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He turned to Chloe and wrapped his arm around her, then began pulling her from the room. She turned before they left and ran back to Dakota, throwing her arms around her friend.
“Don’t ever scare me like this again,” she said.
“I’ll try not to,” Dakota told her.
Nick and Dakota were the first to head up the stairs.
“Come on, brother. Let’s get you settled down,” Coop said.
Dakota didn’t try to fight any of them anymore. She was just as tired as Ace was. She might not have been shot, but her life had been thrown into turmoil. She needed to feel safe so she could let down her guard and get some much-needed rest.
Ace had never slept all night in bed with a woman, but he knew he was going to tonight. He wouldn’t be able to rest unless he was holding her, sure of her safety. Otherwise he feared she’d somehow slip from his grasp and the bad guys would get to her again. He didn’t trust the jail system. Hell, he didn’t trust much of anything right now.
It was a quiet walk down to Cooper’s somewhat secluded guest cottage. Dakota stayed by his side, Maverick and Cooper as alert as Ace as they walked the path.
They reached the cottage, and Cooper unlocked the door before looking inside. No one was there, but with Dakota having been attacked in her own home, everyone seemed to be highly aware.
“Everything’s clear,” Cooper said as he stepped back out. Ace didn’t want to admit how weak he was feeling right now, but a bed sounded like all kinds of heaven.
“Thanks,” Ace said. “I think you’re right. Some rest will refresh me.”
“You should listen to your elders,” Mav said with a grin. “And Coop is getting pretty old.”
“Shove it,” Coop said.
“On that note, we’ll say good night,” Mav told them as he chuckled. He grabbed Coop’s arm, and they walked away. Maybe their little showdown had helped them. Maybe Mav could start forgiving him now.
“I guess it’s just you and me,” Ace said, unable to resist reaching out and touching Dakota’s cheek, his thumb skimming over her bottom lip in a sweet caress.
“It might get dangerous,” she told him, nipping his thumb and making him throb in an entirely different area.
“You take my breath away and make me forget about the danger of the night,” he told her, utterly mesmerized.
Her body trembled beneath his touch, and though he knew both of them had been through far too much in the last few hours, he found that he wanted her. Their attraction to each other was more powerful than any other force he’d ever experienced.
“We should explore this place,” she said.
With reluctance, Ace pulled back from her and Dakota took a step forward, not paying attention to where she was going. Before he was able to stop her, she tripped, tumbling sideways to the floor and landing with a groan on her perfect rump.
She groaned as she slid her hand over her hip and rubbed her ass. “Ouch,” she said, looking up at him with a sheepish smile on her lips.
The yoga pants and fitted sweater she’d been loaned hugged her beautiful curves to perfection. That ache in his body grew as he wished it was his hands soothing her bruised backside. The pain in his arm was nearly forgotten as he gazed at her.
Standing up, she rubbed herself a bit more before moving inside the cottage. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her fantastic rear end. What in the hell was wrong with him? That should be the last thing on his mind after the night they’d had.
Dakota disappeared down the hallway, and Ace felt a moment of panic. He knew it was just the stress of the situation. If this were any normal day, he wouldn’t mind her being away from him. Normally, Ace enjoyed his solitude.
But like a puppet on a string, his feet carried him to her. For at least tonight, he wasn’t going to berate himself about needing to be with her. He’d be back to normal soon enough. Not tonight—but soon.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Stepping into the master bedroom, Ace found Dakota sitting in the corner, her legs crossed, her eyes intently watching him. There was confusion, desire, and so much more in her deep-green depths. He didn’t know what to think.
“We shouldn’t do this tonight,” he said, surprised at his own words. “A lot has happened, and you’re exhausted.”
She smiled at him as she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, not leaving the chair. The pain in his arm was nearly forgotten as he gazed upon her beauty.
“And you’ve been shot,” she said as she unclasped her bra, her eyes never leaving his. He was practically shaking as he watched her. She smiled as she finally looked down.
