▪️ Emily ▪️ Ace rolled over and on top of her. “Good morning. And happy two weeks.” As always when Ace touched her, Emily's body hardened and her heart pounded. “Two weeks?” Nuzzling close, Ace wriggled down, trailing a path of wet kisses, and Ace almost stopped breathing when that luscious mouth hovered over her opening . “Two weeks together in the office and in bed, and we haven’t killed each other.” About to make a sarcastic comment, Emily choked on her words as Ace ran the flat of his tongue from the top of her pussy to the bottom and then up again . He tightened his lips to create the perfect suction and sucked hard, keeping up the wickedly perfect flutter of his tongue. “Oh, God.” Her eyes fell shut, and she lost herself to Ace's increasingly addictive lovemaking. Threads of fire tingled under her oversensitized skin, and her hands clutched at the sheets. “Now, now.” Ace, that bastard, scraped his nails over her pussy and sank a finger insi
▪️ Emily ▪️ She washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and after putting on her pants, walked out, Ace trailing at her heels. The coffeemaker, set the previous night, was full, and Emily poured herself a cup. “Don’t worry, the bed is already there. It’s a platform bolted to the floor, and I got a new mattress. Extra firm.” Ace pinched her ass, and when Emily whirled around, he danced away, out of reach. “Just the way you like it. But I need a sofa and chairs. I’m not going to sit on the floor.” She set the mug down. “And you want me to come with you.” Clad only in his boxers, Ace hoisted himself up on the island. “Yeah. You did a great job in the office, so work your magic on my apartment. Then we can go have fun afterward. I have a plan.” “Do you now?” “Yup.” Ace swung his legs and held out his mug for coffee, which Emily poured, thinking Ace looked like an overgrown kid with his open, laughing face filled with anticipation and excitement. And fun. Weekends for Emily weren’t much
Trey Sunday, late morning, Trey was in his office for a couple minutes while Lucy was getting something to drink, and as his girl put it, “something to nibble on.” They’d had quite the emotional day on Saturday, and he thought back on it with a smile. He realized at that moment that he’d never in his life had more fun with someone, never laughed more in a twenty-four-hour period than he had with Lucy. After he’d surprised Lucy, catapulting them both into the pool, they’d each come up sputtering. Lucy, always one to run cold, had started shivering. They’d gone out to the jacuzzi and had stayed there for an hour, making out like teenagers. Later that afternoon, after much cajoling from Lucy, they’d made love in front of the huge fireplace in the library, and again hours later in their bed. There had been no role play and no kink, they’d been Trey and Lucy, and though they both admitted later they weren’t ones to enjoy vanilla sex, it had been exactly what was needed at the time to g
▪️Ace▪️ They walked several blocks down Rivington to Orchard, and Ace was glad to see the restaurant he’d had in mind wasn’t crowded. The off-hour—three in the afternoon—was most likely the reason. Emily gazed at the sign. “Russ and Daughters Café?” “Where did you think I was taking you, a bar?” They entered and sat at a small table near the window. “We’re Jews. We don’t drink our problems away; we self-medicate with food. In this case, bagels and lox.” Emily's faint smile didn’t fool Ace. He hadn’t forgotten the painful admission she’d made—Emily honestly didn’t see the woman she was, separate and apart from Olivia's big sister and protector. The waiter gave them menus. “Can I get you a drink?” “I’ll take an egg cream.” Emily's brow furrowed. “I’ve never had one, but isn’t that also really sweet? You’re going to have a sugar overdose.” Speaking to the waiter, Ace pointed at Emily. “Bring her one, too. And we’ll start with a
▪️Ace▪️ Emily choked on her food. “Okay, well, that’s a picture.” “Don’t you see? We’re all the sum of our parts. Yours are large and easy to fit together—helping your mother, taking care of Olivia, and work. Mine are a little more fractured and messy, without clean lines, but I’m trying to piece them together. Maybe I need a little more time and some help, but this is who I am.” Without another word, he attacked his French toast, and they finished as much of their meal as they could. When the waiter had taken the remains away and they sat with nothing left between them but silence, Ace couldn’t be sure where she stood. “I think you’re right.” Emily's quiet statement cut through the fog of misery in his head, where he contemplated going home to his tiny room and staring at something stupid on television. Either that or apologizing to Emily and telling her to forget it. His gaze snapped up. “What?” Just then the waiter dropped off t
▪️ Emily ▪️ Emily's lips twitched as she held Ace's stunned gaze. “Surprise.”Ace shook with laughter. “Once again proving that neither of us knows shit about relationships.” “I don’t know,” Emily said, pulling him close. “We’re doing pretty well so far.” “I mean, yeah, the sex is off the charts.” Ace nipped at her neck, and Emily quivered. “No complaints on that front.” “I would think not, the way you scream my name.” If she sounded smug, she meant to. “Ow.” She rubbed the spot where Ace had sunk his teeth into her shoulder. “What’re you, a vampire?” “You’re not exactly quiet yourself, you know. Just wanted you to know it goes both ways.” Like a cat, Ace rubbed his cheek against hers, and Emily couldn’t help stroking him. “But there’s more than that. More than sex, I mean.” Her heart pounded. “Yeah?” “Yeah. And you know it too. That’s why your heart is racing a hundred miles an hour.” Before she could shrug it off,Ace grabbed her hand and pl
▪️ Emily ▪️Intense golden eyes met hers, and Ace's hard jaw softened. “Then tell me. I thought we connected today, more than ever before. What changed?” “Nothing. That’s the problem.” Emily waved her hand in the air. “Nothing’s changed—not me. I’m still the same person you made fun of for being overprotective of Ilana and a hard-ass at work.” “That was because I didn’t know who you were. Now I do.” “And?” She heard the uncertainty in her voice and winced. Always determined and self-assured at work, in this minefield of personal relationships, Emily was flying without a safety net and scared to death. She wasn’t sure what Ace would say. “And I want you more than ever.” Blatant need shone from Ace's face, and Emily's last wall crumbled. She took Ace by the hand and walked with her to the bedroom, where she tugged off his T-shirt and undid his shorts, letting them fall to the floor, followed by his briefs. She was har
▪️ Emily ▪️Her orgasm broke, and her chest grew heavy as her body exploded. She held Ace tight at the hips, gave one final push, then shuddered and lay still. Ace's foot rubbed along the back of her leg, and he arched up against Emily. “That was…nice.” Emily grunted and rolled off him. “Nice?” She waited a couple of seconds for her breathing to steady. “Is that the limit of your vocabulary?” Ace snuggled into her neck, and Emily's arm found its way around to hold him. “Fishing for compliments?” Ace's grin flashed bright in the dim bedroom. “I could say more, if you want me to build up your ego.” He drew a pattern on Emily's chest. “And when I say nice, I mean it’s good. Right. Everything. I want this to grow between us.” Emily rested her lips against Ace's hair. “What do you consider ‘this’ to be?” “A beginning?” Voice taut yet strong, Ace sat up, his face grave in profile. “Where we go is up to us, but right now we’re at a fork in the road. We can take