Page 72 of Brutal Reign
Ace’s magnetic stare holds me captive as he arches a brow in question.
I avert my gaze before I get too lost in those blue-green eyes, glancing down to his hands. “I heard you got hurt in the wolf tournament,” I say, though he doesn’t look any worse for the wear.
“Eh, nothing I can’t handle, babygirl,” he drawls, lifting his left hand and twisting it around to demonstrate his dexterity. “See? All good.”
“Good,” I breathe, nodding. A beat of silence falls between us. “Well, we might as well get comfortable, huh?” I suggest, desperate to fill it. Sidestepping to give myself more room, I ease down to sit on the wooden platform, pulling my knees into my chest and leaning back against the shoddy beams that make up the side wall of the bunker. Once I get situated I lift my chin, peering up at Ace. “It’ll probably be a while before anyone makes it over this way.”
He gazes down at me, our bond pulling tightly in my chest as we hold eye contact. Giving me a single nod of agreement, he shuffles over, lowering down to sit beside me.
“So,” he breathes, shifting his weight to get comfortable and spreading his knees. “How was your time at home?”
“Good,” I reply with a tight smile. “I, uh, told my mom. About our whole… situation.”
His brows lift in surprise.
“I just wanted to get her advice on it, and she promised she wouldn’t tell my dad,” I rush out, feeling the need to explain myself since I was so adamant about the boys keeping our bond quiet. “She always helps me work through things, and I really needed it.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who said we had to keep this a secret,” Ace chuckles, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Do whatever you’ve gotta do, Riv. As long as it means you’ll give this a chance.”
I suck in a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah. Well, let’s just hope Seb didn’t tell anyone when he went home, because we won’t even get to try if this gets back to my dad.”
He furrows his brow, giving a little shake of his head. “Seb didn’t go home. He stayed here to watch the tournament.”
“He didn’t?” I question, scrunching my nose in confusion. Seb never passes up on a chance to blow off his responsibilities in favor of something more fun. “Why?”
Ace shrugs a shoulder noncommittally as he turns his stare toward the trees. “You’d have to ask him.”
I heave a sigh, letting my head drop back against the wall to gaze up at the canopy of leaves overhead.Why do these boys have to be so damn confusing?
The whistle blows in the distance to signal the start of war games, and I lower my chin to look out through the gaps in the front wall of the bunker, watching the edge of the clearing forany sign of movement from the other team– despite knowing it’ll be a while before they show up. Ace joins me in monitoring the forest for any sign of approaching opponents, and the two of us fall into easy conversation about what music we’ve been listening to lately. It’s…nice. Achingly familiar and far too natural.
For the first time, I see the potential for our future together with startling clarity, and it doesn’t scare me as much as it should. But Ace is only one piece of the larger puzzle. All the pieces need to fit together perfectly if this thing has any hope of working out.
He wets his lips with his tongue again, and my eyes drop to track the movement, my breath catching in my throat. Our shoulders are pressed together, mouths suddenly hovering mere inches apart.When did we get this close?
I blush furiously, a hoard of butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Ace lifts a hand to cup my jaw, my heart hammering against my ribs as he sweeps his thumb over the apple of my cheek.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, staring into his eyes.
They flicker down to my lips, then ping back up to meet mine as he murmurs, “Something I should’ve done a long time ago.”
Ace leans in, and without hesitation I do, too, meeting him halfway. Tingles break out over my entire body when the two of us collide, our lips crushing together, mouths melding in a kiss that steals my breath and soul in one fell swoop. Ace’s hand slides down to my nape, pulling me impossibly closer as I tilt my head to deepen our kiss, parting my lips and gliding my tongue against his.
This one isn’t like our last. It’s gentler; more restrained, but no less intense. Sparks simmer between our lips, every sweep of his tongue tempting me to lose myself in his dark abyss. Heat licks up my spine, my heart racing as he nips my lower lip beforeslowly pulling away, his turquoise eyes opening to meet mine again.
“You already did that,” I say breathlessly.
A gorgeous grin spreads across his face. “Yeah, but not properly.”
My gaze flickers back down to his lips as I lick my own. “Dare you to do it again.”
Ace doesn’t miss a beat in taking me up on the dare. He grabs my face in both hands, pulling me in and claiming my mouth for a second time. The world around us ceases to exist while our lips glide and tongues tangle. The kiss doesn’t last nearly as long as I want it to, though. The sound of a throat clearing has the two of us jerking apart, whipping our heads around to face the front of the bunker.
Seb’s standing at the base of the structure, peering up at us through the gaps in the wall with his arms folded across his chest and a smug smirk creasing his lips. He swings his gaze between the two of us, arching a dark brow in amusement. “Am I interrupting something?”
25
“You gonna be in a bad mood all night?” Ace asks, coming up alongside me and bumping his shoulder into mine.