Page 93 of The Fire We Make

Joy lifted her chin. “I don’t hide.”

Another step forward. “You do. Or try to at least. And I didn’t like that shit.”

“I don’t care what you like.”

Ace chuckled. “There you go being mean to me again.”

“And yet you won’t leave me alone.”

He grinned. “If you think that mouth is a deterrent, you’re sadly mistaken, Rose.” His eyes zeroed in on her mouth, and Joy felt the heat of his gaze on her lips. “I been thinking about these lips all day,” he mumbled.

“Thinking what about them?”

Joy didn’t know why she was feeding into this but the desire radiating off of him matched her own and it was intoxicating.

She wanted to hear what he thought about her. What he liked about her. What he wanted from her. She wanted to compare notes and see if they wanted the same things.

Ace’s hand came up and his thumb began lazily stroking her bottom lip. Her red lipstick smeared his finger but he didn’t seem to care. “How soft they were. How good they tasted. How bad I wanna taste them again.”

Against herself, Joy tilted her head up, a silent invitation to do just that.

Ace needed no further prompting. He descended his lips onto hers and led them in a kiss that had Joy’s legs feeling like jelly. It was slower than their previous kisses, but no less consuming. She gripped onto his forearms to steady herself as her mind floated and her soul threatened to follow.

Joy pulled away abruptly. “You have to stop doing that,” she breathlessly pleaded with her eyes closed.

She felt Ace’s lips on her cheek then travel towards her jaw and down her neck.

“Why?” he rasped, backing her into her front door.

“Because I won’t want you to stop.”

“Then I won’t.” He kissed the corner of her mouth.

Oh, but you will, Joy thought sadly.

Joy was sure Ace thought she meant that he needed to stop kissing her. He needed to do that too, but she needed him to stop making her feel this way. Beautiful and desirable. He needed to stop making her fantasize about another lifetime where he actually saw her the way he claimed to and still wanted her.

Her hands came up and cupped his face to bring him closer. One hand trailed down his neck and snagged on a raised portion of his skin beneath his collar.

She opened her eyes and her gaze collided with a small round spot of burned flesh on his neck. The sight made her nauseous. It was a physical, permanent reminder of how she’d hurt him. Consciously. Intentionally.

It was the personification of the version of herself she’d been running from but couldn’t seem to wrangle control of. Proof that she wasn’t mentally stable enough for whatever was brewing between them.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, running a finger lightly over the scarred flesh.

“Nah. Not anymore.”

“I’m so–”

“Stop apologizing. It’s gonna take more than a ‘lil burn to scare me.”

She finally found the strength to extract herself from Ace’s hold and he allowed her to push his big body away from hers. They stared at each other with lust-filled eyes, chests heaving as they caught their breath.

“Whatever it is you’re trying to do, whatever game you’re trying to play, stop. I’m not interested.”

“No?”

“No. Stephanie seemed interested. Maybe your attention would be better spent there.”