Building Faith (Long Beach Series Book 2) (15 page)

I swallow hard, and my eyes shift to where I'm clutching the white, lace bra to my breasts. I'm immediately tossed back into that mindset where I don't want him to see me naked. Baring myself to him would make me too vulnerable. If I see the slightest hint of disappointment in his gaze, I'd shatter into a million pieces.

Ace must see the struggle I'm having within myself, because his hands leave my shoulders to cover the ones that are clutching my bra. They are gentle as he grips both of my hands. “Trust me,” he repeats as he tugs at them.

I don't want to let go of the bra, but it's also sinking in that I'm probably making a fool out of myself by refusing to do as he asks. This is Ace standing here with me. He's someone that I've gotten to know for weeks now, and I
know
he would never do or say anything that would humiliate me. He is not Justin. Ace wouldn't have me drop my bra if he was going to insult what it'll reveal.

With a shaky sigh, I let him pull my hands away so that the bra drops at my feet. I stare hard at his expression reflected in the mirror, waiting to see what he thinks. His gray eyes roam over my small breasts slowly until a smile tugs at his lips. His eyes shift to mine, and they are alight with approval and something raw...and most definitely sexual. I watch his beautiful face alter into something sinful.

“Let me show you what I see,” he says in a low, husky voice. His hands reach up to settle on each side of my ribs, causing me to tense. Feeling his bare hands on me has my panties dampening again. I watch as his large, tanned hands slide up to my breasts. My lips part when he cups the small globes in his hands, and my heart thrums wildly in my chest.

Ace's head moves in close to my ear, his eyes still fastened on his hands. “Perfect,” he says firmly. “A woman's body is attractive no matter what size breasts or hips she has. You're so small and petite, you'd look out of proportion if you had big tits. Small tits work on you, Faith. They drive me nuts, because I'm finding that I've got a thing for
yours.
”

I quit breathing as I listen to his husky voice in my ear. I'm unable to look away as his hands open up to bare my breasts again. I see that my nipples are taut now, and I bite my lip.

“You know what I really like?” he murmurs, his breath tickling my ear.

I shiver slightly. “What?” I ask a bit breathlessly.

“I like these.” His hands cup my breasts again, only this time he positions his thumbs so that they hover over my nipples. “Your nipples are small, like little berries. I want to play with them, make them firm up even more.” His head tilts slightly near my own as he studies my breasts closely in the mirror. “I love the color of them. Such a pretty pink. It makes me wonder if your pussy's the same shade.”

My body is tense, all my nerve endings wired and waiting as his words turn me on like nothing else has.

His eyes shift to mine, and I see a knowing gleam in them. He knows exactly what he's doing to me, and he's enjoying it. “Want me to touch them?” he asks almost casually.

I lick my lower lip nervously. His eyes drop to my lips briefly, his jaw clenching slightly. “Only if you want to,” I tell him quietly.

“If I want to?” he echoes. His eyes lock on mine again. “You have no idea the things I want to do to you. But right now, I want to play with your tits. I want to hear you moan and squirm. I want to give you the pleasure you deserve. I'm going to make you come tonight, Angel.”

His bold admission has my heart skipping a beat, and my mouth going dry. He wants to give me my first orgasm. God, I want that, too.

“Can I make you come, Faith?”

I nod with anticipation, but then doubt as I look around the bathroom. “Here?”

He gives me a lascivious smile. “Fuck, yeah. I want you to watch what I do to this little body. I want you to see how much it turns me on.”

“Oh.”

He chuckles lowly. “Yes,
oh.
” His eyes narrow on my own as his thumbs begin to work over the pert, little tips of my breasts.

Pleasure shoots straight to my core, and I gasp. It feels amazing, and my breath quickens as he determinedly rolls my nipples in circles with his thumbs. I can feel my body tensing and going on high alert as I lean into him slightly while I enjoy his ministrations.

In the past, Justin had played with my breasts, but it certainly hadn't turned me on as much as Ace's touch does. My head tilts back to rest on his shoulder as my eyes grow heavy-lidded. I feel his index fingers join his thumbs, and now he's rolling both sensitive tips between his fingers. My lower body squirms restlessly, and I moan as the pleasure intensifies. I want more. It feels so good...

“I'm going to touch you, Faith. I'll keep my hand over your panties, okay?” I hear Ace breath in my ear.

I'm beyond talking, so I nod as my head lifts so I can watch as one of his hands leaves my breasts and slowly trails downward and over my stomach. He expertly unsnaps my shorts, and I watch as he pulls them down so that they crumple at my feet. I nudge them aside with a toe as his tanned hand skims over my lower belly and then down over my pubic bone. It settles between my legs, and I wonder if he can feel how wet my panties are.

“Still okay?”

I tear my eyes from his hand over my white panties to meet his gaze in the mirror. He's watching intently to make sure I am fine with continuing on. I nod.

“Part your legs more.”

I do as he asks, feeling shy, but I'm riding on a rush of arousal, so I'm more than willing to comply with what he wants. My eyes drop to watch his hand.

His fingers move against me as if searching for something, and it feels really good. Ace suddenly groans. “You're fucking soaked.” His hips arch into my back, and he rubs his erection against me. I can't help but let out a soft moan as I realize he's as turned on as I am. His finger finds my sensitive little bud between my folds, and he begins to rub in rhythmic circles over it.

I'm gone in an instant.

I'm barely aware of the whimpers that escape my parted lips as I lean my full weight against Ace's bare chest. My head drops back, eyes closing as I give myself up to the feel of his finger working over me. My hips begin to rhythmically thrust in time to his touch. All my earlier modesty has fallen away as I accept the pleasure he's giving me.

“Yeah, that's it, Angel,” he growls in my ear as he begins to fondle my left breast with his free hand.

I'm panting now, and everything he does to my nipple sends heat down to my core, causing my body to wind up tighter. I thrust against his finger harder, and he rubs that sensitive bud in faster circles. My body tenses and tingles, and I feel like I'm so close to the edge of something...

My lower body suddenly explodes in a fiery mass of intense sensations, and I cry out as I savor the exquisiteness of it until eventually, I slowly come down from it. After I draw in a couple of much needed breaths, I realize Ace's hand is still cupping me between my legs, and I wonder if he can feel the little aftershocks that still rock my inner muscles down there.

My eyes slowly open up, and I lift my head from Ace's shoulder to meet his gaze in the mirror. The expression on his face is one of complete masculine satisfaction. “
Now
, you know you've had an orgasm.”

I flush slightly as I remember how I'd lost myself to the feel of that wondrous build of sensations, my hips greedily grinding against his hand in search of the release I'd needed. I feel suddenly embarrassed, and my eyes drop while my teeth sink into my lower lip. He'd just watched me fall apart in his arms.
Oh my God.
I can't believe I did that. That
we
did that.

Screams come from the living room's surround sound down the hall, startling me. Reality hits me in the face like a cement truck.
What have we
done?
I feel Ace's hand slowly drop from my between my legs, and his other hand leaves my breast. I swallow hard and dare to glance up at him.

The expression on his face mirrors my own. Reality has just closed in around him. He looks shocked, and I swear a hint of fear flickers in his gaze before his entire face shuts down. He backs away from me, and I instantly feel abandoned.

I know he regrets this moment almost as much as I do, and I can't stand to look at him anymore as I avert my gaze. I don't regret that he'd shown me what my body could do, but I do regret that it may very well spell the end of our friendship. I quickly bend down and grab my shorts off the floor. I yank them on, desperate to get away from him as fast as I can.

Ace clears his throat awkwardly. “Faith...”

“It's late. I have to check up on Daisy,” I say in a mumbled rush as I avoid all eye contact with him. I grab my bra off the floor and cross my arms over my breasts as I move around him to hurry into the living room. The movie is still playing, and I quickly grab my shirt and yank it on over my breasts before I crumple my bra in my fist.

I glance towards the hallway and see that Ace is standing there as still as can be. Thanks to the shadows, I can't see his expression, which means he can't see mine, either. I swallow hard and manage to say, “Good night, Ace. See you later,” before I rush from his apartment.

I stand frozen near the hallway as I watch the door shut with a finality that has my chest aching. She just
left
, and all I could do was stand here and watch her go. Screams come from the TV's surround sound, finally pushing me into motion.

I walk over to the coffee table and pick up the remote, stopping the movie. I can't help but hurl the remote across the room as hard as I can out of frustration. It cracks loudly as it connects with the wall before dropping to the floor. The silence in the apartment is now deafening.

There's a part of me that wants to rush off to Faith's, but instead, I let my head drop forward as I run my hands through my hair.

What the hell have I done?

I thought I had the attraction under control. It's been a little easier to control the past few weeks as I've gotten to know Faith more, and it's not just sex that's on my mind when I'm around her these days. I find myself enjoying our conversations. She's so easy to be around, and I'm fully aware that I've been developing strong feelings for her.  I'm not the type that hovers near my phone constantly in hopes of hearing from someone. I don't fucking wake up with the same woman on my mind, and I certainly don't go to bed wondering what she's dreaming.

Hell, I've been alone in my bed for weeks because of
her.
The last woman I had sex with was the night I met Faith, and I'd needed to relieve the boner I'd been sportin' that entire evening. Not only have I been passing up sex, but I've been working hard to gain Faith's trust. Then there's this thing with her ex, and it just eats the ever livin' shit out of me. I've never asked about anyone's ex-boyfriends before, and I certainly haven't imagined the ex's face in place of the punching bag at the gym. If he wasn't rotting in prison, I'd probably track his ass down and kill him for what he's done to Faith. The fact that he messed with her head and would let her think so negatively about herself is what really gets to me.

“Fuck.”

I walk over to the couch and drop down onto it as I rub my face warily. I had everything under control until I stupidly retaliated tonight with that damned tickling. There hadn't been an ulterior motive when I'd made the move, but the second Faith betrayed her attraction to me, I'd felt my restraint crumbling. It was right there, clear as day on her face that she wanted me to kiss her. One look is all it took, and I pussied out and went for it.

If only I could have ended things when she got skittish about her tits. I should have, but that's not how I roll. There's no way I would have let her out of the apartment thinking that her tits are unattractive because they happen to be small. I'd wanted to show her just how sexy they are. I like how they're small and pert, with nipples that are just begging for attention. I had to prove to her how much they drive me crazy.

My fucking dick took over tonight, and I was thinking with the wrong head. I should have stopped with her tits—I fucking knew better. But nooo, I had to go further, because I want to be the memory she has when she remembers her first orgasm. That arrogant asshole inside me wanted to make sure she never forgets who woke her body up to pleasure.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees while I let my head fall forward. I stare moodily at the living room carpet. The best thing I can do is give Faith some time to sort out her feelings. I know enough about the opposite sex to know they think and overanalyze every goddamned thing. I've also been around Zoey and Caleb enough to know that if I push Faith into a conversation she's not ready for, things might get said that can't be taken back. Caleb's learned not to push Zoey until she can make sense of her thoughts since that is one female that'll cut you down with that tongue of hers if she's pissed. I've been on the receiving end of it more times than I care to count.

I know Faith is about as opposite of Zoey as one can get. But yet, I can't ignore what my gut is telling me. If I haul ass over there and try to talk with her, she's going to be on the defensive and likely blurt out stuff when she hasn't had the chance to pull herself together.

If we're going to salvage this mess I've made and remain friends, I need to make sure that we both have time to think over what happened, so we can remain level-headed during our next conversation.

My eyes shut, and I let out a deep, heartfelt groan. I know there's a chance I lost her tonight. I'd realized it the second she'd gotten embarrassed as reality had set in. We've crossed a line that's going to be damned difficult to put behind us.

It's always going to be there.