Orion pressed his lips together again. His gaze narrowed.
“I’ve been attacked more than once, and they had poisoned arrows. And I am also being framed,” I said. “I just can’t see Paul doing that either.”
“Me neither,” Ace said.
Orion nodded. “I agree, but if it’s now irrefutable he’s involved, what does that mean?”
“He’s not working alone,” Ace said. “And he’s not in control of everything. We all need to be careful.”
I agreed and I hated the thought of a silent partner lurking in the shadows, intent on killing me.
“But who?” Orion asked.
Should I tell him what we found in O’Reilly’s cabin? Could we trust him? Ace would say absolutely not, and we knew at least one other person in town was involved.
“We don’t know.” I could always share more information later. “So, you need to be careful. Don’t let anyone other than us visit Nala.”
“Of course.”
We said our goodbyes and made our way to Ace’s cabin. He’d been on his best behaviour at Orion’s, keeping to the facts and not mocking the healer. That must’ve killed him to hold back.
By the time we returned to Ace’s cabin, we were soaked from the rain. The moment the door closed, I started to peel the wet clothes from my body. They hit the floor with wet slaps.
Ace placed the wooden box on the mantle before kneeling by the hearth. He struck his flint until the fire caught. Heat from the building flames licked my numb skin. “Did the map and letter survive?”
I stared down at my discarded clothes. “Probably not.”
Ace turned to find me completely naked. His eyebrows rose, but his smiled widened into a wicked grin.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” I asked.
He stood and started to peel off his clothes. Slowly. Like he wanted me to die from anticipation. “What did I say?”
I reached forward and pulled his belt free. With a flick of my wrist, I flung it to the floor. The buckle hit the wooden boards with a loud thud. “That I could be on top whenever I want?”
Gold flashed across his gaze, and he stepped out of his pants and underwear. He was already hard, his erection jutting out. He pulled the hem of his shirt over his head, the muscles of his abs rippling with each movement. I wanted to lick them.
So I did.
I dropped to my knees and ran my tongue along the valleys of muscles.
“Phaan, Em.” Ace reached down and tangled his hands in my hair to grip my head. He tried to pull me up, but I ignored him.
Instead, I gripped the silky-smooth skin of his thick shaft and wrapped my lips around him. He was large for my mouth, but that didn’t stop me from trying. The salty taste of him on my tongue made heat pool between my legs. I wanted him undone. I wanted him to lose control like he made me lose control. I wanted him to unravel in my mouth.
“Phaan.” Ace pulled free and took a shaky step back. “You will end this too soon.”
I shrugged. That hadn’t been my plan, but once I saw the feral look in his gaze, I didn’t want to stop.
He hauled me to my feet. Before I could question him, he flung me over his shoulder and stomped over to the bedroom.
“Ace?”
He slapped my ass. Then, he reached up and gripped it, giving it a good squeeze before throwing me onto the bed. I bounced on the mattress. The smell of lavender surrounded me, and I rolled onto my side on the soft sheets.
“What are you up to?” I asked.
He crawled onto the bed beside me and rolled onto his back. “Come here.”
