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Authors: Dani Matthews
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brightly lit, but the light doesn’t reach where we’re standing in the shadows. I’m about to apologize when his voice stops me.
“Well then, let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Seven
Faith
“You want to leave?” I echo.
“I’m bored, and I don’t think you want to be here. So let’s leave.”
“What about Caleb and Zoey?”
Even in the dark, I can feel his eyes burning into mine. “Would you rather do what they want to do, or would you rather do something that you want to do?”
When he puts it like that... “Let’s go,” I say promptly.
“That’s what I thought.” He grabs my hand. “Let’s go before your babysitters chew my ass for trying to steal you away.”
I find myself laughing as Ace tugs me down the sidewalk and further into the dark. I trust him, and when he sees I’m not going to change my mind, he urges me into a jog. I’m very aware of his hand in mine as we run down the sidewalk to the end of the block. His hand is large and practically swallows up my much smaller one. Ace is a big man—a very strong one at that. I should fear him, but I don’t. It’s kind of odd how easily I trust him after everything that went down with Justin.
When we reach a Hummer, Ace unlocks it, then opens the passenger door. His hands wrap around my waist as he lifts me into the passenger seat. “Buckle up,” he orders before the door shuts and he walks around to the other side.
A second later I’m buckling my seatbelt as Ace pulls out onto the street. As we cruise past the frat house, I wonder if Zoey and Caleb are looking for me yet. I should at least text message them. But what if they try to track me down? Now that I’m with Ace, I don’t want to go back to the apartment. I want to spend time with him instead.
“Where to Angel?” Ace asks me as he turns onto the next street.
“Wherever you want to go.”
He slams on the breaks, causing me to jerk forward against my seatbelt. I blink a few times and see there’s nothing in front of us that would have caused him to stop like he had. I turn my head and look at him with puzzlement. “What…?”
“Don’t pull that shit on me,” Ace warns, his expression unreadable thanks to the darkened interior. “I’m not making up your mind for you. Name a place, or we’re going to sit here until you think of something.”
He seems quite serious. I glance at the side mirror as I spy headlights approaching us from behind. “The beach!” It’s the first thing that pops into my mind. I've been wanting to see it since I arrived. I just have no way of getting there unless I take a city bus, and I hadn’t wanted to go by myself.
Ace nods. “The beach it is,” he says as the Hummer moves forward again.
Silence falls over us, but it doesn’t feel awkward. I’m not sure what I’d say to break it anyway, so I keep to myself.
“So, what didn’t you like about the party?” Ace asks a moment later.
“I don’t know. I’m not much of a dancer, and I don’t drink, so I guess it wasn’t really much fun.”
“Why not drink?”
“Justin hated it when I…” My voice trails off and frustration twists up my insides. Why can’t I get him out of my head?
A grim silence fills the vehicle until Ace eventually breaks it. “I know we barely know each other, but I’m going to lay this on you anyway. Your ex is no longer a part of your life. Get over it. Sounds harsh, but how the hell are you supposed to move on if you keep living your life according to his rules?” he asks while his eyes focus intently on the traffic before us.
“I’m trying to. It’s just…”
We stop at a red-light, and Ace turns his head and looks at me. “Repeat after me. I don’t give a flying fuck about Justin,” he orders.
My mouth quirks. He’s not filtering around me at all anymore. “I don’t give a flying fuck about Justin,” I repeat. It feels good to say those words out loud.
“How’d that make you feel?”
“Good,” I say,
“Well then, let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Seven
Faith
“You want to leave?” I echo.
“I’m bored, and I don’t think you want to be here. So let’s leave.”
“What about Caleb and Zoey?”
Even in the dark, I can feel his eyes burning into mine. “Would you rather do what they want to do, or would you rather do something that you want to do?”
When he puts it like that... “Let’s go,” I say promptly.
“That’s what I thought.” He grabs my hand. “Let’s go before your babysitters chew my ass for trying to steal you away.”
I find myself laughing as Ace tugs me down the sidewalk and further into the dark. I trust him, and when he sees I’m not going to change my mind, he urges me into a jog. I’m very aware of his hand in mine as we run down the sidewalk to the end of the block. His hand is large and practically swallows up my much smaller one. Ace is a big man—a very strong one at that. I should fear him, but I don’t. It’s kind of odd how easily I trust him after everything that went down with Justin.
When we reach a Hummer, Ace unlocks it, then opens the passenger door. His hands wrap around my waist as he lifts me into the passenger seat. “Buckle up,” he orders before the door shuts and he walks around to the other side.
A second later I’m buckling my seatbelt as Ace pulls out onto the street. As we cruise past the frat house, I wonder if Zoey and Caleb are looking for me yet. I should at least text message them. But what if they try to track me down? Now that I’m with Ace, I don’t want to go back to the apartment. I want to spend time with him instead.
“Where to Angel?” Ace asks me as he turns onto the next street.
“Wherever you want to go.”
He slams on the breaks, causing me to jerk forward against my seatbelt. I blink a few times and see there’s nothing in front of us that would have caused him to stop like he had. I turn my head and look at him with puzzlement. “What…?”
“Don’t pull that shit on me,” Ace warns, his expression unreadable thanks to the darkened interior. “I’m not making up your mind for you. Name a place, or we’re going to sit here until you think of something.”
He seems quite serious. I glance at the side mirror as I spy headlights approaching us from behind. “The beach!” It’s the first thing that pops into my mind. I've been wanting to see it since I arrived. I just have no way of getting there unless I take a city bus, and I hadn’t wanted to go by myself.
Ace nods. “The beach it is,” he says as the Hummer moves forward again.
Silence falls over us, but it doesn’t feel awkward. I’m not sure what I’d say to break it anyway, so I keep to myself.
“So, what didn’t you like about the party?” Ace asks a moment later.
“I don’t know. I’m not much of a dancer, and I don’t drink, so I guess it wasn’t really much fun.”
“Why not drink?”
“Justin hated it when I…” My voice trails off and frustration twists up my insides. Why can’t I get him out of my head?
A grim silence fills the vehicle until Ace eventually breaks it. “I know we barely know each other, but I’m going to lay this on you anyway. Your ex is no longer a part of your life. Get over it. Sounds harsh, but how the hell are you supposed to move on if you keep living your life according to his rules?” he asks while his eyes focus intently on the traffic before us.
“I’m trying to. It’s just…”
We stop at a red-light, and Ace turns his head and looks at me. “Repeat after me. I don’t give a flying fuck about Justin,” he orders.
My mouth quirks. He’s not filtering around me at all anymore. “I don’t give a flying fuck about Justin,” I repeat. It feels good to say those words out loud.
“How’d that make you feel?”
“Good,” I say,
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