Ace straightens. “Where are we going?”
“Just follow me.”
I lead him down a quiet hallway near the staff offices and find the door I clocked earlier. The janitor’s closet. Unlocked. I pull it open and motion him in.
He looks delighted. “Oh, hell yes.”
Inside, it smells faintly of lemon cleaner and old books, and there’s only enough space for two people to stand shoulder to chest. Which is exactly what we’re doing.
I press him back against the wall and reach up to run my fingers through his hair. “Maybe I need to teach you using the laws of physics.”
“Oh?”
I smile and slide my hands down his chest, fingers teasing the hem of his shirt. “Let’s start with the law of universal gravitation.”
Ace’s breath catches. “Which is?”
“All objects attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses…” I lean in and press a kiss to his jaw, then lower “…and inversely proportional to the square distance between them.”
“God, I love you.”
I grin. “I know. I love you too.”
I sink to my knees.
His breath stutters as I tug at the button of his jeans. “Are we still…studying?”
“Oh, we’re studying,” I murmur. “This is kinetic energy in motion.”
“I think I love kinetic energy.” He lets out a shaky laugh, but it turns into a groan as I pull him free and run my fingers along the length of him. He’s already hard and swollen and begging for my lips. “Holy shit, Jules—”
“Shh.” I look up at him. “We’re in a library.”
He gently cups the back of my head as I take him in my mouth.
He tastes sweet and salty and something distinctly Ace.My favorite freaking flavor.And he tightens his hands as I hollow my cheeks and move slowly and methodically, taking as much of him into my mouth as I can.
“Fuck.” His head thumps gently against the wall. “Best. Study session. Ever.”
Monday, November 24th
Ace
It’s the Monday before Thanksgiving, and I’m spending it in one of St. Luke’s Hospital’s waiting rooms because Scottie is having her surgery.
Dr. Raines, Lexi’s brilliant dad, is the one doing it. I don’t know much about what the surgery entails, nor could I even understand it if I tried, but I know it’s an extremely cutting-edge procedure on Scottie’s spine.
The whole goal? To make Scottie walk again.
The fluorescent lights in this waiting room are giving me a headache, but I don’t say anything. Compared to what Finn’s going through right now, I don’t have a single right to complain.
It’s been over eight hours since they wheeled Scottie into surgery.
Eight. Fucking. Hours. I’m not even sure I’ve sat still for this long in my entire life. I keep getting up, pacing, checking my phone, texting Julia even though she’s sitting right beside me. Just…doing anything to distract myself.
Julia’s flipping through some random celebrity gossip magazine, legs crossed, one foot bouncing, her free hand laced tightly in mine. I haven’t let go of her since we got here this morning. Don’t plan to either.
Finn’s sitting across from us, and Jesus—he looks like he’s holding on by a single frayed thread. His knee’s been bouncing for thelast two hours, and his eyes haven’t left the double doors that lead to the OR.
