46. The Gift of Home
When I woke up several hours later, Ace was already looking down at me, lovingly running a hand through my hair. I smiled up at him and yawned, stretching my arms out to the sides.
“You slept for nine hours,” Ace murmured, his voice deep with sleep.
The sound of it made my blood heat.
“It’s nearly five o’clock. I had to text your parents from your phone so they wouldn’t think you’d gone missing.”
I sighed and nuzzled into him. I felt so refreshed. It was such a relief. “When did you wake up? Please
tell me you slept too.”
“I slept. I woke up about an hour ago.”
He lay here with me on top of him for an entire hour? That must have been so boring.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” I leaned back, propping my body up on my arms so I could look at him. “I can get up if you want.”
Ace chuckled and wound his arms around my middle so he could pull me back down on top of him.
“Absolutely not. This is heaven. I’ll never take you sleeping in my arms for granted ever again.”
I giggled. “Good. I missed this.”
“Me, too, baby. Me too.”
I took in a huge lungful of his scent, letting it settle deep in my lungs. “Do you wear cologne?”
Ace laughed. “No. Do I smell like cologne?”
I shook my head. “No. You smell like you. You’ve always smelled like this. But recently, you’ve smelled…stronger. Better. I don’t know how to explain it. You…you smell like home.”
Ace’s thumbs drew circles against my bare skin. “You smell good to me too.”
I grinned. As if I didn’t already know that. He was always telling me how good I smelled. He’d even described me as his own personal aphrodisiac once.
When I laid my head on his chest, I noticed a slight vibration. I pressed my ear to his left pec, listening to the quiet purr he was making, almost as if he were growling at an extremely low decibel.
I wondered if he’d been purring the entire time I slept. No wonder I felt so tingly all over. Ace knew what that sound did to me. It calmed me, yes, but it also activated a deep ache between my legs.
“I don’t get how you make that noise,” I said.
“What noise?”
“That weird purring noise you make. You’re doing it right now.”
“It’s not a purr. I’m not a damn cat.”
I laughed. “You would make a great cat. Cute and feisty. Cranky around the people you don’t know.” I leaned forward and slowly kissed along his jaw. “But sweet and cuddly around those you do.”
Ace upped the volume of his purrs, and my body vibrated down to my toes. My core clenched.
“If it’s not a purr, what is it?” I tried to imitate the sound, only for a mortifying, high-pitched squawk to come out. It sounded more like a bird.
Ace let out a booming laugh. “Fuck, you’re adorable.”
“Don’t laugh!” I smacked his chest. “Seriously, how do you do that? It’s not even coming from your throat; it’s coming from somewhere in your chest.”
Ace shrugged. “I’m not sure. All I know is that I make it when I’m happy and only when I’m around you.”
I hummed and nuzzled my face closer to the vibrations. “I kind of like it.”
“I know you do. That’s why I do it. It calms you, makes you melt like butter against me.” He dragged his nose over my hair and groaned. “Fuck, makes you smell damn good too.”
His hands drifted down until they were over my ass. He slipped his fingers under my panties and
squeezed. I gasped.
“Hey, I, um, have a question.”
“I’m listening.” He kneaded me while shifting my body down until my tingling slit was lined up with his rock-hard cock.
Looks like I’m not the only one getting worked up.
“Did you open the gifts I got you for your birthday?”
“Of course not,” he said. “I wouldn’t open the presents you got me without you.”
I exhaled in relief. With being mad at him the last few days, I’d forgotten about the lacy bra and panty set I left in the bag of gifts.
I didn’t want to think about him opening that particular present without me.
Ace’s heated gaze traveled down my body, reminding me that I was only wearing my underwear. We both were. It was a miracle I wasn’t on my back with Ace between my legs.
Especially since I could feel how hard he was under my butt.
I think we were both enjoying simply being in each other’s company, though, talking and catching up after our time apart. We didn’t have to be intimate to feel close.
Although, it definitely didn’t hurt.
“Do you have the gifts with you? Do you want to open them?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Right now?”
I nodded eagerly. “Yeah. If you want to.”
“All right.” Ace started to get up. “The bag is still in my car. I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll get it!”
That way, it would give me a chance to take the lingerie out of the bag before I gave it to him. I decided I no longer had the courage. Maybe I would give it to him someday, but not today.
Besides, I had planned on wearing it when I gave it to him and that didn’t seem appropriate. We’d just made up. What would he think of me if I immediately jumped his bones at the first opportunity? u don’t know.” I I tried to scramble off his lap, but he clamped his hands on my thighs, keeping me where I was.
Ace eyed me, trying to read my expression. “It’s okay. It will only take me a second.”
He moved me off him and set me down on the mattress. itched squawk to I grabbed his arm before he could pull himself up.
“No, really, I want to do it. It’s for your birthday. If you just give me your keys”—I held out my hand —“I’ll run out to your car and be back in two seconds.”
Ace still looked skeptical. Thankfully, he didn’t push me on it. He grabbed his jeans from the floor and took the keys from the pocket. “Okay. If you insist.”
I snatched them from his hand before he could change his mind. “You stay right here.” I jumped out of bed and raced to pull my dress over my head. “I’ll be right back.”
*** “Doe!” Ace exclaimed, looking down at the brand-new watch. “This is incredible!”
He turned it over in his hand, eyes wide. “How did you even afford this? It must have cost a fortune.”
I shrugged, grinning broadly. “I saved up. I saw you eyeing it in one of your dad’s catalogs and knew I had to get it. Look, I even got it engraved!” I grabbed it and flipped it over.
Written in fancy cursive was the line I love you every second of every day. Yours forever, Doe.
“I got the cheesiest line I could think of. Do you like it?”
Ace laughed. “Do I like it? Doe, I’m never taking it off. It’s perfect.”
The watch was by far the most expensive of the gifts. The cheapest of them was his favorite candy, while the most expensive after the watch was a signed copy of his favorite book, Hands of Gold.
“Come here,” Ace said once the watch was securely on his wrist. He grabbed my chin and led my lips to his. “Thank you,” he spoke against my mouth.
My pulse fluttered as his free hand traveled beneath the bottom of my dress and up my bare back. He dipped two of his fingers underneath my bra clasp.
“Happy birthday,” I breathed out. “Well, a few days late.”
Ace grinned and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue inside my mouth while he pulled me onto his lap. I moaned.
Ace pulled back. “So, where’s my last gift?”
“W-what? What gift?” I stammered, hating that I could feel my cheeks reddening. It was a dead giveaway that I was up to something.
Amusement swirled in his blue eyes. “You told me you got me eighteen presents for my eighteenth birthday. I’m only counting seventeen.”
I scoffed. “Um, okay, Dudley Dursley, I must have miscounted or something.” I tried to give him a nonchalant shrug. “I guess it’s seventeen presents for your eighteenth birthday.” to him. I decidedAce shook his head. He kneaded my hips with his fingers as his smirk grew. “I know you’re lying, Doe.
I saw you fish a red box out of the bag when you were walking back from my car.”
I gasped. “You were watching me?”
“Of course I watched you. You were acting far too guiltily not to be up to something.”
He tugged me closer, making me squeak. I grasped his shoulders to stabilize myself.
My sex was now lined up perfectly with his, separated only by his boxers and my panties.
“I’ll have you know, that little red box was the gift I was most excited about opening.” He kissed the tip of my chin. “So, you can imagine my disappointment when I saw you throw it in my bushes.”
Crap, he really does see everything. “I-I decided that I didn’t want to give you that one. It was stupid, really. You wouldn’t have liked it anyway.”
om the floor and“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
Ace tried to lift me off him but I pressed down on his shoulders to keep him from standing.
“No, really. It wasn’t important,” I insisted.
Ace grinned, unaffected by my panic. “Either I go get it or you do. What will it be, Doe?”
“Can’t we just leave it there and let the squirrels have it?”
He shook his head. “And never find out what’s making your cheeks that delicious shade of red? I don’t think so.”
I groaned. There was no way he was letting this go.
“Fine,” I said, finally giving in. “But I’ll go get it. You stay here.”
He watched me from his spot at the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands with a huge grin on his face. He looked sexy as hell in only his boxers, his sculpted chest on full display.
I swallowed. “A—and put some pants on.”
Ace raised his brow. “Why?”
Because you’re too distracting. “Because I said so.”
Ace’s laugh echoed out of his room behind me as I made my way back down the hall.
you’re lying, Doe.
He kissed the tip
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
Ace tried to lift me off him but I pressed down on his shoulders to keep him from standing.
“No, really. It wasn’t important,” I insisted.
Ace grinned, unaffected by my panic. “Either I go get it or you do. What will it be, Doe?”
“Can’t we just leave it there and let the squirrels have it?”
He shook his head. “And never find out what’s making your cheeks that delicious shade of red? I don’t think so.”
I groaned. There was no way he was letting this go.
“Fine,” I said, finally giving in. “But I’ll go get it. You stay here.”
He watched me from his spot at the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands with a huge grin on his face. He looked sexy as hell in only his boxers, his sculpted chest on full display.
I swallowed. “A—and put some pants on.”
Ace raised his brow. “Why?”
Because you’re too distracting. “Because I said so.”
Ace’s laugh echoed out of his room behind me as I made my way back down the hall.
