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“He needed to know.”
“You’re right.” Ace releases a heavy sigh that I feel all the way down to the pit of my stomach. Closing the refrigerator door, he stalks toward me, his eyes dark and hooded.
“That’s one thing. What was the other?” His arm hooks around my waist, drawing me close. My hands go to his chest as I stare up at him.
“That’s it? You’re not upset?”
“I told you last night, I have all I need. James. Charlie. This shit with my mom, none of it can touch me with you by my side. So what’s the other thing, Princess?” He drops his head to mine. “Because unless you’re about to tell me that we’re done, nothing you say is going to matter.”
“I love you,” I blurt out, instantly regretting my timing when Ace goes as still as a statue.
“You... love me?” The words get stuck as his breath catches.
It’s a wonderful sight to behold, this big scary
guy rendered speechless, but I can’t deny there’s a part of me terrified that I should have waited to confess what I’ve known for a while.
“I do.” I smile. “I don’t really know when it happened, but it did. I know you think you’re this unloveable guy with a dark past, but I see you, Ace. I see you.”
A beat passes, the weight of my words thick between us.
“Say something...” My voice trembles as we stand there, my heart in the palm of Ace’s hands.
And only he can decide its fate.
“Fuck, Remi, I... fuck.”
Dejection snakes through me. He doesn’t feel the same. Ace doesn’t—
The air whooshes from my lungs as Ace scoops me up and carries me through the beach house. “Ace, what the hell?” I shriek, hitting his chest.
“You think you can just say that to me and everything goes back to normal?” His eyes narrow. I can’t look away. I’m lost... drowning in two pools of crystal blue water.
I don’t even notice we’ve arrived in the bedroom until Ace lowers me to the floor and pulls me around so that I’m pressed up against him, my back to his solid chest.
“Oh, wow...” I flush. The bed is huge. Bigger than any bed I’ve ever seen, draped in crushed silk sheets and facing the patio doors that open onto a terrace overlooking the sea.
“I can’t undo what happened that night.” His voice is a soft murmur in my ear, sending shivers zipping through my body. “I wish I could. I wish I could turn back time and give that night a different ending. But then we wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t be in my arms, telling me you love me.
“I’m a fuck-up, Remi. I’ll probably always be a fuck-up. But I’ll never fuck up with you again, and I’ll spend forever trying to erase that night from your mind, starting with right now.” Ace’s hand glides up my neck, gently coaxing my face to his. His mouth fixes over mine, his tongue sliding between my lips. He doesn’t say the words, but I feel his love wrap around me and take hold.
This is how Ace speaks, with actions and touches and possessive glances.
“Does this mean you’re done punishing yourself?” I murmur against his lips, not wanting for a second to break the kiss.
“Hell yes.” He turns me in his arms, cupping the back of my neck as he traces letters of love over my jaw and down the slope of my neck.
I can feel him hard and ready at my stomach, but he isn’t in any rush to take care of himself—it’s always about me. About him taking care of my needs, making sure I’m satisfied.
Part of me thinks it always has been, even during the games, the constant push and pull.
“I’m going to get you naked now, and then I’m going to spend my time loving every single inch of you.” His thumb brushes my jaw, running over my swollen lips. “Because I do, ya know? I love you, Remi. I love you so fucking much it hurts.”
Ace’s eyes glitter with promise as his words bury their way into my soul. “I don’t deserve you, but I fucking love you, Princess. And I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again. Myself included.”
“Ace.” His name falls from my lips in a soft whisper as I push myself against his body. Catching my drift, he picks me up, forcing my legs around his waist.
“I had all these plans...”
