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“She needed to make a call.”
“Okay.” Dax shrugged, still looking a tad bewildered. “Thanks man. I’m going to let her manager know.”
“Just give her a few minutes.”
It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command. The authority in Ace’s tone did a lot more than make her legs go weak from adrenaline rushing through her. It lit her entire body up like a hotel on the Vegas strip.
“She’ll be out when she’s done.” His tone softened slightly and held a protective edge.
The change in his demeanor opened up a whole can of insecurity that she hadn’t felt since she was a pre-teen. She started wondering if Virginia Valentine being in town might have more to do with Ace and less to do with Chase. If you believed the tabloids she was dating Derek St. Vincent, an actor who was better known for his bad boy behavior off set than he was for his work on the big screen. But that didn’t mean anything. Stephanie knew that you couldn’t believe everything you read in gossip magazines.
Dax didn’t question Ace. He just nodded and slapped Ace on the shoulder before making his way back through the crowd. His reaction supported her suspicions. Dax was one of the owners of this place, why would he listen to Ace? Come to think of it, why would he ask Ace about Virginia Valentine in the first place?
Stephanie leaned in to ask, “Do you know her?”
Her shift in position was necessary to be heard, but that didn’t mean it was a smart move. The closer she got to him, the more her body exploded with lust. The more her body exploded with lust, the less she was capable of rational thought. The less she was capable of rational thought, the more likely she was to give into what she was feeling. That’s when mistakes were made. She didn’t have time or room in her life for mistakes.
“No.” He shook his head. “Not really.”
Even in heels Ace stood a good six inches taller than her. Lifting her chin, she searched his eyes to see if she could pick up on any deceit. Not that she was a walking lie detector, but she’d gotten pretty good at sniffing out untruths during Simone’s teen years. No alarm bells were going off, but that could be because they were silenced by the arousal screaming through her.
“Then why did Dax tell you they couldn’t find her?”
“Because I’m his partner.”
“His partner?” Her mouth went dry.
Simone was right. He was gay. She was having emotional whiplash. First she was sure he was involved with Virginia Valentine, now she was convinced he and Dax were a couple.
“Yeah.” Ace tilted his head slightly to the side, a crease appearing between his brows as he stared down at her. “He probably told Riley, too.”
“Riley…” Why would he tell Riley…? “Oh, business partner.”
“Right. What did you think I meant?”
“Um…I just…” Stephanie’s cheeks heated with even more intensity which meant that instead of a delicate pink blush they were a bright shade of red effectively squashing any chance she’d had to play it cool. This interaction was just one of the many reasons she didn’t date. She was bad at it. Really bad.
This wasn’t even a “date” and she was crashing and burning. Just one more reason not to participate in Misty’s study.
Stephanie’s breath caught as Ace’s arm snaked around her lower back. Slowly, he leaned down and spoke close to her ear. “Do you have any idea how adorable you are?”
She couldn’t speak. She wanted to, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out.
He lifted his head and stared down at her and since she couldn’t answer verbally she shook her head back and forth. The left corner of his mouth turned up in a lop-sided grin that showcased the deep dimple that lived there and the sight was so sexy she wouldn’t be surprised if her panties melted off her body right then and there.
This time when he leaned down to speak he got close enough that she felt the warmth of his breath down her neck. “Well, you are and I like it. I like it a lot.”
Oh boy. When she’d nicknamed him trouble, she hadn’t had any idea how right on the mark she’d been. Other guys had hit on her. Told her that she was pretty. Beautiful. Sexy, even. But those compliments had always seemed so impersonal to her. Adorable felt…personal.
“You’re here!” She heard Simone’s scream just seconds before she felt herself being ripped away from Ace and crushed against her sister. “I’ve been waiting for you all night! I was so worried.”
Stephanie seriously doubted that. Her sister wasn’t the waiting or worrying kind. The only explanation for this sudden burst of sibling love and public display of affection was that she needed something.
Simone pulled back and smiled brightly. “Sissy, do you think I could borrow your car? Allie, Spencer, Jules and I want to go to the city. We need to work on that project you and I talked about. You know find some audition material.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, it’s only ten. It’s early.”
