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“Well, half a date -- total disaster. His fault,” George threw a cheeky smile to Nick over the table.
His reply was cut off by an excited “There she is!” She knew the voice carrying across the restaurant before she even turned her head. Ace practically bounced over to their booth, a bright grin on his face and blue eyes locked on Nancy’s. She felt her smile grow in return as she knelt up to greet him, his outstretched hand resting on top of the booth. She clasped it, warm and strong.
“How you doing, Ace?”
“How you doing?”
His voice was low and his words were punchy. His gaze roamed her face before dropping to her lips as if his tone wasn’t already suggestive enough. Okay, yeah, they’d hooked up before she’d left for Columbia. There was something there, and they were both too curious for their own good to ignore it. Nancy liked him because… well, how could she not? He had a fire in him that was born out of a desire to protect those he loved, and every time that heat was turned on her, every time Nancy had him at her back, she thought she might just burn where she stood. What she couldn’t figure out was how she’d somehow tricked him into thinking she was worth his affection. But that was another mystery in and of itself, and Nancy Drew never could resist a good mystery. The point was, she liked Ace, and he liked her, more than either of them really should, considering that she was supposed to be moving on with her life out of state, but they’d kept in contact the whole time regardless.
Suffice to say; she wasn’t caught entirely by surprise when he leaned down those last few inches to press a soft kiss into the corner of her mouth. It felt like hello, and I missed you, and welcome back in the way that he lingered against her lips. Nancy felt a warmth spread through her chest, sending a smouldering sensation through every nerve in her body. Turning just the slightest bit towards the temptation of his kiss, her lips finally met his and the smallest moan escaped her. The pleased smirk Ace wore as he pulled away told her he'd definitely heard it. Damn him, and damn how she’d missed him, too.
“Hey! You’ll get your turn later, lover boy. Right now is my catch-up time, and you’re still on the clock,” George swatted blindly above her seat the same way you’d take a swipe at an annoying fly. Ace let out a chuckle and brought Nancy’s hand to his lips, eyes locked on hers; the flutter that went through her stomach was nothing short of obscene, and she felt her face flame in response.
“I’ll be lookin’ forward to it,” he smiled and turned back towards the kitchen with one last caress to her knuckles.
Whatever teasing remark Nick had just made flew over her head as she slumped back into her seat. Nancy had the thought that this, whatever Ace and she had, was decidedly dangerous. Precisely for the fact that she could get very, very used to this.