Eleven
Kema
Ace woke me up by kissing all over my face. I wanted to be annoyed, but his silliness had me giggling internally, making it hard to pretend I was still asleep. His lips moved from my forehead to my cheek, then the corner of my mouth.
“Get up, Kema. I wanna take you somewhere.”
“Ace, please.” I pulled the covers over my head. “I just wanna sleep. We don’t have anything scheduled today.”
“Oh, but you can’t because we got plans.”
I opened my eyes. “No, we do not. Stephen and Sisi are spending time together today. It’s a free day.”
“It was a free day, but…”
I narrowed my eyes. “What did you do?”
“Why you always assume I did something?”
“Because you’re standing over me fully dressed trying to wake me up.”
Ace had on a white T-shirt, white shorts, and slides. His locs were pulled back. Like usual he smelled good as fuck. Good enough that I momentarily forgot to be irritated with him. He snatched the comforter off me. “Get up.”
“Ace!”
“Come on, baby. Wear something comfortable and pack a swimsuit.”
I sat up, trying not to react to him calling me baby.
He’d been doing that more often. At first, it was only around Markel and Tiana. Now he said it when we were alone, and every time he did, I had to remind myself this was supposed to be fake.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“Maybe you’ve never had a good one.”
“So you’re kidnapping me for the day?”
Ace stared at me. “You brought me to another country on my private plane just to kidnap me?”
“You asked me to come.”
“I was under emotional distress.”
“You were horny.”
My mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“You know what? I’m going back to sleep.”
I reached for the comforter, but Ace grabbed my ankle and pulled me toward the edge of the bed. I screamed before he caught me around the waist, lifted me to my feet, and slapped my ass. “You got thirty minutes.”
“And what happens if I’m not ready?”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. “You don’t want me to answer that.”
Heat shot straight between my thighs. “You think sex is going to get me out of this room faster?”
“No.” His hands settled on my hips. “But I know it’ll keep us in here another two hours, so let me stop touching you.”
Ace kissed my forehead and walked away. He was a problem, but he was a great problem to have.
Between the forehead kisses, helping me wash my hair yesterday, and everything else he did when nobody was watching, I could easily see myself catching feelings.
That was against our rules, but we’d broken so many of them I didn’t know why I bothered keeping count.
Thirty-five minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom wearing a white shirt tied beneath my breasts and a matching skirt. My waist beads rested against my stomach, and I’d packed a swimsuit, toiletries, and a change of clothes.
Ace looked up from his phone, his eyes traveling slowly over me. “Damn.”
I smiled. “What?”
He stood. “Turn around.”
“For what?”
“Let me see.”
I turned slowly before facing him again. “Happy?”
“Nah.”
My smile slipped. “What’s wrong?”
Ace hooked a finger through my waist beads and pulled me closer. “You look too damn good, and I’m trying to get you out this room.”
“That sounds like a personal problem.”
“It is.”
Instead of kissing me, he moved behind me and pressed his body against mine, hands settling on my waist.
“Ace.”
“What?”
“We’re going to be late.”
“You took thirty-five minutes. We already late.”
“That sounds like your fault for waiting til the last minute to wake me up.”
He kissed the side of my neck. “You always got something smart to say.”
His lips moved slowly across my skin, making my eyes close. “You started this,” I reminded him.
“I know.”
His hand grazed my waist beads. I reached behind me and grabbed his neck before he could move away. “Now look who’s trying to keep us in the room?”
“Still you.”
Ace turned me around and kissed me. It started soft, but the second my arms wrapped around his neck, his hands tightened around my waist. He backed me toward the bed. I pulled away. “We have plans.”
“Fuck them plans.”
I laughed. “You woke me up for them.”
“That was before you walked out looking like this.”
“You’ve seen me in skirts before.”
“Not this one.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem.”
He grabbed my ass and pulled me against him. “Stop.” I said giggling, even though I didn’t want him to.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do. Take me wherever we’re going before you ruin your own surprise.”
Ace reluctantly released me and adjusted himself through his shorts. “You enjoying this shit.”
“Very much.”
“Grab your bag.”
He held my hand as we left the room, leading me through a side entrance where a black SUV waited. I stopped. “Where are we going?”
“Get in.”
“This is how people end up on documentaries.”
“But you know me. I’m not a serial killer.”
“I’ve known you as my ex-boyfriend’s best friend for years. That doesn’t mean you aren’t secretly crazy.”
“You still came to another country with me.”
“I make questionable decisions sometimes.”
He chortled as I climbed inside the SUV. Less than twenty minutes later, the SUV stopped beside a private dock where a white boat waited. I looked at Ace. “What is all this?”
“Our ride.”
“To where?”
“You ask too many questions.”
“You don’t answer enough of them.”
The boat was smaller than the yacht we’d taken around the resort but still nicer than anything I expected for a morning trip. Cream-colored seats wrapped around the back, and a shaded area held fruit, bottled water, and champagne. “Oh my God Ace, you rented a boat?”
“I rented more than that.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll see.”
He helped me aboard and guided me toward the back. “Do I need to be concerned about how much money you’re spending on this fake relationship?”
Ace sat beside me. “Why you counting my pockets?”
“I’m not. I just wanna know if I’m supposed to be impressed.”
“You are impressed.”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Lying ass.”
As the boat pulled away, Ace stretched his arm across the seat. “Come here.”
“I’m fine.”
“Kema.”
I rolled my eyes and moved closer, resting against his side. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. The farther we traveled the more relaxed I became. “This is nice,” I admitted.
“Only nice?”
“Don’t push it Ace.”
He grabbed a strawberry from the fruit tray. “Open.”
“Ouweee Princess Treatment.”
“You know it. Now open.”
I did, and he placed it against my lips. “You like being bossy.”
“You like listening. Good girl.”
My pussy throbbed. I wanted so desperately to be a brat at this moment but hearing good girl shut me up. So I rolled my eyes.
“Oh you quiet now. At least that shut you up.”
I nodded my head. Ace laughed, looking more relaxed than he had since we arrived in Cancún. “Why did you do all this?”
“I wanted time alone with you.”
“We’re alone in the room every night.”
“That’s different. Soon as we walk outside, Kel is watching you. I just needed time with just us.”
My chest tightened. “So this isn’t part of the fake dating plan?”
“Nah.”
“What is it?”
“A date.”
I simpered, “a real one?”
“Does that scare you?”
“No.”
“Then why you looking at me like that?”
“Because you didn’t ask me out.”
“You would’ve said no just to be difficult.”
“That’s not true.” Ace raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I might’ve said no if you didn’t answer my questions.”
“You’ve been asking questions all morning.”
“And you still haven’t told me where we’re going.”
He nodded ahead. “There.”
A small island appeared in the distance, surrounded by clear blue water. White sand curved the one side I could see, while palm trees covered most of the land, and a wooden walkway stretched toward a bungalow sitting by itself. “That’s where we’re going?”
“Yeah.”
“Is this somebody’s resort?”
“Not today.”
“What does that mean?”
“I rented the island.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “You rented a whole island?”
“Until tomorrow morning.”
“Ace Davis.”
“What?”
“This is not normal.”
“You wanted a good surprise.”
“I would’ve been happy with breakfast at the resort.”
“We got that too.”
When we reached the dock, Ace helped me off the boat. There wasn’t another person in sight besides the crew, and the water was so clear I could see fish beneath us. The bungalow was even better up close. “This is beautiful.”
“Better than nice?”
“A little.”
Ace laughed and opened the door. Inside was a large living area and bedroom overlooking the water, with glass panels built into part of the floor. Outside, a table had been set beneath a shaded canopy with flowers, fruit, french toast, eggs, potatoes, chicken sausage, and champagne.
I turned toward him. “You planned all this last night?”
“I made a call.”
“You just make calls and private islands appear?”
He shrugged, “sometimes.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” Ace pulled out my chair before sitting across from me. A server poured our drinks and disappeared. I lifted my glass. “To our first real date.”
Ace raised his. “First of many.”
“You’re confident.”
“I know what I want.”
His eyes held mine as our glasses touched. We ate while talking about everything except Markel and the wedding.
Ace told me more about his nieces and showed me pictures of them in matching shirts he’d bought because they begged him to dress like them.
Seeing him with those little girls did something to me. I could only imagine how he would be if he was ever to be a father.
I told him about the time Sierra convinced me to take a pole-dancing class and nearly broke her wrist trying to show off. By the time we finished eating, my stomach hurt from laughing. “Okay,” I admitted. “This was a good surprise.”
“I rented a whole island for you, Kema. I just wanted you to enjoy yourself.”
The simplicity of his answer silenced me. Nobody had ever gone this far just to spend time with me. Everything Ace did on this island was because he wanted to.
Ace reached across the table and took my hand. “What you thinking about?”
“That you’re setting the bar dangerously high.”
“Good. That means date number two has to be better...”