“I like this.” Trying again for casual. Failing...again.
“Thanks.” Her voice is slow and unsure, like she doesn’t know what to do with my compliment.
“Naima…guys tell you all the time that you’re beautiful, right?” There’s a note of curiosity in my voice, threading with the admiration.
She glances down, a faint blush staining her cheeks and neck.
“Um…the guys I’m usually around? They’re fraternity guys that mix with my sorority. They don’t need to give compliments. They always get what they want, and they know it.”
My voice is firm, almost rough. “You’ve been spending time around the wrong guys. They’re all assholes.”
Her laughter is full and distinct as it rolls from her. Another piece of her that’s just so totally her. It echoes inside of me, rearranging things. Changing me.
“Ace.” Her voice flutters around me, soft and low. “Are you okay?” She leans her head against the swing’s chain, her eyes peeking over at me as she evaluates my expression.
Sighing, I search for the truth. “I’m okay. I was…worried about you. Needed to check on you. You haven’t been approached by anyone, right? Haven’t noticed anyone strange hanging around?”
Her deep eyes study me as she shakes her head. Confusion mars her beauty. “I thought you said they wouldn’t know about me?”
My words tumble over each other in their rush to escape. “They won’t. I mean…they shouldn’t. I just…shit.” I scratch my head, searching for the right words. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
A slow smile crosses her face. “Well, that’s good to hear. Because you’ve been on my mind, too.”
Grabbing her hand, I tug her off her swing and onto my lap. She straddles me like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Her hair hangs down in a curtain of black around us, and her cherry-vanilla scent coats me like a second skin. Inhaling, I just let her presence wash over me.
She leans in, her forehead resting against mine. “You’re carrying too much weight on your shoulders, Ace. I can feel it.”
Her warm sweet breath whispers against my face, and my body reacts to her.
“Yeah. Kinda. It’ll get better, though.”
Pulling back, her brows knit together. “I want to help. What can I do?”
I glance around us. Being out in the open is making it hard to concentrate on her, giving me a bad feeling.
My eyes sink closed as I shake my head. “Not dragging you into this, Naima. I just wanted to see you.”
“Why, Ace?”
Her voice has the power to drive me crazy. Breathy, sweet gravel, a break every few words. It’s seriously the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard, and just adds to the list of things I can’t get enough of when it comes to this woman.
Sighing, I tilt my head back so I can meet her steady gaze. “I don’t know.”
Honesty’s the best policy.
I really don’t know why I’m here. It doesn’t make sense. I met Naima three nights ago. We spent a few hours together. And yeah, we shared a really traumatic experience, so maybe that has something to do with it. But I swear I felt this pull toward her before any of it went down with the Suit. And now it’s too strong to ignore.
Maybe it was from the beginning.
Pushing against my chest, she stands, wedging into the space between my knees. She brushes some of my hair out of my face and tucks the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth.
So damn pretty.
“Do you trust me, Ace?” She holds out a hand to pull me to my feet.
Standing so close a breath wouldn’t fit between us, I stare down at her. The truth is, I’ve always had a hard time trusting people. Counts and Carson are the only people who’ve made it past that barrier.
“Yeah.”
I don’t know why. But it’s true. And I just promised myself I’d never lie to her.
“Then stay with me tonight.”
I start to shake my head, opening my mouth to tell her no, when she puts her index finger against my lips and gives me a quick toss of her head. “Ace…I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
She’s dangerous.
Maybe more dangerous than the loan shark. Because at that moment, I know I’ll never say no to her.
Twelve
NAIMA
I don’t know why I asked him to stay. It was out of my mouth before I really thought it through. But I couldn’t not ask him to stay.
Maybe part of it is the growing feeling of dread creeping over me. His wary glances all around us cause it to settle deep in my bones, warning me that danger is imminent.
It’s not because I feel sorry for him. I know Ace is a guy who can take care of himself. He doesn’t need to stay with me to be safe. But I’ve been worrying about him for two days straight, wondering if I’d ever see him again or if he was all right.
So this is just for my own peace of mind.
And because he’s so damn beautiful. I just want him in my bed.
All night.
And I’ve never, ever felt that kind of desire before. It’s eating me up, swallowing me whole.
Leading him through the downstairs foyer, we head up the thickly carpeted stairs. I’m not even worried about being seen, but Ace’s apprehension is clear in the way his muscles have tensed up and from the cautious expression on his gorgeous face.
We’re not allowed to have male overnight guests in our sorority house. Rose lives with us, her bedroom downstairs in a separate suite. She doesn’t hound us at night, checking to make sure we’re following the rules, though. She treats us like the adults we are, but the rules of our sorority are clear: appearances are everything, and propriety is to be upheld at all times in the public eye.
Once we’re in my bedroom, I shut and lock the door before leaning against it. Ace surveys my room, his eyes bouncing everywhere like he’s trying to see everything all at once.
“You don’t have to worry.” My tone is soft and gentle. So unlike me, but with Ace I naturally adopt the softer role. With other guys, I was always on my guard. Even with Noah I never felt safe enough to relax. I was tough and in control.
Always tough.
But Ace doesn’t look at me like I’m some kind of obstacle to be conquered. He doesn’t look at me like he’s starving for a taste.
He looks at me with lust in his eyes, sure. He’s a man. And hell, I feel the same way about him. His body is ridiculous, the way his clothes fit him makes my mouth water. The way he carries himself, his confident swagger that says he needs nothing and no one, makes me want to be something he does need.
But he also looks at me like he’s seeing the person beneath all my hard and brash. He looks at me like he sees through the walls I built with both hands. He looks at me like he sees the woman I really am, not the one to fit his current wants.
And I never realized how much I craved that kind of look from a man until I met Ace.
He looks at me like I mean something.
“Why’s that?” His tone is low as he starts to stroll around my room.
He stops at my dresser where there’re several pictures in frames. A few of my sorority group photos. And three of Bryn and I throughout the years…smiling and laughing, making silly faces. I’m the only person my age I know prints out pictures and frames them. But when a moment means something to me, I want to freeze it and capture it forever.