Chapter 22 Ace
Ace
My hands are shaky as I dial Kingston’s number. Part of me wonders if the anticipation I feel whenever he’s involved will ever go away, and the other part of me hopes it doesn’t.
“Yeah?” his gruff voice greets.
I let the silence hang on my end for a second, wondering if his tone will soften like it did the last time we spoke on the phone when he found out I was on the other end.
“Hey.” My tone is far breathier than I’d been hoping for, but I can’t change it.
“Hey, Ace.” A soft smile graces my lips as I hear my name roll off his tongue.
Releasing a sigh, I get to the point of why I called. And no, it wasn’t in a desperate attempt to see if he’s still thinking about what happened last night the same way I am. Or maybe it is, but I refuse to admit the unsettling truth to myself.
“I have a weird question.”
His throaty laugh echoes through the speakers, making me smile even wider.
“Yes, I did jack off to you in the shower. No need to be shy.”
“Kingston!” I squeal, my cheeks heating to epic proportions. “That’s not what I was going to ask!”
“Hey, don’t feel bad for being curious. You were great, by the way. In my head, it was crazy hot.”
“Kingston!” My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I look around the diner.
I want to kick myself for giving into temptation and calling him under the guise that I need a favor from him when, in reality, I just miss the guy.
Sure, I’m anxious about Gigi, and when I’m anxious, I use counting to clear my head, but I shouldn’t try to fool myself that my reason for calling him is completely innocent. I wanted to hear his voice. His laugh.
Gah! Gigi was right. I like the guy. This is ridiculous.
With a laugh, an unapologetic Kingston continues, “Alright, alright. What can I do for you, Wild Card?”
Wild card?
“Um…” I can’t believe I’m actually asking this right now.
“I was just wondering if I could possibly swing by the Charlette for a game of blackjack?” Grimacing, I rush on, “I know that sounds terrible, but I’m feeling anxious about some stuff right now, and the best way for me to calm down is to count cards.
That probably sounds ridiculous, or like I’m using it as an excuse to see you after what happened, but it really does help—”
“Ace,” he interrupts.
I stop to catch my breath from all my rambling. “Yeah?”
“I’ll see you in a little bit.”
A big, dopey grin spreads across my face. “Okay.”