Page 38 of Ace

"I'm sorry?" he says, his brow drawing tight.

"A stripper. At the spa. I picked a stripper off the menu."

He dips his head, incapable with the amount of alcohol we've consumed tonight to hide his grin. "I figured it was something like that."

"Why is that?" I challenge, trying to sit up a little straighter on the sofa only to discover I'm all but lying down on the damn thing. "Do you not think I'm capable of anything else?"

His eyes sweep from mine all the way down my body. "I can only bet that you're capable of many, many things, Ms. Preston."

"What did you pick?" I ask, needing him to tell his secret too.

"Cerberus created a persona for my undercover character."

"That sounds ominous," I mutter.

"A couple of decades ago, they would've probablyhad me tied up and whipped just for the fun of it, but we've matured a lot over the years." He pulls in a long breath, releasing it just as slowly, before he continues as if he's debating telling me at all. "I cuddled with a woman more than half my age."

He mentioned cuddling earlier but then he distracted me before I could question it.

"Cuddling?" I roll my lips inward, clamping them between my teeth to keep from laughing. "Where are you going?"

I snap up from the sofa, my head spinning with the effort, when he stands.

"Ishould go," he says, but he falls right back down to the sofa.

I plop down beside him, my hands bracketing my head as if it'll keep it from spinning.

"I'm too old," he mutters.

I look over at him, pulling his hands away from his face. Instead of backing away, I lean in a little closer, allowing the tip of one finger to sweep through the hair at his temples, while my thumb sweeps over the beard on the side of his face.

"That can't happen," he says as he pulls my hand away from his face.

Inside, I feel like a chastised child, but I've always been good at hiding my disappointment.

"Tell me about the Marine Corps," I say as I lean back on the sofa once again.

Chapter 17

Ace

I clench my jaw tight as I wake. Every muscle hurts. My joints feel as if they seized a year ago and I'm just now getting any range of motion back.

As the aches and pains aren't bad enough, I'm waking up beside a second woman I don't know in less than a week. I hate to think I'm forming some sort of habit with this shit.

This couch, as elegant as it looks standing across the room, isn't meant for crashing on. I blame my age and my inability to really sleep well ever these days, but then a feminine whine comes from beside me as Cora shifts.

"Shit," she mutters as she pushes herself into a sitting position. "Today is going to suck."

My lips puff out when I push a harsh breath past them. "I detect no lies."

She chuckles, her hand going immediately to her forehead when she stands.

My head is screaming, and I imagine hers is too.

"Breakfast?"

"No," I grunt, needing to get my bearings so I can get the hell out of here.

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