Page 86 of Pride: Kneel Before None

He stepped back from the edge of the opening, removing his clothes until he only wore the black swim trunks. The sunlight highlighted the inactive runes on his tan skin, accenting every line of muscle cut into his upper body.

The sight of him like that almost made me forget why I was mad at him.

Gesturing at the watery slice of paradise below, he further explained, “This is the grotto. It’s the one place in Superbia that refuses to be conquered by the desert.”

Stepping close to me, he assisted in removing my clothes. I toed off my sneakers, kicking them over towards the neat pile we had made. It left me standing in a black string bikini with gold accents, the heat of the sun above warming my exposed skin.

“How do we get down there?” I asked.

A smile I didn’t particularly care for graced Ace’s lips.

“One way down, Little Spade.” He tipped his head towards the opening.

My eyes darted between him and the drop down into the lagoon. He couldn’t be suggesting we were going to jump, could he?

No indication on his face said he was joking, and that was worse.

“Oh absolutely-the-hell-not.” I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest.

“It looks higher than it is,” he said as he reached over to grab my hand as he took a step to the edge.

My teeth sank into my bottom lip nervously as I tried to gauge how much truth there was to his claim.

“There has to be another—ah!” Before I could finish my sentence, Ace tugged me to his side. His arm curled around me, and he launched us both over the edge.

The fall felt endless. Perhaps because my heart stopped beating in freefall as air rushed around us. When we hit the surface, the warmth was immediate. The body of water consumed us.

Kicking my way to the surface, Ace already worked on pulling me up with him. I gasped as I wiped water away from my face, heart kicking at my ribs and a giddy smile on my face despite myself.

I hit his shoulder. “Asshole! I could have died!”

Ace laughed, unfazed by my displeasure at being pulled over the edge with him. The sound of him being amused and the genuine smile on his face were rare sights. His eyes looked lighter than I’d ever noticed. I couldn’t be sure if it was a trick of the light reflecting off the water or not.

“Come here,” he murmured as he pulled me up against his chest. My arms wrapped around his neck as I shook my head, still trying to control the thrum of my pulse.

Looking around, I realized the view from above hadn’t done the grotto any justice. It was even larger than I anticipated, the shape of the lagoon bending to the interior of the cavern, narrowing and widening in parts. The roots and vines above us hung like curtains, providing a natural canopy to an already magnificent scene.

“How did you find this place?” I asked, unable to hide the awe in my voice at the beauty that surrounded us.

“Stroke of luck during a hike trying to blow off steam.”

His thumb caressed along the dip of my spine at the small of my back.

“Luck?” I didn’t believe for a second that he had just discovered this place randomly.

He shifted us to the edge of the lagoon where there was a flat stone about a foot below the surface that acted as a makeshift bench.

Ace grabbed my waist, maneuvering me up onto the slab without releasing me or putting too much distance between us.

Getting settled there, my arms remained around his neck, and I drank in the sight of him. This place brought something out in him that he didn’t show the rest of the world.

Our eyes met, and he leaned in to press his forehead to mine. “I’ve been wanting to bring you here for a while.”

The confession felt like a hushed secret, one that couldn’t be entrusted to just anyone.

“How long is a while?” I kept my voice soft, refusing to disturb the fragile air of the moment.

My question seemed to hold a heavier weight than I had expected, and Ace’s hands squeezed my waist more firmly before releasing.