Page 14 of All I Feel

This was so strange. Never. Not once had Ace ever shown up on my doorstep at this hour of the day to take me to breakfast. We’d been friends for years. I loved him dearly. But I didn’t know what to do with this.

“You don’t think I should talk to him at all?”

“I’m not saying that. I’m saying that I don’t think you should talk to him less than twenty-four hours after he broke your heart.” He cupped me behind my head, his fingers threading through my hair. “Give yourself some time to consider how you feel about all of this. Because the last thing I’d want to see is that man manipulating you when you’re already feeling vulnerable.”

That wasn’t a bad idea.

Granted, I didn’t think I could ever look at Ryan the same again. Not after that kind of betrayal. But I wasn’t stupid. Would I be able to just shut off all that I’d felt for him as quickly as I could snap my fingers?

“Will you give me a few minutes to get myself dressed?” I asked.

The corners of his mouth tipped up in a handsome smile. “A few minutes? Tessa Stone can be ready in a few minutes?”

I bit my lip, grateful for his teasing. “Okay. So, maybe you should grab a seat and put on the television. I’ll try to be quick.”

“Take your time, Princess.”

I ignored how that endearment sounded rolling off his tongue directed at me, turned, and walked away. But I swore I could feel his gaze lingering on my legs as I did.

FOUR

ACE

“This was unexpected.”

That was certainly one way to put it.

When I’d made the decision last night to make sure Tessa didn’t wind up back in a bad situation with the guy who had the gall to cheat on her, I hadn’t expected what happened this morning would’ve been part of it.

As long as I lived, I didn’t think I’d ever get the sight of her in that nightie out of my head. It was an image that was burned into my brain forever. All that skin, her breasts, those legs…

Crawling into my bed last night, I replayed my encounter with Tessa on the balcony at Lou’s over and over. And I continued to ask myself the same question. Was it simply some unspoken rule about not getting involved with my best friend’s younger sister that kept me from ever considering pursuing her?

That question forced my mind to drift back over theyears. Tessa had always been there. Whether she was at her place when I was there visiting with her brother, or she was at my place when she was there visiting with my sister, there wasn’t a time in my life when Tessa wasn’t around.

Fondness for the girl she was all those years ago had turned into a much deeper appreciation for the woman she was now. And every time she was around, whether at family gatherings or during a night out like last night, I found I was always happy. She’d always been a bright spot in my life, and I tried to determine if my heart had always beat faster when I was around her, or if it was just that nightie this morning.

Regardless, Tessa wasn’t exactly in a place for me to pursue her. She wasn’t even twenty-four hours into dealing with heartbreak. I needed to give her time and get her through this. Once she got to the other side, though…

“Which part of this is unexpected?” I asked.

“That’s a fair question.” She sighed, sadness leaking onto her features. “I was referring to you showing up at my place this morning and asking to bring me out here for breakfast, but I’d be lying if I said this whole situation hasn’t been an eye-opening surprise. And not a good one, either.”

I reached across the table, rested my hand on her forearm, and offered a reassuring squeeze. I’d brought her to First Tracks, a diner not far from Parks Ridge Ski Resort where we’d grown up snowboarding with our families.

“I think I need to make something clear, Tessa. Phoenix might be my best friend, and I know you’ve got Lark and the girls, but you should know that you’ve got me, too. You made it clear last night that you didn’t intend to tell my sister about what happened right away, but I know thesituation is weighing heavily on you. Someone needs to be here for you.”

Her shoulders fell, tension easing out of them as her expression warmed. “I don’t plan on hiding this from Lark, or anyone else, for that matter. I just didn’t want to ruin the celebration last night. And I figured I’d simply take the time today to sort myself out. My plan was to talk to Lark tomorrow at work when we take our lunch break.”

“I suspected as much. But I didn’t think you should be home alone, trying to sort yourself out, and need to deal with that guy showing up at your front door.”

“I was so angry when I heard the doorbell ring.” She huffed. “I’d spent the time it took me to make it to the front door getting angrier and angrier.”

“I’m sorry.”

Tessa covered my hand on her arm with hers and rubbed it back and forth. “My anger evaporated the second I saw you there, Ace.”

I wanted to stay focused, to be whatever Tessa needed me to be for her, but it was difficult to concentrate with her gentle touch against my skin. “You thought I was him?”