ACE
H arley was unlike anyone I’d ever met. She both intrigued and confounded me, had me raging with frustration and hot with desire. This woman may very well be my kryptonite.
Despite it all, I played her game. She didn’t date? No problem. Labels were almost always for show, anyway. I didn’t need a label, but I did need more Harley Sanders in my life.
We stared at each other for a couple of seconds after that ridiculous conversation, each waiting for the other to make their next move. Being around Harley was like being inside a physical game of chess. And for all my experience with women, it still felt like she was about to call the final checkmate at any moment.
What neither of us could deny, though, was our attraction to one another.
We needed to stop talking, stop antagonizing each other, and remember how we felt in the moments before we touched. Reaching out to cup her face with both my hands, I peered down at her. The tension between us was electric.
“I don’t care about labels, but I care about you. It’s fine to joke around, but I am serious about you, Harley.”
I watched closely as her breathing became shorter, her pupils dilated, and she shifted in her hips. Gotcha, baby.
“Okay…” she began slowly, repeatedly tucking the same pink strand behind her left ear. “I enjoy hanging out with you, Ace. Continuing could be fun, but I need you to know something too…”
I nodded immediately. “Anything. Spill it.”
“We do this my way. I was serious about what I said earlier. No sex. Sex makes things confusing and I need a clear head.”
I let a few seconds go by before I answered her.
“No problem. Let’s take it slow. You’re in charge. But… know that I too am serious about what I said earlier. You still don’t get to look at or touch another man.” I warned.
Harley chuckled. “Done. Just make sure you follow your own rules.”
Warmth settled over me. “Harley, I don’t believe in double standards. If I commit myself to you, you will never have to worry that I’m deceiving you. The only thing you have to worry about is how you’re going to resist me over the coming weeks.” I joked, adding a quick wink to my words.
At first, a little smile hovered in the corners of her mouth, but only for a second before she nodded. “I can definitely outlast you.” She challenged, slowly biting that juicy lower lip of hers.
Fuck. I was so going to fail at this.