Emma shrugged like a kid who was getting slightly bored on their cottage vacation.
“A bit concerned about the Don,” she said. “But I’m thankful that I have you here, mostly.”
“Mostly?” he said, smirking.
Her smile grew bigger, which nearly shattered his heart into a million pieces.
“I don’t know what your intentions are for me,” she said, her smile melting away a little. “We do belong to enemy families, after all.”
Ace still had his hands in his pockets, finding that he had started to sweat from his palms. He freed them and walked to the side of the bed closest to her. Her eyes followed him, the way the moon crossed an ocean.
“You’re right about that,” he said. “But I’m not here to hurt you. I won’t hurt you at all.”
Ace sat next to her, catching her glorious scent. It made him a little dizzy, so he had to blink heavily to center himself in the moment.
Emma placed the book she was reading against her chest, then tapped it anxiously.
“So, do you have a plan?” she asked.
“I was thinking we could get some fresh air,” Ace said, smiling. “Go somewhere for a change of scenery, you know.”
Her look of amusement disappeared into a look of anguish. She pushed the book against her chest like it were a shield.
“Are you going to take me somewhere to kill me?” she said, gulping.
Ace was crushed. He reached out a hand and placed it on her leg, making her eyes flick down to it instantly.
“Emma,” he tried to say assertively. “I promise you, I am not going to hurt you. I would never …”
Ace caught himself, realizing that his voice had begun to tremble. Before he opened his mouth to speak again, Emma put a hand over his.
Their eyes met, and Ace recognized instantly that it was a dangerous game they were playing.
“I believe you,” she said, low and sultry.
When Emma placed her book down. Ace tensed on the side of the bed, then he shifted her body closer to his. His hand slid up from her knee to her thighs, her skin warming the closer he got to her pussy.
“I know something else we could do,” Emma said, placing her hands on his chest. “To pass the time.”
She was beyond sexy, and there was very little Ace could do to deny their magnetic attraction. Their foreheads leaned against one another, breathing heavily. Ace let his hands move up to her waist, skimming the top of her underwear and making her moan beautifully.
He couldn’t help himself. He pushed his lips against hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She whimpered with pleasure as their mouths welcomed each other’s tongues, desperately lapping up each other’s taste like the world was ending.
Ace desired her beyond reason. He wanted her body, her mind, her soul. He wanted to swallow her up completely every day for the rest of their lives. It would be an infinite loop that he would insatiably long to devour.
Emma leaned back onto the bed when he pushed his hand up the back of her shirt. Her skin was so soft, so lovely to feel against his. Their kisses grew more intense when he moved down to her neck, burying himself within her angelic scent.
“Oh, Ace,” she moaned.
He was already feeling unhinged with her, and she was a mere human. He was a wild animal, and fucking her was bound to get dangerous the more he let himself go.
Ace had never worried about that before in his life. He wanted her to feel good and would chastise himself for the rest of his life if he ever did her harm in any way at all.
Plus, there was the situation they were in to consider. The more they made love, the closer he would feel to her and even more protective.
So Ace peeled himself from her neck, which was quite like ripping off a Band-Aid.
“Sorry,” he said immediately. Ace sat up on the bed, still tasting her on his tongue. “We shouldn’t do this again,” he said firmly.