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The energy crackling between them was so electric he was surprised that there weren’t sparks flying off the two of them. His instinct was screaming for him to lean down and kiss her. Pressing his lips to hers felt like it was the right thing to do but he hesitated.
After dancing with Stephanie tonight, spending time talking with her, he knew more than ever that what was happening between them was different. Special. More. And he was leaving tomorrow. There was a possibility he’d be gone for weeks. If it was a normal assignment through Elite, he might’ve asked to be reassigned. But this was different. This was a military contract that Elite had gotten specifically because of Ace’s skill set. He had to go, which left unanswered questions.
Was it really a good idea to start something and then just abandon it? What if she felt discarded or used? What if his absence made her doubt that anything between them could be real?
Or he guessed the opposite argument could be made.
Was it a good idea to leave without acting on what he felt? What if some guy swept her off her feet while he was gone? What if he missed his window?
He was still trying to make the call when the music stopped and Chase and Ginny thanked the crowd before leaving the stage. Ace knew this time would come, when he’d have to let go of Stephanie, but that didn’t mean he was ready for it. His arms dropped and they both began cheering with the rest of the crowd.
“Steph?”
Both Ace and Stephanie turned at the sound of her name. When they did, she stiffened beside Ace. Gone was the girl that had been dancing, laughing and enjoying herself. On pure instinct he returned his hand to her lower back. He told himself that it was for support, and that was part of it. But the other part was he didn’t like this guy or how he was looking at Stephanie like he owned her.
“Mason. Hello.” Ace noticed that she swallowed hard before making introductions. “Ace this is Mason. Mason, Ace.”
“Hey, man.” Ace intentionally kept his voice casual knowing it would piss Mason off.
He recognized this guy immediately. Not him specifically but his type. Growing up, he’d been surrounded by “Masons.” Privileged assholes that thought the world should bow to their every whim because their parents had money.
Mason didn’t disappoint, he ignored the greeting completely, meaning it got under his skin. His focus remained on Stephanie. He scanned her from head to toe before asking with disdain. “Is that new?”
Ace was two seconds away from asking this guy to come talk to him outside where they could discuss how to treat a lady. The only thing stopping him was Stephanie. He had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate him introducing his fist to Mason’s face.
Instead of her posture growing more rigid at the asshole’s comment, she actually relaxed. Flashing a smile that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes, Stephanie ran her hand down the front of her dress. “No it’s not. I’ve had it for years, you’ve just never seen it. Thanks for noticing.”
He waited for Stephanie to add a “bless your heart,” which was basically the Southern way of saying “fuck off.” But even without it the sentiment was clear.
Mason’s expression remained unchanged. His stare was fixed on Stephanie.
It was obvious to Ace that the two of them shared history. Logically, Ace knew that whatever had happened between them had nothing to do with him. It was none of his business. He’d only known Stephanie for a month and only really talked to her tonight. Never before had he been territorial or possessive. In fact, he’d felt sorry for guys he’d served with that would go crazy thinking about their partners back home and what they might be doing. The green-eyed monster had always been one of those things that he’d thought you chose to invite into your emotional world or not. He’d been wrong. Because the way Mason was staring at Stephanie was definitely inciting some jealousy. It was that or blind rage, and since he’d never experienced either he couldn’t really tell. And he didn’t really care because what he was feeling didn’t matter.
All that mattered was the girl standing beside him. Which should scare the shit out of him, but instead it just felt right.
***
Stephanie’s mind was flipping back and forth between being relieved that she’d run into Mason with Ace at her side and being completely mortified for the same reason. As much as she prided herself on being totally independent, she couldn’t help feeling a small thrill that raced through her when Ace placed his hand on her back.
It was a subtle move, but one she was sure Mason hadn’t missed. Her ex didn’t miss anything. From the look on his face she was pretty sure he’d seen her dancing with Ace and he wasn’t happy about it. Not because he still cared about her…that would imply that he’d ever cared about her. He simply didn’t like her going on with her life because in his twisted reality that meant someone could actually get over the great Mason Augustus Chatsworth III. His parting shot to her four years ago had been, “You’ll regret this. Mark my words, you’re nothing without me.”
“We need to talk, Steph.” Mason reached for her arm.
She moved it away. “No, we don’t.”
“Steph.” Mason’s voice dropped several octaves. That was his not-so-subtle I’m-serious voice. The one she no longer had to listen to.
“It was nice seeing you. Have a good night, Mason.” She knew that her dismissal wouldn’t go over well, but at this point she just wanted him to leave.
“I’m going to be in town for the next couple of weeks. I’ll see you soon.”
With that unwelcome promise he moved off the dance floor and headed towards the bar.
“Sorry about that.” She glanced up at Ace and found him still staring at Mason’s retreating back. His expression was cold and hard.
Earlier tonight they had chatted about his years in Special Forces and also the work he did now. At the time it was difficult for her to think of him in that role, but seeing his expression now, it wasn’t.
“Is he Mr. Fresh and Healthy?”
