Page 58 of Ace

“Let’s go to the water.” Gianna pointed in the direction of the ocean.

“Good call.” Dex started moving, and the others fell in line. Ivy and Omar ran side by side. Jed tried to run with Gi, but she took off ahead. They started a mad fast pace, and the others were breathing heavily before long. But when they made it to the sand, she ran to the water and dove right in, coming up about fifteen feet out and waving. “It’s beautiful.”

They all jumped in after her. The waves were slow and rolling. The water felt warmer than he expected but refreshing enough that he felt his energy return. He looked around the beach for a Frisbee or a ball or something, and a little further down was an old, slightly torn net and a ripped-up looking ball. He grinned. “Who’s up for some volleyball?”

“We need another. We’re uneven.”

Some of the trainees showed up on bikes. Dex waved. They responded but started up their own game of volleyball.

He shrugged. “There’s our numbers.”

They lingered a minute longer, Dex trying to move closer to Gi, but the current pulled her away, or put people between them, or maybe she was avoiding him. Probably the latter. “Okay, let’s go play some ball.”

They stepped out of the water, the air warm enough that the chill felt nice, and they jogged over to the game.

Rocky waved hello. “Hey, we get Blaze.” His grin was friendly, maybe too friendly. Dex wasn’t sure how he felt about a new puppy following Gi everywhere. He was a decent guy, good-looking, maybe she would be interested. He liked that even less. His eyes narrowed. “I’ll take this side.” He positioned himself opposite Rocky.

Gianna eyed him, and he felt naked, his emotions exposed. But he just shrugged and bent his knees. He didn’t have anything more to explain. “Let’s play some ball.”

Omar served from his team. They were playing four on four. And Omar had a mean serve. Dex whistled. “Nice, dude.”

But Gi spiked it back right on top of Dex’s head. He was startled by it but returned it over to the other side of their team in a dead spot. Jed missed and landed on his stomach in the sand. And he was so happy with that small win that he knew he was going to win this volleyball game. It mattered. He was out for blood. And that was that.

Why? He didn’t want to focus on the why right now. He shifted his feet in the sand; the deeper he dug in his toes, the cooler the sand felt on his feet. Omar served again. Jed returned it with a frown. He was out for blood too, or he just didn’t like missing that last one. They played for twenty minutes with no one pulling ahead. Each team scored, and they were close to game point when it was Dex’s turn to serve.

He held the ball up and aimed for Rocky’s head. It torpedoed right over the net and nearly slammed him in the face, but he lifted it in a set to Gianna and she spiked it down on Omar’s head. He returned it easily. But the high five body bump that Gianna and Rocky gave each other sizzled and burned inside Dex. He had not brought Gianna all the way to Tandora just to watch her flirt with some other guy—not just a guy, a pilot, and a good one at that.

He returned a fast ball to his back corner with an easy bump to his front line. Ivy took it and spiked it down on one of the other pilots he didn’t know well. Trevor. Callsign Monkey. Gianna’s body shone in the sun, perspiration beaded on her arms, abs, all her visible skin. She glistened, and as she lunged and dove, her muscles tensed and relaxed, and he found himself a bit entranced. A ball came toward him, catching him by surprise, and he sent it up a little too high.

The sun blocked their sight. But Ivy saved him and then scowled in his direction.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Dex clapped his hands. “Let’s finish this.”

* * *

Gianna’s mouth was dry.Dex’s muscles rippled in the sun, the power in his movement drew her in. His commanded the court. Everything seemed to revolve around him wherever he was. Just like now. He stood tall, his expression invisible behind his aviators. But she knew every time his gaze moved over her body, which it had for most of the game. She didn’t know how he could return some of those hits when she knew he wasn’t paying attention to anything but her. She knew him too well. That was the problem.

Rocky kept up a steady conversation. “You got this. Okay. I got this.” He pointed out everybody on the team and where they were or could be. Which was great except he’d started slipping in “babe” now and then. And she hated that.

“Watch it, babe. I’ll get this one.”

“Good shot, babe.”

“It’s all you, babe.”

Dex sent another ball, aiming for his head. Maybe he was annoyed by the babe comments too, but she stepped in front to return it herself, locking her foot behind Rocky’s leg to knock him off balance.

She sent it to Jed, who was now on the front line. He spiked it low. They scored. She reached a hand to help Rocky up. “You alright, babe?” Then she winked.

Jed whistled and Ivy laughed.

“Okay, point taken. No babe.”

“I mean, she is a babe.” Jed inclined his head in her direction.

“But so much more.” Ivy nodded.

“That might be everything that makes up a babe, right? A babe isn’t just a pretty lady. She’s cool and smart and talented. She’s the whole deal, or she isn’t a babe.” Jed was watching Ivy, who didn’t notice his obvious desire to tell her something. Gianna smiled.

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