Chapter 38: As the first light filters through the blinds, Ace takes CC apart with slow, worshipful thrusts of her strap-on, whispering Spanish endearments between each kiss until CC sobs through her third orgasm, finally believing she's loved.
The first thing Ace registered was the weight. Warm and soft, nestled against her side, a head of messy blonde hair tickling her bare shoulder. Then the touch. Feather-light, trembling fingertips tracing the intricate lines of the phoenix tattoo inked across her ribs, rising with each breath.
She kept her eyes closed, feigning sleep. Letting the sensation wash over her – the delicate exploration, the hitch in CC’s own breath as a fingertip followed the curve of a fiery wing. Dawn’s pale, watery light filtered through the slats of the blinds, striping the tangled sheets and the stacks of engineering textbooks in soft grey. The room held the quiet aftermath: stale coffee from the mugs on the floor, the faint, musky scent of sex, and the comfortable silence of bodies utterly spent.
CC’s finger paused over the small, jagged scar just below the phoenix’s tail – a souvenir from a bike chain snapping during a late-night repair job at the shop. A tiny, vulnerable sound escaped her, almost a sigh.
That did it. Ace’s hand shot out, not rough, but firm, capturing CC’s wandering wrist. CC froze, a gasp catching in her throat. Ace opened her eyes, dark and still heavy with sleep, meeting wide, startled green ones inches away.
For a heartbeat, they just looked at each other in the dimness. Ace saw the lingering traces of last night in CC’s eyes – the rawness, the surrender, the dazed wonder. Saw the faint pink flush creeping up her neck now. She brought CC’s captured hand to her lips.
CC held her breath.
Slowly, deliberately, Ace pressed a soft, lingering kiss against the center of CC’s palm. The skin was impossibly soft. She felt the tremor that ran through the smaller girl’s entire frame.
"Te amo, baby," Ace murmured, her voice a low rasp, rough with sleep and something infinitely deeper. The unfamiliar words, heavy with meaning, settled in the space between them.
CC’s lips parted. "Ace… what does…?"
But Ace was already moving. Rolling. Smoothly, effortlessly, using her height and strength to pin CC gently but absolutely beneath her on the rumpled sheets. Her knee slid between CC’s thighs, pressing against the warmth there. She braced one forearm beside CC’s head, cradling her face with the other hand, thumb brushing her cheekbone.
"Shhh," Ace breathed, her gaze intense, tracing every feature – the sleep-mussed blonde hair fanned out, the wide green eyes searching hers, the slight indentation of her own teeth marks still faintly visible on the curve of CC’s shoulder. "Let me show you."
She didn’t wait for an answer. She dipped her head, capturing CC’s mouth in a kiss that was nothing like the claiming fury of the night before. This was slow. Deep. Possessive in an entirely different way. A pouring out. Her tongue swept in, not demanding, but exploring, tasting, worshipping. Telling a story her words still struggled with.
CC melted under her, a soft moan vibrating against Ace’s lips. Her hands, freed, came up to tangle in Ace’s short, dark hair, pulling her closer, needing the anchor. The kiss deepened, turning liquid, endless. Ace shifted her hips, the firm pressure of her thigh grinding deliberately against CC’s center, already feeling the damp heat blooming through the thin sheet tangled around them. A ragged gasp escaped CC.
Ace broke the kiss only to trail her lips down the column of CC’s throat, scraping her teeth lightly over the pulse point, relishing the frantic beat under her tongue. "Querida…" she breathed against the sensitive skin, the endearment rough and unfamiliar but feeling terrifyingly right. Her hand slid down, skimming the soft swell of CC’s breast, thumb circling a peaked nipple through the worn cotton of the t-shirt CC had slept in – one of Ace’s, naturally, swallowing her small frame.
"Still sore?" Ace murmured, her thumb applying a fraction more pressure, watching CC’s breath hitch.
"A little," CC whispered, her voice trembling. "From… from the desk." Her cheeks flushed deeper crimson.
A low rumble started in Ace’s chest. She pushed the t-shirt up slowly, revealing the smooth expanse of CC’s stomach, the gentle curve of her waist, then the heavy, perfect weight of her breasts. Ace dipped her head, taking one taut nipple into her mouth, sucking deeply, swirling her tongue. CC cried out, back arching off the bed. Ace’s hand continued its journey south, slipping beneath the waistband of the borrowed sleep shorts, fingers sliding through slick, swollen heat with no preamble.
"Fuck, Ace!" CC gasped, her hips jerking. "So… so fast?"
"I need to feel you," Ace growled against her breast, her fingers finding CC’s clit, circling firmly, expertly, the callouses from handlebars and tools creating the perfect friction. "Need to know you’re here. Mine. Like this." She slid one finger, then a second, deep inside, curling them just so against that spot that made CC’s vision blur.
CC’s head thrashed on the pillow. "Yours! God, always yours!" It was a sob, a plea, a truth laid bare. She was already close, the aftermath of the night before and the overwhelming tenderness of the morning coalescing into a tight, desperate coil low in her belly. Ace’s mouth was relentless on her breast, her fingers unyielding inside her, her thumb circling and pressing.
Ace lifted her head, locking eyes with CC. Sweat beaded CC’s forehead. Her lips were parted, breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. Ace held her gaze, refusing to let her look away, as she drove her fingers deeper, faster, the heel of her palm grinding against CC’s clit with each thrust.
"Come for me, mi amor," Ace commanded, her voice thick, possessive. "Let me see it. Now."
It shattered her. CC’s body bowed off the bed, a silent scream tearing from her throat as the orgasm ripped through her, explosive and all-consuming. Ace rode it out, fingers pumping steadily, watching the ecstasy transform CC’s face, the utter surrender in her eyes. Only when the tremors subsided into helpless shivers did Ace slowly withdraw her hand.
She gathered CC against her chest, CC’s face buried in the crook of her neck, breath hot and ragged against Ace’s skin. Ace wrapped her arms tightly around her, one hand stroking the messy blonde hair. She pressed a kiss to the top of CC's head. The room was quiet again, filled only with the sound of their breathing and the soft hum of the dorm waking up outside.
Sunlight, brighter now, caught the edge of something silver glinting on CC’s finger where her hand rested against Ace’s collarbone. The promise ring Ace had given her weeks ago, after the disastrous frat party where jealousy had nearly torn them apart. Seeing it there, after the storm of last night and the quiet intensity of this morning, flooded Ace with a feeling so vast and terrifying it stole her breath. She tightened her hold, her lips brushing CC’s ear.
"Every inch, baby," Ace whispered, the words barely audible. "Every single, perfect fucking inch." The morning light spilled across the bed, gilding their tangled legs and the silver band on CC’s finger, a small, quiet covenant in the warm, cluttered sanctuary Ace called home. The path ahead felt uncertain, tangled with the complexities of identity and expectation, but right here, right now, CC was undeniably, irrevocably hers. And she was CC’s. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken vows and the echo of a heartbeat that felt like a shared rhythm.