by Rhonda Lott
Hard as stone for her already, Ace groaned as she threw her head back, biting her lower lip, she ramped up her movements, breath catching. When her eyes swung back down to him working tight-fisted strokes up and down his dick, her body jerked.
“Enough. Enough, I need you right now.” Alana groaned.
Ace’s arms shot out to grab her, mount her, and fuck the hell out of her.
“No, stay right there. You move when I say so, remember.”
She tilted her head and crawled over him, caressing him. She inched her hands up his legs and thighs, scorching flames of sensations followed their damp glide along his skin. Ace felt such stabbing anticipation, he closed his eyes against the onslaught. He was always the dominant one during sex. The idea to give Alana control popped into his head because she didn’t need to be seduced, she needed to be the seducer. She needed to be in charge. As he watched her grip his pulsing cock, the contrast of creamy tan fingers on his brown skin struck him as beautifully erotic. Ace grabbed hold of her and stalled her movements. He retrieved a condom from the nightstand, opened it, and handed it to Alana.
“Wrap me up and ride me hard babe.” Ace gripped her hips to steady her.
Alana rolled the latex down his shaft and smiled down at him. Her hair wild and flowing all around her flushed face. She wore her passion like a shimmering cloak, alluring, captivating; pulling at something deep within, something he never knew was there. His breath stilled. His heart swelled. She was spectacular in her desire, so beautiful that he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination. His firecracker transformed from mere female into devastatingly beautiful woman. His woman.
Alana lowered herself onto him. Ace closed his eyes and gripped her hips harder as her scorching hot canal wrapped around his cock. Her pussy pulsed around him, tight and slick as she slid down his cock inch by torturous inch. The pleasure so intense it was almost painful. Control vanished, snapped as need overruled all thought.
Thrusting his hips upward as she pushed down, electric jolts of pleasure rippled through his body. Alana didn’t go slowly. She pumped her hips over him, breast jiggling up and down, head thrown back, she rode him with bone jarring, flat out, all-encompassing abandon. Clamping down hard on his lust, Ace gritted his teeth. Raw animalistic hunger rode him hard. The unrelenting passion that combusted between them, shocked him. It was frightening how absolutely right she felt connected to him, not only of the body, but by some unseen power that was almost tangible, blinding in its intensity.
Ace pounded up into her, never ceasing in his fight to bring her to her peak. Her cries grew louder and louder, nails scoring his chest, sweat dampening her flushed skin. The music of their slick bodies slapping together mingled with the rhythmic thumping of the bed against the wall. Watching her, watch him slide in and out her center, as they both fought for pleasure brought his balls up tight against his body ready to explode.
There was something there with them. Something strong, real, uncommon. This was more than another mindless fuck. There was something there. Frightening, but substantial, no denying it.
Alana stiffened above him, her pussy clamping down hard on his erection. She shook with the power of her orgasm, screaming his name. His explosion hit hard, jerking his body up off the bed as his dick jerked inside her, his seed jetting into her hotness uncontrollably. Ace fell back and gathered her damp body to his as they both fought for breath, hearts thundering in unison.
It was still there. That connection or whatever the fuck it was, was still there with them. Ace stroked the tender skin of her neck, kissing her forehead. Eyes drifting shut, he breathed in her intoxicating lavender scent. After great sex, he normally considered ways to get rid of his partners. His arms pressed her in, content to hold her right there on his chest all night. He didn’t do long term with any woman, but this one. This one changed the damn game. He was in deep. Her steady breathing told him she was sleeping. Ace pulled the blankets over them and held her close. He wasn’t sure if he had the full story from her, didn’t know if he trusted her and yet knew he was falling for her hard. As the gray edge of sleep crept over him, Ace wondered if falling for Alana would come at a cost, but would it cost him his life.
CHAPTER SIX
ALANA
Hidden in the shadows of the darkened bedroom, he watched them. Cold beads of sweat dampened her skin as her eyes searched the darkness. A flash of steel then the face of evil came into view. Bates stood over the bed, holding a long silver knife in his hand. His eyes glazed, shining bright blue in the dim light. Terror gripped her heart, as she fought to gulp air into her lungs. She opened her mouth to warn Ace but the scream lodged in her throat, body frozen in place. He was going to be stabbed to death the same as Rosa and she was helpless to stop it.
“This is for my baby brother, you rat bastard.” Bates snarled.
He brought the blade down, plunging it to the hilt into Ace’s chest, repeatedly. Blood gushed out of Ace in liquid red streams, splattering the walls, soaking the bed sheets, and splashing warm wet streaks across her face.
“NO, No, not him too.” Alana screamed, furiously fighting the unseen force holding her down. She wasn’t going to let him take everyone from her. He could not have Ace.
“Wake up, Alana. Wake up babe.”
Alana opened her eyes. Her heart pounded fast and hard. Ace was above her on the bed, his brows pulled down.
“Ace, you’re alive.” Alana’s body was shivering and her heart galloping as her fingers flew over the smooth muscles of his chest where the knife had been. It was a nightmare. Only a nightmare, Ace was ok.
“I’m fine, sweet. It was only a dream, come here.” Ace rested back on the pillows, pulling her to his side. “Want to tell me about it?”
“Bates was here in the room, killing you the same way he killed Rosa.” Alana closed her eyes and pressed closer to Ace’s heat. The fear from the nightmare slowly seeping out of her, leaving her cold from the inside out.
“Aw, my sweet firecracker. You’ve been through it haven’t you? Bates won’t get to me, I promise. I’m sure as hell not going to let him get to you.”
His hands brushed sweat-damped hair away from her brow, placing a kiss on her temple. Alana smiled into his chest, listening to the promise of his words and the steady drum beat of his heart.
“Why Ace. I’m nobody to you?”
Ace tilted her face up to him and flattened her palm on his chest. “There’s something between us. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it.”
Alana felt connected to him. She wanted to be special to him, she truly did. Cold blades of uncertainty stabbed at her. He was so far out of her league. He was a cop whose job it was to uphold the law and she’d killed a man. Whatever it was growing between them had nowhere to go. Alana sighed deeply. They had sex. No strings, hotter than hell, sex, nothing more. She would not build it into something it wasn’t. Ace didn’t trust women so he didn’t do relationships. She had to get a grip on herself. It didn’t matter that she was falling hard for the sexy cop. He wasn’t hers. No amount of dreaming could make that happen.
“Tell me about the tattoos.” She urged, needing to change the subject. “They're sexy as hell, but they remind me of a bad boy not a cop.”
“Ha, cops are human too. I got most of these before I joined the force, though.” He said, through a teasing smile.
“In the military?
Ace leaned back. He pulled her up onto his lap to face him.
“The number thirteen was my age when my mom left us.” Ace traced the number with his finger, a frown creasing his brow.
“I’m sorry Ace.” Alana knew the pain of losing a parent. Her parents died in a car accident when she was ten.
“The day she left, my parents were arguing in the bedroom. They were louder and harsher than usual. I knew that this one was going to be bad, so I went outside and climbed that big old oak. I climbed that tree a lot to get away from their bickering and arguing. My mother was always unhappy. Dad tried to please her,
but there was no pleasing that woman.” Ace paused, tucking her hair behind her ears and kissed her on the cheek.
“Ace, you must have been so hurt. Thirteen is a rough age for a kid and to have her leave like that. God, I wish I knew you back then. I would have taken you away and loved you so damn hard.”
Ace chuckled and hugged her tight. “I bet you would have. The way you love those girls you take care of. I bet you love them hard as hell. I was loved, firecracker. My dad became mother and father.” He let her go and traced the scrolling letters on his stomach.
“This means ‘never forget’. I watched my mom leave that day, hugging that tree, feeling the sudden shift of my world. She threw her suitcase in the back of her car and without a goodbye to me, took off down the road. My eyes stayed glued to that car as she drove away with my heart shredding inside me. Blinded by pain and tears, I slipped from the branch and fell. The branches ripped me up pretty bad, right here.” Ace brought her fingers down over his tattoo’s scrolling black letters and the corded muscles of his lower abdomen. “Covering the stitches with the tat and the promise to forever remember her betrayal and to never forget my father’s love.”
Warm tears slid down her face and before she could wipe them away, Ace swiped them gently with his thumbs. “Ace you break my heart.”
“No tears, firecracker. That shit forged me into the man I am today. As an adult, I came to realize that she had a problem and it wasn’t me. I was worthy of a mother’s love, she wasn’t capable of giving it.” Ace shrugged his shoulders. “Now this one, the zero seven, is the year I joined the police force, reminding me of how proud my dad was of me.”
“He had every right to be proud then and I imagine he still is.” Alana captured his face between her hands and kissed him hard then pulled back quickly.
Ace traced circles along her lower back. “Since this is lazy Sunday morning confessions tell me about Alana Ruiz.”
“My story is boring, well up until I got blackmailed that is.” She scooted off his lap. “I was born and raised here. My mom, a teacher and my dad a doctor of cardiology at Emory Hospital. They were great parents and I had a dream life, until the car crash. Only I survived.”
“Didn’t your folks have any family to take you in?”
“Nope, they were both only children and my grandparents on both sides were dead. Children’s Services sent me to a lot of different foster homes until finally placing me with Ms. Kate. She knew how to reach kids. I loved her instantly. Rosa lived with Ms. Kate and we connected right from the start, two shy girls bolstering each other.” Alana placed her head on Ace’s shoulder. “Finding her dead in my room replays in my mind constantly. I didn’t even get a chance to say good-by, she was just suddenly gone from my life. It haunts me still.”
“I wish I knew you that night. I would’ve beat the shit out of Bates, arrested his ass, and then loved you so hard.”
Alana chuckled. “Oh, now that you mention loving me hard—”
Her cell phone blared from their pile of clothes, jarring her to her bones. Her phone never rang.
“What the heck?” Not caring about her nakedness, Alana jumped from the bed, searched her clothes and found her phone. “It’s a text from Carol, the temporary director I hired. Oh, God no. Masked men broke in early this morning, held her and the girls at gunpoint while they trashed the place. Then they…”
Ace shot off the bed and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Alana what, they didn’t hurt those children, tell me?”
“No, the girls are ok. Carol is beyond scared though. The cops are there now Ace, Bates is there right now.”
ACE
The brilliant sunshine was deceptive. It was bitterly cold out as Ace pulled to a stop a couple of blocks away from his destination. Alana’s group home was in one of the older neighborhoods of Decatur. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find but a group home for foster children brought to mind institutionalized setups. These were average homes in a nice area where the kids could fit in, go to good schools, live a normal life.
Alana grabbed for the door handle.
“Hold on Alana, stay in the truck for now. If Bates is still hanging around, let me feel him out first. Blowing up my car, trashing my apartment, and now possibly breaking into the group home are the moves of a desperate man. So stay put for a few, ok?” Ace held both her hands giving them a squeeze. They felt cold to the touch as if the heat of the truck was not quite enough to warm her.
“That bloody knife might be the same one he used to kill Rosa, if it is, he can’t use it as a threat anymore.”
“I’ve sent that off for testing, at an independent lab. We can’t be sure if it is the same knife. Until we know for sure, we keep you away from him.” Ace wanted to believe that Bates was stupid enough to hand over the one piece of evidence he held over her head, but he knew that the detective was anything but stupid.
Two squad cars were parked in front of the house as he marched up to the door, it opened and two uniformed officers walked out followed by Bates. The officers greeted him casually heading to their car. Bates lingered in the doorway, his eyes searching the street, then latched onto him.
“Detective Jackson, the golden boy of homicide, why are you responding to a break in?” Bates snarled.
“Down boy, I’m here because Carol happens to be a friend of mine.” Ace stated, his eyes searching the other man for his reaction. Bates was of average height, with a slender build. He wore off the rack suits that looked as if he had slept in them for weeks at a time.
“Right.” Bates crossed the porch to stand in front of Ace.
“What about you, vice don’t do B&E either. Unless this is a cleverly disguised crack house you shouldn’t be here.” Ace stepped back. The man reeked of unwashed body and the sour smell of alcohol. Drinking on the job, why the hell not, Bates obviously wasn’t giving two shits about his career anymore.
Bates rubbed the scruff on his chin. “No, I have a connection to this place. Tragedy seems to live here. I dated one of the directors; she was brutally murdered by her business partner. That partner is in the wind and I’m searching for the bitch, so I came this morning to see if she might have returned to the crime scene.” Bates folded his scrawny arms across his chest. “You of all people know how murderers always return to the scene of the crime.”
Ace stepped into the man’s personal space, checking the dude. Bates backed away. Yep, just what I thought all talk no balls. Bates might have somebody high up backing him, but he was a pussy motherfucker. Hurting women, blackmailing them, Mason Bates was a disgrace to the force and to the male race as a whole.
“The old director that’s in the wind. A friendly suggestion, give up trying to find her, she’s out of your reach. The murder weapon in that case wasn’t recovered, was it? Don’t think that’s showing up either. Seems like your outta luck, man.” Ace shrugged, brushing past Bates.
“Well, I know for a fact I’ll get that bitch soon and when I do, she’s going to prison. My baby brother went to prison, you know what they do to cops in that place. He took his life in that filthy hole. He didn’t deserve to be there and I promised him I would kill the lying rat bastard that put him there. Now you might ask yourself what one thing has to do with the other. It’s all about setting things right.” Bates was rambling and Ace needed to keep him talking, Alcohol loosened lips.
“Set things right. You don’t have any evidence to prove the woman murdered anyone. Your brother was tried, convicted and sentenced for the crime he committed. ”
“You son of a bitch. I could have gotten him off if anybody other than you caught the case. ” Bates hissed.
“I’m not fucking around with you and your kind any more, Bates. You’re about to take on something you can’t handle.” Ace backed the other man up a few more inches, keeping his eyes locked onto him. “Let this shit go, whatever you’re going to do, don’t. Whoever has your back tell him I don’t fuck around. No more bullshit. If you want me, come at me. Come at me right
now, motherfucker. I’m right here.” Ace challenged, spreading his arms out to his sides.
Bates tensed, eyeing Ace with undisguised hatred. “Now is not the time, Jackson.”
“Yeah, right, When you gonna get it through your head that I’m not your enemy. I did my job, man and I’ll do it again.”
“Fuck you, Boy Scout. I’d watch my ass if I were you.” Bates slunk back to his ride.
Ace watched until he drove away, certain that Bates still had the murder weapon. The cop was dirty, but predictable. Bates will keep low for now,
But he’s still seeking his ridiculous revenge. That was fine by him. Let the fucker come. Heading back to his truck, Ace felt a sliver of excitement course through him. His mind sure of his course. He would bring the fight to Bates. That dick couldn’t be allowed to walk free, threatening and hurting people at his pleasure. He especially wasn’t laying a finger on Alana. It was time to do what he did best, solve this case. Find the man Bates answered to, the man behind the ring.
ALANA
Crouching low in the seat, Alana drummed her fingers on her thighs. Ace was gone for far too long. If Bates did something to him, she didn’t know what she would do. She was queasy from the persistent pounding of her head. Time was running out. Bates was losing it day by day. When she worked for him, he was mad for money and power. He used his badge to intimidate people. He truly believed that he was smarter than the common person and that he couldn’t be caught. The person he worked for had to wield some serious power to bolster such confidence in the man. Ace was in a lot of trouble and she was facing life in prison.
Alana wanted to run, hop a bus and ride as far away from Atlanta as possible. As the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. This was her home and those girls there were her responsibility. Ms. Kate trusted her to take care of her legacy. If she took off, she would be letting Kate down, letting Rosa down. Bates killed her best friend in the world and she owed it to Rosa to bring him to justice.
