16. Bound by Desire
When I woke up the next morning, Ace was kneading my bare boob.
I wish I was kidding.
His huge body spooned me from behind, and his heavy breathing told me he was still dead asleep, but his hand had traveled under my shirt and was groping my left boob.
I couldn’t believe it. Ace changes the subject every time I try to talk to him about our relationship and then goes and pulls this shit?
We still had about an hour before my alarm would go off, but there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep if he continued using my tit as his own personal stress ball.
With an annoyed huff, I attempted to pry his grimy mitt off me, but to no avail. His grip wasn’t hard or anything but it was firm and unrelenting—not to mention inappropriate.
Maybe someday, if Ace and I ever got together, this sort of thing would be okay… But that was not today. I wouldn’t allow him to touch me like this as if it meant nothing. I felt like I was just the closest and most convenient piece of ass for him to play with when he was bored.
Or unconscious, in this case.
My first sexual experiences were meant to be special, not rushed and inconsequential.
And yet, no matter how hard I tugged on his arm, Ace continued to sleep, his breathing smooth and even in my ear, completely unaware of the inner turmoil he was causing me.
I wanted to scream. Or chop his head off. Or maybe scream and chop his head off.
But knowing none of those options would do me any good in the long run, I opted to elbow him instead. Hard. In the ribs.
Ace grunted, waking with a start. Unfortunately, though, his hand stayed where it was.
“What?” he asked groggily.
“Get your hand off me,” I ordered.
Ace propped himself up on his elbow, looking over me and down at where his palm was still gripping my boob.
An amused grin traced his lips. “Huh, would you look at that?”
He spoke so casually as if it wasn’t him who put his hand there—like there was some evil, boob- obsessed troll that came into my room in the night and put his hand there before prancing away, cackling.
Hot annoyance crept up my neck. I grabbed his hand and pried it off me. “I’m not kidding, Ace! Get off me!”
Ace finally released me, shaking his head while he chuckled. He fell back down on the bed and let out a deep yawn.
“Is that why you woke me up?” he asked, stretching his arms over his head.
“Yes, Mr. Handsy! You don’t get to touch me that way.”
His blue eyes swung back to me as he finally seemed to pick up on my serious tone and precarious emotional state. “It was an accident, Doe. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
My chest tightened. He didn’t mean anything by it. How could he not see that was a huge part of the
problem? He ~never~ meant anything by his touches.
“I don’t care if it was an accident or not,” I replied. “Keep your hands to yourself or find somewhere else to sleep.”
I regretted my words almost the moment they came out of my mouth. I didn’t want him to sleep anywhere other than by my side.
I was just confused—about my feelings for him, about the way he touched me and made me feel, and why he’d been acting so weird and possessive lately.
Despite all of that, however, my annoyance (and maybe just a hint of stubbornness) kept me from taking back my words.
I refused to become just some pair of tits he groped for fun, only to be pushed to the side when he decided he wanted to pursue other girls with whom he was actually interested.
He tensed; his gaze was laser-focused in its intensity. The temperature in the room dropped.
“Did spending the day away from me yesterday make you forget that you’re mine, Doe?”
I groaned in irritation and curled up on my side, giving him my back. I was so sick of him using that as an excuse for his weird behavior. “I don’t even know what that means,” I grumbled.
“What was that?”
Not wanting to get into it right now, I used his tactic to get out of hard conversations and kept quiet, shifting further away from him on the bed.
“I’m going back to sleep,” I said.
For a moment, I thought he might let it go when, without warning, two huge arms wrapped around me.
I was lifted into the air and then plopped down on top of Ace.
I yelped in surprise, his hold on me forcing me to straddle his lap while he sat back against my headboard.
Ace’s hands migrated to my hips, keeping me in place when I tried to move. I scowled at him.
“Why are you upset?” he asked.
He started to rub the skin of my hips over my pajama shirt, massaging me soothingly. I tried my absolute hardest to ignore how good it felt, but it was a losing battle.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I replied curtly. “Let me go.”
“No.” His grip on me was unyielding. “Tell me why you’re upset.”
With a screech of frustration, I tried even harder to push off him, angrily lifting my hips while shoving
at his chest with my hands. ding, Ace! Get off It didn’t work, of course, but I continued anyway, needing an outlet for my anger.
I had been struggling for less than a few seconds when I felt Ace tense under me, his whole body e bed and let out a locking up. His grip on me tightened to the point of discomfort.
“Doe,” he said through clenched teeth.
The huskiness in his voice sent a violent jolt of arousal through my system. The feeling was so unexpected that it forced a moan from my throat and my movements to slow.
Ace’s chest started to vibrate beneath my palms as he made that strange humming noise I’d been hearing him make a lot lately. It only added to the mounting heat overwhelming my body.
Jeez Louise, I need to get my hormones in check.
Ace continued speaking in a jagged tone. “I suggest you stop wiggling your sweet little ass all over my lap before you end up with a whole lot more than you’re asking for.”
He wasn’t even looking at me as he spoke. I followed his heated gaze to where our hips were connected. To my horror, I realized I was rubbing my crotch directly over his prominent morning wood.
I nearly suffocated on my gasp, instantly becoming an unmoving statue on top of him. Embarrassment stained my cheeks red. And my neck. And my chest. Basically, my whole body.
But accompanied by that embarrassment came other emotions.
Desire.
Heat.
Deep, throbbing lust.
Ace let out a low, carnal groan, and my gaze darted up to find him with his head tilted back, eyes squeezed shut, and nostrils flaring with each intense deep breath he took in. him using that as A thought occurred to me. Is it possible he is feeling the same desire that I am?
Not only did my stomach tighten at that possibility but the sensation went to my nipples, too, causing them to rise and poke through the fabric of my shirt.
Moisture pooled between my legs and gathered in the crotch of my panties, soaking them to the point that I could feel the material sticking uncomfortably to my skin.
I swallowed thickly.
Ace continued to pant like he was out of breath, his chest rising and falling, and his eyes still shut tightly.
Was he in pain or something? He looked like he was in pain.
“Ace?” I said with a quavering voice.
He held up a finger. “Just give me a second,” he bit out. “Don’t move.”
I did as I was told, worried I had somehow hurt him while struggling. My thoughts wandered while I waited for permission to move.
Sparks exploded beneath my palms where they touched his hard chest. I curled one into a fist and then relaxed it again, fascinated at how the sparks intensified and weakened with my movements.
Looking back at him, his expression hadn’t changed. In fact, he seemed even more tense. I studied the hard muscles of his neck and the way they flexed under his clenching jaw. He was so hot.
More moisture pooled between my legs.
Ace let out another deep growl. “Jesus fucking Christ, Doe, are you trying to fucking kill me?”
“What? No!” I squeaked.
His gaze flicked down to my hips, and I was struck with the sudden panic that he might be able to feel how wet I was getting through his boxers. My stomach plummeted.
“Okay, seriously, let go,” I demanded. It took everything in me not to wiggle again.
His eyes narrowed, but his hold didn’t let up. “We’re not done talking. Tell me why you were upset just now, and I’ll consider releasing you.”
My anger was mounting again. “Do you think you’re the king of the world or something? If I say let
me go, you don’t just get to give me some stupid ultimatum.
You do it because this is my body.
He raised a single eyebrow.
And it was enough to make me explode.
“You know what, asshole? You don’t get to make my decisions for me!” Hysterics took over as I shoved at his shoulders and screamed in his face. “If I want you to let me go, you can’t fucking say no!
“Just because you claim that I’m ‘yours’ or whatever other bullshit excuse you come up with, it doesn’t mean you get to touch me without my fucking goddamn consent!”
His eyes darkened.
Well, shit.
His hand whipped up and grabbed my chin tightly. He used his new grip to tug me down so my face was right in front of his.
“Whose mouth is this?” Ace asked, his voice deep and furious.
“I-I don’t—” I stammered.
“Whose mouth is this, Doe?” he repeated, practically seething. His grip tightened almost to the point of pain, making me whimper.
“Yours,” I whispered, too afraid to challenge him.
“That’s right. This mouth is mine, and I will not have filth coming out of it.”
Now, I can’t say I’m necessarily proud of what I did next. But, hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right?
My fear, mixed with the pent-up fury that had been brewing inside of me for the past few days, triggered my fight or flight, and since flight wasn’t an option… I clamped my teeth down on his arm. Hard.
ou were upset just
me go, you don’t just get to give me some stupid ultimatum.
You do it because this is my body.
He raised a single eyebrow.
And it was enough to make me explode.
“You know what, asshole? You don’t get to make my decisions for me!” Hysterics took over as I shoved at his shoulders and screamed in his face. “If I want you to let me go, you can’t fucking say no!
“Just because you claim that I’m ‘yours’ or whatever other bullshit excuse you come up with, it doesn’t mean you get to touch me without my fucking goddamn consent!”
His eyes darkened.
Well, shit.
His hand whipped up and grabbed my chin tightly. He used his new grip to tug me down so my face was right in front of his.
“Whose mouth is this?” Ace asked, his voice deep and furious.
“I-I don’t—” I stammered.
“Whose mouth is this, Doe?” he repeated, practically seething. His grip tightened almost to the point of pain, making me whimper.
“Yours,” I whispered, too afraid to challenge him.
“That’s right. This mouth is mine, and I will not have filth coming out of it.”
Now, I can’t say I’m necessarily proud of what I did next. But, hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right?
My fear, mixed with the pent-up fury that had been brewing inside of me for the past few days, triggered my fight or flight, and since flight wasn’t an option… I clamped my teeth down on his arm. Hard.
