WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?

 Ace had never been one to show interest in women. He barely gave them the time of day as he grew up believing that women were betrayers and gold diggers.

He was someone who didn't believe in giving people second chances and the idea of harming women did not appeal to him, so he avoided them like the plague—though there were exceptions for those who tried to cross him. Generally, however, he saw women as unnecessarily trouble-prone.

However, as he stood watching Ava from the top of the stairs, he was reminded of his college days, back when he casually pursued any woman that caught his attention until the one he trusted betrayed him.

That was more than ten years ago, and he had since buried any desire or cravings he ever had for romance. Somehow, the young woman dancing in front of him had instantly reignited those feelings. He suddenly wanted to pull her close, completely captivated by her presence.

He could tell that she wasn't a professional dancer or someone from the club's staff; those were always easily noticeable due to heavy styling. But this girl was different. Her face was bare of makeup, and she was barefoot.

Her vibrant energy seemed to call out to him, and as if he were under a spell, he began walking toward her.

At a corner of the club, someone took out their phone to record Ava, who was dancing with wild abandon. However, before they could capture the video, they saw Ace walking straight toward her.

Knowing that crossing Ace could be dangerous, they quickly hid their phone and quietly walked out of the club.

Ace kept walking until he was standing right in front of Ava. She stared up at the tall figure before her and pulled him closer by his shirt. Some of the guys in the club gasped, thinking Ace was going to punish her, as women were strictly not allowed to touch him.

Ace, however, kept staring down at the young woman. She took his hands from his sides, placed them gently against her, and circled one arm around his neck.

"I've been waiting for you, handsome," she whispered. "What took you so long?"

Ace raised his brows in surprise as her hand slid down to touch him, sending a jolt through his system. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he knew nothing would stop him from taking this beauty away with him.

Taking charge, he gently cupped her face and locked lips with her in a fiery, breathless kiss.

He preferred privacy for this kind of thing and knew he needed to get her out of the club. Glancing down at the floor, he saw her clothes scattered. He bent down and picked up her top. Slipping it over her to cover her, he lifted her off the ground and carried her out of the club.

Ace's men stared at each other in surprise and quickly followed behind him. Meanwhile, Eve, who was outside, watched in astonishment as Ace carried Ava toward his car and placed her in the passenger seat.

One of his men ran over to take the keys, but Ace stopped him. "It's fine, Milan. I'll drive. You can join the others."

The man nodded, a look of disbelief on his face, and hurried to join one of the three escort cars.

As Ace drove out of the club premises, Ava began to squirm. Overwhelmed by the electric tension between them, she unbuckled the seatbelt he had placed across her body and freed herself.

She shifted toward him and reached for his face to kiss him. The sudden movement nearly cost them their lives as Ace had to swerve, narrowly avoiding a truck.

Ace's men, driving right behind them, watched in shock as Ace wrestled with the steering wheel and pulled the car safely to the side of the road.

Because she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, Ava bumped her forehead and winced when Ace reached out to check on her. Oblivious to the danger, she immediately reached for his face again, pulling him in for a kiss.

Ace stared at her. With anyone else, there would have been swift consequences, but seeing her, his annoyance melted into a deep, consuming pull.

He killed the engine, grateful for the tinted windows, and leaned into her kiss.

His men had all parked behind them. Milan ran over and knocked on the window. Recognizing the knock, Ace picked up Ava's blouse to cover her before rolling the window down an inch.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he told Milan. "I'll move in a few minutes."

Milan nodded and hurried back to inform the others. Ace rolled the window back up and looked at Ava, who was pouting in frustration.

He leaned in close, wrapping his arms around her as their lips met again in a deep, dizzying kiss. Ava threaded her fingers through his hair, her breath catching as the heat between them escalated.

She stared at him with heavy, longing eyes and whispered, "Please don't make me wait."

Ace smiled faintly, kissing her temple before whispering against her skin, "You'll have to wait just a little longer, princess. We'll be home in a few minutes, and I promise to show you a night you'll never forget."

Seeing her pout, he softened, a low chuckle escaping him as he shifted back into the driver's seat. Ava leaned in close beside him, her hands lingering as Ace started the engine and pulled back onto the road and said, "oh fuck, princess. You are setting me on fire."