Page 88 of The Fire We Make

Ace chuckled. “You got me there.”

“Why are you hiding?” Joy asked as she lowered herself to sit beside him.

“Got tired of talking,” he shrugged.

Joy’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as she made to move. “You want me to leave you alone?”

“Nah, I want you right here,” Ace said, putting a hand on her thigh to stay her movement. “I’m tired of talking to business partners and shit. It’s suffocating being surrounded by people and still feeling like you’re on an island.”

Ace had never verbalized what he felt before but now that he had, he didn’t try to retract the words. He hadn’t realized until recently just how lonely it was.

Joy nodded, understanding. “Do you feel alone with me?” she asked.

Ace turned to her, his gaze bouncing around her face. He shook his head. “Nah. I don’t feel alone with you, Rose. Quite the opposite.”

Joy smiled and Ace did too. He didn't speak on the inexplicable connection he felt to her but something told him he didn’t have to because she felt the same.

Ace extended the blunt in Joy’s direction. Without hesitation, she took it.

She put it to her lips and Ace’s own lips tingled in anticipation of putting his mouth where hers had been when he got the blunt back. She took a long pull, holding the smoke for a moment before releasing it.

She coughed a little, the strength of the substance burning her throat and settling in her chest.

Ace chuckled beside her and she shot him a mean glare.

“Why you out here?” Ace asked, taking the blunt back from her.

“I was looking for April actually to tell her I was leaving,” she said, her voice even raspier than usual now, thanks to the smoke invading her throat.

“Damn already? The night is still young.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes traveling around the garden before them. “Yeah… I’m done here.”

Ace could feel her subdued energy but he didn’t pry. They didn’t speak for a few moments, letting the silence settle between them. That was a norm for the pair. He was amazed how she could at once bring him calm and set him on fire.

She passed the blunt back and Ace accepted it, their fingers brushing slightly.

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself,” Ace said, breaking the silence. The blunt had been smoked down to a roach and their eyes were low from its effects as Ace sparked another one. He leaned back, resting his elbows on the back of the bench. Joy’s stance mirrored his, both reclined comfortably basking in the moonlight and expert landscaping.

Joy rolled her head lazily to turn her gaze from the stars to the man beside her. He was already looking at her, his amber eyes low and sparkling. “You were watching me,” she said, rather than asked. The teasing grin on her lips revealed that she’d caught him.

“I was,” Ace answered, unashamed.

Joy chuckled. “This ain’t really my scene,” she said.

Ace’s smirk widened at her tone. He wasn’t sure if it was the effects of the weed or a reflection of her comfort with him, but her speech became more relaxed than he’d ever heard it. The way her voice drawled on certain words, exposing her southern roots scratched a part of Ace’s brain just right. He wanted to keep her talking so he could hear more of it.

“Couldn’t tell. You were working the room like this was your shit.”

Joy chuckled humorlessly.

“Muscle memory I guess… Shit like this is just triggering,” Joy whispered. Her body was present but her eyes were far away.

Ace raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Reminds me of the rooms I grew up in… Constantly performing in front of my dad’s colleagues. Having to prove I deserved to be in the room. To make him proud and earn their acceptance.”

Ace saw the shadows pass over her face.