Love Match (2 page)

“Nothing really.” Summoning her courage, she looked him
straight in the eye. “You?”

Ace settled back to study her. “Mainly I’m thinking about
how gorgeous you look.”

Chloe laughed. “What? This old thing?” Letting her laughter
fade into a smile, she ran her hands over the silky dark-blue fabric covering
her thighs. “It is pretty, isn’t it? Bliss designed it and so I splurged a
little. Most accountants-slash-moms-slash-small-town girls don’t find many
occasions to get all dressed up. I couldn’t wait to slip into it.”

Ace went still then reached up to snag a long curl. He wound
it lazily around his finger, his hot gaze focused on her lips. “And I’d sure as
hell like to slip you out of it.”

Her breath caught at his words, but then she realized this
was Ace she was talking with. He’d always been a straightforward man. What she
saw was what she got with him. Maybe that’s why their relationship had always
worked. She was a much more careful person and prone to hide away in that
protective little shell she’d built. Bottom line was, Ace had always made her
laugh. If he thought she was wrong, he said so. If she looked pretty, he said
it. She’d always loved that about him.

She flashed him a smile, dredging up her inner wanton. She
wouldn’t see most of these people again after tonight. It was freeing. Teasing
him, she grabbed the knot of his tie, pulled him close. She pressed her lips to
his chin and looked him straight in the eye. “You’re moving awfully fast,
especially since you haven’t seen me for ten years.”

“Feels like yesterday to me, Chloe.”

“In case I haven’t said it, Ace, you are looking awfully
good too. You’re even sexier now than you were then, and that’s saying a lot.”

A flash of heat simmered in his eyes along with a bit of
surprise. She’d never been a forward person, and that naughty little imp
dancing in her mind was tickled pink that she was stepping so neatly out of her
comfort zone. It was about time.

Just then, she made the decision.

If she was ever going to have a hot, down-and-dirty affair,
who better to do it with than Ace Banner, the man she’d never been able to forget
completely? She’d return home in a few days but at least she’d go with the
knowledge that she could feel something again.

Maybe it was time to make a memory or two.

Chapter Two

Ace watched the expression on Chloe’s face change and felt
his heart speed up to a frantic pace. Damn, but she was pretty. Always had
been, but now there was a maturity about her, the evidence of heartbreak mixed
with strength on her face. She was a delicate woman, soft and sweet, possessed
of an inner calm that soothed him, but it was readily apparent she’d been
through a lot. Hell, she was still going through it. A single mom raising a
daughter, and a wife who’d lost a man she obviously cared for.

The flash of bitter regret he felt caught him off guard. If
he’d played his cards right, he would have been the man who’d built a home with
her and begun raising a family.

“You are my biggest regret, Chloe.” Ace caught her hand and
lifted it to press his mouth to her fingers.

A quick frown puckered her brow. “What do you mean?”

Releasing her hand, he sent his fingers into her hair to cup
her head. “I never should’ve let you go.”

Her pansy-blue eyes widened incrementally then lowered to
zero in on his lips. Lust zipped straight to his cock. Arousal rolled through
his belly as his erection pressed painfully against the cotton of his briefs.
He was hers, all hers, if she wanted him. Ace traced her high, delicate
cheekbones with his thumbs. “I’ve called myself every kind of dumbass for the
past ten years.”

Chloe leaned close, the scent of her light perfume filling
his head. Her lips grazed his teasingly. “Life’s too damn short for regrets.
Haven’t you figured that out yet? Still, I figure you have a lot to make up
for, big guy. Why don’t we start now, hm? Penance, maybe? Penance for leaving me
behind instead of taking me with you. What do you say, Ace? How about I show
you what you’ve been missing?”

He might have been a fool once before but no longer. No
longer was he a wet-behind-the-ears pup. Right now, the sweetest dream of his
life was looking up at him with a sexy eat-me-up smile and he was going to take
advantage. Ace grinned at her and stood to take her hand. Not caring about the
crowd that seethed around them, he drew her up and wrapped her in his arms.
“Yeah, how about it?”

Settling his hand at the tender dip of her back, he pulled
her close and pressed his lips lightly to hers. Her breasts settled seductively
against the front of his shirt, making his fingers practically itch to palm the
firm mounds. She was lush and curvy and more woman than he’d ever held in his
arms before.

She was perfect. At least, perfect for him. She always had
been.

“Let’s go,” he whispered against the shell of her ear. He
grabbed up the beaded black bag that was too small to hold a damn toothpick and
pressed it into her hands. As he propelled her toward the perimeter of the
crowd, she tossed him a quick, frantic look. “Second thoughts?” he taunted with
a grin.

Her curls bounced as she shook her head and firmed her
rounded chin. “Uh-uh.”

Ace laughed. “Good girl.”

He ushered her from the crowded ballroom, relieved to find
the hallway leading to the elevators abandoned. With lust riding him hard, he
pressed the elevator button, delighted again when the doors slid soundlessly
open. Ace hurried her inside, hit the button for the very top floor, and the
instant the car began to move, he pressed her against a mirrored wall and took
her mouth.

Hunger ripped through his belly as he plunged his tongue
into the warm sweetness of her mouth and sent his hands on a slow tour of her
lush curves. Unable to resist a second longer, he filled his hands with Chloe’s
full breasts. Her nipples, hard and delicately puckered, pressed his palms.
With aching tenderness, he pulled and plucked them before scraping his
thumbnail over them to tease her further.

Chloe made a soft little sound and jerked away from the
kiss, panting softly. “Wait! We can’t.”

Ace settled his mouth on her jaw and spoke against it. “Why
the hell not?”

“I’m an accountant, for God’s sake,” she gasped. “We’re the
most boring people on the planet. We’re in an elevator, for cryin’ out loud.”

He had to laugh. He released her breasts and sent his hands
under the silky fabric of her dress, snagging her behind the knee with his
forearm to lift her leg high and open. “Ah, but I love a practical woman. Warms
my heart. Makes me hot. Didn’t you know that about me?”

“You’re bad. Bad. Bad. Bad.”

Ace nipped her throat. His other hand reached down to find
the flesh of her belly. “Uh-uh, honey, I’m good and it’s about time I refreshed
your memory.”

“Sassy man.”

“Ah babe, you’re killin’ me. Men aren’t sassy.” He plunged
his fingers into the front of her itty-bitty panties. Her pussy was soaked and
Ace groaned in response as he dragged his fingers over melting layers of heaven
on earth. Finding her clit hard and swollen, he took it between his fingers to
gently tease. “Oh hell. Okay, I’ll be sassy if you want me to be. I’ll be
anything you damn well want. Anything.”

“Ace.”

As he teased and plucked her swollen clit, she writhed
against the wall of the old elevator. “We’re almost there.”

“Yeah, oh God.”

“No, I mean, we’re almost at my floor,” he whispered. “No
time, no time. Come for me, sweetheart. Come now.”

He flicked her clit with his thumb and felt the rain of her
passion dampen his hand. Sweat beaded his brow but he didn’t give a shit. He
wanted to feel her come, hard and fast.

Chloe went still against him. Ace increased the pressure and
when her mouth opened on a gasping breath, he kissed her, drinking her cries as
she came apart in his arms.

With a little ding, the door slid open. Ace lifted Chloe in
his arms and carried her down the dimly lit corridor. God, he loved the way she
burrowed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her breath played over
his ear and he swore roundly. If he didn’t get inside her soon, he thought he’d
die. He was ready to blast off like a rocket and, oh hell yes, he wanted to be
inside her when he came. When they reached his door, he reluctantly set her on
her feet and reached into the breast pocket of his sport coat for his key. His
hands were shaking and he hoped like hell she wouldn’t notice.

Cool air swept from the room the second the door was open
and he wasted little time ushering her inside.

Ace watched Chloe shiver. She wasn’t the kind of woman to
jump easily into bed with just anyone and her nerves were unmistakable. He
wasn’t vain enough to imagine she was still shivering from the orgasm he’d just
given her. Hoping to head things off at the pass, he took the elegant black
evening bag from her hand and tossed it onto a small table.

“Look at me, honey.”

Chloe turned and mustered up a heartbreaking smile. “There’s
been no one since Scott,” she said simply. Tears swam in her eyes. Emotion
threatened to bring him to his knees.

He went to her and settled a hand at the side of her neck.
“He loved you, didn’t he?”

“Uh-huh.” Her voice broke over the response and his mouth
went dry.

“Then he would want you to be happy. He’d want you to have a
life.”

“Yeah. He would.”

“Why don’t you start it tonight? With me?”

She laughed softly, a little breathlessly, and Ace felt his
heart turn over. “A good plan. Why don’t you come closer?”

Ace didn’t need to be asked twice. Giving his tie a yank, he
shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it, along with the tie, on a chair then reached
for her. With unerring accuracy, he reached behind her to find the back
fastening of her dress. He unzipped it, drew the miniscule sleeves over her
shoulders and sent the garment down so it landed in a puddle around her ankles.
Bending down, he lifted one foot then the other, tossed the dress aside and
then went to work on her heels.

Once he was standing again, he looked his fill at the vision
she presented. “Lordy, woman! Your body ought to be outlawed,” he whispered.
His breath caught and held. Gone was the shy awkwardness. Gone was any hint of
a woman unsure of how to go about this whole relationship and sex kind of
thing.

Black lace covered the mounds of her breasts, allowing him
only a teasing glimpse of her pale flesh, and the lacy little scrap of fabric
that passed for panties made his mouth water for a taste of the secrets they
hid. “You are beautiful.”

Ace didn’t want nerves to interfere with his plans. He moved
in to stake his claim, cupping her breasts, kneading them lightly. His thumbs
swept her hard nipples then scratched lightly. Chloe’s head dropped back on a
whimper. Replacing his thumbs with his teeth, he raked them over each distended
tip, knowing the abrasion of the lace would feel delicious against her nipples.
Finally he opened his mouth over her, sucking through the fabric. He filled his
hands with her luscious ass.

A thong!

Damn, but he loved those things.

Her flesh was firm and warm, making Ace’s cock pulse. He
moved in closer to kiss her with barely restrained hunger and pressed his
erection to her hot little pussy. Kneading her ass, he moved his finger through
the shadowy cleft then lower to prod her opening. “You’re so sweet and wet,
Chloe. I love how drenched you are.”

His touch must have flipped a switch inside her because her
arms went around him, one leg lifting to settle around his hip. Slowly he
dipped one finger and then two deep into her pussy. Her little cry of pleasure
threatened to send him careening.

“Gotta take the edge off, darlin’,” he breathed against her
neck. “Later, slow. Now, fast.”

“Yes. Fast is good. I like fast.”

With her quick acquiescence, Ace snagged the top of her
thong then pulled it down and off her body. The lacy little bra went next.
Hunger tore through his belly as he latched on to a hard pink nipple and
sucked. His fingers found her center, loving the way her cream coated them.
Chloe’s hands went into his hair and Ace thought he’d lose it then and there.
Releasing her nipple, he reached for the bedding and yanked it down, hoping
like hell he didn’t come off like some kind of wild man.

Yeah, wild man.

That was exactly how he felt right now.

Expectation, hope and lust all mixed together, bursting
through him as he gathered Chloe up and laid her on the bed. She looked like a
virgin sacrifice spread out, pale and naked on the sheets, blinking up at him.

“Wanted to take my time, honey. I really did,” he said as he
tore at the buttons on his shirt and flung it aside. When he reached for his
belt and the zipper of his slacks, Chloe surprised him by sitting up.

“Wait. Let me.”

Ace drew in a sharp breath the moment she stroked her
fingers over his sides and down his belly. His balls drew up tight against his
body. And then she unfastened and unzipped and anticipation caused his heart to
race. Breath choppy, billowing from his lungs, Ace closed his eyes when her
mouth met his flesh. Her tongue swept out, her teeth nipped.

Damn.

No longer willing to wait another second to claim her, he
stepped back and bared himself to the skin. His aching cock rose high and hard.
He was imagining Chloe’s mouth on him, swallowing him whole, when suddenly she
held it in her firm grasp and settled her damp lips against his throbbing cock.

“You’re so hot, Ace. Even more gorgeous than you were
before.” Her voice whispered over his cock and he fought to stifle a groan as
sensation zipped wicked fingers over every hard inch.

Ace sucked in a breath, sinking his fingers into her soft
curls. Her tongue swept his shaft, tasting him, and he suddenly wondered if
he’d ever felt anything so good in his entire sorry life. He watched her mouth
work him, felt her fingers reach around to dig into his ass to pull him closer.
Pleasure threatened to send him to his knees. When she tenderly cupped his
balls, he gave up all pretense of composure.

“Enough.”

Fisting his hands in her hair, he drew her head back. Her
lips were swollen and moist-looking, her eyes dazed with pleasure. “Let me
finish you, Ace. Please.”

“You’re killin’ me, honey.” He shook his head, pressing her
back against the sheets. “Your turn.”

“Ace!”

“I’m gonna eat you, Chloe. I’ve always loved the way you
taste.”

She’d waited two long years for a man to touch her with love
and desire, and by God, he was that man. It was time sweet little Chloe began
to live again. Him too, for that matter. He was damn sick of waiting for his
life to really begin. He wanted her now. Fast, hard, deep. Hell, any way he
could get her.

Reaching down, he parted her thighs and lifted her knees
over his shoulders. He bent his lips to her pussy and, using his thumbs, parted
her labia to expose her completely to his gaze. Chloe’s delicate pink folds
were shiny with moisture and, unable to resist, he swept his tongue over her
soft flesh.

Chloe gasped and the sound spurred him forward as he ate her
pussy with determined licks and nibbles. Stiffening his tongue, he stabbed it
deep and repeatedly into her clenching channel before finally taking her
swollen clit into his mouth to suck gently. He squeezed the cheeks of her ass,
pulling her closer, and then dipped his fingers into her pussy, loving the way
her vaginal walls pulsed around them.

The soft little sounds Chloe made nearly drove him nuts.

Finally he felt her body go still. She tightened. Carefully
crooking the fingers buried deep in her pussy, he lightly rubbed the sensitive
spot behind her pubic bone and Chloe cried out. He sucked her clit harder and
her cry rose a decibel as she came against his lips and tongue.

Ace rose up, snagged a condom from the top of his bedside
table and tore the wrapper open. Keeping eye contact with the dazed love of his
life, he gritted his teeth as he rolled the condom on, protecting them both.

“I’m crazy about you, Chloe. Do you know that?”