Everyone stood near the water's edge. They hadn't noticed my irritation with Ace moments ago. They talked about a volleyball game before Kimmy and I had shown up. The conversation died down.
"Is the water cold?" I asked.
"Let's find out," A deep voice came from behind me.
Everyone chuckled.
My eyes widened, and I spun around. "No." My attempt to sound stern didn't work.
Ace stalked toward me.
"Ace, don't–"
Ace leaped forward and grabbed me around the waist. He threw me over his shoulder and walked toward the ocean.
"No!" I squealed. I slapped my hands against his back.
Ace chuckled. "Do that lower, baby." The water splashed as he walked through it.
Most of our friends laughed and whistled at us.
"Oh my god." I giggled and closed my eyes. "Ace, put me down, or I swear–"
"If you insist," Ace said. He grabbed me around the waist and threw me into the water, as easily as if I weighed as much as a sack of potatoes.
The water wasn't very deep. It wasn't cold. It felt good considering the heat. I rose out of the water.
Ace was just a few inches in front of me.
I splashed water at his face. "I hate you," I muttered. I started to swim past him, but he caught me and pulled me into him.
"I don't believe you," Ace murmured. His eyes held mine, and he pulled us deeper into the water. His hands gripped my hips.
"Why would you do that?" I asked.
"I kind of thought both of us needed to cool down," Ace said and smirked.
"You needed to cool down," I argued.
"Don't pretend like I don't make you hot," Ace teased.
"You're unbelievable." I snorted and rolled my eyes.
Ace chuckled. "I was referring to your temper."
"Sure, you were."
"I don't want to fight with you, bebita."
"You started it." I looked back, and nobody was watching us anymore. Nobody was within earshot of our conversation. "Tell me what your problem is with Kal."
Ace looked away from me for the first time, and he clenched his jaw. "He's just not a good guy, trust me."
"Trust is earned," I said.
Ace looked at me again. "He's not very good to women."
I snickered. "Seriously, Ace? From what I have seen, neither are you. You told me that you liked me, and you kissed me, and want nothing to do with me the next day."
"That's not true." Ace shook his head. "I do like you, but I'm always so busy with work. I rarely have time for a relationship."
"That sounded like the most practiced line that I ever heard."
"It's true. I'd love to take you out and be with you. I just don't know if it would work out." Ace grimaced. He looked indecisive.
"You don't get to act like a jealous boyfriend when that isn't what you are. Get me? Don't play games with me. It's the last thing I need. I've dealt with enough bullshit."
Ace dropped his hands from my waist.
I turned away and swam back to the shore. I liked the idea of Ace liking me. I didn't care about other boys, and Ace had nothing to be jealous of. I wouldn't put up with a guy acting jealous all the time for no reason.
As I walked back up to my friends, I saw Kal by his friends. Kal stared at me in a way that made me cringe.
The fire flickered and crackled. Thick gray smoke swirled through the air. A radio that Luis had brought was turned most of the way up. The waves crashed against the sand.
Kal and his friends had left a couple of hours ago. It was dark. We had been at the beach all day. We had left for a short time to eat at a place not too far away during the afternoon.
Gabriel's girlfriend, Sadie, approached me. Sadie had dark red hair and green eyes. Most people with red hair had light skin, but Sadie's was tan.
"How are you liking California?" Sadie asked.
"It's different," I said and shrugged. "I like it. It's better than where I was."
"I'm sure," Sadie said. "I'm from Texas originally. I moved here several years ago."
"Do you miss it?" I asked.
"Nah. California has been my home for so long now. I grew used to it."
"Babe." Gabriel walked over to us.
Sadie looked at Gabriel.
"Ready?" Gabriel asked.
"Yeah," Sadie said. Sadie looked back at me. "I have to get to bed. I have to get up early in the morning. It was nice meeting you."
"You too," I said and smiled.
Sadie and Gabriel walked hand in hand up the beach. Sadie was kind but blunt, but her bluntness was comical.
I had met all the guys' girlfriends. Carley was a petite blond. Carley was funny and kind. Carley was Jax's girlfriend. Jennifer was Joey's girlfriend. I liked Jennifer. She was reserved like I usually was. Kelsey was Luis's girlfriend, and I understood why Kimmy liked her so much. Kelsey was beautiful but very kind.
"Ew," Carley muttered.
My gaze followed Carley's. A girl with brown hair and unnatural blond highlights came down the beach with two blonds on each side of her.
"Who are they?" I asked.
"Mila, Carrie, and Sierra," Carley said. "The one in the middle is Mila. Mila and Ace were together for several months, but they broke up a few months back. She's a complete bitch."
"She is the one that cheated on him?" I asked.
"Yeah," Carley said. "With that guy that threw the beach ball at you earlier. His name is Kal Rivera. Kal and Ace have been on each other's shit lists for as long as I can remember. Kal is always desperate to be better than Ace at everything. Women, cars, and everything else you can think of. Kal has hit on every girl that Ace ever dated or liked."
"Every girl?" I asked. I had to wonder how long that list was.
"Yeah, pretty close," Carley said and chuckled. "I heard Kal beat the hell out of Mila, but nobody knows if it's true or not."
"Wow," I breathed.
"I knew another girl that Kal dated too. She told me he was always getting furious, cheating, and lying," Carley said.
"Your golden retriever is here," Kimmy told Ace.
My gaze flickered across the fire to where Ace stood. Ace had been listening to Luis, but what Kimmy had said caught his attention. Ace looked up the beach and saw the three girls that were walking toward us.
Luis snickered at Kimmy's comment. "Dude, how does that crazy bitch find you?" Luis asked.
"The hell if I know," Ace muttered. "But I'm not sticking around to find out what she wants." Ace stared at me for a long moment before he turned and walked away.
Everyone was so busy watching Mila approach that they didn't notice me leave. I chased after Ace.
"Ace, wait," I called for him.
Ace stopped and turned. Ace raised his eyebrows.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Away from that crazy ass," Ace said. He pointed in the direction of Mila.
"Why?"
"I just don't want to deal with her."
"Don't let her run you away from your friends," I said and shook my head.
"You don't know how hard she is to deal with," Ace muttered.
"Tell her you moved on or something," I suggested.
"Wait, how do you even know–" Ace stopped and shook his head. "I've told her over and over again that things are over between us. It's a waste of my breath."
"Then maybe you should show her." I smirked and grabbed his hand in mine. "Come on." I tugged on his hand. "Let's go find out if we can get the point across to her."
Ace's eyes danced in amusement. "It's not going to work, Aria."
"We'll see," I challenged.
Ace looked away, and I tugged on his hand again. He gazed down at me and gave me a crooked smile. "Fine, whatever. You're going to wish you didn't get yourself into this, bebita."
"Oh, you have so much to learn about me." I laughed and pulled him back toward the fire.
Luis was the first to notice Ace and me. Luis gaped at us for a long moment. Luis chuckled and shook his head.
Ace wrapped an arm around my waist and stood behind me. His chest pressed to my back.
Everyone looked at us curiously.
Ace handed me a cup.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Bourbon," Ace said.
Mila and her friends reached our little crowd. Mila stopped, and her eyes widened when she saw Ace and me. Mila stopped a couple of feet in front of us, narrowed her eyes at me, and then looked up at Ace. "New flavor of the week?" Mila asked.
I answered before Ace could. "That's right. Apparently, I taste better than you. And where is yours?" I smirked.
Mila slapped the cup out of my hand and sneered at me.
"Go home, Mila," Ace snapped.
"Damn. It was a joke, honey, not a dick. Don't take it so hard," I said.
The boys guffawed.
Ace pulled me behind him. "Get out of here, Mila. Nobody wants you here," Ace said coldly.
Mila huffed. She glared at me and then Ace. Mila let out a whine as she turned and stormed away from us.
"What a bitch," I said and chuckled into my cup.
Everyone stared at me for a moment in surprise, then broke into a chorus of laughter.
My gaze locked with Ace's.
Ace smiled.
"Told you," I murmured.
***
The week that followed the beach incident was much different. Ace would text me or see me almost every day. Tonight, he wanted me to watch movies with him at his place. We hadn't kissed or gone on any dates, but things were going well.
"Are you off yet?" Ace asked impatiently.
I laughed. "Impatient much?"
"I want to see you."
"I'll be out in a couple of minutes," I said. I pushed my arms through the sleeves of my jacket.
"I'm out back," Ace said.
"Okay." I hung the phone up.
"Who was that?" Bailey asked.
"Remember, my cousin's friend?" I asked.
"Oh, are you dating?" Bailey bumped her shoulder to mine.
"It's sort of going that direction, I think," I admitted.
"Has he taken you on a date?" Bailey asked.
"Mm, no, but we have talked every day for like a week, and he comes to hang out with me. Tonight, we're going to his house to watch movies."
"Girl, that is dating." Bailey chuckled and shook her head. "Does he got a hot brother?"
"Mm, I don't suggest that," I said. "He has a twin, but his twin is a bit of a man whore."
"Oh." Bailey chuckled.
"I'll see you later," I said.
"See ya."
Ace's GTO was near the back door. I climbed into his car. Ace had a cigarette between his lips. Ace gazed down at me. "Hi."
"Hi." A small smile played on my lips.
Ace pulled out of the parking lot. "How was work?"
"Kind of slow. What did you do today?"
"I spent most of the day at my mom's place. I had to babysit for her," Ace said.
"How did that go?" I chuckled.
"I'm beat," he muttered. "I don't know how she does it. That woman has the patience of a saint."
I threw my head back and laughed.
My phone rang.
I pulled it from my jacket and checked the number. I stared at the number in shock.
"Who is it?" Ace asked.
"My mom, I think."
"Answer it."
"I don't know if I want to." My gaze flickered to his. I swallowed hard.
Ace was taken aback by the look in my eyes. "What's wrong?"
I looked away and shook my head but slid my thumb across the screen to answer the call.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Aria?" Mom asked.
"Hey, Mom."
"I tried to call Tina's house, but Tina said you weren't there. She gave me your cell phone number."
"Oh. Um, how are you?"
"I'm okay. I just wanted to check up on you. Ariel and AJ wanted to say hi too."
"I'm doing okay."
"I'll put Ariel on," Mom said.
"Hi, Aria," Ariel said excitedly.
"Hey, honey. How are you?" I asked. I bit down on my lip and gazed out the window. I could feel Ace's eyes on me.
"I'm okay," Ariel said. "How are you?"
"I'm good."
"How is California?"
Without thinking about it, I blurted out the first word that came to mind. "Hot." My eyes flickered to Ace, and a deep blush crept up my neck. I internally facepalmed.
Ace snickered.
"AJ wants to say hi too," Ariel said. "Mom waited for Dad to leave. We wanted to see how you were doing. I love you and miss you."
"I love you and miss you too."
"Here is AJ." There was a brief pause before AJ picked the phone up.
"Hi, Aria," AJ said.
"Hey, buddy. How are you?" I asked.
"I'm good. I miss you."
"I miss you too. Can you come to see us soon?" AJ asked.
"I don't know if that is a good idea," I mumbled. "Maybe you guys can come to me."
"Oh, okay. I love you."
"Love you too." Guilt washed over me. I wanted nothing more than to see my siblings, but I was afraid to go back home for a visit.
"Aria?" Mom asked. "Are you still there?"
"I'm here."
"You can't come back here, but I hope we can come to visit you soon. It's hard to say. I hope things are going good up there for you, sweetheart. I really miss you." Mom's voice broke.
I didn't know how to respond. It was the most emotion I heard in my mother's voice in my entire life. "I miss you too. I hope you can come to see me soon. I love you, Mom."
"I love you too. I'll try to call again soon, okay?"
"Okay." I hung the phone up and stared at it for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Ace murmured.
I looked around and realized we were in the parking garage of Ace's apartment complex. I looked up at him. "N-nothing," I stammered.
"Are you crying?" Ace's eyes widened. Ace raised his hand hesitantly and wiped a tear from my cheek.
"I didn't expect to get that call," I whispered.
"How come?"
"It's complicated."
"So complicated that you can't tell me?"
"I can't." My gaze locked with his.
"Can't or don't want to?" Ace asked.
"Both."
Ace raised his chin a fraction. "Okay."
We climbed out of the car and went inside. His apartment was just as clean as the last time I had been in it.
Ace and I cuddled up on the couch under a blanket. We talked most of the way through the movie. We didn't talk about anything serious, but just about our likes and dislikes. Some of the questions he asked made me blush, but it wasn't anything too extreme.
"Maybe, I should get you home," Ace murmured.
I turned my head to look back at him. "I don't want to leave."
"I'm not exactly sure how Tina would feel about you staying with me," Ace murmured.
"I told her I might not be home," I admitted sheepishly. I bit down on my lip.
Ace's gaze fell to my lips. He inched closer but hesitated.
I finished the distance and put my lips on his. Sparks shot through my veins, and heat flooded my stomach. Kissing Ace was starting to become addictive. It always left me wanting more.
I broke the kiss and turned around so that my chest pressed against his. My hand wrapped around the back of his neck, and I put my lips back on his.
Ace trailed a hand up my thigh and gripped my hip. Ace pulled me on top of him and ground his hips against mine. His fingers trailed up my spine and made me shiver. I bit down on his lip, and he groaned. My tongue traced his bottom lip.
We broke apart when we heard a few raps on the front door. We both sat up and looked at the door.
I stared down to where I was straddling Ace. My eyes flickered back to his. "Are you going to answer that?" I asked breathlessly.
"I'm not sure that I want to," Ace muttered and looked down to where I was straddling him.
Whoever it was, knocked again.
"They're clearly not leaving," I said.
"I don't want to answer the door with a hard-on. I mean, what if it's my mother?" Ace said and chuckled.
A giggle bursted out of me, and I climbed off of him. "I'll get the door."
"That would be great," Ace muttered. He laid back down and threw a pillow over his face.
I opened the door.
It was Austin.
"Uh, hey," Austin said awkwardly.
"Hi," I said and opened the door wider for him.
Austin stepped around me and into the apartment.
Ace sat up and looked at Austin. "What are you doing here?" Ace asked.
I walked away to go to the bathroom and so they could have a moment alone. I closed the door behind me before Austin could answer Ace.
When I came out of the bathroom, Austin was gone. The TV was off, and Ace was pacing back and forth.
"Ace, what's wrong?" I asked.
Ace stopped and looked at me. The anger in his eyes made me take a step back. Ace sighed and stuck a hand in his pocket. "I have to take you home. I have to go do something for Carlos."
"Is it bad? You look angry." I knitted my eyebrows together.
"Some shit got fucked up. I can't explain it. Get your jacket and shoes on," Ace muttered.
"It's kind of late to be working, isn't it?" I asked. I slipped my shoes on.
"I told you the hours were crazy," Ace said.
We were silent during the ride back to Tina's place. When Ace pulled into her driveway, he didn't look at me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I can't explain it, Aria," Ace snapped.
I leaned away from him. "Uh, fine." I turned and got out of the car and shut the door harder than necessary.
Ace peeled out of the driveway and raced back down the street. I stared after him, surprised and confused. What is so bad that he can't tell me?