Page 103 of All I Feel

“I’m not exactly thrilled about missing out on our drive together in the morning, but it’ll be good for you to be able to come and go as you please. Plus, Lark won’t need to bring you home after work, either.”

I nodded. “That’s true. Are you worried at all, though?”

“About what?”

“That it could happen again? That if what happened wasn’t just some random guy, and Ryan is behind what’s been happening, I could wind up in the same situation for a second time?”

Ace’s expression turned serious, and I hated that I’d shifted his mood after we’d had such a great morning together. But I didn’t think this was the kind of thing to pretend was no big deal, especially if what Ace had presumed was going on was the case.

“I’m not sure if there will ever be a time when I’m not worried about your safety,” he began. “But if Hastings is behind what’s been happening, I’m reassured by having Kash and his team surveilling him now. You shouldn’t have to have your entire life disrupted by this guy, Tessa. So, while I love being able to drive you to work every morning, I also think you deserve to be able to come and go as you please. We’re taking all the necessary measures to keep you safe, otherwise.”

I nodded, draped my arm over his side, and shifted my upper body the remaining distance to his until we were touching from top to toe. Kissing his chest, I murmured, “I love you, Ace.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I love you, too, Princess.”

We stayed like that for a moment before we had no choice but to separate, get out of bed, and get ourselves ready for work. As promised, while I was dealing with clothes, hair, and makeup, Ace went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for us. I had just enough time to sit down to eat with him before we were out the door.

I arrived at work with five minutes to spare, which was much closer than I liked to cut it. I might’ve wanted to get there just a touch sooner, especially considering I had so much I wanted to share with Lark, but considering I was still on time,andI’d been given two orgasms by Ace this morning, it was difficult to truly feel any frustration.

No sooner had I gotten myself situated, my first client walked through the door. And for the rest of the morning, I was busy with back-to-back appointments. My best friend appeared to be just as busy, so unfortunately, it wasn’t until lunch that we both had a chance to chat.

“You just made it here on time this morning,” Lark pointed out.

Nodding, I said, “I know. I’m working on figuring that out.”

“I was mostly just teasing you. I didn’t realize there was anything to figure out.”

Considering how much I needed to share with Lark, it was probably a good thing I didn’t try to share any details of my weekend after Ace’s birthday celebration at Lou’s.

“There didn’t used to be, but now there is,” I shared.

Curiosity washed over her expression. “What’s going on?”

I bit the corner of my lip and shot her an innocent smile. “Things might’ve changed between Ace and me this weekend.”

Hesitant, she arched a brow. “Changed in a good way, right?”

“In a very good way,” I confirmed, nodding.

“Did you…”

I nodded again. “After Ace and I went back to his place on Saturday, I gave him a birthday gift I suspect he’s going to remember for the rest of his life.”

Lark forced a smile on her face as she tried to hide the way she winced. “Right. Okay. So, I’m your best friend and would normally ask you for all the juicy details, but I can’t do that in this situation. I’ll just say that I hope it was wonderful for you.”

I beamed at her. “It was spectacular.”

“Good.” She offered a genuine smile this time. “Then I’m beyond happy for you. For both of you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m grateful for that. Your parents were just as thrilled when they showed up Sunday morning to takeAce out for his birthday breakfast and found me there, wearing nothing but his T-shirt.”

Lark’s eyes rounded. “Are you joking?”

Shaking my head, I shared, “Your mom acted like it was any other day. Your dad was mildly uncomfortable, realizing what he’d walked in on, even though he was genuinely happy for us. Ace was completely unbothered, and I was mortified. I mean, imagine if the roles were reversed, you were with one of my brothers, and my parents showed up when you had nothing but a T-shirt on. And I mean,nothing.”

My best friend pressed her lips together to stifle her laughter. “I would’ve been just as mortified. But I guess it could’ve been worse, right?”

“Oh, yeah? How do you figure?”