by Alice Ward
She sighed heavily into the phone. “Ace, you know how much I appreciate everything you do for us. I just don’t want you to have any regrets. Come home. Just see him before he dies.”
Regrets.
I was full of them.
“I don’t know, Eve. I’ll think about it and let you know. Gotta go.”
I disconnected the call without giving her the chance to guilt trip me anymore.
My phone vibrated immediately, and I wanted to toss it against the wall. I turned it over and looked at the screen, expecting to see Eve again, calling to reprimand me for hanging up on her.
It was Holly.
My nerves were shaken up, my emotions scattered after my trip down memory lane. I needed a few minutes. I wasn’t sure I could handle talking to her right now. I paid the driver and got out of the cab, walked into the complex and past the blue neon lights in the ceiling that glowed over the round seats in the lobby. My phone vibrated again.
Holly.
I was calmer now, and seeing her face light up my screen calmed me even more.
“Hey, darlin’.”
I hit the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. Her voice was sweet, deliciously sweet. “Do you miss me yet?”
“Hell yes.”
She laughed softly. “Well, that’s good news.”
“You have no idea how badly I could use some good news right now, darlin’.”
“If I said I’m on my way to you now, would that be something you’d want to hear?”
The elevator door opened, but I didn’t step on, afraid I’d lose the signal. Lose her. “Yeah, that’d be great news.”
“Then… I’m on my way to see you.”
Damn tears burned the back of my eyes. What the fuck?
When I didn’t say anything, she asked, “Are you okay?”
I cleared my throat. “That’s terrific, darlin’. It’ll be great to see ya. Yeah, I’m good.”
“You don’t sound okay. Did something happen on the field?”
I forced out a laugh. “No. Nothing like that. I’m okay. When will you be here?”
“Late this evening. Whitney and I got a late flight. We land around midnight.”
“How ‘bout I leave a key for ya at the front desk and you just sneak into bed with me?”
Waking up with Holly in my arms was exactly what I needed right now.
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
I shut the phone off, shoved it in my pocket, and punched the elevator call button again. Just as I stepped on, Luke’s voice echoed down the hall. “Wait up, wild man!” He turned sideways to avoid the closing door. “Where ya headed tonight?”
Between Holly’s delicious thighs, that’s where.
“Staying in. Maybe get a drink at the bar here.”
He looked disappointed.
“When’s this place gonna start hoppin’?” he asked.
“About the time we head out of here.” I smirked and leaned in to hit the twenty-five on the elevator. “Don’t worry, plenty of regulars you can sort through.”
He didn’t seem to have any problem conjuring up women this past week. A few NASCAR cuties, too young for my blood, but he didn’t seem to mind. I could tell they were using fake IDs to get into the seedy night club on Seabreeze Boulevard. The girls were falling all over themselves on the stripper poles in the VIP lounge, and Luke was lapping it up. One girl, Melissa, had caught my attention, but Luke ran her off with his immature fan club.
“What time you heading to the bar?” he asked, inviting himself to my party of one.
The elevator doors opened. I stepped off with Luke quick on my heels. “After I hit the shower. I’ll shoot ya a text.” I smirked, slid my card into the door lock, and pushed open my door.
“Yeah, you do that. Come to my room first. Got some good shit.”
I stopped and turned to look at him, my skin crawling with anticipation. “How good?”
His grin grew wider. “Excellent. Just what you need before hitting the bar. Then I’ve got some Xanax for later, help you come down.”
My mouth actually damn watered and I swallowed hard, wishing the urge for a hit was as easy to get rid of. I’d used up my stash and had told myself that was it. No more. But…
It wasn’t like I was buying it.
Luke shouldn’t have to party by himself.
It was bad manners to reject a gift.
And it wasn’t season yet, after all.
“Maybe,” I finally said, staying in neutral territory before opening the door to my hotel room. “Talk to ya later.”
Inside, the air conditioning was blasting frost into the air, stripping my attention away from another type of snow. Damn, I could almost see my breath. I adjusted the temperature on the wall and went straight to the kitchen for a beer.
Ten minutes later, I was damn shivering, so I checked the thermostat again. I turned it off. Nothing. Turned it to heat. Nothing. Adjusted it up and down. Nothing.
Shit.
Picking up the phone, I called the front desk to report the problem, then pulled on some swim trunks to go relax by the pool, maybe warm up in the lingering sun.
Back in the hallway, I stood outside my door for a long moment. Left to the elevators. Right to Luke’s room and a quick fix to help me get through the night.
Fuck.
One hit won’t hurt. I’ve worked hard all week. I’m tired. It’ll be good for me to be awake for when Holly gets here.
No. I’m cutting back. I’ll be fine with just a couple drinks.
I headed to the elevator, then stopped and turned around. Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Seconds later, I knocked on Luke’s door.
***
Twenty minutes later, I felt like a new man, not the run down shell of myself I was earlier. Heading downstairs, I stopped at the front desk to give them a key for Holly.
“Maintenance is working on your room problem, Mr. Newman,” Hector told me as I hand over the key. I gave him a wink and a fifty-dollar tip. I might need him to drag my ass back to my room later.
The outdoor pool was empty, except for a girl in a green bikini made up of nothing but strings. As I got closer, it became very clear that she was a real beauty, her long dark hair falling off the side of her chair. I took the chaise several feet away, spreading myself out while avoiding eye contact. Let them come to you.
“Mi nombre es Anna.”
I opened my eyes, and she was standing beside me. When I gave her a friendly smile, she took a seat next to mine.
“You are quite beautiful, Anna.” My Spanish was lousy, but I knew enough for an introduction.
“No habla ingles.” She was still smiling.
Okay, so I was pretty sure that meant she didn’t speak English. I didn’t need her to tell me that. It was obvious.
“Would you like a beber?” I asked. I knew my Spanish was probably amusing to her, but I had to try.
She nodded and stood back up, her body towered over me. I didn’t want to move. I wanted to sit there and take in the view for another moment.
“Bar?” she asked. Another word I understood.
“Si,” I stood and beckoned her to walk in front of me, wanting to see if her ass was as fine as her tits. It was.
I pulled out a seat for her at the bar and then took the one beside her for myself. There were a couple other people in the place, but so far, no sign of Luke.
“The usual?” the bartender asked. Her mole stared at me with anger.
“Yes,” I muttered as I tried to avoid eye contact with the angry brown knot on her face.
“And for the, um, lady?” She wrinkled her nose as she eyed my companion’s bountiful tits.
“Noche Buena?” Anna asked, not fazed in the least.
The bartender leaned onto the bar with her elbows propped up and her face on her hands. “I don’t speak Spanish,” she growled.
“I don’t either, but, I’m pretty sure she just ordered a beer.”
“We don’t carry that brand,” she snarled.
“Beer,” she said with a thick Spanish accent. It was fucking adorable. I wondered what she yelled out as she came.
“What kind?”
“Que tipo de cerveza le gustaria?” Luke piped in from the fuckin’ peanut gallery.
Anna’s face lit up. “Oscuro.”
Luke relayed the message to the bartender, who was also giving him googly eyes. “She’ll take a Guinness.”
Luke ordered a Corona with lime like a sissy boy and sat down on the other side of Anna. She immediately started yapping ninety miles a minute and he seemed to be keeping up with her. This was the only beauty of having a woman who looked this damn good and didn’t speak English, the silence. Now this idiot ruined that for me too.
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.” I was slightly impressed.
“Yeah. In this league, I’m surprised you don’t.”
“Just something I never picked up.” I defended my lack of bilingualism.
“Los jugadores de beisbol?” Anna looked at Luke, and then me.
“Si,” Luke agreed quickly while I tried to decipher what she just said.
“We need shots,” I called to the bartender.
“Patrón?” she yelled back without turning around.
“You know it, darlin’.”
Her tone perked up when she delivered the shots. I winked and left her a fifty on the bar. I expected excellent service and her attitude was creating a problem. If my charm wouldn’t warm her up, cold hard cash would.
Anna lifted her drink to her lips, but I reached out and stopped her from drinking until I got my toast in. “A night with me is like a table — four bare legs, and no drawers.”
Anna looked to Luke for translation. I was glad he only smiled and clinked his glass against hers. I held my shot glass out, waited for them both to clink theirs against it, and then poured the smooth tequila down my throat.
Luke choked a little, but Anna didn’t flinch. My kinda girl, a swallower.
I wasn’t sure how many shots we’d done, or how late it was getting, but Anna was getting friendlier by the minute. I no longer needed to know what she said. Her tone was a clear sign of her mood. She was ready to fuck.
Too bad I was already taken. Luke owed me for this one.
I lifted her soft hand to my lips. “Nice meeting you, Anna. Y’all have fun.”
She pouted but perked up when Luke took my place.
It was quiet outside, the hot tub empty. I wished I’d brought my phone so I could check the time. I’d just sit here for a few, work out the kinks, and get ready for Holly. I sank into the hot water and closed my eyes.
The voice came to me from what seemed like a fog. My name was followed by a soft giggle and fingers stroking my arms.
“Ace.”
I opened my eyes and the brunette from earlier filled my vision. She smiled as I sat up, blinking away the haze. Shit. What time was it? I hadn’t meant to fall a-damn-sleep.
Anna’s smile grew bigger as she floated back a few feet, then stood and untied her bikini top, her fingers playing across her large brown nipples. Have mercy!
“Wild man me gusta?” Her voice was so seductive. I wasn’t sure what me gusta meant, but wild man was the name Luke had her calling me all night. Her tongue slid across her ruby red lips as her hands slipped down her sides, pushing her bikini bottoms from her skin. Thick black curls were exposed, hiding the real gem between her legs.
Luke was smiling like a damn monkey on the other side of the tub. His grin was unbearable, but not nearly as offensive as his shorts floating to the surface of the water. Yeah, I’m out.
Anna had other plans.
She pushed me back and stepped closer, her fingers searched through her thick maze of hair until finding the place that made her moan. She bent over until her ass was in Luke’s face and her hands were on my thighs.
Shit. I really needed to get the fuck out of here.
“Which end ya want first, wild man?” Luke shouted, his hands already taking possession of Anna’s ass.
Anna licked her lips, her dark eyes filled with promise.
Damn it all to hell. I was not a good enough man to pass this shit up.
Was I?
“I’m feeling generous tonight, Luke my boy. You can have both.” Damn, the words felt like razors coming from my throat.
I stood up, needing to get out of there and adjusted my dripping board shorts in an attempt to hide my arousal.
“Por favor no vaya.” She grabbed my arm and moved closer, rubbing her fine tits against my back.
“Sorry, sweetheart. No por favor nothing. I gotta—”
“Ace?”
Well, fuck.
Slowly, I turned to see Holly standing a few yards away. The eyes that fascinated me so much looked hurt and confused.
“Holly!” My tone was overly excited, not buyable at all.
I shook Anna off and stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel in an attempt to hide my swollen dick. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t get a hard-on with a show like I’d just experienced?
Holly hadn’t moved, so I headed her way. I watched her try and regain her composure.
“Maybe I should go,” she said, her voice calm and even. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your little party.”
I grabbed her arm. “No, don’t leave. I was just about to head upstairs to wait for you.”
Her eyes flicked behind me, and the hurt briefly reappeared. But she lifted her chin and forced a too-bright smile on her face. “It’s okay. Really. I can get another room. It’s no big deal.”
Watching her work so hard to be casual did something inside me that wasn’t familiar. Guilt, sure, but there was something else, something more powerful. Something that wanted, desperately, to make it all better.
“I don’t want you to get another room. I want you with me.” Then I did something else I never did. I begged. “Please. Holly, please say you’ll stay.”
CHAPTER NINE
Holly
Tomorrow, I would call myself fifty kinds of a fool. I’d regret not turning around and leaving, I knew.
But with his hands in my hair, his body so close to mine… nothing else mattered. I might hate myself tomorrow, but God help me, I’ll go with him now.
“Yes.”
The relief on his face did something deep inside my chest. He pressed his lips to my forehead for the longest time.
“Let’s go.”
He held me close to his side as we walked through the lobby and to the elevator. He didn’t let me go as we walked into his room.
There, he turned me to face him, his hands on my shoulders. “I didn’t fuck that woman.”
The admission surprised me. “You’re free to do whatever you want,” I reminded him. Reminded myself.
He nodded and his hands moved into my hair again, pulling just enough to hurt. “I know, but I also want you to know that I’ve missed you, that I was waiting for you.”
My eyes burned as emotion filled them. “Why, Ace? Why did you miss me when you had a woman like that all over you?”
His breath smelled of alcohol, his skin of chlorine, and yet underneath it all, his natural manly scent found its way into my pores. I inhaled, fighting the emotion that wanted to choke me. I’d missed him so much too.
He kissed the tip of my nose, then one eyelid, then the other. “I don’t know that I have the right words to answer that, darlin’. Can I show you instead?”
My nipples hardened as his warm breath filled the space between us.
“Let me make love to you, Holly. Let’s forget everything else.”
I was afraid I’d cry if I said anything. Instead, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his chest. I came here for this, what he was doing to me right now. His bad boy behavior was part of the appeal. That was clear once I’d kissed Jack, the gentleman with only good intentions. I loved this. I loved how bad Ace was, and I loved that I was the one woman who always seemed
to get his attention over all the others.
His hands roamed down my back to my ass cheeks. His grip was strong and tight as he gave them each an equal squeeze. Yes. This was why I was here.
“You must be tired. We should get you into bed.” He groaned against my skin.
His hands tightened around me, melding my body into his as he walked me backwards towards the bedroom. With a gentleness that surprised me, he followed me down onto the mattress, and I gladly took his weight as he pressed me into its softness.
“You’re wet,” I reminded him as the cold water from his trunks soaked through my shorts.
He lifted his head, grinning down at me as he slid a hand up my thigh and under the cuff, tracing the soft material of my panties. “So are you.”
I reached for him as he pushed himself away from me, but was soon mesmerized as I watched him slide the wet shorts from his hips. His cock popped free, making my mouth water.
“Your turn.”
Before I could take another breath, my shorts were down my legs, followed by my panties. He pulled me up until I was sitting, then my shirt was over my head. Presto change-o, and just like that, I was naked.
“Damn, you’re so beautiful.”
I thought about the woman in the hot tub, every man’s wet dream come to life. I wanted to cover myself, knowing he must be comparing me to her. I knew I’d come out lacking. Ace must have seen the insecurities on my face because he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Not having the mental strength to talk about my feelings, I instead sat up and reached for him, pulling him down until our mouths were connected again.
This.
This was what I needed. Wanted. Craved.
His mouth on mine, making me forget every problem in the world.
I wasn’t sure how long he kissed me like that, exploring my mouth with his, taking and giving, but I was breathless by the time our lips parted. So was he.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he said, laying his head on my breasts. Just lying there, holding me close.
I stroked my fingers through his hair, listening to him breathe. This was the Ace no one else got to see, at least I didn’t think they did.
Vulnerable. All of his walls forgotten, if only for a few minutes.
“Are you okay?” I asked him and he lifted his head to look me in the eye.
