I snickered. “First of all, it has to be outside.”
He looked at me, jaw slack before shaking his head. “Right, I knew that. Just, uh, testing you.” I stifled a laugh as he strode over to the garage door opener on the other side of the room. He pushed the button, but nothing happened.
I sighed. “No power, Ace.” I pointed the flashlight at him, watching as a blush bloomed across his cheeks. It was adorable, but I’d never tell him that.
“Forgot,” he mumbled, walking over to the door. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door up, his muscles flexing in a way that had my ovaries pleading to attempt reproduction with the man. The door creaked in protest, then sunlight streamed into the dark room, illuminating his very sexy body.
An hour later, after a lot of swearing, pacing, and shouting at each other, Ace figured out how to get the generator started. Shirt drenched in sweat, he came over to pick me up, but I scooted away, grimacing in disgust. He threw his arms up in exasperation, glaring at me.
“Not happening, Ace. You’re soaked in your own sweat!”
His glare deepened as he fisted his hands on his hips. “And how do you plan on getting inside, your highness?”
“I’ll crawl—thanks.”
He swooped down, grabbing me before I could protest, and threw me over his shoulder. He latched his arm around my thighsright beneath my ass, and holy fuck, my brain short-circuited.
“Put me down!” I shouted about two seconds later, my hands balled into fists to pound against his sweaty back. He grunted in annoyance. “You’re hurting me! Put me down!” His shoulder was digging painfully into my ribs, making it hard to fully get a breath in.
He ignored my protests and fists, taking big steps, my body swaying from side to side, the ground blurry. He closed thegarage door as we passed through the door, and this time, the button worked to close the big, metal door.
Inside the house, the sound of the air conditioning starting up could be heard, and the soft rush of air coming out the vents was a relief. Ace stopped at the couch to grab our bag, but he didn’t put me down. Instead, he headed for the staircase, each step causing his shoulder to dig deeper into my stomach.
“You’re hurting me!” I barked, slapping the flat of my palms against his back. That time, he winced, muttering a curse beneath his breath. He pulled me off his shoulder at the top step, cradling me to his sticky chest.
“I’m sorry, princess.” Sweat trickled down his face, and his shirt was damp beneath my fingertips. His face came closer to mine, his lips brushing my hairline in a soft kiss. My stomach erupted in excitement, butterflies flapping their wings at the affection coming from him.
What is he doing to me?
Ace continued on his mission until he was standing at the entrance to my dark bedroom. Stepping through the doorway, he paused long enough for me to flick on the lights before he put me down on the bed. Rummaging through the backpack, he found our phones and passed mine to me. Seeing the low battery bar flash on the screen, I leaned across the bed to plug it in.
“Go shower. I’ll call my mom when it turns on.” With a shake of his head, he collapsed on the floor, staring at me intently.
“I’ll wait for you.”
I looked away from him, hoping to hide how much his kindness was wrecking me. “Okay.” His gaze lingered on the side of my face for a few moments before he finally turned away. I sucked in a quiet, shuddering breath. A few minutes later, both of us sitting in silence, the phone still hadn’t turned on yet, and the pain in my legs was pulsing like it was alive with each passing second.
“Can you get me some Tylenol from the bathroom and a bottle of water from the fridge on the landing?” Ace nodded and got up, slowly walking out of the room. A couple of minutes later, he re-emerged with a warm bottle of water, then disappeared into the en-suite bathroom.
Standing before me a few seconds later, he handed me what I asked for, his hand lingering around mine for a beat, making my heart trip over itself. Avoiding his blue-eyed gaze, I swallowed the pills quickly, enjoying the taste of the warm water flowing down my dry throat and the distraction from his prying eyes.
The phone finally lit up in the dark room and then buzzed uncontrollably as missed calls and texts appeared on the illuminated screen. I winced, hating how frantic I knew my mom was going to be. Reaching for the phone, I scooted myself closer to the nightstand so that I didn’t rip the short cord out of the wall. Opening the phone app, I tapped my mother’s contact at the top of my favorites list.
She answered on the first ring, and so much emotion—everything I could feel at one time—flooded my system. “Celine, baby, is that you?” Her soft, warm, and familiar voice echoed in the room as I put the call on speaker.
“Oh, Momma.” A sob tore from my throat, startling me. Tears rushed down my cheeks.
“You’re okay, baby. Rick!” She screamed for my dad, and I heard his breathless response near the phone a moment later.
“It’s Celine; she’s okay. She’s okay. My baby is okay.” She was crying just as hard as I was now. Both of us were a mess.
“I’m here, Mom. I’m home. I’m safe, Momma. I’m safe.” Ace grabbed my shaking hand and squeezed. “Ace saved me. He saved me.” Raw disbelief flickered through his eyes. Could he see how thankful I was for him?
“Why is Mom crying? Is Celine…” I heard Ryan’s implied question in the background of the call.
“Ryan,” I cried, clutching the phone in one hand and Ace’s in my other. I cried harder, everything blurry in front of me.
“Oh, thank fucking God,” I heard him say, relief in his voice. “Where are you, Cece? Where’s Ace?”