Chapter 10. Haley
Haley
“What’s going on?”
“Shhh.” Molly put a finger to her lips. “Ace is installing a security system.”
“And?”
“And he knows his way around a hammer.”
“You cannot be serious. You’re sitting here watching him hammer nails? That’s objectifying…” My voice trailed off when I caught a glimpse of Ace outside the window. His biceps bulged beneath his shirt as he pounded a nail into a piece of wood, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
“Paige?” I looked at my bestie, shaken by the betrayal.
Paige shrugged. “I hate him for you, and I’d happily put crumbs in his sheets or thumbtacks in his shoes, but it doesn’t mean I can’t help Aditi do some research for her next art unit, which is a study of the masculine form.”
“The whole form?”
“Every inch.” Aditi grinned. “We had to find models for the class. The problem wasn’t finding male volunteers; it was narrowing down the field. You can’t imagine how many guys want to pose in the nude.”
“I wish I’d taken art.” Paige sighed. “There are no worthy specimens of the masculine form majoring in biology.”
“What about you, Molly?” Half Swedish and half Dutch and just over six feet tall, Molly had despaired of finding a guy with whom she could wear heels until she met Jace, a philosophy major who was six inches taller than her. “I thought things were going well with Jace.”
“They are,” she said. “I came by to pick up a few odds and ends, and Aditi dragged me in here to have a chat.”
“You’re having a chat sitting side by side and staring out the window?”
“Jace is an intellectual,” Molly said. “I love him for his mind, but sometimes a girl just needs to watch a little hammer action. It’s no different from you watching that TikTok guy with the ax.”
“I was learning about different types of axes,” I said, bristling. “Who knows when I might go camping again and I might have to make my own kindling?”
Aditi patted the chair beside her. “Have a seat.”
“I don’t need a seat. I have to get to class. I’m shocked at all of you. Literally shocked.” I wasn’t shocked. I was tempted. I couldn’t imagine many of my friends would pass up the opportunity to watch Ace play handyman, and he certainly didn’t need me to pump up his ego.
Of course, right at that moment, when I was about to walk away, Ace looked up and caught my gaze. A smirk tugged at his lips. I wanted to die.
That same smirk was on his face half an hour later when we left for campus.
Ace had changed into a Havencrest Warriors T-shirt and a pair of jeans that were a feast of seams in all the right places.
He’d added a ball cap and backpack to his student “disguise,” and given he was only a few years older than most undergrads, he fit right in.
“Aren’t you going to ask me how you look?
” I asked as we made our way down the quiet residential street.
Our house was a fifteen-minute walk to campus.
In winter when it was bitterly cold, I usually took the bus, but we were on the tail end of an unseasonably warm fall, and I wanted to enjoy my last chance to walk down the sidewalk kicking leaves.
Ace scanned the street as he walked, his head swiveling from side to side. “No.”
“Is that because you know you have mastered the appearance of a Havencrest University student or because you don’t care what I think?
” I was irritated he hadn’t taken the bait, which could have led to an interesting conversation about people on campus and what they wore and their various ages, the type of people who bought Havencrest merch, and assorted other topics that would keep us entertained for the walk.
“I studied the student population during my recon with campus security.” He sounded so stiff and formal, unlike the Ace who had just smirked at me through the window. I didn’t know what was going on with him, but I didn’t like it and I was determined to make him smile.
“That sounds slightly menacing,” I said. “Like you were studying them for nefarious purposes or a nature documentary instead of just wanting to fit in, which you do, by the way. Good job on the disguise.”
Ace gave me a curt nod of thanks. “We need to go over some rules,” he said after a painful heartbeat of silence. “I wanted to talk through everything last night after I got back from running errands, but Paige said you’d gone to bed. Since when do you turn in early?”
Since I needed some time to process the fact that Ace was in my house, protecting me, and sleeping in the room next door. If someone had told fifteen-year-old me that this is where we would be five years later, I would never have believed it.
“I had homework and I thought it would be better to keep my door closed to focus.” There was no point pretending I’d gone to sleep at 9:00 P.M .
Ace knew I was a night owl. I did my best work when the world was quiet and still and there was nothing to distract me.
I couldn’t sleep if there was even the remotest possibility that something exciting might be going on.
Even as a kid, I would go and go and go, regardless of the time, but the moment my head hit the pillow I was out like a light.
“I bought a lock for your door,” he said. “I was planning to install it last night, but I can do it today. It’s got two keys so I can get in if there is any trouble. You should keep the door locked at all times.”
Ace opening my door at night, coming over to my bed, watching me as I slept… I couldn’t stop the pictures racing through my mind. Bad. I wasn’t fifteen and madly in love anymore. Or seventeen and desperate for Ace’s attention. Ace had firmly crushed those feelings out of me a long time ago.
“So, you left me alone to run errands?” I lifted an eyebrow. “I should call Tony and let him know you didn’t even last a few hours.”
Ace took it in stride. “I arranged for two guards to come and watch the house. They’ll always be there if for some reason I can’t be with you.
” His arm slammed into my stomach, and he pushed me back moments before I stepped into the busy street.
I hadn’t even noticed the light was red.
I often didn’t notice the light was red.
Usually, it was because my brain was busy trying to sort through the noise.
This time the only noise in my head was him.
“I was about to stop,” I protested.
“Just being cautious. It wouldn’t look good for me if I lost my client on the first day.”
My stomach tightened in a knot. He could have teased me the way Matt used to do, but he was letting me save face. He knew I often got lost in my head. My parents were always amazed I could make it to school without being run over. To be honest, it used to amaze me too.
When the light turned green, Ace moved his arm from my stomach to my back and guided me across the road.
I didn’t need help crossing the road, especially now that the light was green, but I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.
My entire focus was on the press of his hand against my back, his firm touch, the warmth seeping through my shirt, and the tingles rushing through my veins.
“I’m safe now.” I gently moved his hand away as soon as we hit the sidewalk, and instantly felt bereft.
We walked past the athletic center and through the main campus square. Although the sun was shining, the wind had picked up, and the cooling temperature warned that winter was coming.
“You were saying something about rules?” I said when the fifteen-year-old Haley inside me stopped screaming in excitement that Ace had touched me.
“First rule is, you do what I say.”
“Is this from the Stellar Security rule book? Maverick also mentioned that as rule number one. You know how I feel about too many rules.”
“That’s why I’m making sure you remember that one.” He paused mid-stride, turned to me, and cupped my jaw in his warm hand, tipping my face up to look at him. “I’m not joking about this, Haley. You do what I say when I say it.”
The sudden intimate gesture froze my brain, and the world became still.
I told myself he meant it to emphasize his point.
That this was so serious he had to touch me like that to command my full attention.
That I shouldn’t be thinking about the way he’d held my face like this once before, but tenderly and with two hands and two lips and the press of his body against mine.
“Um…” I swallowed hard and moved his hand away. “That didn’t seem very professional. Do you do that with all your clients?”
“No.” He quickly dropped his hand. “But I know you, and I know you need something more than words for rules to sink in.”
“It seems to be a blessing and a curse,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “But you’re forgetting I’m not a kid anymore. I am, in fact, aware of the need to take your advice into serious consideration in the event of danger.”
“I need more than your consideration. I need action,” he said. “You have a high tolerance for risk. That’s why you need to trust that if I say run, you run, or if I say a situation is dangerous, you follow my lead.”
“Because you have a lower tolerance for risk?” I asked.
“I have a zero tolerance for risk when it comes to you.”
We walked past the library and made our way to the social sciences building. I still hadn’t decided which friends I should tell about Ace and which ones I should leave in the dark.
“You’re quiet,” he said. “I hope that means you’re giving serious thought to rule one.”
“Actually, I’m just trying to figure out who can know you’re a bodyguard and who gets relegated to the B team. I have a lot of friends and it feels wrong to lie to them.”
“The more people you tell, the less chance it stays a secret,” he pointed out.
“My roommates had to know, of course. And Sam, because he would have been upset if he came by for a hookup and I told him I had a bodyguard in the room next door. I’ll have to tell Skye because she’s one of my closest friends and we work together at the coffee shop.
That means Dante will know, because they’re dating and he runs the radio station and would probably need to know anyway.
And, Isla will have to know because she lives with Skye, and if Isla knows then Nick will need to know because they’re dating.
And if Nick knows then Derek will know because they live together… ”
Ace gave a grunt of irritation. “That’s too many people.”
“Everyone I mentioned except Isla works at the radio station,” I said. “We’re like a big family.”
“An incestuous family,” he grumbled. “You all seem to either be living with each other, working with each other, or dating each other. Even you—Chad’s living in your house.”
“Nick, Derek, Dante, and I were in a band together with one of Dante’s friends,” I said.
“It was amazing. The energy was incredible. I never feel anything like that when I sing solo. But it was Dante’s band, and he had to break it up because his career took off and he got gigs and session work and might even be going out on tour—”
“Living your dream,” Ace said.
“Yes.” I sighed. “I don’t think that will ever happen for me. The band was my best chance. Dante drew a lot of attention. He’s an amazing musician.”
“So are you.”
I looked over at him, so calm and confident. “You’ve never really heard me sing except in the school talent shows and at community events or in the kitchen at home and—”
“Online,” Ace said. “I follow your socials. I downloaded all your music and listened to it when I was on deployment every chance I got.”
For the first time I could remember, I had nothing to say. “You listened to my music?”
“I’m not a big music lover,” Ace admitted.
“I like music, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference between pop and rock or blues and jazz.
I don’t spend hours making playlists or analyzing the lyrics of songs.
I hear something I like, and I enjoy it in the moment, but your music I’ve listened to again and again.
Matt listened to it, too. He had it downloaded to an MP3 player for when he didn’t have internet and he would play it for his unit or before he went out on a mission. He was so proud of you.”
Ace listened to my music. Matt listened to my music and shared it with his friends.
Matt, who used to laugh when I played him a new song.
Matt, who used to tease me about my painfully awkward lyrics.
A wave of grief crashed over me, sweeping my breath away.
I doubled over, trying to get it under control.
Breathe. Breathe. You’re fine. Lock it away.
“Haley?” Ace crouched down in front of me. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him up. Are you okay?”
“I need… space. I need to be alone. Just… just for a minute.” I backed away, waving my arms. Too much.
Too many emotions. I needed to get away, to find a quiet space and stuff them all back in the black box with everything else that I had yet to process.
I didn’t have time for emotions. I didn’t want to deal with all that pain.
Better to put the past behind me and move on with a cheerful face.
“I can’t. I can’t.” I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The tide surged around me, threatening to pull me under.
Ace gripped my shoulders, his touch firm. “I can’t let you leave. I need eyes on you at all times.” His hands slid down my arms to my hands and he wrapped them around his waist. “Hold on to me.”
I hugged him tight, buried my face in his chest, closed my eyes, and breathed him in. He smelled of autumn leaves and fresh mountain air. He smelled of home.
“I’ve got you.” His deep voice rumbled in his chest as his arms tightened around me, holding me safe.
I don’t know how long we stood in the middle of the quad, but the noise faded, and the silence came until all I knew was the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart.