“You know…” He grabs my arm and squeezes it when I go to reach for my drink again. “You’re being a real bitch when all I’m trying to do is–”
Before he can finish what he’s saying, his head is being slammed into the bar in front of him with so much force that my glass shakes and falls over.
I feel my eyes widen as I look up to see Ace standing there. He’s the one who has a grip on the back of the asshole’s hair and from the look on his face, he doesn’t plan on letting him up anytime soon.
My heart drops to my stomach as his intense gaze turns to meet mine. There’s this animalistic quality inside of his eyes, reminding me of just how dangerous and unpredictable he is.
It somewhat scares me, yet I can’t turn away from him.
It also turns me on.
There’s something incredibly sexy about Ace when he’s angry.
With a growl, he pulls the guy’s head back and whispers, “Touch her again and I’ll cut your scalp off with the knife I have shoved inside my boot. It won’t be the first time I’ve played that fucking game and enjoyed it.” After he pulls his lips away he slams his head down again, not once, but two times, before he releases his hair and steps back.
The guy that Gia is talking to stands tall, as if to come to his friend’s defense, but suddenly takes a step back and throws his hands up in defense once Ace steps up to him with a tilt of his head.
The look in his eyes screams that he’ll kill anyone who challenges him, and that is enough to keep everyone at a distance, including the guy whose mouth is now covered in blood from his nose, which Ace just busted.
Everyone in the bar seems to be watching Ace as he steps in close to me and cups the back of my head with force. “This is not the place for you to be hanging out at. There’s drunken assholes everywhere.”
“How did you…” I shake my head and stand up when he grabs my waist. “How did you know I was here? I thought you were busy tonight.”
“I was,” he says on an angry growl. “I got done early and asked Kadence where you were. It’s a good thing too, because if this motherfucker would’ve gotten any further with you, I’d have to do much worse to him than I just did.”
As if no one else is in the room, Ace presses his body flush against mine and leans in to speak against my lips. “I’m fighting with everything in me to not turn back around and kill that asshole for touching you the way he did. Leave with me before I lose my willpower.”
I take a step back and swallow. His closeness has my heart racing so fast that I can hardly catch my breath. “I can’t. I’m here with a friend.”
“Looks like she’s ready to leave too.” He glances over my shoulder, his eyes narrowed as if to give a warning.
That’s all it takes for the dark-haired guy to walk away from Gia and leave her standing there staring at me.
“What the…” I can’t tell if she’s mad or just in shock at the fact that I’m standing here with Ace right now. “I should get going anyway. It’s late. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Gia!” I call out her name as she quickly walks away, but she doesn’t stop to look back at me. I look around at all the attention on me and suddenly feel as if I need some air.
I barely make it outside before I feel Ace’s hands on my waist, gripping me from behind as he moves his body in close.
He’s hard all over, and as much as I crave to feel him against me, my head is screaming at me to run from him. Tonight was just too much … too real. I need to think, to breathe and collect myself.
I feel like this was a warning sign, reminding me before it’s too late that falling for Ace could be disastrous.
“I’ll walk.” I take a deep breath and find the courage to walk away from him, but the moment he stops me again and his breath hits my neck, I feel weak again and I want nothing more than to give in and leave with him. “It’s not that far, Ace. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s too far for me to let you walk alone. I wouldn’t give a shit if it was right behind this place. You’re not going anywhere alone tonight.” He brushes my hair away from my neck and runs his lips along it. “Come with me, Angel.”
My breathing picks up and, just like usual, I can’t control my thoughts when he’s so damn close to me. I should be walking away from him, yet I can’t seem to.
“I want to but…”
“But what?”
“Was that true?”
He lets out a deep, throaty laugh that vibrates my ear. “Is what true?”
“That you once scalped a guy?”
He’s tense, but then I feel him nod before he speaks the words. “Yes. That wasn’t just a threat. I’d do it to that asshole inside in a heartbeat if he ever touched you again. That’s a fucking promise.”
His confession makes it hard for me to breathe. Hard for me to move and before I know it, I’m allowing him to guide toward the motorcycle I watched him work on the other night.
I stand frozen, watching his biceps flex as he reaches for his helmet and slides it on my head. Ace is completely hypnotizing and in this moment, I feel as if I’ll do anything he tells me to.
He takes a moment to look me over, maybe seeing how I look wearing his helmet, before he straddles the motorcycle and grabs my hand, pulling me on behind him.
“Hold on tight. I have somewhere I want to show you.” He grabs my arms and places them around his body when I don’t make a move. “Don’t let go.”
I finally snap out of it and lean into him, while holding onto his firm body as tightly as I can.
Once I’ve got a good grip on him, he takes off, heading toward an area I’ve never been in before.
We ride for a good fifteen minutes before pulling up to an old abandoned building that looks like it hasn’t been used in ages.
My heart races with anticipation as he helps me off the bike and leads me into the old place.
“My brothers and I spent a lot of time here when we were kids. When my uncle wasn’t around to save us…” He opens the door and turns to face me. “I had to. This was the only place I knew we’d be safe.”
I feel my heart sink at his confession as I follow him inside.
He doesn’t move at first. He just stands in place and looks around as if being here is bringing up old memories.
“There’s a room I want to show you.” His jaw flexes as he grabs my hand and gives it a light squeeze. “I feel like I need to put it to use right now.”
I’m not sure what he means by putting it to use, but I allow him to pull me through the darkened house anyway.
“Your parents hurt you and your brothers a lot, didn’t they?”
He stops and takes a deep breath before pushing one of the hallway doors open and stepping into the room. “Almost every fucking day.”
“I hate that,” I admit. “I hate that they hurt you guys. It’s not fair.”
“It’s not,” he says stiffly, turning on a few lanterns to give the room some light. “That’s why I made this.”
I turn to face the wall when he nods toward it. There’s a huge target painted onto a piece of plywood that has huge chunks missing from it. You can tell it’s gotten a lot of use over the years.
“Was this for you and your brothers to let off some steam?”
He shakes his head and kneels down to reach into his boot. “It was for me.”
I jump when he quickly stands up and throws a knife into the target, hitting the bullseye.
His heated gaze lands on me and I can tell that he must notice how nervous I look now that he’s got a knife.
I’m alone in an old abandoned building with a pissed-off Locke, a knife and a target.
I should probably be more nervous than I am, but the moment he pulls the knife from the target and hands it to me, I relax as I look down at it in my hand.
Ace is showing me a piece of him and I’m going to take every last bit of that I can get.
13
Ace
I saw the way Melissa stiffened when
I pulled the knife from my boot and threw it at the target. There was a split second that I hated she was afraid I could harm her.
I’d never hurt her, never even dream of it. Hell, I’d kill, maim anyone who thought of putting fear in her.
It fucking kills me and I want to give her every reason to know that she’ll always be safe with me.
“Throw it at the target, Melissa.” She pulls her gaze away from the knife to look up at me. “If anyone has ever hurt you, they’re that fucking target. Throw it.”
“I’ve never been hurt enough by anyone to want them to be the target, Ace.” She brushes past me to stand where I was just moments ago when I threw it. “But I’ll be more than happy to pretend it’s your parents.”
Before I can say anything or react to the fact that she hates my parents so much for hurting us, she throws the knife at the target but misses it, hitting the wall beside it.
“Here.” I walk over and pull the knife out of the wall before I make my way back over to her. “Don’t think so much next time. Just relax and aim.”
She takes the knife from me as I hand it to her.
I stand back and watch as she throws it again. A satisfied smile spreads across her face when it hits the target this time.
I fetch the knife and allow her to throw it a few more times. She seems to be enjoying it more with each throw and I can’t help but to get turned on by watching her.
As much as I’m enjoying watching her let loose, I still can’t get that look of fear that was in her eyes when I grabbed my knife out of my head.
She throws the knife one last time, but instead of handing it to her and stepping away, this time I hand it to her and back her against the wall.
“I’ll never fucking hurt you, Melissa. I need you to know that.”
Keeping her pressed against the wall with my body, I grab the back of my shirt and pull it over my head. I toss it aside and look down to see her breathing heavily, her gaze roaming over my body.
“I wasn’t afraid of you hurting me, Ace. I’m just in an unfamiliar place and the knife caught me off guard…”
Her words trail off when I grab her hand and place the blade of the knife to my chest. “I’d let you cut me before I ever let any harm come your way. I’ll always fucking protect you.” I stare into her eyes, seeing them grow wider, her shock, maybe even a little bit of fear of the situation, claiming her. But I can also see she knows the truth, can see it in her expression. “Now. Cut me.”
She shakes her head and attempts to pull the knife away from my chest, but I push it farther into my skin, drawing blood. “Ace – stop. I don’t want to hurt…”
I move her hand along my body, digging the blade in, stopping at my collarbone. “I’ve never let anyone cut me before,” I say, my voice a low growl. “That’s how much I trust you and need you to trust me back.”
Once I release her hand, she tosses the knife aside and runs the tips of her fingers over my wound. “I trust you, Ace. I know you won’t physically hurt me. But I’m not sure I’m ready for the things you do. The violence you bring to others. I don’t–”
“Touch me, Angel.” I place my hand on hers and lower it down the top of my jeans. “Let loose and forget about everything else for once. Fucking touch me.” I bow my head and run my tongue across her lips. “Take my cock out and stroke it until I come in your hands.”
She releases a sharp breath when I lower her hand to my erection. She looks surprised at how hard I am after what I just made her do to me.
“The pain doesn’t bother me,” I whisper against her lips. “You can hurt me all you want and I’ll still be hard and ready for you. Always.”
I lean my head back and close my eyes as Melissa’s hands work on undoing my jeans. Our heavy breathing is the only noise in the room and I love that she can’t control hers, just as I can’t mine.
The moment her hand touches my bare cock, I bite my bottom lip and growl out my need for her. “Stroke me like you want to… like you own me, because you do.”
With a small moan, she begins stroking me, her breathing picking up as if she can hardly handle the fact that she’s pleasuring me.
I place my hands against the wall on either side of her head and watch as she runs both her hands over my long, thick cock.
Each time her fingers move over my head, I moan, feeling like I could come any second. She moans too once she notices the drop of pre-cum wetting the tip of my cock.
“I’m so fucking close, Angel. Squeeze tighter.”
She squeezes me tighter, using the moisture from the head of my cock to make her strokes slicker and faster.
I growl and grip the wall, feeling a tug at my balls. I’m so fucking close and she’s barely touched me.
But it’s not about the way it feels to have her stroking me, although it feels fantastic. It’s about the fact that she is stroking me that has me ready to fucking explode.
I’ve wanted Melissa’s hands on me for as long as I can remember and knowing that she’s enjoying it just as much as I am is enough to send me over the edge.
“Fuck, yes…” I thrust my hips forward and move my hands down to wrap into the back of her hair as her strokes become faster and harder.
“Holy shit, Ace,” she breathes. “I want you to come for me. I want to see you get off.”
“Fuck!” Her words send me over the edge and within seconds, I’m busting my nut all over her hands as she continues to move them over my length, making sure to get every last drop out.
I fight to catch my breath as I grab her chin and tilt it up so that she’s looking me in the eye. “Next time I bust… it will be inside your tight little pussy, Angel.”
Her body shivers from my words as if just the thought is too much for her to handle. It makes my dick jump with excitement. “Ace… this is not what I expected tonight. I don’t usually–”
“Pleasure twisted, homicidal maniacs?” I cup her face and move in closer when she removes her hands from me. “There’s a first time for everything,” I breathe. “But I can promise that it won’t be your last.”
I move in and press my lips against hers, kissing her gently at first before deepening the kiss, until she’s fighting for air.
Then I move away and grab my shirt to clean her hands off with.
She watches me in silence, her gaze raking over me, as I take care of her. I may do a lot of damage with my hands, but I can be gentle with them when needed.
After she’s all cleaned up, I toss my shirt aside again and move in so that our bodies are flush. I slowly move my hands up her body, stopping once I reach the back of her hair. “It’s late. I should get you home. I just wanted to show you this place first.”
She swallows and nods. “Okay, yeah…” Her words trail off as she moves around me and heads for the door.
I stand here for a few moments, taking deep breaths before I follow her outside and help her back onto my bike.
The last place I want to take her is home, because it’s not my fucking home, where she belongs.
I can feel that she’s so damn close to where I need her to be and that is enough for tonight. Soon, though, I know what I have to do to really get her to where I need her.
I just need a little more time to show her that I’m more than just the twisted Locke she’s feared since the moment she’s heard about us.
14
Melissa
I’ve been at the coffee shop for seven hours now and the only thing I have been able to think about is Ace Locke. Truthfully, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since the moment he dropped me off at my house and drove off on his motorcycle last night.
I knew if I allowed Ace to touch me, to kiss me and taste me, that I’d be completely consumed by him. Yet I allowed him to do those things anyway, because a part of me wanted to know what it’d feel like to give myself over to him.
To give him a piece of me that I know I can never get back.
He hasn’t even slept with me yet, but he does
n’t have to for me to feel the way that I do about him. My feelings for him have slowly been growing with each moment we spend together and the fact that he took me somewhere so personal to him last night has my walls slowly crumbling down.
But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m not sure if I’m ready for Ace’s lifestyle and everything that comes along with it.
The violence.
The blood.
The worry.
We’re not even together, but I find myself worrying about him. I’m terrified he’ll get hurt or even killed and the idea of that makes me sick to my stomach.
After having his perfect mouth on me… and his rough, dangerous hands, I feel as if I’ll go crazy without him touching me. I want him to touch me all the time and now that I’ve touched him… made him come for me, I’m addicted to the rush he gives me.
The sound that came from his throat when I made him come undone has haunted me all day, making me imagine him making that noise above me, buried deep inside me. I’m so wet, ready for him, primed in ways I’ve never even dreamed of. Only Ace can make me feel unraveled. I want more, so much more, but I’m afraid to ask for it, frightened to even imagine how real that would be.
Once that transpires, once I allow that to happen, I’ll be his and there will be no going back. I know this without a doubt.
And a part of me wants that.
My shift is over soon and I haven’t decided where I should go yet once I get off. I could go home and spend the entire night thinking about the one man I shouldn’t be falling for, or I could show up at the Locke house to see him.
Every part of me wants to see him. Wants to feel him despite the worry I still possess.
“What’s your plans for tonight?”
I look up from cleaning the counter at the sound of Gia’s voice. She hasn’t mentioned last night yet, but I can tell she’s been wanting to since the moment I walked through the door.
“I’m not sure yet. I may just go home and watch TV.”
Locke Brothers Series Page 24
