20. Soon
About a week had passed, and Ace was honoring his promise to keep his hands to himself.
And I was pretty sure I was about to lose my mind.
Yeah, I know, I know, I was the one who demanded he stop touching me in a sexual way. But I never believed he would be quite so capable of it.
But, oh no, he was more than capable; he was a fucking expert at keeping his hands to himself.
In fact, not only was he succeeding at not touching me sexually, but he was avoiding making any physical contact with me altogether.
I’m not kidding; it was as if I’d contracted the goddamn plague or something. He started to stand at least a foot away from me and kept his hands safely stowed in his pockets.
For the first time since we’d met at six years old, he didn’t hold my waist as he walked me through the school hallway, or grip my thigh while driving, or wrap his arms around me while we slept.
Even the hickeys on my neck were starting to fade. I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t have giant bruises all over my neck.
And I hated it. I hated it so freaking much.
I wished I had never said anything. I wished I hadn’t threatened to make him sleep on his own if he didn’t start behaving. Confusing touches from Ace were better than no touches.
Because of this, I had started to depend on our time sleeping next to each other to touch him instead.
Throughout the week, he would start each night on the other side of the mattress, putting space between us. Then, once he fell asleep, I’d shift closer until I could nuzzle his chest.
Something instinctive in him made him instantly wrap his arms around me in his sleep, and my relief was instantaneous.
Tonight was no different, except that I didn’t fall asleep the moment his arms came around me. Instead, I spent several minutes studying him, watching him while he slept.
I wasn’t sure why I did this. A big part of me just missed him. We spent nearly every hour of every day together, and yet, without physical contact, I felt lost.
Carefully, I maneuvered my body so I was lying partially on my stomach, my upper half spread over his chest. One of his arms remained tightly around me.
I studied his calm expression. He had to be the most beautiful man alive: all sharp lines, an angular jaw, and chiseled cheekbones. He was beauty personified, my own personal Adonis.
I reached up and gently ran a finger over the scruff of his chin. The dark shadow of his beard was always at its most prominent at night, and I secretly loved it.
Especially when he rubbed it against the spot on my neck that he liked to suck on.
I moved my hand higher to touch his smooth, full lips, then shifted as I tried to get the throbbing between my legs under control.
What would his lips feel like against mine? Will I ever get to feel that? Will he ever want me in that way?
Gently, I pulled his bottom lip down, suddenly curious to see his teeth. Straight and white, just like normal teeth, except for his long, pointed canines.
They were almost animal-like—intimidating and menacing.
The throbbing in my core increased. The ache for release was getting worse with every passing day. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take it.
Why couldn’t he be the one to admit his feelings for ~me~? Why did I have to be the one who was head-over-heels in love with her best friend?
Without thinking, I touched one of his pearly-white canines.
I didn’t consider how weird it was to put my finger in another person’s mouth while they were sleeping, just that I wanted a closer look at this strange tooth.
Something compelled me to press my thumb against it, pushing until it drew blood.
My body exploded in delicious flames. Liquid fire traveled from my thumb and through the rest of me, making my brain short-circuit.
I automatically pressed my thumb deeper, desperate for more of the sensation.
The wave of pleasure ended much too soon, just as fast as it had started.
I gasped, tugged my hand away, and immediately sat up. I studied the small nick on my thumb with interest. Why did that feel so good? And why do I want to do it again?
“You trying to mark yourself, sweet girl?”
I squeaked and whirled around to see Ace was watching me with a smirk on his face.
“I-I, um,” I stammered, hugging my still-tingling hand to my chest.
Ace sat up, his muscles rippling with the movement. I licked my lips. ng space between“It’s okay,” he said, his voice husky and deep with sleep, adding to the hot wetness between my legs.
“Let me see.”
He pulled my hand to him and examined the nick on my thumb and the blood dripping down my wrist.
He hummed in amusement. “You pressed in deep, baby. Did it feel good?” ound me. Instead,I nearly stopped breathing. “Good?”
He nodded, his sensual smile growing bigger. “I bet it felt real good, huh?” hour of every dayBefore I could respond, he dipped his head and dragged his tongue from my wrist all the way up to my thumb, cleaning the blood from my skin.
Then he swirled his tongue around the tip before sucking the entire thing into his mouth with a deep groan. s, an angular jaw,He sucked on it for several seconds, paying extra close attention to the small wound at the top, running his tongue over it several times.
All I could do was sit there and stare like an idiot, my heart doing flip-flops in my chest, and my core clenching and releasing.
After another moment, Ace released my thumb from his mouth with a satisfying pop and then leaned back to admire his handiwork. “There we go,” he drawled. “All better.”
He licked it one final time before allowing me to pull my hand back to me. My eyes widened. The small wound was now nothing more than a white scar on the tip of my thumb, completely healed.
“How did you—?”
“Now, as much as I enjoyed that,” he said, “no more marking yourself, okay? It’s not safe if I’m not the one biting you. We’ll do that when you’re ready.”
“I-I…” I shook my head, certain I wasn’t comprehending what was happening.
“What?”
He laid back in the bed. “What?” he asked as his eyes drifted shut.
How the hell was he acting so nonchalant after he just sucked my bloody thumb in his mouth like a damn porn star?
“I don’t understand a single thing you just said to me.”
Ace’s lips turned up the tiniest bit. He sighed and opened his eyes. “That’s because you’re sleep- deprived, Doe. You haven’t been sleeping at all these last few days. You must be exhausted.”
He was right, of course. But that didn’t clear up any of my confusion.
“Come here, Doe.” He lifted one of his arms, inviting me into his embrace.
I didn’t need to be told twice.
I fell into him, and he lifted me so I was on top of him, my legs on either side of his large form, and my head tucked under his chin.
He caressed my back, running his hand up and down my spine with soothing strokes that had me
sighing in bliss.
“Now get some sleep,” he whispered.
I was out in seconds.
*** I slept soundly for the next hour or so, dreaming nonstop of Ace’s teeth sinking into me, until a sound pulled me from my deep slumber.
My bedroom door creaked open and in came my three-year-old brother, Wes, who walked toward me in his Bluey onesie.
“Dotty,” he said, coming up to stand by the edge of the bed.
I glanced up at Ace who was still sleeping peacefully beside me.
“Hey, cutie pie,” I whispered back to him. “What are you doing out of bed? Did you crawl out of your crib?”
He didn’t reply. He reached out and touched Ace’s arm dangling off the bed. “Wow,” he murmured with wide eyes.
“Uh-oh, don’t wake him up.” I gently tugged his arm away from Ace. I grinned at how taken Wes seemed to be with him. “Do you need help going back to bed?”
Before Wes could say anything else, a low, husky voice spoke from behind me. “He can sleep in here.”
I squeaked. “You’re awake?”
Ace nodded, his eyes half-hooded, watching me with a look of contentment. “I’m attuned to every part
of you. I felt it when you woke up.”
“Oh. Sorry—”
“Dotty,” Wes interrupted, maneuvering his little body as he tried to climb onto the bed with Ace and safe if I’m not the me. He was too small and stumbled back, and my heart swelled.
“I’ll take him back to his room.”
I started to sit up but Ace stopped me.
“He can sleep in here with us,” he said again.
I cocked my head to the side. I thought I had misheard him the first time.
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“No. It’ll be good practice for the future.”
I laughed, already crawling off him and reaching for Wes. “What, for when you have kids of your own who want to sleep with you every night? Are you really going to let them do that?”
“Of course. I’ve always dreamed of having a huge family. I can imagine me and my wife sitting on a couch in our house, all our kids snuggling up to us while we watch a movie together.”
Why did I instantly picture myself as the wife? I had to get that thought out of my head. I shouldn’t be rge form, and mydaydreaming about that sort of thing. It was best not to get my hopes up.
I situated Wes between us on the mattress, giggling as he snuggled into the blankets, acting as if he slept in my bed every night.
Wes turned his head to look at Ace, his eyes scanning him with innocent curiosity.
Without a word, he dragged a gentle finger down Ace’s perfectly straight nose, almost as if he were caressing it.
It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. Even Ace grinned lovingly.
“Alpha,” Wes murmured, peering up at Ace as if he were some sort of superhero.
“Alpha?” I asked. “That’s Ace, silly.” I wasn’t even sure where he had heard that word. It was kind of a strange thing to call a person.
Although, if anyone was an alpha male, it would be Ace. He was strong and dominant and an amazing leader. He oozed masculinity with every breath.
Ace smiled. “He can call me Alpha if he wants.” He began tickling my brother’s sides, watching as Wes lit up with laughter, rolling around the bed between us.
“Stop!” Wes said between giggles as Ace continued. “Alpha, stop!”
I laughed along with them. I loved watching how Ace interacted with my siblings.
He was so good with them. What was it about men with kids that was such a turn-on?
Ace stopped abruptly, his gaze snapping up to look at me, his nostrils flaring.
My smile fell at the sudden and intense look he was giving me. “What?”
Ace licked his lips. “Soon.”
an sleep in here.”
“I’ll take him back to his room.”
I started to sit up but Ace stopped me.
“He can sleep in here with us,” he said again.
I cocked my head to the side. I thought I had misheard him the first time.
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“No. It’ll be good practice for the future.”
I laughed, already crawling off him and reaching for Wes. “What, for when you have kids of your own who want to sleep with you every night? Are you really going to let them do that?”
“Of course. I’ve always dreamed of having a huge family. I can imagine me and my wife sitting on a couch in our house, all our kids snuggling up to us while we watch a movie together.”
Why did I instantly picture myself as the wife? I had to get that thought out of my head. I shouldn’t be daydreaming about that sort of thing. It was best not to get my hopes up.
I situated Wes between us on the mattress, giggling as he snuggled into the blankets, acting as if he slept in my bed every night.
Wes turned his head to look at Ace, his eyes scanning him with innocent curiosity.
Without a word, he dragged a gentle finger down Ace’s perfectly straight nose, almost as if he were caressing it.
It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. Even Ace grinned lovingly.
“Alpha,” Wes murmured, peering up at Ace as if he were some sort of superhero.
“Alpha?” I asked. “That’s Ace, silly.” I wasn’t even sure where he had heard that word. It was kind of a strange thing to call a person.
Although, if anyone was an alpha male, it would be Ace. He was strong and dominant and an amazing leader. He oozed masculinity with every breath.
Ace smiled. “He can call me Alpha if he wants.” He began tickling my brother’s sides, watching as Wes lit up with laughter, rolling around the bed between us.
“Stop!” Wes said between giggles as Ace continued. “Alpha, stop!”
I laughed along with them. I loved watching how Ace interacted with my siblings.
He was so good with them. What was it about men with kids that was such a turn-on?
Ace stopped abruptly, his gaze snapping up to look at me, his nostrils flaring.
My smile fell at the sudden and intense look he was giving me. “What?”
Ace licked his lips. “Soon.”
