Ace informs me with a delighted smirk as he rolls my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
“You,” I manage to elude.
He chuckles darkly. “Gladly.”
Ace closes the distance and puts his mouth over mine. I instantly part for him and allow him to kiss me with hunger and permanency. The kiss is everything I hoped it would be and more. It captivates, tugs me further in, and propels bolts of electricity through me like I’m an active circuit.
Ace’s tongue is hot and teasing, showing me what he’s capable of doing in other places, and I gently tug on his lip with my teeth. My legs tremble, and I steady myself by grasping his sturdy arms.
Breathing becomes arduous as I battle with the desire to consume him entirely. He supports me with one hand, and with the other, he clears the bench, sweeping everything that was on top of it onto the ground. Paper rustles. Glass shatters. He lifts me and positions my body on the kitchen counter. Cool stone meets my bare ass.
Ace drops to his knees in front of me. The image is quite extraordinary. He’s still fully dressed, apart from his jacket that’s draped over a chair. He gazes up at me, insatiable desire clear in his expression, like he’s been waiting for this all his life.
He places his large hands on my thighs and searches my face for permission. It’s this—the way he asks for consent even though he knows damn well I need him makes me vulnerable. Ace is a gentleman who knows how to be dominant. God, I love that. I love—
“Please,” I beg, needing more contact, more of his touch before I go insane.
Ace chuckles once again. The deep, low sound permeates the quiet room. He lowers his head and places his lips against my inner thigh, softly kissing it. I feel everything—the way his mouth sucks gently on every spot. The way his stubble brushes against my smooth skin, forcing me to crave him that much more.
His finger goes in between the thin waistband of my garter belt, he pulls it and releases it abruptly. The unexpected sting makes my eyes widen, and I part my lips as a hiss escapes them.
Ace places the pad of his thumb gently through my lacy underwear. He’s barely touched me there, but the tension is already building inside. I buck my hips forward, wanting release. The friction of his thumb and my panties heighten the pleasure, so I do it again.
He grins and looks up at me. “You’re so fucking wet, love.”
Without warning, he dips his head and kisses me through the sheer material. The flick of his warm tongue against my sex is just enough to drive me crazy.
“Ace,” I moan his name and tilt my head back, parting my legs farther. Then, I feel a rough tug followed by a snap as he tears my lacy panties off, including the garter belt that costs more than my monthly salary. I look down at him, narrowing my eyes. “Ace! They were expensive!”
“I don’t care. I’ll buy you more. You should know better than to wear this around me. I prefer you with nothing on.” He draws me closer, resting my legs over his broad shoulders, and adjusts his pants as his erection grows.
Out of habit, my hands reach for his hair, and I tangle my fingers through the softness of it.
Parting my folds with two of his fingers, Ace’s expression is nothing short of haughty and animalistic. Without warning, he drags his tongue up my center, licking it up as if he intends to devour all of me. It’s gradual and concentrated. I lose all sense of place and time as my yearning builds deeper, passionately swirling in my core. With just a simple movement of his tongue, my head spins, and my legs tremble.
The entire universe shatters.
“Sweet—” he murmurs against me, “—like butterscotch.”
His tongue sweeps where I need it the most, and I gasp when he unrelentingly sucks on my clit. There are no words to explain what he does to me, but it’s nothing short of incredible. My breathing quickens when he continues to form an astounding pattern with his tongue, slow at first, but his speed increases with each passing second.
Ace knows my body better than I do, and if he desired to, he could make me come within seconds, but he holds off. Instead, he takes his time, gliding his tongue up and down my entrance—curving the tip of it inside. He isn’t sloppy, on the contrary, it’s impressive how skillful his strokes are. Slow and teasing, he pays attention to every tender spot and drags out my pleasure.
A moan with his name on it spills from my lips when he slips a long finger inside of me, and I tug on his hair.
“Tell me no man has ever made you feel the way I do.”
There’s been pleasure with other men, but nothing like this. Nothing has come close to the earth-shattering feeling that’s ascending in me now. Whether it be the familiarity or perhaps something considerably more, Ace marked my heart a lifetime ago. He inked it permanently with his existence in a thousand ways, and there’s no way to erase him.
“No one. Only you.”
“Good.” Ace slips a second finger inside me, curling both of them to reach that sweet spot. The male arrogance glows vividly on his expression as I beg him to take me on the kitchen counter while I shamelessly grind my hips on his face, and he pumps his fingers in and out. If I weren’t so turned on right now, I’d be embarrassed by the sounds saturating the room—my frantic moans, the apparent noise of my slick wetness.
