Page 75 of All I Feel

“We’ll let you know as soon as it’s safe to go back inside,” the man from the gas company said before both men walked away.

Turning in Ace’s arms again, I tipped my chin up to find him looking conflicted as he stared at my home. “Hey,” I said softly, trying to capture his attention.

He dropped his gaze. “When they tell you it’s safe for you to go back inside, you’re doing it only to pack up whatever you need for the next few days.”

“What?”

“You’re not staying here alone, Tessa. You and I both know that you didn’t accidentally leave the stove on this morning. Someone was inside your home. Someone ran youoff the road two days ago. So, until I know there isn’t an active threat against your life, you’re not staying here.”

“Ace… I’m… Are you sure about that?”

His brows shot up in disbelief. “Am I sure that I want you to stay with me for the foreseeable future so I know that you’re safe and won’t get killed in a fiery blast?” He nodded. “Considering there’s a whole lot I want for the both of us moving forward… Yes, Tessa, I’m sure. Plus, until I get your car fixed for you, you’re going to need someone to give you a lift to work. It’ll be easier if you’re staying with me.”

Holy crap.

I’d gone from learning I was being cheated on by my ex to developing feelings for my brother’s best friend in a matter of a month. And now he was asking me to move in with him temporarily. Could this move any faster?

Ace and I waited around, my mind spiraling with more thoughts than I could reasonably sort through. I probably should’ve called my parents or one of my siblings, but Ace seemed to be handling everything just fine. And considering all that had happened lately, I figured my parents would’ve lost their minds, especially my dad.

It was quite a while later when I was finally allowed to go back inside my home. As Ace suggested, I only went in to pack a bag with everything I needed for the next few days. It wound up being more like two oversized weekender bags, but Ace didn’t mind either way. He happily carried them out and put them in his truck.

“Did you eat dinner?” he asked once we were in the truck, ready to go.

“No. I was going to make something when I got home from shopping with your sister, but you can see how that went.”

“I was just getting ready to make something for myself when you called. But it’s late now, so we’ll just stop and pick something up on the way.”

“I’m sorry, Ace.”

He reached his hand up and cupped the side of my face. “Princess, why are you apologizing?”

My eyes dropped briefly to the center console. “I’m sure this isn’t exactly what you had in mind when you got involved with me.”

Ace stroked his thumb tenderly over my cheek. “Tessa, look at me.”

I looked at him.

“Am I happy that you could’ve been seriously hurt two days ago? No. Do I like that you called me after being out shopping today not to tell me about your day but because you were in trouble? No. It kills me to think these aren’t just random things that have happened to you. But in no way am I upset that I’m standing by your side and navigating through this with you. You mean the world to me, Tessa. And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now that right here with you.”

My heart melted at his words and the warmth in his features. I offered him a small smile in return and said, “Lark was right.”

“About what?”

“A lot of things, to be fair. But mostly, she pointed out that I’m just as confident about the future of us as you are. And I guess I proved her right when I called you today instead of calling my dad, Phoenix, or Archer.”

“You’ve got a lot of good men in your life.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I always have. And like your sister said,maybe it’s taken all these horrible things happening to me for us to see what’s been between us all these years.”

The corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile, dark strands of his hair falling over his brow. “It’s a shame it took us so long to get here, but I’m not at all upset about any aspect of it beyond being tremendously concerned for your safety at the moment. I didn’t expect I was going to get to see you at all today, so even though the reason you called sucks, I’m still thrilled that the call came.”

“And now I’m spending the night.”

He wagged his brows at me. “It’s certainly much sooner than I anticipated, but you’ll hear no complaints from me.”

I bit my lip, thinking about where the arrangement might lead us. Ace hadn’t pressured me for anything beyond our kisses, and I knew he’d never do anything before I was ready. The question now was whether I’d be able to stop myself from begging him for more.

TWENTY