Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
“Do you have to call me that?”
I shrug and smile at her. “It’s fitting.”
She leans back, looking at me. “I’m not a kid anymore, Ace.”
I can’t help it, and I know it’s wrong of me, but I look down her body and up again. “Oh, I know you’re not.”
She tosses some wrappers into the trashcan and avoids my eyes. “I know what you did.”
My forehead creases as I try to figure out what she’s getting at. “What are you talking about? What did I do?”
She’s looking anywhere but at me. “I, uh...”
I move to the front of my chair, spreading my legs wide so her knees are between them. I put my hand on her chin and have her look at me. “Talk to me. You can say anything to me.”
A pretty pink blooms on her cheeks, and then she starts to ramble. “You paid for my college degree. Four years of college. I had no idea we had money problems.”
I release her chin and put my hand on her knee. Fuck, I know I shouldn’t be touching her, but how do I not when she’s right here? “It’s not a big deal, princess. Your dad wasn’t supposed to tell you.”
Her eyes widen, and she grabs onto my shirt. “Ace, it’s a big deal. It’s huge. I can’t believe...”
“Can’t believe what?”
She shrugs. “I can’t believe you did that for me. I’m paying you back.”
My hand tightens on her knee. “No, you’re not.”
She starts to laugh. “Oh yes, I am.”
“No, you are not. I don’t need the money, and I don’t want it.”
She shakes her head and the light that’s normally in her eyes is dimmed. “I feel horrible. That’s a lot of money. If you hadn’t done that, imagine what you could have spent that on, Ace. Imagine what you’d have right now.”
She’s upset, and I understand why, but she really shouldn’t be. “I have everything I want,” I tell her, even though it’s not necessarily true. The only thing I want and don’t have is her, but I’m not going to be telling her that. I look over at the rodeo doctor, and he’s standing at the edge of the tent watching the show out in the arena. I look back at Lila. “I wanted to do this for you.”
She tilts her head to the side. “Why?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her how I feel, but I can’t. “Because.”
She lets out a burst of a laugh. “Because! That’s not an answer. Tell me why. Because you felt you owed my dad for mentoring you?”
I grab her hand that’s still clenched on to my shirt. I lace our fingers together and look at her hand in mine. Hers is smaller, and the protectiveness I always feel for Lila surges inside me. “Your dad taught me everything I know, and I brought him a lot of business because of it. But I paid for your tuition because I wanted to do something for you.”
She opens her mouth and then closes it while searching my eyes. I don’t even try to put my guard up because it’s getting impossible to hide what I’m feeling for her. I may never be able to act on it, but if I can do things to make her life a little easier, well, I’m going to do them.
She scoots to the end of her chair, and I suck in a breath. She’s cradled in my thighs, and I put my free hand around the nape of her neck. She’s watching me, her breath hitched and her pupils dilated, and I know I need to get up and walk away. But when she flicks her tongue out and swipes it across her lower lip, there’s no stopping me. “Don’t you know I’d do anything for you, princess?”
She surprises me when she leans forward and presses her lips to mine. It’s quick, but the warm touch of her mouth to mine has me wanting more. She pulls back, searching my eyes. “Thank you, Ace.”
I tighten my hold on her nape. Fuck, I should let her go, but I can’t. I press my forehead to hers and try to get my shit together, but I know it’s a losing battle. I lean an inch toward her and press my lips to hers. It’s not an innocent kiss to tell her she’s welcome or any of that shit. It’s a kiss that’s been building up for ages and can no longer be contained. I tilt her head to give me better access, and when she moans, I take full advantage, sliding my tongue into her mouth. I’m about to pull her into my lap when I hear the doctor hollering my name.
“Ace! Ace! You’re up. They’re calling your name.”
I sit back and stare at Lila. Her eyes are big and round not even trying to hide the shock. She seems to pull herself together before I do, because she stands up. “Go on, Ace. You’re up.”