Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

SOPHIE

Ace Beckham over the months had never looked at me like he was right now.

Not this long. Not with this intensity that made it actually feel like he had recalled that night.

That he had not been too drunk while his tongue swiped through mine, claiming every part of me. Mind, body and soul.

That I had not been too easy to erase from his mind.

I was dumbstruck, he was too. And I watched in complete awe as his adams apple bobbed in a swallow.

“I’m heading back to my room.” He pulled his gaze away from me, the movement so smooth I would have almost thought I imagined that he had stared at me for more than five seconds. “I have to practice.”

Mrs Abigail frowned, oblivious to the temperature in the living room that had dropped so low I felt a shiver climb up my spine. “But you’ve not had dinner yet, I thought you might be hungry.”

“Not anymore.” He mumbled, turning and walking back into the dimed staircase.

I bit my lower lip, pushing my eyes to the rug.

Jaxon moved next, but unlike Ace, he gave his mom a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll come down for dinner, I just need to get some things checked.”

Mrs Abigail sighed, “Sophie darling, I am so sorry, this was not how I saw this introduction going.”

I met her gaze with a small smile, “No, it’s okay, really! I’m just glad to be here.”

She returned my smile, and a figure next to us shifted. Josh.

Unlike Ace and Jaxon who had both not bothered to acknowledge my existence, Josh waved. His brown wavy hair falling over his face. He looked no more than twelve.

“Excuse my brothers, they are just not really good with strangers.” He shrugged, “I’m Josh by the way. Nice to meet you.”

I did a little bow, “Sophie, thank you for the warm welcome, Josh.”

Josh nodded and walked out, Mrs Abigail next to us smiled, rubbing her belly bump. “Okay, so Sophie I was wondering if you would be cool with starting tonight? I really hate to put you to work on your first day but—“

“No apologies needed, Mrs Abigail, I promise.” I shook my head softly, “I would be glad to attend to anything you need.”

Abigail’s eyes lit up happily. “Thank goodness. I was thinking we could make dinner. Come on let me show you to your room and then the kitchen.”

***

I had been shown my room, and I couldn’t even control the squeak that had escaped me. Hell, I knew for sure I was going to be lost searching for which exact door belonged to me.

The first thing I wanted to do was text Maddie and threaten her with actual jail time, but Mrs Abigail had been waiting downstairs and I knew she couldn’t stand for long, not with her pregnancy already at her due month.

Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I secured it with a cute pink hair band and rushed downstairs. How I remembered the stairwell, I didn’t know. Considering I was trying to make sure to completely avoid places where Ace would be.

How could I avoid him in his own house?

I tugged a strand of loose hair behind my ear as I joined Mrs Abigail in the kitchen. She showed me a book of recipes and healthy drinks for preparations.

And I decided there and then, I was not going to mess this up.

Especially not when Mrs Abigail was this nice to me. Actually, I think I was being paranoid for nothing.

Ace didn’t remember me, so to him, I was just the random girl who worked in his house. All I had to do was act the part. And see? Easy peasy.

“Sophie, could you please take this coffee tray to Ace’s room? And have him know dinner is served.”

“What?!” My eyes widened. “Me?”

Mrs Abigail's brows drew together in confusion, and I instantly straightened my posture.

“Ofcourse me!” I forced an awkward laugh, Who else would it be. “Sorry, I just… was startled.”

No no no, this didn’t look easy peasy. How the hell was I going to succeed in avoiding him if I had to go to his room to give him coffee?

“That’s okay!” She placed the tray bearing a steaming cup of coffee and a wooden spoon in my outstretched hand. “His door is the third by the right in the hallway.”

“Got it!” I absolutely did not get it.

Oh fuck. I really was going to kill Maddie. I was going to skin her alive until all that was left of her was her bones.

I took the steps one at a time, dreading my mission with each step forward I took.

This should be easy. Knock, shove it into his hand. Leave. Easy fucking Peasy.

I exhaled, knocking on the exact door Mrs Abigail had described.

One minute passed. My fingers clutching the tray was shaking now, the tea cup making chattering sounds on the tea saucepan.

Two minutes. I huffed an anxious breath, shifting my weight from one leg to another.

Come on! Steady yourself. He’s just a man. You can do this.

Just as I was about to knock the second time, the door creaked open, leaving my hand hanging midair.

And at the threshold of the door. Stood a god in all his glory.

And there I knew. I absolutely, could not, do this.

Ace Beckham was shirtless.

I gasped, watching as droplets of water drifted from his wet hair, trailing down his well defined abs that begged to be worshipped. Rolling down his skin and into his…

Oh heavens. The goddess above fucking take me. He was trouser-less too. A towel hung low on his waist, the scent of strawberry after shower filling my nostrils as I stared at the V that was so visible through the towel.

Knowing that if that towel fell—

“What do you think you are doing?”

I snapped my eyes to meet his frowning gaze. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! He had caught me checking him out.

“I… um, Mrs Abigail asked… to give you this and tell you that,” I swallowed, my heart racing so hard it hurt. Now I realized why it had been so easy to forget me. I was such a nerd. An awkward social embarrassment. I would forget me too.

He tilted his head slowly to the side, his blue eyes slowly going down my neck, and then my breast. My breath hitched, his gaze moved to the worn out jeans I wore. And next to the coffee in my hand. “To tell me, what?”

“To… come down for dinner.” The words tumbled out faster than I would have liked them to.

His grip on the door tightened, and then he took a step to the side, opening the door wider and giving me space.

I looked up at him, Ace was tall, way taller than I ever could be. He towered over me easily. “You want me to… come in?”

“Were you expecting me to drop the coffee tray myself?”

My grip on the tray tightened, and I frowned at him. Asshole. I walked in, and the fresh scent of strawberries were everywhere in his room. Not a piece of clothing was misplaced.

He had to have some crazy OCD tendencies, considering how neatly arranged everything here was.

I shook my head, walking to the bedstand table and dropping the coffee tray there.

Maddie would never believe me I told her I just saw Ace in nothing but a towel. She would ask me to try drawing the scene.

A wave of heat passed through my stomach and into my core at the exact remembrance of how that droplet of water had raced down his ….

Oh gods. I had to leave his room.

I turned, ready to bolt but a scream lurched from my throat.

Ace was standing before me. Directly in front of me, barely leaving any space between us, my head spun in shock, and the back of my leg lost its footing.

I fell backwards, my eyes widened as I waited for the impact of the hot tea bearing into my back and turning me into barbecue.

But with the speed of lightning, Ace reached out, his hand wrapping around my waist as he held me mid fall.

I whipped my eyes open, my fingers were on his abs from the desperate feat of clawing and trying to find what I could hold on to.

His. Bare. Chest.

My heart rate dropped into an ocean as I slowly lifted my eyes to his. Taking in our posture.

His body was slouched over mine, his hand around my waist, holding me, his fingers rested on the side of my waist, his eyes boring into mine as my hand on his chest tensed. His muscles twitched underneath my fingers, his breath quickening as I felt the thrumming of his heart. It was beating thrice as fast as a normal one should have.

Fuck, what have I done. I pulled my hand away from his chest so fast it looked like he burned me.

But he didn’t let go of me. His eyes trailed to my eyelids, to the dot birthmark that rested at the corner of my eye. And slowly, my nose…. And then my lips.

My breath stuttered. My heart racing like I could feel his touch through his gaze.

His fingers on my waist tensed, flexing over my clothed skin, but I might as well have not been clothed. Because I could feel everything. And a wave like nothing I ever knew rushed in-between my legs.

He tilted his head, pulling his gaze from my lips and back to my eyes, but his annoyance was back. “You do know I am an Alpha and I can smell your heat. Don’t you, Sunshine?”

My eyes shot into saucers, the trance breaking instantly. And I… died.