Chapter 29 Ace
Ace
Iwake up to the sound of footsteps down the hallway.
My hands clutch my chest as memories of my last encounter with Kingston in this apartment flutter to the surface.
The only difference is the golden light shining through the curtains that tells me it’s morning.
For some reason, I’m not afraid like I know I should be.
I can sense who it is before I set eyes on my intruder, and the only feeling wreaking havoc on my insides is overwhelming anticipation.
There’s a light knock on my bedroom door, and I turn to see a sexy as hell Kingston leaning against the jamb with his arms crossed.
Called it.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. My voice is still rusty from sleep.
“That’s not a very warm welcome.”
I laugh. “No offense, but I wasn’t exactly expecting you. I thought supervillains only came out at night.”
With a dry chuckle, he strides into my room and sits on the edge of my mattress. The scent of his woodsy cologne follows him, wafting through the air seconds later, and I sigh in contentment.
Damn, he smells good.
“That’s the reaction I was going for,” he teases as his hand brushes along my bare forearm and up to my collarbone in a gentle caress. “I came to apologize. I won’t be able to attend the tournament, but I wanted to wish you good luck.”
I grin. “I kinda figured you wouldn’t be able to make it, but for curiosity’s sake, let’s hear the excuse.”
“Other than the fact you’ll be in a casino owned by my arch enemy?”
“I knew you were a supervillain,” I quip.
With another dark laugh, he snakes his hand around my throat and squeezes softly.
That same swell of anticipation takes over, and I arch my back in response.
He drops a lazy kiss to my mouth. Greedily, I open my lips and slide my tongue against his as my entire body starts to hum with need.
I pout when he pulls away seconds later and whispers in a husky voice, “I am the bad guy, Ace. Don’t ever forget that. ”
His heated stare pins me in place as a thought crosses my mind. Truth. But he’s my bad guy. Or at least, I want him to be.
“I didn’t just come here to apologize,” he reveals. “I want you to be safe tonight.”
“I will be. It’ll be fine.”
He continues as if I haven’t even spoken. “There are too many paparazzi covering the tournament for Burlone to try anything in the casino as long as you stay in the public eye. Don’t go anywhere that would leave you vulnerable, understand?”
I nod.
“Good. I have a guy who will be waiting for you outside the entrance as soon as you finish.”
“Diece?” I ask, getting my hopes up.
“No, Reggie. You won’t know he’s there because he’s very good at what he does, but I promise you, he’ll keep you safe in case Burlone tries to mess with you.
” His nose runs along the column of my throat.
“I have business to attend to, so I won’t be able to visit until tomorrow. But after that, you’re all mine.”
“Is that right?” I quip with a teasing smile.
“Damn right it is. If I didn’t have shit to do, I’d act on all the indecent fantasies that popped into my head as soon as I saw you lying in bed this morning.”
Licking my lips, I ask, “And what fantasies did you imagine?”
“Well—”
The blaring sound of a cell phone ringing echoes from his front pocket, and he groans, dropping his forehead to rest against mine before pulling out the blasted phone and swiping his thumb along the screen.
“Yeah?”
Silence.
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
Hanging up the phone, he tangles his hands in my hair and gives me another panty-melting kiss. When he pulls away, he says, “Kick some ass tonight, Ace.”
“You too.”
He quirks his brow. “Why, Ace, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I laugh. “Sure, you don’t. I’ll talk to you later, King.”
“You too.”
Then he leaves me with a day full of thumb-twiddling as I wait for the tournament to start where I can finally exact my revenge on someone who deserves so much more than a public humiliation and a few dollars lost. But it’s the best I can do, so I’ll execute it with my dying breath.