The three of us join her and River in the kitchen for an extended family meal. Talking, laughing, poking fun at each other—these are the times that matter when it’s all said and done. These are the memories that’ll sustain us through the hard times, bring us back to what’s important in life, and remind us why we’re even here.
After dinner, I collect the dirty dishes and move to the sink to start cleaning up the kitchen. Marcia walks up beside me to help, but Ace stops her before she can start. “I’ll help Layne with the dishes, Mom. You cooked, we’ll clean, and you can play with River. She seems to like you just a little bit,” he says in his Southern drawl.
“Okay. I can take a hint as well as anyone. But all you really have to say is, ‘Mom, I want to talk to Layne alone, so beat it.’ That’s not so hard, is it?”
“Hey, Mom. Beat it,” he replies as he jerks his thumb over his shoulder.
She walks off to the sound of their combined laughter. I cut my eyes up to Ace flirtatiously and lower my voice to sound sexy. “So, you wanted to get me all alone?”
“Yes, indeed,” he replies in his bedroom voice. “I have you trapped now. There’s no way out.”
“I don’t want out.”
“I know what you do want.” He leans into me, the scent of his masculine cologne wafts around me, and he holds my gaze captive with his smoldering eyes. “You want to keep trying to fool me. You’re not feeling better yet?”
“What?” That wasn’t at all what I expected him to say.
“You hardly ate anything. You just pushed it around on your plate to make it look like you’ve eaten more than you really did.” He straightens his back, crosses his arms over his chest, and looks down his nose at me.
“You’re crazy,” I hedge.
“No, I don’t think so. Being observant is how I make a living. Plus, I have a four-year-old who tries to pull the same shit on me every time we have squash for dinner. So, I’m going to ask you a yes or no question, and I want a yes or no answer.”
He cages me in by putting his hands on the counter on either side of me. He bends at the waist to put us at eye level. Without saying a word, his eyes dare me to try to get out of answering him truthfully. I’m not sure what my “punishment” would be, but I really don’t want to fight with him anyway.
“Are you still sick?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s Friday night. If you’re not better by Monday, you’re going to the doctor.”
“You’re very demanding.”
His smug smile matches the challenge issued in his piercing eyes. “Right now, I’m being extremely reasonable. But if you’d like to see my demanding side, I’ll be glad to show you that instead.”
Now probably isn’t the best time to feel the flutters of a hundred hummingbird wings in my lower abdomen from his deep voice and commanding presence. However, my very wet panties disagree with the timing argument.
“Reasonable is good,” I reply barely above a whisper.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ACE
I steal up behind Layne as she adjusts the hot water for her shower. She’s already undressed, and her body is begging for my touch. I’m all too eager to oblige. The feel of her silky smooth skin under my fingertips only makes me want more. My hands glide over her, caressing every curve, every dip, every bump. My thick erection rubs against her ass.
After my hands glide over her breasts, I stop in place to knead and massage them. The swell of her breasts fits in the palms of my hands perfectly, as if she were made just for me. Her head leans back against my chest, her breasts rise and fall with her heavy breaths, and she hums in pleasure when I lightly squeeze her nipples between my thumb and finger.
Moving down to continue my exploration, I lovingly caress every bump and dip of her ribs and down the soft contours of her stomach. My fingers know every inch of her body intimately. She’s perfect in every way. I continue moving straight down her torso, over her lower abdomen, and I possessively cover her mound with my hand. While lightly tapping over her clit, I lower my voice and ask, “If I feel you right now, would you already be wet and ready for me?”
“Yes.” She draws out the single syllable word into the sexiest moan.
“Let me feel.”
Her right leg takes a step to the side, giving me full access. I don’t need another invitation. My finger plunges into her and I can’t hold back my own growl. Her knees buckle, pushing my finger farther inside her before she straightens them again.
“That felt good, didn’t it, baby?”
She does it again, intentionally this time, until we’re moving in sync with perfect rhythm. When I add another finger, she comes undone before my eyes and her soft moans fill my ears. “I will never get tired of hearing you make that sound.”