Chapter 5 Penny
five
Penny
Idon't know how long I last in bed before I'm jolting awake. Feeling too warm and cold all at once, I'm thankful Leliah doesn't stir from her spot next to me. Shivering, I swipe away the sweat on my brow and try to slow down my pounding heart.
Looking around, a piece of me expects to find something lurking in the darkness. I'd locked the door before settling, just in case. Even though I felt safe, my brain told me it's the right thing to do.
I shouldn't trust Ace so easily. Not when I don't know anything about him. Not when I know the scars on his knuckles weren't earned from playing at tables at the casino.
Sighing into my hands, I try to convince myself that everything is okay.
Yet, my inner thoughts aren't reassuring enough.
Carefully leaving the bed, I pad over silently to the window.
Looking through the slits of the blinds, there's nothing outside but the parking lot at this dead of night.
At this hour, the moon is all that's left to light up the world, illuminating everything beneath its full gaze.
Pulling back, I hesitate to return to the bed and try to fall back asleep. It hadn’t been a pleasant dream that had jolted me awake, after all.
Turning to the locked door, my hesitation only grows. Telling myself that I'm only stepping out to double-check everything is okay, I silently creep out of the room.
It doesn't take much to find Ace. He's spread out on the couch, wearing nothing but a shirt and a pair of boxers. The television is playing some late-night talk show, but the volume is so low that I can barely hear their comedic lines.
Moving forward, I check the windows and the peephole in the door, holding my breath. Everything is clear, and I'm just getting myself worked up because of nothing.
I should really get more sleep. Especially if, just in case, I end up in a similar state as earlier. Back on the street, back to looking for someone who can help me.
Trying to drift back in the direction of Leliah, I find myself stopping near the end of the couch. Against my better judgement, I gaze down at Ace while he sleeps so peacefully.
Even without that smirk, he's insanely handsome. He's quite the opposite of Johnny, now that I think about it. Never thought someone covered in ink could pique my interest, yet here I am, inching closer to see the images permanently marking his skin.
Carefully, while flicking my gaze to his face to gauge any reaction, I lightly skim my fingers against the arm that's about to fall off the couch. If he stirs even slightly, I'll bolt back to bed before he realizes what I'm doing. In the meantime, I soak in the warmth radiating off of him.
My fingers drift higher and higher until I'm grazing his shirt. It should be the finish line to my exploration, but it's more of a passing point as I go higher toward his neck.
Heat blossoms across my cheeks as I acknowledge what I'm doing. Taking advantage of my savior while he's sleeping, I barely graze his stubble before stopping myself.
I can't entertain this.
Before I can pull away, a gasp slips past my lips as tattooed fingers suddenly engulf the back of my hand before pressing my palm against his cheek. Despite his face remaining a blank slate, his thumb strokes my knuckles.
"I'm sorry," I start, my voice raspy from sleep.
His eyes then crack open, and his mouth curves into a tired smile. Not meant to pull me in, but it does anyway. "Don't be. I love waking up to a beautiful view."
There he goes again, saying such compliments that I haven't heard in a long time. Now my heart is pounding for an entirely different reason.
Releasing my hand, my touch lingers before he slowly sits up. Giving me room to sit, I don't move. He then lifts his arms and curls his fingers, offering me something else entirely.
I've only felt safe once meeting Ace. There's something about him that reassures me that my safety is important to him.
So his beckoning me to step between his parted knees is a decision I make without thinking.
It feels scarily natural for him to guide me onto his lap before he curls those inked arms around my body.
"You should be resting, sweetheart." Murmuring the words into the crook of my neck, he breathes in deep and then sighs. "Nightmare?"
Nodding my head, I'm thankful he doesn't outright ask me to recall it. Instead, he takes my silence as meaning I don't want to talk about it. Humming under his breath, minutes trickle by as we stare at the screen.
How long am I going to allow myself to sit on this man's lap before reminding myself of all the reasons why I shouldn't be?
There are reasons why. They're just not coming to me right now in my tired state.
"I need to get back to bed," I murmur, surprisingly not feeling the paranoia I normally carry around with me. Must be the heat surrounding my body that has my defenses knocked down.
"You can settle right here until you calm down, and then return to her." Mumbling the idea, he reaches down to stroke my thigh. Instead of pushing his hand away, I lean into the pleasant feeling it brings.
I've only felt bad for as long as I can remember. I'd like to feel good for a few minutes. Even if it's at the hands of someone potentially dangerous.
Leaning against him, my eyes shut as his mouth grazes where my pulse races. "Just for a little bit. Then I'll go back."
He hums, agreeing with my words as if it were my idea to begin with. Despite the motion of his fingers, he doesn't try to push and touch me any higher. Like he wants to start a fire, but not fuel it, he doesn't go past the hem of the shirt wrapped around my body.
From the reaction I feel beneath me, I'm willing to bet that he wants to.
"You really think I'm beautiful?" I say, asking without thinking about it. I'm not reaching for a compliment, but to know a man with these looks could possibly be attracted to me...
Ace lets out a low groan like I'm torturing him. "So much that it hurts to look away, Penny."
My stomach flips and feels funny at his words. "You could say that to every woman that catches your eye, you know."
Maybe he's the player type, and he knows all the right lines to get a woman in the palm of his hand. So good that even I'm falling for it right now.
The front of him vibrates with a sound of displeasure, and I can feel it shooting down my spine, straight to the sensitive patch between my thighs. Was that a growl?
"Never again." Shaking his head, he pinches the hem of the shirt, searching for permission I've yet to deny. "How am I supposed to look at another woman with you here? Fuck, Pen. I mean, look at you. You're flushed head to toe, and so perfect, that I'm worried about messing something up."
I am flushed. But that's because he's giving me more attention than my past relationship had. He's making me feel like I still have some confidence left in my body.
The smart thing to do right now is to leave before I do something reckless and chase after something that feels... right.
Parting my legs only slightly, just enough to match how far his are, I feel the hot breath of his groan against my throat as he catches onto what I'm doing.
"It's been a long time," I whisper, so quietly that I barely hear the waver of my voice. "I haven't... I don't..."
He squeezes my inner thigh hard enough to make my pussy clench. "When was the last time you got something without having to give something back?"
My silence is more than enough of an answer. Hearing him curse under his breath, he nudges his legs as open as he can, making my legs follow.
"Let's try not to wake up Leliah." Murmuring the words to me, his other hand lifts to cup my jaw before tilting my head to the side to give his lips more access to reach. "The moment you say stop, I'll stop. Just say the word."
I could say it right now, just to test him. At the same time, my body is growing hotter by the second. Having his sleepy voice in my ear isn't helping cool me down at all. In fact, it's distracting enough that I've completely forgotten how I was feeling before I crept out here.
Nodding my head quickly, wanting this more than I can admit out loud, my breath catches in the back of my throat as I feel his teeth against my skin. Not just kissing there softly, it feels deep enough to leave a mark. A reminder of what I'm letting him do.
At the lap of his tongue against his bite mark, I feel his fingers slip under the thin strip of underwear to touch me in my most intimate place.
"Jesus, Penny. Did you come out here this slick, or am I the one who got you like this?" Starting to pant, he parts my lips and explores my slit like he's trying to memorize every inch.
"I don't..." My eyes pinch shut tight when he grazes my clit. My next breath catches in the back of my throat at the sound of his fingers sliding. "I don't know."
Every part his fingers touch makes my nerves feel like they're on edge. Have I always been this sensitive, or is it because I'm letting this man touch me?
He shushes me when a moan forms as he circles the swollen nub.
Slowly, like he wants to torture me, he adds a little pleasure.
"God, what I'd do to get my mouth on you.
Could you handle my tongue, Pen?" He slides his fingers back down before pushing one inside of me.
Feels so thick. "I'd put two, maybe three fingers inside of you and drink up all this sweet juice of yours. Would you like that?"
Pinching my eyes shut, I'm imagining it. Those dangerous eyes are looking up at me while he's tucked between my legs. Like I can feel his tongue flicking against my clit, I realize it's his thumb aiding in the pleasure.
"Fuck, you're clenching around my tight.
How about we save that for later, huh?" Working a second finger inside, he curls them just right and presses into the right spot to make me clamp a hand over my mouth.
"Any time of the day, or even at night, you could tell me what you want, and I'd do it. You hear me?"
The only thing I can hear is my pounding pulse growing louder as he works his fingers deeper, spreading me open like he's stretching me out for something bigger. From what I feel beneath me, I'm willing to bet I'd need three of his fingers.
Here I am, thinking about the impossible future.
He kisses my throat, barely grazing against the sore spot he left. Releasing my chin, he touches my chest. Lightly groping, not even the shirt between us can hide his touch. He may as well be touching me directly.
"Stay with me," he whispers, and I swear I've misheard him. "Stay right here in this patch of Meadow Falls. Let me take care of you and your daughter. I'll keep you both safe."
"A-Ace..." Barely able to get his name out between the cracks of my fingers, I feel my insides clenching as I get closer and closer. There's something about the pleasure he's bringing me, mixed with the slick sounds of his movement, that has my toes curling.
His hand abandons my chest so his arm can wrap around my waist. Hugging me tight and keeping me in place, he lets out another low growl. "I won't let another man touch you. I'll give you everything you could ever ask for; all you have to do is say yes."
Jerking against his hold, he holds me in place as he continues to thrust his fingers. The pleasure feels like a bubble that's growing bigger and bigger. It's a pressure I haven't felt so intense before, and when that bubbles right about to pop, it's like he can sense it.
Ace can make himself seem like a good guy by telling me that I've got control over this whole thing, but when he releases my waist, there's nothing good about the way he turns my face.
Nothing good about the way he swoops in to kiss me to taste the moment my orgasm hits me hard enough that I could scream.
This man seals our lips together so not even a peep can slip out, choosing to swallow the sound down himself, sneakily showing just how greedy he really is.
The problem is that I don't pull back. Instead, I kiss him back. Maybe it's because my body is still singing from his touch, or I'm delirious, but I don't just want to feel good for a few minutes. I want to dive headfirst into the sensations he's bringing out of me.
I don't know how long I'll give in to him, but I know it's long enough to know that stepping away from this is going to be hard, if not downright impossible.
Not wanting to give myself a hard time for giving myself something nice for the first time in a long time, I use his mouth as a perfect distraction to forget about everything.