Aiden.
He was going for him.
I watched with my heart in my mouth as he ducked behind a shelter, rolling into position with flair that made my pulse race. I checked over my barricade again quickly. Keaton was looking at me impatiently. I nodded, then ducked my head back as one of Olly’s team started firing. I needed to wait until he stopped, then I could go.
I watched Ace dart forward again, rooting for him to get to the next shelter –
A splatter of red paint hit his vest, his arm and leg, and he hit the ground.
My breath caught in my throat.
Get up, Ace.
I willed him silently to move.
He didn’t move.
After a moment, he groaned, half-raised one of his arms, and then dropped it again – like he didn’t have the strength to do anything else.
I forgot all about Keaton and the covering fire I had promised him and dashed across the arena towards Ace, skidding to my knees beside him as I felt a jolt of paint thudding into my vest. I ignored it and dropped my paint gun, throwing it a few paces away so no one would think I was still playing.
“Ace?” I asked, bending to look into his face, trying to see past the goggles. They were streaked with red paint. “Ace, are you alright?”
“He hit my ear,” Ace moaned mournfully. I moved his head carefully, looking at the side of it furthest from me. I hadn’t seen it before – but there was red paint all over his ear and that part of his head.
It… was just paint, right?
I quickly pulled out as much fabric as I could get from my sleeve, wrapping it over my hand and wiping the paint away. I was gentle, but even so, Ace winced and groaned. When the paint was more or less gone I looked carefully – his ear was bright red with the impact, and his hair was full of paint, but it at least didn’t appear to be bleeding.
“I think you’re alright,” I told him. “It’s just a super sensitive spot to hit.”
“You’re telling me,” Ace said. He held out a hand, and when I took it, he used my weight to pull himself up into a sitting position. “It’s the same side as the eye.”
My mouth formed an ‘o’ of understanding. That was why it hurt more even though he wasn’t bleeding or showing any signs of a burst eardrum – the paintball had hit close to where he was already bruised and injured.
There was whooping and hollering behind us, and I had the feeling that Keaton or Olly had just been taken down. But I didn’t care. There was only one person in the whole arena who concerned me.
I stood up and held my hand down towards him, offering assistance. “Back to the hotel?” I asked, my heart thundering in my chest as I waited to hear if he would allow me to look after him.
Brody
“Shit,” I laughed, shaking my head as I pulled on my underwear. “I can’t…”
“What?” Ace asked, tilting his head at me from the other side of the room. He was already pulling on slacks. I was used to seeing him in beanies and hoodies, but this trip had shown me that he knew how to pretty up when he needed to.
Not that he wasn’t plenty pretty enough already.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” I said. I had a feeling I had a goofy grin on my face, but I couldn’t stop it. That had been… incredible. Way more than I’d anticipated.
I’d known from the first time Ace kissed me that he was someone special. But that… that had been beyond my wildest dreams.
I was pretty sure I’d never felt that good with anyone in my life.
“Do you regret it?” Ace asked.
I looked over at him in surprise, dropping the shirt I’d been taking off the hanger. His head was down. He was looking at the floor like he really didn’t know what my answer would be.
How could he be serious?
