all. Plus, it wasn't like he was five years old. He was a teenager. He might even have sex. Inwardly, she shrugged. Maybe she'd be humiliated later.
"They cancelled my last period. The teacher never showed up, so one of my friends drove me home early." Lael had laughter in his voice. "I'm going to go down to my room and let you crazy people get dressed."
With that, she heard fast footsteps heading from the stairs.
Ace finally glanced at her. His hair was everywhere, half of it covering his face. "I guess we really didn't think this through very well."
"It'll give him something to embarrass you with for the rest of your life."
"I suppose."
He bent down to kiss her and she let herself close her eyes to the feel of his strong lips on hers. It felt nice to just exist for a moment.
"At least he didn’t arrive any earlier."
She opened her eyes at that thought. Yes, that would have been worse. "So?"
He arched an eyebrow. "So?"
"Are you a parrot? Were you able to do it to your satisfaction with me or not?"
Ace ran a hand through his hair. "Did you worry about that the whole time?"
"No." She shook her head. "Answer the damn question."
His grin spoke volumes. At the moment, he looked like a little boy who had a secret he knew he could taunt her with. "What will you give me if I tell you?"
She pushed at his chest. "Let me up."
"Yes, Alice, I was able to, as you so charmingly put it, do it to my heart's content."
She swallowed, unsure if she had stopped breathing for a second. "Really?"
He raised his hand. "I do not lie."
Good news. She blinked. Very good news. It meant he would want to do it with her again. Her heart beat hard. So, why was she panicking?
Ace sat up straight.
"What is it?"
"Phone in the basement is ringing." He jumped up, grabbing his pants as he did.
Awkwardly, he stumbled back into them.
"How can you hear it?"
He pointed to his ears. "Super hearing."
"Really?" She laughed as she called after him. "How can you hear anything through all that hair on your head?"
Truthfully, she loved his hair now. But it felt more comfortable to tease him. That had been their natural banter. Changing it . . . well, that would mean something and she wasn't going to be that woman. Sex was sex. Love was love. And lately, for Alice it was
"never the twain shall meet".
Really good sex, she'd learned in her twenties—and granted this was mind-blowing—did not have to warrant mushy feelings that ended with her eating chocolate ice cream, watching Humphrey Bogart, and sobbing at infomercials.
Ace sprinted back into the room, now fully dressed.
She shot up on the couch. "What is it?"
"Someone launched a missile at the United States. I have to bring it down for the military."
She jumped up, grabbing her clothes off the floor. "What?"
"Usually Draco brings down the missiles. But today it's my turn."
She stared in horror as he busted out the door without another word. She didn't know what part of what he'd said horrified her more. First, a missile headed toward them. She bit down on her lip at a thought too horrible for words. Her palms began to sweat.
Second, Ace had said Draco usually handled the missiles.
How many times did this sort of thing happen? She dressed fast, feeling really exposed now that Ace had left the house.
Perhaps, however, the most disturbing thing was the grin on Ace's face as he'd run from the house. He'd reminded her of a child who had just been told he got to play with the cool toy his brother usually hid from him. She rubbed her arms.
He was heading out to, hopefully, put down something that could cause tremendous amounts of harm and he was happy about it. How could anyone function, whose happiness came from handling this kind of situation in his or her day-to-day life?
"You're dressed, right?"
She swung around. Lael had entered the room, his eyes covered with his hands.
She grinned. There was something so likable about the teenager. He made her think of what Ace must have been
"They cancelled my last period. The teacher never showed up, so one of my friends drove me home early." Lael had laughter in his voice. "I'm going to go down to my room and let you crazy people get dressed."
With that, she heard fast footsteps heading from the stairs.
Ace finally glanced at her. His hair was everywhere, half of it covering his face. "I guess we really didn't think this through very well."
"It'll give him something to embarrass you with for the rest of your life."
"I suppose."
He bent down to kiss her and she let herself close her eyes to the feel of his strong lips on hers. It felt nice to just exist for a moment.
"At least he didn’t arrive any earlier."
She opened her eyes at that thought. Yes, that would have been worse. "So?"
He arched an eyebrow. "So?"
"Are you a parrot? Were you able to do it to your satisfaction with me or not?"
Ace ran a hand through his hair. "Did you worry about that the whole time?"
"No." She shook her head. "Answer the damn question."
His grin spoke volumes. At the moment, he looked like a little boy who had a secret he knew he could taunt her with. "What will you give me if I tell you?"
She pushed at his chest. "Let me up."
"Yes, Alice, I was able to, as you so charmingly put it, do it to my heart's content."
She swallowed, unsure if she had stopped breathing for a second. "Really?"
He raised his hand. "I do not lie."
Good news. She blinked. Very good news. It meant he would want to do it with her again. Her heart beat hard. So, why was she panicking?
Ace sat up straight.
"What is it?"
"Phone in the basement is ringing." He jumped up, grabbing his pants as he did.
Awkwardly, he stumbled back into them.
"How can you hear it?"
He pointed to his ears. "Super hearing."
"Really?" She laughed as she called after him. "How can you hear anything through all that hair on your head?"
Truthfully, she loved his hair now. But it felt more comfortable to tease him. That had been their natural banter. Changing it . . . well, that would mean something and she wasn't going to be that woman. Sex was sex. Love was love. And lately, for Alice it was
"never the twain shall meet".
Really good sex, she'd learned in her twenties—and granted this was mind-blowing—did not have to warrant mushy feelings that ended with her eating chocolate ice cream, watching Humphrey Bogart, and sobbing at infomercials.
Ace sprinted back into the room, now fully dressed.
She shot up on the couch. "What is it?"
"Someone launched a missile at the United States. I have to bring it down for the military."
She jumped up, grabbing her clothes off the floor. "What?"
"Usually Draco brings down the missiles. But today it's my turn."
She stared in horror as he busted out the door without another word. She didn't know what part of what he'd said horrified her more. First, a missile headed toward them. She bit down on her lip at a thought too horrible for words. Her palms began to sweat.
Second, Ace had said Draco usually handled the missiles.
How many times did this sort of thing happen? She dressed fast, feeling really exposed now that Ace had left the house.
Perhaps, however, the most disturbing thing was the grin on Ace's face as he'd run from the house. He'd reminded her of a child who had just been told he got to play with the cool toy his brother usually hid from him. She rubbed her arms.
He was heading out to, hopefully, put down something that could cause tremendous amounts of harm and he was happy about it. How could anyone function, whose happiness came from handling this kind of situation in his or her day-to-day life?
"You're dressed, right?"
She swung around. Lael had entered the room, his eyes covered with his hands.
She grinned. There was something so likable about the teenager. He made her think of what Ace must have been
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