I sit on the bed and wait for her to come back. "I'm so sorry," she says, coming into the room with my jeans pressed to her chest, holding up the towel.
"Come here," I tell her, and she comes over to me and stands between my legs. My hands go to her hips. "I meant what I said," I assure her, and she smiles down at me, putting her hands on my face.
"They just left," she jokes with me as she laughs.
"Very funny," I say, pulling her to me as the towel falls off her, and she straddles me. "I love you, Shelby." Truer words have never been spoken before. "For real."
"You don't have to say—" I put my hand up to block her from talking.
"Just kiss me," I say, and she does exactly what I asked her to do.
Epilogue One
Three months later
Shelby
Walking into the restaurant, I look around for Ace, spotting a couple of his co-workers and his assistant, Tania. "Hi," I say when I get closer to her and a blond woman I've seen a couple of times around. They just closed a big deal and are getting together to celebrate. I had enough time to go home and change before coming here.
"Shelby, right?" She points at me, and I smile at her. "Ace's best friend."
"Um, yeah," I say, not correcting her because, well, I'm not sure that I need to. "That would be me."
"Is he around?" I look around the room, not seeing him anywhere.
"Oh, he was right here," Tania says. "I'll go get him." She nods at me and walks away while a server comes by and asks if I would like something to drink.
"I'll have a white wine," I tell the server, who then walks away.
"So, tell me," the woman says, and I don't even remember her name. "What's it like being Ace's best friend?"
I can't help the smile that fills my face. "It's pretty much the best," I confirm. Things when we were friends were out of this world, but now that we are more, it just cements our relationship. Both of us are more than okay to tell the other if something bothers us.
"Well, I'm not going to lie." She looks around. "I would love to get him in bed." She laughs. "I even threw myself at him a couple of months ago." I swallow the lump in my throat, my face never changing. "I would ride him so hard."
"Hi." I hear Ace approaching us. I look over at the girl, seeing her press her boobs together, and I almost laugh out loud. He's wearing a blue suit with a white button-down long-sleeve shirt. The top two buttons are open. "Tania said you were here." He slips his arm around my waist and bends to kiss my lips. "Were you here long?"
"Excuse me," the blonde says, ducking her head and leaving.
"What did I miss?" he asks, his hand never leaving from my waist.
"She was just telling me how she tried to lure you into bed a couple of months ago," I say without skipping a beat, and he rolls his eyes. "Is that a yes or a no?"
"It's an it would have never happened," he says, and I just tilt my head to the side. "One, I was already wrapped up in you, and two"—he leans down—"all I wanted was you." He kisses my cheek softly.
"Great cover," I say, putting my hand on his chest. The past three months have been hands down the happiest of my life. Every night we make dinner side by side, or we order out. But regardless, we do it together. Every single day I wake up with him beside me. No matter what we do during the day or how late our days go, we go to bed together unless he's traveling. Even when I work Saturday and Sunday, he shows up to have a snack with me or just to be with me.
"Not a cover," he says, kissing my lips. "Nice dress." He looks down at my blush-pink tight skirt with a sleeveless silk top that is tucked in. "I love when you wear a skirt."
"Oh, I know," I reply, not telling him that I wore it on purpose because he likes to fuck me against the door as soon as we get into the house. "I have the doorknob bruise on my ass."
"Are you off tomorrow?" he asks, and I look over at him, nodding.
"Finally, a day off," I groan, my whole body waiting for the day to sleep in.
"We should hit up the baseball game," he mentions, and all I can do is smile. We go to the baseball game whenever we can.
"That sounds amazing." I lean over and kiss his neck. That night when we walk out of the restaurant, it's with his hand in mine, and when he takes me home, there is no mistaking who he wants to come home with.