"Hey now, no tears." He kissed the top of her head. "You don't cry."
"I do. I cry. A lot." The tears and sobs coming out of her mouth broke up her words. She pulled back to stare at him.
"Oh my god, what did you to do yourself?" She raised her shaking hand to touch his bald head covered only with the faintest touch of blond stubble.
"I shaved it."
"I see that." She sniffed. "You're gorgeous, as always. But why would you cut off your beautiful hair?"
He hesitated. "Because you always hated it."
"No, I didn't. At first I wasn't into the whole look, but then it became you and I loved it."
"You did?"
She nodded. "I did."
"Well, it was also time for a change. Do you hate it?"
"No." She laughed. "Damn, I'm dizzy." The room twirled. His showing up, startling her, and—and bald—was too much, all of it.
Ace scooped her up into his arms and carried her to her couch. "Are you okay?"
Concern marred his expression, but his eyes glowed with happiness as they looked at her.
"It's been a long day. I'm so happy to see you. I thought when you didn't respond to my on-air plea that you were basically telling me to "fuck off."
He shook his head as he sat on the couch, lifting her head onto his lap. He stroked her hair. "I don't know what you're talking about. I got here early and I've been here all day. I made some lunch, fell asleep right here."
She sat up, almost colliding heads with him. "You didn't see what I did on television today?"
"No." He touched her cheek. "I've been in Europe meditating with this Texan named Kevin."
"Meditating?"
"Yes." He laughed. "I know. It's crazy but I've gotten the adrenaline down so low I hardly notice it."
"I suggested that."
He kissed her nose. "You did. Draco did too. Anyway, I had a lot of time to think, and all I could think about was you. I came back last night to lots of messages that you kept stopping by the office." He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. "They made me hopeful you'd missed me as much as I'd missed you and that maybe we could both try again."
"Ace, are you telling me you didn't see what I did today?"
"No." He opened his eyes as he pulled back to look at her. "Lael has been calling for the last five hours but I haven't answered."
Oh hell. The tears started again. He'd come back for her without seeing her desperate plea.
That was too wonderful for words.
He brushed away her tears with his fingers. "What are these tears?”
“I'll have to show you."
She got up from the couch. "I don't know where I put the remote. Shit." She was always misplacing the damn thing.
Ace pointed at the television and the set came to life. She smiled. That particular superpower was very useful.
Sure enough, as she suspected, considering what she'd pulled her first day back, her face appeared on the screen. She stood by the television, not looking at Ace as he watched her public declaration.
When it ended, before the news people could start speaking, he stood and pointed at the television to turn it off.
"You did that to try to get me back?"
She nodded. What if she'd made a terrible mistake? "Too much?"
She blinked and found herself in his arms again. "No. It was perfect." He kissed her again.
His lips were strong and she was engulfed in Ace's arms, as she'd been so desperate to be.
"We have to be careful with you. People are going to try to hurt you now."
He kissed her hard and she hung on for dear life. Sudden realization hit her; Ace shook in her arms. She pulled back. "Are you okay? Are you having an adrenaline problem?"
"No." He laughed as he kissed her forehead. "Alice, I'm overwhelmed. You just exposed yourself on television for me. You told everyone you're seeing a therapist. How am I going to keep you safe?"
Safe? "Why would I be in danger?”
“From people who want to get to me."
"That's always going to be a problem if we're together. How did you think you'd handle it before?"
His strong arms moved her snug against his chest, so close she could hear his heartbeat. She could tell he was overwhelmed. If he needed this level of closeness, so tight she was practically inside of him, then fine, that's what he'd get.
"I was hoping we could find a way to hide our relationship so no one would know you were with me."
"No." She tried to shake her head, which was impossible pressed up against him. "We're not living our life in the dark. I won't ever tell anyone about Draco or Lael and their relationship to us, but we have to be out in the open."
He loosened his hold on her and she pulled back to regard him. "Listen, presidents and prime ministers have relationships. We must be able to have them. We'll be careful. I'll—"
She cut off what she was going to say. It was too much. She wasn't going to be that woman scaring him off. "You'll what?"
"Oh god, you caught that. I was going to say something that was bound to scare you off."
"I don't scare easy."
"I was going to say that I'll move in with you but that's too much for now. We'll just work it out."
Ace dropped down onto one knee. "Alice Styles, when I came back for you, I promised myself that I would not leave this house until you agreed to marry me."
She swallowed. She hadn't imagined this. In her wildest dreams, she never would have guessed he'd say, "Marry me."
Something was seriously wrong. She didn't feel the panic. He was talking family.
Shouldn't she be freaked out?
Grinning, she knelt to face him. "Yes, Ace, I will marry you.”
“You will?"
She narrowed her gaze. "You didn't ask expecting me to say no, did you? Oh God! Are you upset I said yes?"
He kissed her nose. "I'm shocked you made it so easy. I had a list—a very long list—of how I was going to convince you."
"Well, go ahead. Sell yourself."
"No." He stood, scooping her up in his arms. "You said yes, that gets me off the hook."
"It does not." She wanted to hear his frickin’ list.
"Sorry." He dropped her on the couch. "We do well on couches."
"We've only ever done it on the couch. I bet we do it well on beds, in the shower—"
"Honey, I'll bang you anywhere."
"Funny, Ace."
She sighed as his mouth met hers again, and his quick fingers undid her buttons.
He might have cut off his hair but he was still her Ace.
Thank God.
"So, can I move in with you? How will I get around? I can't fly myself back and forth. People might find out where you live if they follow me."
"We'll live here."
"What about Lael? He needs you."
He opened her shirt and squeezed her breast, sending heat between her thighs. "He can come too."
"Won't Draco object?"
"He might; he's my problem."
Ace kissed her again. "Listen, no more talking about my family. I have other things in mind, right now. We're making up and I need to make up with you. A lot. "
She closed her mouth. They would talk. Later. And for the rest of their lives. The thought was delicious. He was her Ace, forever.
~The End~
A Thank you from Fated Desires
Thank you so much for reading Adrenaline Rush. We’re huge fans of Guardians and all they stand for and we’re glad to have a novel that shows that in our lists. We do hope if you liked this, that you would please leave a review from where you purchased this or on anther platform such as GoodReads. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. Rebecca loves to hear from readers and talks to them when she can. You can reach her through her website and through her Facebook and
Twitter accounts. You guys are the reason we get to do what we do an
d we thank you.
If you are looking for more stories like these, you don’t have to wait much longer! Rebecca has more to come with Fated Desires! Also, we have a few new authors coming that will be sure to whet your appetite.
If you’d like to know more about Fated Desires, check out our website or email us at
[email protected].
About the Author
As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.
Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend.
They’ve just moved to Texas where Rebecca is discovering a new love for barbecue!
She's in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In Rebecca Royce's world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
www.RebeccaRoyce.com
Also from this Author
Now Available:
The Capes:
Seductive Powers
Adrenaline Rush
Fallen Alpha:
The Ever After Anthology
The Outsiders:
Love Beyond Time
Love Beyond Sanity
Love Beyond Loyalty
Love Beyond Sight
Love Beyond Expectations
Westervelt Wolves:
Her Wolf
Summer’s Wolf
Wolf Reborn
Wolf’s Valentine
Wolf’s Magic
Alpha Wolf
Angel’s Wolf
Darkest Wolf
Lone Wolf
The Warrior:
Initiation
Driven
Subversive
Redemption
Justice
The Conditioned:
Eye Contact
Embraced
Other Works:
Behind The Scenes
Yes, Captain
Return to the Sea
One Night With A Wolf
Another Chance
Light Me Up
I’ll Be Mated For Christmas
The Edge stories: Unwanted Mate, Bar Mate, Mate by the Music, Out of Place Mate Love In One Night
Hexed and Vexed
Crimson Lust
Demon Within
Forever
February Lover
Finding Her A-Muse-Ment
Dragon Joined
Excerpt: Seductive Powers
Did you enjoy this selection? Why not try another romance from Fated Desires?
From Bestselling Author Rebecca Royce’s The Capes Series
Chapter One
Wendy Warner knew why her coworkers stared. They did the same thing every time she
wore the outfit. She thought by now they'd be used to seeing her this way, considering she dressed in the uniform the second and third Fridays of every month. That equated to twenty-four days a year. Maybe the first couple of times warranted the amount of attention her outfit drew, but not now. After all this time, garnering the looks and the gasps was just out of hand.
Wendy sighed and nodded to the receptionist, who didn't respond—she never did—and
continued walking toward the elevators of Powers, Inc. Only support staff used the elevators because, well, Guardians didn't need them—they could fly.
She sipped her coffee, noticing she was, once again, alone in the elevator. Almost as if everyone in the building thought he or she would become 'nerds by association' simply being near her. Shrugging, she pushed the button for the top floor and decided to move on with her
day.
It wasn't as if she was the only person in the world ever to wear a Space Adventures uniform.
Over four million people watched the show every week. Sure, to be as devoted as she and the rest of the Space Adventures fan club were may be unusual, but Wendy enjoyed showing others how devoted she was to the show. She wasn't hurting anyone. Hell, she only wore the uniform to work because at the end of the day, she'd have to rush to the soup kitchen her group volunteered at twice a month.
Charity was one of the principles aspired to on Space Adventures, and to do things as a group, to remember the principles of the show and why they loved it so much, was good. People who worked for an organization employing Guardians should understand the idea. One would think.
Only no one had ever asked why she wore what she wore. Instead, they preferred to gawk.
But Wendy was comfortable in her flashy red shirt tucked neatly into the matching pants, with the show's emblem displayed proudly on her shirtsleeves and right pants pocket, and the pretend communicator she affixed to the top right of her outfit.
The elevator dinged her arrival and she steeled her shoulders. Walking through the lobby made her skin tingle with awareness from all the stares, but her discomfort multiplied exponentially whenever she got to her floor.
The brightly lit area was sparsely populated. Only the top executive Guardians worked here—Ace Hudson, who, it seemed, was never in the office, and Wendy's boss, Draco Powers.
He'd started the company a decade earlier upon graduating college and pronouncing to the world,
"Yes, superpowers exist. Yes, people with them wanted to do good things; but no, my Guardians will not be working for free or without health benefits."
Part of her job as Draco's Handler was to make certain he got paid, got enough sleep, and didn't get overbooked. She also ensured cases and tasks beneath his skill level were farmed out to the underling Guardians. Wendy smiled. Draco would never call them underlings. No, he would probably say his 'associates'. He was good at being politically correct. Wendy, as a rule, was not.
But that was why she did what she did and he did what he did.
Walking toward her desk, she held her head high, her stare straight. As Wendy passed through the rows of cubicles, she overheard Ace's secretary, Tania Monroe, take a deep breath.
"Looks like it's that time of the month again."
Biting her lip, she dug deep, hoping to find the ability to keep her mouth shut stored somewhere in her personal reserves. After a moment, she concluded no such ability existed. She came to an abrupt stop. "You know, Tania, it's bad enough men talk about us using derogatory remarks; you would think as women we could find better ways to speak to one another."
She turned the corner without looking back. Tania had been standing next to Kate, which meant the two would have a grand time at Wendy's expense as soon as she was out of earshot.
Some of the hostility, Wendy knew, stemmed from jealousy. As a Handler, she got to leave the office and travel with the Guardians. Her job was integral to their operations. She was highly trained, highly sought after, and all but impossible to replace. Not to forget, they paid her a hell of a lot more than they paid those mere secretaries.
But the underlying reason for their attitudes? They just didn't like her. Though they weren't the type of people whose good opinion she should seek, their comments still hurt every time she recalled them.
She settled at her desk and took the deep breath she'd attempted to take earlier. If she wore the uniform to work—at this point, she did so out of principle as much as anything else—then she needed to accept the snide remarks that accompanied her decision.
In truth, she was more than prepared to do so. Unfortunately, the hurtful comments didn't cease when she dressed in her regular work clothes. No, if anything, the words stung even more.
She could take off her pretend uniform, but she could never alter the things about herself ev
eryone seemed to hate.
Her computer bleeped, and she looked up. Draco wanted her attention. The chat box
appeared seconds later.
Come and see me.
Glancing at the clock, she couldn't help but smile. He was so damned efficient; he put even her to shame. Every morning, at precisely 7:21 a.m., Draco buzzed her computer to invite her into his private sanctuary.
Settling her purse in her bottom drawer, she pushed her chair backward. She turned and walked past Kate, Draco's secretary, who shot a glare in Wendy's direction. Wendy ignored her and proceeded toward Draco's door. If you wanted to see Draco, you had to buzz him on the computer system. Not doing so first meant an automatic ignore. She'd been asked to come in so she did.
"Good morning, Mr. Powers."
He spun around, his blue eyes regarding her with the steely magnificence it had taken almost a year of working for him to get used to. If he noticed, or even cared about her Space Adventures uniform, he'd never once indicated.
"Good Morning, Ms. Warner. How was your evening?"
She shrugged. "Fine, thank you. I made it a level further on Hero Land." She didn't know why she told him about her online gaming. Every day she gave him a tidbit of information when he asked how she was. It just seemed imperative to say something, which was foolish because after their time working together, she knew he asked only out of habit. Keeping to a routine was one of the things Draco did well.
"Great. I assume you have today's schedule prepared."
She nodded. "Yes sir, I copied it to your desktop from home. There are no additions...well, not yet."
She never knew when the police or a government agency was going to have an emergency and she'd have to rework Draco's entire schedule. She didn't like to toot her own horn, but she handled crises better than any Handler on the payroll did, and if Draco's services were needed past 7 p.m., she made certain he always received overtime compensation.
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