She disappeared from the office, and seconds later, I heard the chime above the door ring, Kaden cursing before following her. I closed the door behind him so Ace and I could be alone again.
“Oops,” we both said, sharing a smile when we realized our response was the same.
“She’ll get over it. She has to realize by now that she can’t be privy to stuff relating to the club.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t just something. This can very well involve her.” Ace reached for a piece of gauze, but I snatched it from his hand, applying a squirt of saline solution before pressing the white square over his wound. He winced. “Sorry.” I kept my eyes on what I was doing and away from his ridiculously handsome face. I needed my wits about me if I was gonna finish soon. “Hold this in place.” His hand replaced mine as I reached for the bandage wrap. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
I took advantage of the brief moment of silence that followed his response to continue trying to make my point. “You’re worried about someone coming after me, right?” I saw him nod from my peripheral vision. “Then don’t you think Riley’s in the same type of danger? Doesn’t she have a right to know, just like me.”
“If it was up to me, you wouldn’t know anything either,” he stated matter-of-factly, finally pulling my eyes up to his.
“But I just had to go and do what I did, right?” I quickly finished wrapping his waist and stepped back, tossing his stained shirt back at him. “I suppose you’re gonna blame me for popping your stitches, too.”
He carefully pulled the material over his head, then down his chest. “They didn’t pop for no reason.” With narrowed eyes, he clucked his tongue, and he was either gonna start arguing with me or laugh. I never knew what his response would be to certain things, which I supposed kept me on my toes. Was that a good or bad thing? I had yet to decide.
“You could’ve just sent Brick to see me. Or Kaden. Or even Linc. But you were the stubborn one who made the decision to come here even though you know you shouldn’t have.” My tone was calm, which was done on purpose because emotionally I was zapped. There was no doubt Ace and I pushed each other’s buttons. Sometimes rightfully so, and sometimes done just to get a rise out of the other. Call it our form of foreplay. The only thing that altered our typical dynamic was when he made me choose to either be with him or walk away for good.
But everything had changed now, right? Or maybe not. Perhaps him getting shot was the shove I needed to stick to my decision not to become committed to him. Apparently, I was in danger, and I wasn’t even his girlfriend. What would happen if people knew we were in an actual relationship?
“No one can look after you like me.”
“Then why send that guy?”
Ace looked down at his side, then lifted his eyes back to mine. “I did just get shot.” The corner of his lip curved upward but fell flat when my unshed tears gathered once more. I was in his arms again before I could blink them away.
“Don’t be upset. Everything will be okay.” His words were empty because I was smart enough to realize he didn’t even believe them, even though he might’ve wanted to. Much like me.
“I should get back to work,” I mumbled against his chest, breathing him in one last time. “I have a few things to do before my next client gets here.” He allowed me enough room to pull back so he could see my face.
“Come over tonight.” It wasn’t a question but not quite a demand either, although it leaned more toward the latter.
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Why?” His tongue peeked out and wet his lips. Lost to the sight of his mouth and remembering all the things he’d done to my body with those very lips, I didn’t answer. I was fully content wrapped up in my memories. “Chels.” His voice was stern yet held a hint of amusement. I shook my head but still didn’t utter a word. “You gonna answer me?”
Mentally rewinding the past several seconds, I remembered what I’d said and what he asked me. “Because our situation hasn’t changed. You want a commitment and I don’t.” I wanted to kick myself for telling the lie, but I played to the façade regardless.
“I don’t believe you,” he argued, his nostrils flaring slightly after speaking. His forefinger lifted my head while his lowered. Our lips were so close if either of us inhaled, we’d end up kissing. “I think you want to say yes to me, but you’re scared. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”
My lids drifted closed. “Now you’re the one who’s lying.” My words took flight on the tip of a whisper, but he heard them.
“I’m not.” His warm breath tickled my lips, my skin pebbling in excitement. “Want me to prove it?”
I nodded, his finger still positioned beneath my chin.
His palm cupped the side of my face, trailing his thumb up and down my throat, his touch eliciting a burning desire to ravage his mouth, but I kept still… barely.
“I would never hurt someone I love,” he finally said, and even though my brain was in the middle of processing his words, my lids flew open and my eyes landed directly on his. I sucked in a breath but couldn’t speak. “And I do love you. I have for some time.” His half smile fell when my eyes widened. I was freakin’ out and he knew it.
I tried to shove him back, careful not to be too aggressive because of his condition, but he refused to budge. Instead of butterflies taking flight at hearing him tell me he loved me, I plucked off every one of their wings and flicked them aside. I didn’t know what his game was, but I didn’t believe him, even though I desperately wanted to.
“I don’t trust you,” I spat, any cracks in the fortress around my heart sealing up with anger.
Ace finally took a step back all while continuing to hold on to me. “It’s not me you don’t trust. It’s yourself. You don’t believe you deserve happiness, someone to love you.”
“Oh, and that someone is you?”
“It is. I thought I just told you I did.” His eyes sparkled, drawing me in further even though I did everything in my power to resist. I tried to pull my gaze away from his but failed.
Did he genuinely love me or was this some ploy to get back with me? Did he believe if he uttered those words I’d agree to be with him exclusively from here on out? Or did he fear his lack of future and wanted to make the most of his time on this earth count?
I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss him senseless.
I wanted to kick him out and never lay eyes on him again.
I wanted to tell him I felt the same for him.
I wanted to rant and rave and demand he tell me why he was messing with me.
One moment, I couldn’t picture my life without him. The next, I wanted to delete his number and forget he ever existed.
The collision of emotions bombarding me confused me the more I gave them life, and it was all I could do not to crumple to the floor in exhaustion.
“Do you have anything you wanna say to me?” he asked, craning his neck as if preparing to deflect the grenades that I was sure to fire at him.
After running through different responses and the possible consequences of each, I settled on one simple word.
“No.”