Page 83 of The Fire We Make

A small grin spread across Ace’s face at the thought of them. “They are. They love each other more than themselves,” he replied wistfully. His earlier feelings of longing were further intensified.

“That’s beautiful. 55 years is crazy. How did they meet?”

Ace chuckled a bit.

“My granny was a singer and Pops used to go watch her perform in Harlem every Saturday night. He was damn near obsessed but was too scared to talk to her. One night, she went up to him because she heard he was a lawyer and her brother was in some legal trouble. Pops agreed to take his case and the rest is history.”

“Wow… And was that the beginning of King and Kincaid?”

“Somewhat. It got the ball rolling but that came later.”

“What happened later?” Joy asked curiously.

Ace looked down at her, considering her. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day,” he promised.

“You’re very secretive,” Joy noted. She pulled back a bit from their embrace to look him in the eyes. Those eyes that both scared her and comforted her.

“I know you ain’t talking,” Ace chuckled, gaze boring into her.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Joy joked with a grin.

Ace threw his head back with a deep laugh that made Joy’s body vibrate against his and nearby partygoers turn their heads.

The song switched to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s Cheek to Cheek and they fell into another silence until Joy noticed Ace’s focused stare on her. His heated gaze raked up her body and back down as if he thought he had Superman’s x-ray vision.

“What?” Joy asked finally.

Ace shook his head. “Just playing a little game with myself.”

Joy tipped her head to the side. “Bless your heart. You play with yourself often?”

Ace chuckled. “This game, yes.”

“Care to share?”

“It’s a little game I like to call ‘where is Joy hiding her heat today?’” That pulled a giggle out of Joy.

“What makes you think I’m packing heat?”

“You always got somethin’ on you, Rose.” His hand slid slowly from her waist to her hip. “Now, the last time you wore something this tight…” he murmured, his voice low beside her ear, “it was in your bra.”

He dragged his hand up her side, pausing just beneath her ribs. “But I don't think you’re wearing one with this dress.”

Joy lifted her head. Her eyes were sharp on him as she worked to steady her breathing.

He looked her up and down. “You got a blade in your cheek?”

Joy threw her head back and cackled loudly. “Do I look like a jail bird to you?”

“Shit, might be. It’s the pretty ones you gotta look out for.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Joy asked, biting the inside of her cheek to suppress the smile that fought to split her face. She’d been given many variations of the compliment but something about it coming from Ace’s lips hit different.

“Pretty as fuck. Probably a ‘lil crazy too but that’s cool.”

Joy shook her head. You have no idea.

“Oh, it’s cool if I’m crazy?”