Page 24

24

Raya

I feel him before I see him.

It’s a familiar heat, dark and simmering, licking up my spine like an open flame.

I like the meek, mild-mannered scientist, but the aggressive, unhinged Ace makes my knees weak.

He’s in here somewhere. Watching me. Furious. And I’m sitting pretty, sipping my drink, talking shop with my aunt, who I missed so much, it hurt.

“The tech guy shouldn’t be a problem,” she’s saying. “You know I got a guy for everything.”

“And he can do what I want?” I say.

Tori shrugs. “I’ll ask. If it can be done, I’ll find somebody to do it.” She pauses to sip her Scotch. “But the other thing…”

“Auntie.”

She shoots me a look. “The circumstances are different, now. For one, there’s Faith—“

A large, rough hand wraps around my wrist, causing her to stop mid-sentence, and my drink to slosh over the rim.

Gasps ripple through the people sitting nearby, eyes flicking toward us. But Ace doesn’t acknowledge them. Or Tori. Or even me.

And just like that, I’m snatched up. Dragged through the bar like a tantrum-throwing child who needs discipline.

Eyes follow us. I don’t struggle. I look back at Tori, who’s smirking like she knows exactly what’s about to happen.

I glare at his back as he drags me past the bar, through the kitchen doors, into a narrow space near enough to the stove for me to feel its dry heat.

I don’t get a chance to ask him if he has permission to be back here. My back hits the wall first, then his hands cage me in, his fingers twitching like he’s two seconds off of choking the life out of me.

Bae’s so passionate.

My eyes flutter shut as his hand slides under my dress, rough fingers skimming my thigh. When his palm meets the bare skin, and he realizes what’s missing, he goes still.

For a second, the only sound between us is the distant clang of dishes and the hum of bar chatter outside.

His pupils are dilated when his eyes lock on mine. “Why?”

I blink up at him. “Why, what?”

His grip on my hip tightens to the point of pain. “Why the fuck you ain’t got no panties on?”

My grimace turns into a smirk. “I don’t own any.”

He exhales hard through flared nostrils, his jaw clenching so tight, I know there’s a headache on the other side. His fingers curl against my thigh, fingertips digging into my flesh.

“You’re a fuckin’ liar,” he murmurs, bringing his hand to my chin.

I shrug, then smile, and that’s the moment he snaps.

His mouth crashes into mine, his teeth scraping my lip, tongue swirling wildly, while his hand goes to my throat. I moan louder than I intended to, my body trembling violently in the face of his passion for me.

He bites my bottom lip before trailing wet kisses and sharp nips down my jaw, neck, and chest. My back arches away from the wall, desperate to meld into him.

He frees my neck, using his strong hands to grip my thighs and lift me. Without thinking, I wrap my legs around him, his body heat branding my thighs through his clothes.

He’s so hard.

He fumbles around with his belt. I wanna tell him to hurry the fuck up, but the words don’t even form on my lips before he shoves inside me.

I gasp, clinging to him, my back hitting the wall with each deep, relentless thrust.

This negro is mad .

I love it.

“Why you lie so much, huh?”

I…don’t know how to answer that, especially not while I’m overstimulated by the heat and friction and his long, thick dick tearing down my walls.

“Fuckin’ hate you sometimes,” he grits, slamming into me harder. “You think I won’t crash out behind you? Huh? Keep playin’ with me.”

“I like playing with you,” I moan.

He groans, burying himself deeper. Every stroke taps the bottom, sending jolts of pleasure up my spine and radiating through my body. I can’t even talk shit, it’s too good. Too long. Too hard. Too deep.

Then he breaks me.

I cum so fast and so hard, it knocks the wind out of me. I grasp at his back, his head, the wall behind me, the air, but it’s all useless. My body seizes with pleasure, pulsing around him until his own release follows.

He groans into my neck as he buries himself inside me one last time. He throbs so hard, my walls clenching around him, hugging him, loving on his length. It’s easy to forget we’re in public until I hear footsteps.

He’s still cumming, but I look up and lock eyes with a cook. He stops dead in his tracks, blowing out of his mouth in disgust.

“Hell, nah,” he says. “The fuck is y’all doin’?”

Without lifting his head, Ace says, “Keep it movin’, bruh,” and I’m struck by the sheer audacity of it. We’re trespassing. Indecently exposing ourselves.

But he doesn’t care.

I bring my hands to his head, cradling it. His breathing is shallow. His body is shaking.

I’m the only one who can do this to him. Who can turn him into this person.

We’re soulmates. It has to be written in the stars.

Finally, he straightens up, adjusts himself, and steps back, letting my legs slide down.

I smooth my dress, primly running my fingers through my hair like I wasn’t just against this wall getting fucked within an inch of my life.

Without a word, he turns to walk out, leaving me standing alone with cum dripping down my inner thighs.

Alright, then.

After a trip to the ladies room, I rejoin my aunt at the bar. She doesn’t say a word, just sips her drink and lifts a knowing eyebrow.

I smirk.

She smirks back, her gaze dropping to my hand.

She picks it up and splays my fingers out, nodding at the broken nail on my middle finger. It’s news to me.

“Well, then,” she says. “I like him already.”

I snatch my hand away, embarrassed. “Don’t,” I plead. “We were just—“

“Little girl. Please remember who you’re talking to.”

I nod as Ace appears at my side.

This should be good.

“Ace, this is my aunt Tori. Auntie, this is Ace. The one I told you about.”

His eyes buck, but he pulls it together long enough to stick out a hand. Tori stares down at it, and I laugh as I wait for him to catch up.

His face relaxes in recognition. “I washed my hands.”

She shakes his hand, then motions to the stool next to her. “Sit.”

Ace holds her gaze, then after a long beat, he sits.

Good boy.

“First off,” he says, “I meant no disrespect, Auntie.” His eyes flicker past her and land on me. “But I ain't makin' no apologies. She asked for it.”

“I’m sure she did,” Tori says with a grin. “No worries, sweetheart. We’re all grown.”

He nods, bringing his gaze back to her. “It’s nice to know she told somebody in the family that I exist.”

I frown at that, but he doesn’t elaborate, and Tori doesn’t ask. Instead, she says, “She did. And your existence seems to have had quite an effect on her.”

Okay, so they’re gonna talk about me like I’m not here. Cool.

I signal the bartender. I need another drink for this.

She leans back in her seat, swirling the last of her whiskey. “So Ace. Tell me about yourself.”

“I’d rather you tell me what she told you.”

“Well, she told me you were handsome, but she didn’t do you justice, baby. My God.”

He laughs. Tori’s even better at this than I am.

“She said you’re smart,” she continues. “Engineer. Big time, apparently. And she said she really admires you.”

His eyes meet mine again. “That’s interesting.”

“Is it?” Tori says.

“Yeah.” He looks around. “Before we get started, are y’all good on drinks? Yall hungry? Whatever you want, I got it.”

“I’m good, sweetheart.”

I take the rest of my martini to the head. “I’m gonna order some food.”

His eyes narrow. “You do that.”

Okay. Still in a bad mood, apparently.

Tori goes in for the kill.

She asks where he’s from.

How he was raised.

What his relationship is like with his family.

How many friends he has, and how long they’ve been around.

What he wants for his future.

And he tells her. All of it.

Not reluctantly. Not like he’s being interrogated.

He answers like he wants her to know.

Like her opinion of him matters.

But at a certain point, it feels like he’s answering pointedly, and for my benefit. It’s like he’s telling me, watch and learn, bitch, this is what you do when you’re with somebody. And I hear that. I do.

It’s just…scary.

I don’t want him to know the real me.

He can’t know the true ugliness inside. He’d never love me.

But he’s here, though. Suffering through my aunt’s questions. For me . And it makes my chest tight. My pulse flutter.

He’s telling me, loud and clear, that he’s mine. That he’s in this.

And that tells me I’m right.

I’m so fucking right for getting rid of anything that stands in our way.