4. June
June
It takes more strength than I knew I had to peel myself away from him.
The moment cool air replaces his warmth, my body rebels—skin prickling with goosebumps, legs trembling like they’ve forgotten how to hold me.
And there he is, arm already outstretched, fingers twitching like he’s fighting the urge to yank me back.
I want to let him.
I want to sink back into his lap, to let his hands trace the same paths they’d taken before—to lose myself in the heat of his attention all over again. That’s how far gone I am.
Somewhere, a sliver of sense remains, whispering that I shouldn’t surrender so easily—not to the first person who makes me feel seen, even if his gaze burns through me like fire.
Once I’m free, I’m moving toward his front door.
I need to get a hold of Taylor. If he can tell me if the job is off the table, I can fall back into this dream of a man and let fate decide what’ll happen to me.
If he’s still willing to give me a chance, I should still go for it. It’s the smart thing to do. Even if my body begs me to stay, I must follow my brain on this one.
The scrape of his chair tells me he doesn’t want me moving around by myself.
Ace follows behind when I leave the table. Like he has nothing better to do, he acts as my shadow as I open his front door.
Fetching my bag, I dig out my phone. Checking to see if I still have no signal, a sigh leaves my lips. Turning to head back inside, he’s still there, blocking the path. He’s a giant, a brute the size of a brick wall.
He’s looking at my phone with a frown.
“I’m going to lose an opportunity of a lifetime if I don’t get hold of him,” I explain. “I need a place to stay, and he’s offering a room and–”
I don’t get enough time to try to explain my situation.
Ace is cupping my jaw with one hand before he’s swooping down. Right before he makes contact, his breath tickles my parted lips.
“You can stay right here. Stay with me.” The words leave him rough, like a demand.
Before I can blink, he eliminates the remaining space between our mouths before they are sealed together, his tongue invading. Just like that, my phone slips from my fingers, clattering against the porch.
First orgasm, his. Now, first kiss, stolen.
“Mine.” One word vibrates against my teeth, radiating possession.
He’d said it before a few times, but I think I was too distracted to tell just how serious he was.
I can’t think. Not when his teeth sink into my lip, sharp enough to make me gasp, his tongue pushing deep like he’s starving for the taste of me. Every drag of his mouth is intoxicating, it’s a miracle I don’t get drunk with each stroke of his tongue.
My hips jerk against nothing, empty air taunting me. If I’d skipped my underwear, I’d be a mess, slick heat coating my thighs, proof of how wrecked he’s got me with just his mouth.
If I keep letting him have his way, I’m going to end up losing something far more precious.
Flattening my hand on his chest, I push away. Panting, I shove down the heat trying to resurface.
“Ace. You can’t just go touching any woman that crosses your path.” I shake my head, swiping my tongue over my swollen lip—his doing. The sting lingers, a sweet reminder.
“Not any woman.” His voice is a rough growl, low enough to vibrate straight through me.
Liquid heat coils low in my gut, and my traitorous body refuses to pull away as he tilts my head back.
Those dark eyes sear into me, relentless.
He leans in, his breath a teasing caress against my mouth. “Only you.”
The words unravel something inside me. Why me? I’ve always been background noise, another shadow in the crowd. Never the one pinned under a spotlight. Never the one who made a man’s voice turn feral just by existing.
But Ace—Ace looks at me like I’m everything.
“June,” I whisper, barely audible. “You kissed me before even knowing my name.”
A rumble of approval rolls through his chest. “Stay here, June.”
I must be mishearing him. He wouldn’t invite a stranger into his home, not permanently. He’d have to be crazy.
If I’ve already messed up my original plan, I don’t have a backup one. After moving out of my parents’ place, I promised them I’d never come back. They were happy to see me leave.
I don’t have anywhere to go. This mountain was supposed to be my happy ending.
But this guy, he wants me to stay. For whatever reason, I’m not sure. After weeks of planning, he’s an unexpected complication.
“Why?” Meeting his gaze, my heart pounds away. Thumping so loud that I’m surprised he doesn’t hear it, I let out a shaky breath.
“You.” His voice is rough, low, like gravel dragged over skin. “One look at you, and I knew.” A muscle flexes in his jaw. “I don’t believe in fate, but I believe in this. In wanting.”
His hands leave my face, showing the first constraint he’s had since he whisked me away to his home.
“If I let you leave…” His brows furrow. “I know I won’t meet another person who will make me feel this way.”
Ace grabs my hand and presses my palm against his chest. As if I need proof of his words, I can feel it. The thump of his heart, his pulse racing.
I’m crazy. That’s what this is.
This man wants to keep me, and I want to let him.
His fingers tighten around mine, cradling my hand like something precious before he brings it to his mouth. His lips brush my knuckles, just once—soft, deliberate. A shudder rips through me, my knees threatening to buckle.
“How do I convince you?” His voice is rough, stripped bare. “I’ve never wanted someone near. Never ached when they weren’t.” His thumb traces the inside of my wrist, right over my own frantic pulse. “But you? Being away from you hurts.”
I’ve never had someone confess their feelings for me. Not like this.
There isn’t any hesitance behind his words, no trickery.
He’s as crazy as I am.
“June.” My name is a weapon in his mouth—low, velvet, lethal. A single syllable that cracks me open. “Stay.”
I already threw myself into a whirlwind of the unknown by trusting a stranger who offered me a job that may have sounded too good to be true. What’s the difference in giving myself to this man?
He’s here, and he’s real. The ache in his voice is the realest thing I’ve experienced since leaving my home to find an escape from my past.
With a slow nod, it’s all he needs before tugging me back inside.
Just like that, I have a solution to all of my problems. A six and a half foot beast-man who insists on taking care of me in every way possible.