Craving Trix (The Aces' Sons 1)

“No.” I scooted a little closer and pulled his face to mine, fitting my bottom lip between his as I gently kissed him. “I’m not afraid of you. You could break every single thing in this apartment and I’d stand in the middle watching you do it, knowing nothing would touch me.”

“That wouldn’t happen—”

“I know.”

“—don’t have the money to replace that much shit.”

I laughed and he smiled back, his eyes still bleak.

“We good?” he asked, reaching up to cup the side of my neck.

“Yeah.” I nodded, underscoring my answer. “I wish I didn’t have to go to class today. Thursdays have been my day off for so long, I swear my body knows I’m supposed to be sleeping in.”

“You can sleep in tomorrow and Sunday,” he promised, his thumb tracing along my bare collarbone.

“Why not Saturday?”

“I gotta help my parents at the house.”

“Oh, right. Gram’s birthday dinner.”

“Yep.”

He leaned in and kissed me and I reveled in the novelty of his scruff rubbing against my chin and cheeks. I inhaled deeply as his tongue slid against mine, taking in the scent of his soap and the toothpaste he’d used before coming into the room. Cam pulled me into his lap sideways and I wrapped my arms around his neck as his arms banded around me.

“I gotta go now, or I’m not goin’ and neither are you,” he said gruffly, pulling away from my mouth. “What time will you be done today?”

“By eleven, maybe sooner,” I answered as he stood up and laid me back in the bed, pulling the covers around my body. “I’ll text you when I’m leaving school.”

“Okay.” He pushed some buttons on the alarm on the nightstand and leaned down to kiss me again. “You need some more sleep, so I set the alarm for an hour from now—I’ll call and make sure it wakes you up.”

“Thanks, baby.” I gripped the back of his head to steal another kiss as he groaned.

“You’re all naked and soft and sleepy and not acting like a bitch, and I hafta fuckin’ leave.”

“Quickie?”

“Nothin’s ever quick with you.” He stood up, pulling my hands away from his head. “Sleep.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck on your test.”

“Thanks. I love you,” I relaxed into the blankets and closed my eyes.

“Love you, too, Sweetbea.”

I listened to him leaving the house as I drifted off to sleep, the knot in my stomach completely gone. We were okay.

* * *

“Hey, Bellatrix!” I heard called out behind me as I left the building after my last class. I’d made that test my bitch.

“What’s up, Steve?” I asked as I slowed down so he could catch up with me.

“How’d you do?” he asked as he fell in beside me.

“Nailed it, you?”

“Same.”

“Nice.”

“So, a group of us are going to barbeque to celebrate the end of finals on Saturday, you wanna come?”

My brows raised in surprise. I’d never been invited to anything. I had a few friends that I hung out with once in a while, but they were all girls and mostly kept to themselves like I did. Basically, a bunch of introverts who got together to watch movies or whatever when we were feeling exceptionally bored.

“I can’t,” I finally answered with an apologetic smile. “I’ve got a family barbeque this weekend.”

“Well, come afterward?”

“It’s actually at my boyfriend’s parents’ house, and there’ll be a ton of us. I doubt I’ll be done in time to go anywhere else, sorry.”

“Oh, okay,” he said amiably. “So, you and the boyfriend—pretty serious?”

I stopped abruptly at the intrusive question and turned to look at him, a weird feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t know him well enough for him to ask me something like that. My instincts were telling me to get as far away from him as possible, but I couldn’t just turn and run like a lunatic. We were surrounded by people, it wasn’t like I was in any danger.

“I’m late,” I blurted, a small part of me sure that I should tell him someone was waiting on me. “But have fun at your barbeque.”

“Thanks, Bella,” he said softly.

“That’s not my name,” I replied, taking a step back.

“It fits, though.” He gave a little wave and turned away, walking toward the other end of the school. My stomach turned as he threw his arms high above himself in a nonchalant stretch.

Thank God, I never had to see that guy again.

I turned toward the parking lot where I’d parked my car that morning and pulled out my phone, letting Cam know that I was done with my test. We texted back and forth for a few minutes while he tried to convince me to come to the shop for a “nooner.” I didn’t say anything about Steve. By the time I sat down heavily in the driver’s seat, I’d completely forgotten how uncomfortable he’d made me. I was too giddy about the way Cameron couldn’t seem to get enough of me, even after my complete freak out the night before.