Ace

by Laramie Briscoe

  “Take what you need, Ace,” she encourages me. “I saw the way you looked when you came home. You don’t need pretty tonight.”

  She’s right, I don’t, but I’ll never take anger out on her either.

  “You don’t have to hold back for me all the time, maybe I want you unrestrained and passionate.” She hooks her feet behind my ass, pulling me to her. “Maybe sometimes I just want you to shove it in, give me a little bit of pain, and go to town.”

  Fuck, her words are making my cock harden further, making the tip leak, and sending all kinds of images to my brain. “Is that what you want?” I put my knees on the bed, prop myself up with my forearms. With my knees I spread her thighs wide.

  “Yes!” she shoves her head against the comforter. “Let go, you don’t always have to be so in control. Sometimes out of control is so much fun.”

  With those words, I plant myself home, grunting as I do. She responds to my grunt with a moan and groan of her own. Her nails are gripping at my fingers as she holds on. “Like this?”

  “Yes, just like that. I love the way you thrust into me,” she whispers at my ear. “Love the way your thighs make room in between mine, love the way you don’t pull all the way out before you shove back in. Your chest rubbing against mine is hot, the way your hot breath pants onto my face. You unrestrained is the best.”

  With those words laying between us, I do as she asks. I bend my head down and fuck her in earnest. I don’t withdraw every time, I leave the tip in before I press back into her body. She clenches tightly on me, thrusting against me. I can feel my body tightening, can feel myself about to let go, but I don’t allow myself to.

  Instead I put my thumb up to her mouth, let her suck it in, shiver when her tongue circles it like she did the head of my dick, and then I pull back so that I can watch myself slide in and out of her. Using my thumb, I worry it against her clit as I continue the slide into the heaven that is her body.

  “Faster.” She pumps against me, her hands moving up her chest to cup her tits and tweak her nipples.

  “God, you look so sexy when you do that. Don’t ever hold back what you need.” I give her the words she gave to me.

  “Don’t stop.” Her voice is high-pitched, her stomach muscles are clenched, and she’s straining to get there. I know, because I am too.

  We’re pushing against each other, making lewd noises in the room, the bed is shaking along with my legs, but I won’t stop until we both get there. And as I feel her tighten against me, and the hot heat jets out of my dick, I say the words that have been on the tip of my tongue for months now.

  “I love you, Violet, love you so much. Please don’t leave me.”

  I collapse, holding her tightly in my arms, emotion clogging my throat.

  “Hey,” she whispers as we pant against one another. “I love you too. I’ve loved you a long time Anthony ‘Ace’ Bailey.”

  And in that moment, all is right in my world.

  * * *

  The next day, I’m in a great mood, regardless of what I had to deal with the night before. Most everyone has commented on it, and even though it’s raining, it’s almost as if the sun is shining down everywhere I walk.

  “God, you’re annoying today,” Havoc groans as we are packing up and heading back from what turned out to be a false alarm.

  We’d gotten a tip from someone inside the high school telling us where a still was, and the same bottles of moonshine we’d found in the school were. What we ended up finding was nothing. So we’d suited up and gone out into the muddy woods for nothing.

  “I’m not annoying, you’ve got a stick up your ass,” I fire back at him.

  The more pregnant Leighton’s become, the more he’s starting to get on everyone’s nerves.

  “Shut the fuck up before I take you and your smug attitude down,” Havoc volleys back at me.

  “Oh really? I’ll take you down before you take me down.”

  He hands his gun over to Renegade. “Is that right?” he asks, taking his gloves off.

  “That’s right.” I hand my gun over to Menace and take my gloves off too.

  “Then you better prove it, smartass.”

  I groan as he hits first, knocking me down into the mud. But as we roll around, landing punches and generally having a great time, I thank God that I have a boss and men like this to look up to in my life.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Violet

  “This weather blows.” Leighton grimaces as we watch the rain come down in sheets outside The Café. It’s made for a boring shift for both of us. “Since there’s been no one in here, all I’ve done is eat.” She puts another fry in her mouth, liberally dipped in ketchup. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone eat as much ketchup as she has since she found out she’s pregnant.

  I laugh, leaning my head against her shoulder. “You’re doing great things, like growing a human. You’re gonna be hungry. Plus, you’re gonna have this baby very soon. You’ve already dropped.”

  “But if I gain a hundred pounds, Holden’s not going to want me anymore.” She pushes the fries away, but grabs another anyway.

  “You’re crazy, Leigh. I wish you could see what you look like right now. Like really see it.” I turn to face her, ready to lay down some truth for her. Since she had to get a pair of maternity jeans, she’s almost been having an identity crisis.

  “Like a whale?”

  “Absolutely gorgeous.” I put my hand on her bump. “You glow, Leigh, I mean from the inside out, and when Holden walks in this place? The two of you could burn it down with the way he looks at you. There isn’t anything for you to worry about when it comes to your husband.”

  She rolls her eyes and blows out a watery breath. “Nothing fits right anymore, my boobs are in the way, my belly is in the way, and I would kill for a little sunlight up in this place.”

  I laugh because I’ve thought the same thing about the sunlight. We’ve had more than enough rain to last us for a month. “Just a couple more months, Leigh, and then you’ll be able to hold that little boy who’s probably going to be the spitting image of his dad.” I take a guess at the gender, because they haven’t told us, they haven’t told anyone.

  Her gaze lights up. “Can you imagine? Another Holden? Or maybe it’ll be another me?”

  Out of nowhere a pain hits me in the gut, because I imagine holding the spitting image of Anthony. Never in my life have I aspired to be a mom, I’ve never had the burning desire to have a child, but in this moment, I know if I ever did, it would be with him. Hoping I cover up my momentary bout of emotion, I shake my head. “I can’t even begin to imagine.”

  She opens her mouth to speak, but the bell over the door rings, and we both whip our heads around. Sometimes when I’m not prepared to see him, Anthony completely takes my breath away. Take today for example.

  The crew walking through the door are too good-looking to all be friends. When they run in a pack, I think panties drop everywhere. Holden, Anthony, and Mason walk through the place like they pay the rent.

  “Afternoon, ladies.” Mason grabs a menu and slides next to us at the counter.

  I nod over to him, but my attention is firmly on Anthony as he walks over to me. I’ve turned in my seat so that I’m watching him as he approaches. For the longest time, I never truly understood what women meant by drooling. Today, it’s like I’ve been given a crash course.

  It’s obvious he’s been out in the rain. The dark hat he wears over his hair is turned backwards, exposing damp ends that drip onto his collar. I’m not sure what they were doing today, maybe something with the MTF? He’s wearing a bulletproof vest that reads MTF across the chest, and the white shirt underneath is molded to what I can see of his biceps. My perusal doesn’t stop when I get to the cargo pants that the moisture has caused to stick to him like a second skin. Dirt streaks his face and one of his forearms. He looks like a little kid who had fun in the mud. The look does things for me, but I will never tell him that.

  �
�What happened to you?”

  “My boss told me I couldn’t take him down.” He shrugs, glancing over with a smirk on his face to Holden.

  Leighton has already made her way over to her husband, standing in between his spread thighs as he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close. I watch as he kisses her on the neck and she folds herself into his body. Those intimate gestures are my favorite things about being involved with a man like this.

  “And did you?”

  “We’ll call it a tie.” Holden rotates his shoulder, as he leans his forehead against Leighton’s chest.

  “Don’t you dare make it so that he can’t hold this baby,” Leighton scolds him, throwing a glare in Anthony’s direction.

  “He started it,” Anthony argues, pulling me into his arms. He’s careful to keep the muddiness of his uniform off me, but even just feeling the heat coming from his body is worth it.

  “And you finished it,” Mason offers a smirk over his back at the two of us. It’s like he’s trying to hold in his chuckle, but fails in a big way as the laugh rips its way past his throat.

  It’s good to hear him laugh after the hell he’s been through with Caleb. The four of us share a look, and we all join in, laughing with him. It’s the first hint that maybe father and son are making it through the dark period they’ve been having. Caleb’s smiles are easier, and now hearing Mason laugh, it’s a healing balm for all of us.

  “Can we get some food around here?” Holden grumbles.

  I take pity on him, after reaching up to give Anthony a kiss on the cheek. “Burgers and fries all around?”

  “And a milkshake,” Holden adds. “Chocolate with a cherry.”

  “Eating your feelings?” Anthony continues picking at him.

  “Did extra cardio last night, and again this morning.” He winks at Leighton, a self-indulgent smile on his face. “I can afford to bulk on some calories. Don’t be a hater, Ace.”

  He and I share a look. One that could do a little heating up of our own, if given the chance. “Trust me when I say I’m not hating any of what I’m getting, boss man.”

  Menace chuckles where he’s sitting, looking slightly uncomfortable. “There’s so much testosterone in this place, Jesus.”

  “Mostly from you, considering you haven’t been laid in, like, thirteen years. Been a long build up, huh?” Holden delivers the low blow while Anthony laughs on.

  “Y’all are so mean to each other.” I hear Ernie ring the bell and go to grab their food.

  “If we weren’t mean to each other, we’d probably legit kill one another, which is why these two are dirty and hurting right now.” Menace points to his co-workers. “Me on the other hand, I’m smart and know when to stay out of shit.”

  Delivering the food, I squeal when a corded forearm snakes around my waist, planting my ass on his lap. “Sit with me.” Anthony’s voice is deep, dark, and full of an erotic promise in my ear. He’s taken off his vest, which held most of the dirt. Sitting with him won’t hurt anything.

  “For a minute.” I relax back against him, glad that we aren’t hiding ourselves anymore. I’m not exactly sure when it happened. A gradual progression maybe, where we decided we didn’t want to be known how we started out. Gone are the married woman and the man who didn’t care. Now we’re just two people who genuinely care for and respect one another. It’s taken us a long time to get to this point, but there’s no one I’d rather have taken the journey with than him.

  He lifts a french fry up to my mouth, letting me take a bite before he puts the rest of it in his mouth. Never did I believe we’d be like this. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. To have a man who cares about me the way he does, I never dreamed I’d find it, but look at where I am now.

  “What are your plans for Halloween?” Holden asks.

  “We’re dressing up and handing out candy since Anthony doesn’t have to work.” We’d gone over the things we could do, but neither one of us had wanted to be out on the roads with all the crazy people. In the end, that seemed like a tradition we could keep up for years to come.

  Leighton claps her hands. “Like in matching costumes? A couple’s costume? Because that would be awesome. If you are, I’ll definitely come by and see you. Holden’s gotta work.”

  “Come hand out candy with us,” I encourage her. “We’re gonna be Captain America and Wonder Woman! I’m really excited. It’ll be so much fun.”

  “Oh great!” Leighton rolls her eyes, sighing. “Y’all will be superheroes, and I’ll be a huge-ass gumball machine.”

  “Is that what you’re gonna be? Those are so cute, especially with this belly you have.”

  She groans.

  “I meant that as a compliment,” I defend my choice of words.

  “I know you did, I’m just so uncomfortable right now.” She grabs hold of her back and attempts to stretch it. “I can’t sleep, I can’t stand, and I can’t sit. I’m at the stage where absolutely nothing makes me happy.”

  “Not too much longer.” Holden rubs her stomach while he places a kiss on her neck.

  “He’s right,” I add. “Soon you’ll be holding this child,” I emphasize the word because neither one of them have told the secret yet. “So come have fun with us for one night.”

  “Oh alright.” She sighs. “Why not?”

  “I’ll drop you off before I go on shift,” Holden offers, seeming to be happy that she’s going to have somewhere to go while he’s working.

  “And I’ll take you home when we’re done,” I offer. “That way you don’t have to be out by yourself, and you can still have a good time with us.”

  “Okay,” she concedes, looking kind of excited. “Okay. If I show up tomorrow night dressed as a damn gumball machine, you better be dressed up.”

  I hold my hands up in surrender. “I promise.” I laugh. “We’ll have a good time.”

  Leighton doesn’t look convinced, but I give her a huge smile and pray to the gods above that I’m right.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Ace

  Halloween

  “Come on, we gotta hurry up and get these done before they start showing up.”

  Violet and I are racing against the clock. Trick-or-treating starts at four p.m. and it’s three-thirty. We’re both changed, and Leighton’s already here, helping us fill up the treat bags we’ll be handing out. We’d starting filling them up when Violet got off work, but we’d gotten distracted when we got dressed in our costumes. If I’d known she was going to look as good as Wonder Woman herself, I would have had her try it on for me before today.

  “You’re a damn slave driver,” Leighton grumbles as she situates herself on the couch. “If I knew you were going to be this bad, I would have said leave my ass at home.”

  Violet snickers, handing her friend a piece of chocolate. “Here, eat this and you’ll feel better.”

  Leighton does as told, and then grimaces, putting a hand to her back. “I’ve felt like shit all day. I didn’t want to come, no offense to you all, but I’m just so uncomfortable. Holden didn’t want me at the house by myself though, and we got into an argument about it. It’s just not been a good day.”

  “Only a few more weeks,” my girlfriend says as she leans over and rubs the felt balls on her friend’s belly, “then you’ll be able to at least sleep comfortably, just not much.”

  “So true.” She sighs as she gets up and all but waddles to the kitchen.

  I close the last of the bags and then put them in the container we have for easy access. “C’mon ladies, can Captain America get a selfie with Wonder Woman and the gum ball machine?”

  “Ugh, you’re too cheerful,” Leighton gripes, grinning when I give her a look.

  “I love Halloween, okay?”

  “I love seeing my feet when I look down, but we can’t all have what we want. Can we?” she retorts.

  She turns to walk out of the living room, while I pull Violet to my side. “She’s grouchy.”

  “She’s c
arrying around thirty-five pounds on her frame that wasn’t there nine months ago, of course she’s grouchy.” She puts her arms around my waist. “And I’m sorry if she hurt your feelings, but I’ll take a selfie with you.”

  Leaning her cheek up to mine, I can see Violet smiling widely. God, I love this woman, and have I mentioned how hot she looks in this costume? With my hand that’s not holding the phone, I reach up, using my index finger to grab her chin, and turn her into a kiss. As we deepen the connection, I capture a picture. One second in the lifetime that will be ours. Letting her go with one more tiny peck, I smirk at her. Violet wipes the lipstick off my mouth, a smirk of her own spreads across her face.

  “You’re the sexiest super hero I’ve ever seen.” My ego takes a nice stroking when she says those words. I work out, so it’s nice when she notices.

  “Ain’t nobody got anything on that ass.” I smack it with the palm of my hand as she walks by.

  Back when we first started with each other, I never thought she’d be this comfortable with me. Never thought I would be this comfortable with her. For everything we’ve gone through together, I realize we went through it to end up here. As the holidays approach, I know I’ll be more thankful than I’ve ever been to have this woman by my side.

  “Let’s go give out some treat bags.” She grabs my hand, dragging me onto our shared porch.

  Kids are already arriving, and I can’t help but be pleased when I see Violet sit down next to Leighton on the steps, oohing and aahing over all the cute costumes the kids are wearing. Maybe one day we’ll have a kid of our own, and we’ll be able to enjoy this rite of passage with them.

  The thought doesn’t scare me like it would have years ago. In fact, it’s more exciting now than anything. Life is changing, and it’s changing in a big way.

  Violet

  “I haven’t seen this many cute kids, ever.” I grin at the parents bringing them up as Leighton and I talk back and forth to one another.