Page 21 of Broken Bonds

She sighed. “No more drinks tonight. You need to go to sleep, and don’t do anything stupid. You stay inside that house. Do you hear me? The storm will be hitting you during the night and will stick around for a day or two. Then, we’re going to come home and be together, okay?”

I sighed, too, though mine was more sad than frustrated, like hers had been. “Okay. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, baby. Can Ace still hear me?”

“Yes, Mrs. Wilson, I’m here,” Ace answered.

“Help her get to bed, Honey, and I’ll call again in the morning. I’m praying for your safety. Please, if anything happens, don’t leave her side. She can’t be left alone again.”

Ace looked at me, something unreadable in his gaze, and I was too tipsy to try to figure out what it was. “I promise I won’t leave her. I’ll protect her if it comes to that. Goodnight, Mrs. Wilson.”

“Goodnight, Honey. Celine, I love you. Dad loves you, and Ryan, too. Sleep well, my child.”

“I love you, too.” The phone went silent, and Ace looked at me expectantly again.

“Can you walk up the stairs?” I nodded, taking a step away from him, only to fall onto the couch. I burst into laughter, and he sighed. “I guess not.”

He left me there to turn off all the candles we had lit, then came back and looked at me. I smiled at him, but he didn’t smile back. “I’m going to pick you up, okay?” I nodded, waiting.

He was so gentle. One arm slid beneath my legs, and his other arm wrapped around my back. When he lifted me, bringing our faces only inches apart, my breath hitched in my throat. His lips were taunting me—so close. Licking my lips, the urge to kiss him made my lips tingle.

Carefully, Ace navigated the stairs in the dark. He almost lost his balance, and our laughter filled the humid air. I hadn’t been this happy since Aidan, honestly. I never thought I could be this happy again.

Ace gently deposited me on the bed, like I was the most fragile piece of glass, and stretched. I must have been heavy for him; I frowned, gazing down at myself. Was I heavy? I wanted to apologize, but then he looked at me, and I couldn’t remember what I wanted to say.

“Good night, princess.” He turned to head for the joint bathroom.

“Ace, wait,” I called before I could stop myself. He paused and turned around, looking at me again. I could hardly make out his face, which was going to make this easier. “I really wantto kiss you,” I blurted, swallowing thickly after. His sharp inhale was loud in the quiet room. Cautiously, he took a step closer to me. I stopped breathing.

“I really want to kiss you, too, princess,” he rasped, sounding like he’d been chewing on gravel. My belly clenched, warmth pooling between my thighs at the sound of his voice. It was like pure sex. “But I promised Ryan that I wouldn’t hurt you.” With that, he left the room, not even sparing me another glance.

I never knew rejection could hurt like this.

It hurt because he wanted it, too, but his judgment wasn’t clouded like mine. Maybe in the morning, everything between us would be normal again. Maybe we’d go back to hating each other. Hopefully, we could pretend this evening and tonight had never happened.

Closing my eyes, I succumbed to sleep… where a shirtless Ace kissed me in my dreams.

chapter nine

CELINE

I wrapped my arms tightly around Aidan, squeezing him, fear making me tremble. Why did he have to agree to this? This was reckless. We could get hurt. The roads were wet, and heknewnot to race.

But he wouldn’t listen to me. He wouldn’t listen to reason. He was too prideful, and he’d been challenged.

“Don’t let go, baby.,” he urged, his voice muffled by his helmet. I squeezed him even tighter, my thighs gripping his, my feet resting on the perch he added on for me.

What would my parents think about this? What would his parents think? He promised his dad he would never race or do anything reckless. Aidan swore to respect the roads. He swore to keep me safe.

We would be okay. We would win the race, and then, we would go to our movie. He would kiss me halfway through the movie and hold my hand. We would laugh, and everything would go back to normal. It had to.

“Aidan, please, I’m so scared.” I hoped he could hear me over the revving of the bike. But even if he could, I should’ve known he wouldn’t listen to me. I should’ve known to never geton his bike when the roads were wet. We should’ve just taken my Jeep.

“Don’t worry, baby. I know what I’m doing.” No, he didn’t. If he knew, he wouldn’t have accepted the race. He wouldn’t have put us in danger.

“I don’t want to do this. I want to get off the bike. Aidan, please.” I hoped he could hear the fear in my voice, but even if he could, I didn’t think he would let me off the bike. He would never leave me on the side of the road by myself. But I’d prefer to be alone than on this bike, racing while the roads were wet.

“I’m not leaving you here.” My heart hammered against my breastbone. “Hold on tight, Celine. I’m not changing my mind.” He adjusted his grip on the handles and lowered his head, the engine revving beneath us. The bike trembled, the noise making me almost throw up. The guy beside us pulled off without warning, clearly cheating, which only made Aidan more reckless.

---