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I wanted time with Ace without an audience. And after those pictures? I didn’t plan to feed the beasts. I shook my head and a fresh surprise flickered over her expression. Then, because I just wanted to stand there and stare at her, I turned and forced myself to walk away.
I lasted all of three days before I went looking for her. She was just going out for a run, so I walked up to her.
“If you plan on pushing me in the pond, it’s frozen, and if you want to listen to my music, I’ll share an earbud. But I need to run today.” The words came out sharp, but almost shaky. It wasn’t my imagination.
“You okay, Ace?” I moved so that I was in front of her. Scanning the area, I looked for the sign of someone bothering her.
“I’m fine.” It was a lie. She tugged her knit cap down. It made something in my chest tight when I recognized the running jacket and leggings. I could ask about the sports bras and panties, but I didn’t. “Just—need to run and I don’t want to fight.”
I wanted to fight. Whatever was upsetting her. “C’mon,” I told her, holding out a hand. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.” At her skeptical look, I spread my hands. “Not even me. Two-hour armistice, I give you my word. While I might look at your ass, I won’t grab it.”
The corners of her mouth twitched, but she pulled on her neoprene mask before I could see the whole smile. So I put mine on as well. “Promise?” she asked.
“What’s my word worth to you?” Not like I’d given her a lot to trust.
“If you do what you say you will on this run, then it will be worth a little more than it is right now.”
Still more. “Lead the way, Ace. I’ll be right behind you the whole way. Someone steps out to get in your way, you keep going. I’ll deal with them.”
She squinted at me, even as she jogged in place. The cold was getting to me too, and it was early. Almost too early.
I never liked her running out here in the dark. Alone.
After one more long, searching look, she nodded then set off, and I was right behind her. I stuck with her for the whole run, monitoring the path for slush or ice. She pushed herself and me.
We were both sweating by the time we made it back and her face was flushed, eyes a little brighter, and her hands were steadier.
Was she jonesing for something? She didn’t strike me as the drug type. But I didn’t know her as well as I wanted.
Back at the dorm, I continued with my restraint and let her go up the stairs without me. The surprise in her eyes was a little humbling, although her little smile when she headed up the stairs was a worthy reward.
I managed to swing a couple more runs with her. I just kept up my promise to watch her back. Her ass moving in front of me was not a bad sight at all. I also made sure no one bugged her, not that I saw anyone, anyway.
Then again, maybe that was why she’d gone back to pre-dawn runs. No one could see her.
Now I felt like kind of an asshole for crashing her run time. But she wasn’t arguing with me, and I kind of missed that part, even if I needed that surprise and disappointment in her eyes to go away.
The next week I focused on classes. Semester finals were coming up, and I had begun to get more active with Knots and Chains. Ace had been tapped. So had Jonas. Ramsey was too tied up running classes to follow up, but I could. The last time Jonas had been tapped…
Yeah, we weren’t doing that again either. I went after sponsoring them both. I didn’t want RJ trying to recruit her his way. As it was, she’d only completed one trial that they knew of. She hadn’t responded to the second challenge.
Maybe she didn’t know it was a set of clues, or she didn’t care? Did I want her in Knots and Chains? It could be fun. I just didn’t want RJ anywhere near her.
She had gone running on her birthday, the day before, with her friend. The girl groaned, complained, and gave me so much side-eye I kept a wary distance.
I had gotten Ace a present, so I headed up the day after her birthday while she and Jonas should be in class to drop off the gift for her. I’d had to order it, but they were custom picks. They were perfect. I’d ordered from them before.
The fourth floor was quiet. College didn’t have the same all day schedule. I did not miss morning, noon, and afternoon back to back to back classes. I let myself in and glanced around the tidy suite. Jonas definitely had taken to picking up after himself. There were no dirty socks on the floor and no trash on the counters.
It even smelled nicer in here.
Glancing down at the little wrapped box, I headed for my old room. The door was locked, but there was—there it was. I grasped the long metal cylinder from above the frame and used it to pop the lock.
Inside, I went to put the present on her rumpled bed when the door to the bathroom opened and she walked out in a towel.
Just. A. Towel.
All the moisture in my mouth fled, and I was pretty sure if not for autonomic functions, I’d probably have died already.
