“Either way, I appreciate it,” he said. “I'm going to take a shower if you don't mind.”
Emma nodded. He closed the door, and for a second, she thought about slipping in there and getting herself some early morning delight. She bit her lip, then forced herself back into the living room section to clean up the mess the Don’s henchmen had made.
She had never had sex like that before in her life. Especially with someone she had just met who was sort of holding her prisoner in her own apartment. It had hit all of her magical buttons, making her feel the way she knew one should when they were connecting with another human being like that.
But he wasn’t a human at all. He was a shifter. Maybe that was the reason he was so good at it … he could sense what she wanted without her having to ask at all.
Emma felt slightly guilty about what she had said to Ace about keeping him a secret. It would have been her ass if she had revealed him, but it also would have been his. They would likely interrogate him and then kill him, along with her. That didn’t sound like a good ending for either of them.
She waited for him to finish showering, unsure what their next step would be.
Chapter14
Ace
Ace hadn’t been worried when he heard the sound of Don Fontana at the front door. He shifted and then found a place to settle on the fire escape. He heard the curtain rip open, which also didn’t scare him whatsoever. If he needed to, he would tear heads from torsos.
But what did bother him was that he was willing to do that for Emma. He deeply wanted to protect her, despite the fact that she was a part of the enemy family and not a good person to ever consider as a partner. However, he was beginning to think that his shifter nature would have the first say in the matter and not him.
He sat in the kitchen playing solitaire on his phone, trying to pretend that Emma didn’t exist at all. They had been in her home for two days straight after having amazing sex, switching around the space, and avoiding each other at all costs. Emma was on her bed with her back to him, reading a book.
He wondered if she was conflicted with any feelings too. Ace had the urge to go to her and comfort her, to let her know that everything would be okay. He never felt that way about anyone in his entire life.
After a few hours of barely being able to focus, he placed the phone down and rubbed his eyes, letting out a groan of annoyance.
He shouldn’t have had sex with her. That was making things a lot worse. He had always been a playboy, someone able to fuck and go without catching feelings. But he had been growing away from that lifestyle, not able to admit it to himself yet, and then suddenly, he met Emma.
She had changed everything, and it ached for him to be away from her, even if it was just a few feet of separation.
It was a hot Chicago day, and the air conditioning hummed its endless dull melody. Cars and trucks zipped by, making Ace feel even more isolated.
He rose from the table and went out onto the balcony. Perhaps, some fresh air could shake his thoughts from the tangle they had enmeshed themselves within. But when he slid the door open, he was smacked by a wall of heat, one that was as relentless as the sun's rays that bore down on his large body.
“Jesus,” he whispered, squinting.
Ace sighed, then leaned up against the railing. His thoughts immediately went to Emma and all that they had done. She was attractive, and he was growing more and more attached to her. That was why he had to stop it. It was becoming more like a relationship each time they hung out.
He felt guilty for leaving her hanging, which was another feeling he wasn’t used to. It was easier to stay silent, to ghost them rather than explain that commitment just wasn’t his thing.
It was barely past noon, and the day already seemed to be dragging on. He couldn’t stay in the loft much longer without getting his hands on her again. She was avoiding him, the same way he was eluding her. He wondered if it was for the same reasons.
Maybe they should go out, somewhere in public, where they were less likely to jump each other’s bones.
Ace went inside, his heart pitter-pattering at the mere idea of laying eyes on Emma. It was irritating and distracting.
He tried to make himself look casual and unaffected as he sauntered across the room. He cleared his throat but was not prepared for what he was about to encounter.
“Yeah?" her sweet voice said. She rolled over, the blanket falling off her, and Ace felt the breath leave him as he came upon a vision that he thought belonged in the Louvre.
Emma wore jean shorts and a white tank top that clung to her frame. She had twirled her shiny brown hair into a loose bun, sporting a polka-dotted headband to hold it together. She had no makeup on, which didn’t matter to Ace in the slightest. Her supple skin brought out the natural luminosity of her emerald eyes, which required no enhancement.
She looked up at him from the book she was holding, giving him a small, cute smile.
“What’s up?” she said casually.
There was a part of Ace that wondered if she was doing what she was doing on purpose. Her feet were bare, crossed, and placed in the tiny sliver of light that came in through the blinds as she pushed the blanket fully off of her. If he were a photographer, he would tell her to stay still, to simply be, so he could capture the allure that was her mere presence.
He had to swallow, then clear his throat before he spoke. “Are you okay?” he asked.