He opened his eyes and saw her watching him. Her green eyes looked so very dark in the shadows, glinting with reflected light. He saw himself there. He saw himself as she saw him.
Strong, violent, hostile, yes. But not a monster. The compassion on her face moved him, and he knew that she saw the wounded parts of him that he would never willingly reveal.
She doesn’t just see it all. She accepts me. She loves me, and she wants me. She loves me no matter who I am or what I’ve done.
Ace tightened his arms around her, kissing her again. The heat rose in his body, and he felt it answered by hers. He smiled through the kiss, knowing they were going to be tangled together for quite a while … neither of them was in a hurry to leave the bed.
Chapter28
Ace
Aloud noise startled Ace awake. He sat up abruptly, his hands half shifted into claws as he prepared to take on the enemy.
He had to blink a few times as the after images faded from his eyes. The blinds were only open a little, but he’d come out of sleep so suddenly and so hyped up that he’d almost blinded himself.
I’m in Emma’s bed. Our bed
Ace smiled softly. The loud noise clanged again, and he laid back, laughing at himself. The sound was Emma making breakfast, not rival gang members breaking in to murder him.
Hopefully, nothing like that would ever happen. If the truce held, members of both families would be able to enjoy more quiet time with their loved ones. It was nice to wake up to peace, not war.
Ace wasn’t stupid. He knew that sooner or later, territory, resources, and money would become more important than the truce. There was too much hatred within the families and too many people on both sides that wanted it all.
There would be fighting again, that was certain. For now, though, he wanted to enjoy his mate, and he hoped these days would last.
He got up slowly, wrapping a robe around himself and ambling to the kitchen. The entire house, as well as the kitchen itself, was clean and beautifully maintained. Now that Emma knew how nice a clean house was, she always kept hers tidy. He smiled at the flowers they had bought the day of the drive-by. He was shocked that she brought the flowers up from his car, even if she didn’t know if he was alive at the time. She believed in him, and she saved the flowers he picked that are now nicely displayed throughout the apartment.
He'd also bought her a new camera and supplies since he heard from Ray how much his wife Augusta loved that hobby. Maybe she can take photos of the flowers they are growing. She only had to agree to one thing before he handed the equipment over to her. She was not allowed to go out to take photos without him. He remembered what had happened to Augusta, and he would never allow the same thing to happen to his Emma.
“So, babe,” Ace said casually. “How’s the drum solo coming?”
“What?” Emma muttered, her head halfway inside a kitchen cupboard. He wasn’t surprised she couldn’t hear him because she was rummaging through pots and pans like it was a sock drawer.
“Emma, are you joining a heavy metal band or cooking breakfast?”
Emma sat up, brushing an unruly strand of hair from her forehead. Her mouth curved in a mischievous grin.
Ace loved that look. She had been such a shy little mouse, but now she was feeling confident and strong. She had a cheeky look in her eyes that drove him wild.
“Both. I cook better when I’m listening to music.”
“But playing it at the same time?” he quipped, raising his eyebrows.
Emma laughed. “The recipe said I needed a certain frying pan, but I don’t know if I have the right size.”
Ace frowned. “What are you making?”
“Pancakes with bacon and eggs on the side.”
“Just use two, a bigger one and a smaller one. Pancakes in the smaller one. Let the other stuff cook slowly in the big pan while you focus on the pancakes.”
Emma held a frying pan in each hand and looked at them. “But the recipe said …”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ace said, laughing. “Trust me, you can use any pan. Give me a sec, and I’ll help.”
“But I want to make breakfast for you,” Emma said in a little plaintive voice.
“How about I supervise?” Ace said, sitting down at the counter and pouring himself a cup of coffee. “You get started.”