Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
She watched him go, avidly, faint colour blushing her cheekbones. But she was allowed, now, wasn’t she? She didn’t have to sneak glances anymore, fearful of her desires being unacceptable. And there was no part of him she didn’t want, even the hurt parts and the broken parts. With a soft smile, she got up to pick up the towel and put it up.
Ace crossed the threshold into her humble abode once more a few moments later, clad in a pair of plaid pajama pants from Walmart, and, though his torso was bare at the moment, he had a t-shirt draped across his arm.
“Do you think it would be inappropriate for me to answer the door for the pizza delivery guy dressed like this?” He walked over and plucked her house-phone from its carriage to dial the number he knew by heart.
“Another great question: Do I care?”
“Uh … ” The apparent non-sequitur caught her off-guard. “No? And no?” She wandered over to him, insinuating herself into his space, curious to see what he would do. Would he be the demonstrative type, or would she have to initiate everything? He’d seemed pretty keen on kisses, but even that she’d had to start. What kind of lover would he be? Brendan had been pretty ordinary, once she got past the excitement of having sex at all, more intent on his own pleasure than anything else.
She knew plenty about Ace’s tendency to self-neglect; his contradictory hedonism; his grey, rough shell that concealed his inner self. She had no idea how that would translate into a more serious relationship.
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
Summer put her hand over his, lightly, before leaning up to kiss him again. “You wouldn’t be you without that. And I l-like you the way you are.” Firmly, she pushed memories out of her mind, and sat a little farther up. Another glance along his body, and she said hesitantly, “Uh. Ace … maybe you should get dressed? I’d kinda like to sit in your lap and kiss you for a while.”
Summer’s sincere words yanked Ace straight out of his stupor, leaving him staring after the girl incredulously. “You do?” The lad asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. There were a list of things his exes hated about him, but Summer seemed to love all of his faults.
“Right, I’ll go do that then,” he spoke, sheepishly, for the first time that whole conversation, pulling the towel tight around his waist as he moved past her threshold and beyond his own to get dressed.
She watched him go, avidly, faint colour blushing her cheekbones. But she was allowed, now, wasn’t she? She didn’t have to sneak glances anymore, fearful of her desires being unacceptable. And there was no part of him she didn’t want, even the hurt parts and the broken parts. With a soft smile, she got up to pick up the towel and put it up.
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
She rolled her eyes at him, pulling lightly at his hair. “You would have been waiting a very long time then.” She glanced down at his chest, not really seeing it. “After … what happened with Brendan, I wasn’t going to — to reach out. Again. Take the risk.” Flicking her gaze back up to his, she bit at her lip, then slid sideways off his lap to curl up beside him, head against his shoulder.
“Mm,” Ace hummed in reply to her words. It was the only reply he could muster; his mind was elsewhere, though he acknowledged the weight of her words. Brendan. That single name triggered him into a wave of memories, ones he shared hand-in-hand with his former lover, so quick it gave him whiplash.
“Lily.” He offered that single name as if it were an explanation enough on his part. He loved her, he did. He always will, like he will Milla, Evie.
The lad reached up to trace over the outline of his locket and gave a short, pensive sigh.
Summer put her hand over his, lightly, before leaning up to kiss him again. “You wouldn’t be you without that. And I l-like you the way you are.” Firmly, she pushed memories out of her mind, and sat a little farther up. Another glance along his body, and she said hesitantly, “Uh. Ace … maybe you should get dressed? I’d kinda like to sit in your lap and kiss you for a while.”
She brushed her thumb over his cheekbone, eyelashes lowered. “Yes, we can do that, cariad.” A mischievous light came into her eyes. “Are you going to have your wicked way with me?”
“That depends.” The curly-haired boy sucked in a breath, sly grin spreading across his face as he peered down at her. “Can we get pepperoni?”
She spluttered a laugh and gave up trying to be sultry. “Yes, we can get pepperoni. We can get whatever you want, I told you.” Picking up his phone, she unlocked it and started setting up the pizza order. “Large pepperoni, lava cakes … anything else?”
“You were distracted by the cat,” she pointed out after giving him another kiss. “I don’t really remember you wandering round in just a towel even in that heat wave in August.” She contemplated him again, licking at her lips. “Since July, hm? Really? And you were just going to … wait? What for?”
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
“I was,” Ace agreed, gaze fixated on her plump lips as she spoke. “I never had a solid reason to walk about your apartment buck-ass naked last August, did I? Thank Helios for me, by the way.” The lad chuckled and leant in close to peck her lips a second time. “Wait for you. Those months were mostly me testing the waters, but I got tired of the whole process myself and threw caution to the wind.”
She rolled her eyes at him, pulling lightly at his hair. “You would have been waiting a very long time then.” She glanced down at his chest, not really seeing it. “After … what happened with Brendan, I wasn’t going to — to reach out. Again.Take the risk.” Flicking her gaze back up to his, she bit at her lip, then slid sideways off his lap to curl up beside him, head against his shoulder.
Summer murmured, smiling — almost smirking — at him, “Oh, yes. You can have anything you like.” She pressed her mouth to his, slowly, giving him a very passionate, very long kiss.
When Ace pulled away, he flashed Summer one of his most dazzling grins before his gaze drifted down to the valley between her breasts.
“Can we order a pizza, then fuck?”
She brushed her thumb over his cheekbone, eyelashes lowered. “Yes, we can do that, cariad.” A mischievous light came into her eyes. “Are you going to have your wicked way with me?”
She strutted toward him, wobbling a little on the very high wedge shoes. Laying her arms around his neck, she purred, “What would the birthday boy like for his special day?”
Ace reached out to catch her in-case she fell, his arms trained at either of her sides seemingly beckoning her forward. He smiled once she made it there and wrapped both arms around her waist, pulling her close until she was pressed flush against his chest before pretending to stare off into the distance with a pensive hum.
“Can I have a kiss, for starters?”
Summer murmured, smiling — almost smirking — at him, “Oh, yes. You can have anything you like.” She pressed her mouth to his, slowly, giving him a very passionate, very long kiss.
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
For a split second, total shock painted itself across her face, before being overwritten with a brilliant smile. Plunging her hands into his damp hair, Summer kissed Ace again, much harder than the previous times. When she finally came back up for air, she whispered, “I have been wanting to do that all summer.” She practically crawled into his lap, ignoring the fact that he was still naked as a jaybird, and put her head to one side, studying his face.
“You’re still cruel for wandering round in only a towel. I haven’t forgiven you for that yet.”
The curly-haired boy tried his best to be serious about the situation, but when she kissed him roughly, eagerly, he couldn’t help the surprised chuckle that sounded from deep inside of him mid-buss.
“If we were speaking well into July, I’d let you,” Ace mused with a hum, one arm snaked around Summer’s waist in an effort to keep her from fumbling too much — she might hit something important and, at the moment, bare.
“I like to air-dry!” he defended with a loud whine, puckering his lips for another kiss. The more ‘sensible’ side of himself told the lad he shouldn’t get so sweet on her so quickly, but what does that bit know?
“You were distracted by the cat,” she pointed out after giving him another kiss. “I don’t really remember you wandering round in just a towel even in that heat wave in August.” She contemplated him again, licking at her lips. “Since July, hm? Really? And you were just going to … wait? What for?”
The birthday-boy, formerly hunched over his desk with pen in hand, journal opened before him, sat back in his seat and placed the butt of it in his mouth upon swiveling around and finding her in all her glory, eyebrows quirked.
“Indeed.”
She strutted toward him, wobbling a little on the very high wedge shoes. Laying her arms around his neck, she purred, “What would the birthday boy like for his special day?”
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
She pressed him backwards, back to her couch, a sceptical look on her face. “I have always been honest to you,” she murmured. “But here is a little more.” She kept her forehead pressed to his as he sat, and said solemnly, “I like you quite a lot, Aodhan O’Malley, and I would quite like to go out with you, kiss you, sleep with you, and any other possessive claim you’ll allow me. And I don’t want to see you with anyone else.”
“I know you have.” Ace hummed, tilting his head forward slightly so their lips brushed against one another’s, pulling back in satisfaction when they did, even if only for a moment or two.
“I suppose it’s my turn to be honest, too. I like you, a lot, Summer Rainault, and I want to let you go out with me, kiss me, sleep with me, and every other possessive claim that even plagues my thoughts for half a second. And I don’t want to be with anyone else.”
For a split second, total shock painted itself across her face, before being overwritten with a brilliant smile. Plunging her hands into his damp hair, Summer kissed Ace again, much harder than the previous times. When she finally came back up for air, she whispered, “I have been wanting to do that all summer.” She practically crawled into his lap, ignoring the fact that he was still naked as a jaybird, and put her head to one side, studying his face.
“You’re still cruel for wandering round in only a towel. I haven’t forgiven you for that yet.”
