Love Match Read online

  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 ne
ck. “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?”

  He didn’t give her time to respond but looped his arms beneath her knees and plunged deep and hard.

  Heaven.

  Dear God, it was heaven and it was good to know He actually answered prayers sometimes.

  “You’re so tight, sweetheart. Damn. I could fucking fuck you all day and never stop. Got that? I’d never stop.”

  “Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t ever stop.”

  “Not deep enough.” He moved incrementally, feeling her tighten around him. “Hell, yes. That’s better.”

  “Ace? Ace.”

  The taut sound of her voice alerted him, as did the way her body milked his cock. Plunging harder, ramming deeper, he fucked her until she stilled, stiffened and flew apart with a ragged cry. It was too much. Pleasure raced from the heels of his feet, settled in the base of his spine and ran teasing fingers over his balls. His cock seized as he came, pulsing hard and strong into the fragile latex barrier.

  With a sigh, he rolled to her side and gathered her close against his body. Replete, more than satisfied, he settled his lips on her forehead and let himself fall deeper into love than he’d ever been before.

  Chapter Three

  Steam curled from the oversized tub in Ace’s room. Leaning back against his sturdy chest, Chloe felt suddenly different and new, as if all possibilities were open to her again. For the first time since Scott’s death she felt whole, complete.

  Ace smoothed warm water over her arms, chasing the drops with his hands. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then her neck, the touch of his breath sending sensation down the length of her arms.

  “You’re amazing,” he whispered. His hands moved to cup her damp breasts. Lightly he thumbed her nipples, stroking them to throbbing life. Lust curled low in her belly to settle in her core. She was deliciously sore but obviously not so much that she wouldn’t welcome another long, slow fucking from the man she’d never been able to forget.

  “I think I knew even ten years ago that you were special. You’re even more so now.”

  “Hm. Time for revelations, I see.” Chloe rolled her head against him, loving the feel of his strong chest muscles against her back. She looked up at him. “Can you answer a question, Ace?”

  “Yeah.”

  “If I was so special to you back then, why did you break things off and leave me? I was crazy about you. Madly in love and then suddenly it was over and you were gone.”

  Ace shook his head then dropped it back to rest on the rim of the tub. Drops of water clung to his thick, dark lashes. “You knew where I came from, Chloe. You were the poster girl for the all-American family and I came from poor white trash.”

  She gasped. “Don’t say that.”

  “It’s true and you know it.” Ace laughed bitterly. “My ability to play tennis and the scholarship that came with it were the only reasons on God’s green earth I could’ve gone to college in the first place.” He opened eyes that were swimming with emotion. “I never quite thought I was good enough. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe I thought that if I joined the pro tour I’d become some kind of star and I’d finally deserve you.”

  “I can’t believe you thought that.”

  “Looking back, I can’t believe it either.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I was young and made the wrong choice. And then I was injured and hell, I knew my career was over. It was going nowhere anyway. Bottom line, I never was good enough.”

  “Oh yes you were.”

  Ace laughed and Chloe heard the genuine humor in his voice. “That’s what I love about you. No one is more loyal.” He cupped her face, his laughter fading until only a slight smile remained. “Sweetie, I was good but never great. I’m okay with that. I have no regrets about that part of my life. My edu
cation was paid for, I saw a lot of the world and discovered something I was truly good at.”

  “Your pictures?”

  “Yeah. I was injured so often that many times I’d run around with my camera shooting pictures of the truly great players.” He shrugged. “I love it. I happen to make a pretty good living at it now.”

  Chloe stretched up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I don’t think I’ve had a chance to tell you how proud I am of you. You’ve made a good life for yourself. How do you like living in California?”

  “I love it. Have you ever been to San Francisco?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve seen pictures. It looks beautiful.”

  “Would you come out to visit? You could bring Alyssa. She’d love it.”

  Hope and fear mingled inside her. Chloe caught her breath. Sincerity filled his dark eyes. Oh God! She was falling in love with Ace all over again. But could it work after all these years apart?

  “What do you see happening here, Ace? A future for us?” Her heartbeat sped up and she turned in his arms. She knelt in the water between his legs, terrified to believe her dreams could come true. Lordy, he was gorgeous. Long, lean and ripped with muscle, and she knew she could spend the rest of her life looking at this man. His cock rose up beneath the water and Ace’s eyes went dark with lust.

  “Don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she breathed, reaching out and filling her hands with his erection. Ace moaned low and she smiled as she drew her hands over his length. “Maybe we should double-check our compatibility though. What do you think?”

  Minutes later, they laughingly dried each other, touching and stroking until, passion riding them hard, they raced naked back to the bedroom. Ace grabbed her up and swung her through the air until she squealed. Finally they fell together on the rumpled sheets, a mass of entangled limbs, until Ace loomed over her, grinning.