Chapter 20
TWENTY
ACE
“Of all that you’ve just shared, there’s only one thing that makes me happy.”
That came from Phoenix.
I was back at work, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised by my best friend’s response. Truth be told, Phoenix wasn’t alone. When everything had been coming at me, my initial reaction had been anger as well.
But all the fury I’d been feeling over what happened with Tessa evaporated right about the time I walked her inside my home last night. We ate dinner together, and after spending a little bit of time talking, I showed her to the bedroom.
My bedroom.
“You can sleep in here,” I’d said. “I’ll take the couch.”
“What?”
“This is the only bed in the house, Tessa. You can stay here tonight.”
She jerked back, her eyes darting between the bed and me. “I can’t… I can’t kick you out of your bed, Ace.”
“Well, you’re not sleeping on the couch.” I gave a dismissive wave. “I’ll be fine there. I want you here.”
And I did.
Because the thought of Tessa sleeping in my bed—however she chose to sleep in it—was a welcomed one. I liked knowing my sheets would smell like her.
But Tessa didn’t like my idea, and she had no qualms about making that clear. “You aren’t sleeping on the couch. That’s ridiculous. You can just…” She’d gestured toward the bed. “It’s big enough for both of us, don’t you think?”
Sure, Tessa and I had made things official between us.
And we’d certainly done our fair share of kissing over the last couple of days.
But I didn’t think she’d be ready to just have me spend the night in bed with her, even if it wasn’t more than sleeping that we’d do.
“I just want you to be comfortable,” I’d explained.
“I think I’ll be plenty comfortable having you with me.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “And I think you’d be more comfortable in your bed, too.”
Feeling like she was giving me the privilege to do something I hadn’t quite earned the right to yet, I couldn’t bring myself to speak. So, I simply gave her a nod of agreement.
“Could I… Would it be alright if I took a shower first?”
And there was another thing I was going to have to try to be unaffected by. The thought of Tessa naked in my shower.
“Of course. I’m guessing you brought everything you need in those two bags, but if not, feel free to help yourself to anything that’s in the bathroom.”
She smiled, moved toward me, and placed her palm against my chest before she kissed me. “I’ll be quick.”
“Take your time. I’ll lock up the house. Do you need anything while I’m downstairs?”
Shaking her head, still smiling, she said, “Just you.”
Fuck me. How had I not noticed Tessa was the woman for me all these years?
She’d taken off to the shower, and I got everything locked up for the night. I’d made it back to the bedroom before Tessa was finished, so I climbed into bed and waited for her. My mind was racing with dozens of thoughts; each moment that passed while I waited felt like an eternity.
Finally, Tessa stepped into the room, and I stopped breathing.
My heart hammered so hard; I wouldn’t have been surprised if she could hear it from across the room.
My beautiful girl either had no clue what she could do to me, or she purposely wanted to torture me.
Tessa stood there wearing another one of her satin nighties.
The third I had the privilege of seeing so far.
How was I supposed to sleep beside her while she wore that and not want to touch and taste and ravish every inch of her flawless skin?
“God, you’re gorgeous,” I breathed.
She looked down at her body and back up before she whispered, “Thank you.”
Tessa became unstuck, slowly crossing the room.
With every step she took, my heart beat a little faster.
I struggled to maintain my breathing and probably would’ve been better off looking away from her, but I couldn’t.
She was too beautiful. I wanted to remember every detail of this moment for the rest of my life.
With her being so quiet, I worried that perhaps she felt uneasy. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and climbed in beside me. “Yes.”
“If you’re having second thoughts about me being in this bed with you, Tessa, you can tell me. I’ll be more than happy to take the couch.”
Her lips curved into a smile as she scooted closer.
Then she proved just how comfortable she was.
In true Tessa fashion, my girl reminded me just how much she liked having contact.
She curled her body into mine, resting her hand and her cheek on my chest. I curled my arm around her back and held her close.
It was easily the single best moment of my whole life.
“Goodnight, Ace.”
I reached out and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. Then I gave her a squeeze and closed my eyes with a smile on my face. “Goodnight, Princess.”
Moments later, Tessa hooked her leg over my thigh and cuddled even closer. We fell asleep just like that.
I was convinced there was nothing better.
Until I woke this morning and realized there was something at least as good. We’d shifted during the night. Tessa was on her side, her back to my front, and I had an arm hooked around her waist.
Everything about waking up like that—her soft body pressed close, her hair on my pillow, and the scent of her surrounding me—was all I ever could’ve wanted in my life.
As I stayed like that with her, giving her time to sleep, I fantasized about what it could become.
What it’d be like to open my eyes, feel her there, and find ways to wake her up using my mouth between those remarkable legs of hers.
By some miracle, I’d managed to keep myself in check this morning, and after some breakfast, I dropped Tessa off at the salon before coming to the shop.
And although I had plenty of work to keep me busy, my first order of business was bringing Phoenix up to speed on everything.
I’d just told him about Tessa and me making the decision on Friday evening to give this thing between us a chance.
Then I shared what happened yesterday at her place with the gas.
As I expected he would be, Phoenix was only happy about one thing. “Well, I’m relieved to have your blessing.”
“You already knew I’d be happy for both of you. But I’m furious about what happened at her place. Is Tessa certain the stove wasn’t left on for any reason?”
I nodded. “That’s why I had her stay at my place last night. She’s going to be there until I’m certain there’s nothing shady going on. I’m calling Cunningham Security this afternoon to have them look into Hastings.”
“You think he did this?” Fury was emanating off him.
I shrugged. “I don’t know him well enough to make that determination. But nothing else makes sense to me.”
“How’s Tessa holding up?”
“She was upset last night when I got there, but a few hours later, she was much better. By the time I dropped her off at work this morning, there was no evidence she’d ever been upset.”
Phoenix let out a frustrated sigh. “I agree that something doesn’t seem right here.
The road rage was a possibility. But adding this to the mix makes me think there’s something more nefarious going on.
And I think you might be right about her ex.
Tessa’s a sweetheart; she’s never had problems with anyone before him. ”
“That’s why this whole thing makes me feel uneasy. Plus, his unwillingness to accept that things are over between them. He might’ve appeared reasonably level-headed while they were together, but people have lost their minds and gone crazy over stuff like this before.”
“Yeah. And the only reason we know about it is because they usually wind up on the news for murdering someone,” Phoenix muttered.
I’d kill the man myself if he laid a single finger on Tessa. “That’s why I’m not messing around. I’ll get this taken care of and figure out what’s going on.”
My best friend walked toward me, slapping a hand on my shoulder. “It kills me that you and Tessa finally found something special and are now having to deal with this. If there’s anything I can do to help, you know I’m here.”
“I do. Thanks. And when the time comes for you and Faye, I’ll be there for you, too.”
Phoenix shoved my shoulder and let out a groan of frustration. “I’m not sure if that’s ever going to happen. That woman is so damn stubborn.”
“Or maybe she’s just not interested,” I suggested, my lips twitching.
He rolled his eyes and walked away to get to work. “She’s interested. She’s just fighting it for some reason.”
Laughing, I did the same. And the hours flew by.
I’d managed to make the call to Cunningham Security during lunch, but otherwise, I didn’t have an ounce of downtime throughout the day. Now that I had Tessa’s car thrown into the mix, there was even more work to do.
By the end of the day, I was beyond ready to go. I pulled out my phone and called Tessa.
“Hi, handsome,” she greeted me.
Hearing her voice for the first time since I’d dropped her off made all the work stress vanish.
“Hey, Tessa. I’m getting ready to head out of here for the day. I just wanted to confirm that Lark gave you a ride home from work. If not, I’ll be there in a few minutes to get you.”
“I’m already back at your place.”
“Alright. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Sounds good. See you soon, Ace.”
“Later, Princess.”
I ended the call and left, eager to get to her.
But when I made it home, I got more than I’d bargained for. As I walked up to the front door, it opened. Standing there, with a bright smile on her face, was Tessa.
She was so beautiful, it hurt. My chest ached at the sight of her there.
I’d looked forward to seeing Tessa answer her own door and surprising me with whatever she’d be wearing. It was my favorite thing. But this…
This I loved. I loved it in a way that I knew I wanted it forever.
I smiled back at her, closed the remaining distance between us, and wrapped my arms around her as my mouth descended on hers. I didn’t care that I hadn’t showered yet. Or that she’d somehow located an apron in the kitchen—something my mom had probably purchased for me years ago.