Hers To Keep (Servite Academy #2)

Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

SCARLETT

O ne week, and one day. That’s how long he’s been gone. That’s how long I’ve ached for him and fought these feelings and dreams I’ve been having. It’s Thursday now and I’ve had nightmares pretty much every night since he left last Wednesday. I wake up screaming in a cold sweat, with visions of both Drake and Ace lying bloody before me, and of Agent Servite standing over both their bodies, a wicked smile plastered across his devilishly perfect face.

Jade refuses to leave me alone; she’s been sleeping with me all week and is the one who’s been dealing with these dreadful night terrors. But I can’t bring myself to tell her what I see.

Her father, Ace, Wesley, Bass, Alek, they all have played a part in this, and I’m terrified to say it all out loud, but she’s relentless. I know she’d try to dig up information on her own if I kept quiet. The last thing I need is to be in this same predicament once again, begging Agent Servite to have mercy on my sister.

For now, she’s content with the answers I’ve given. Agent Servite continues to be a nuisance, and the blatant threats he spews remain. I now know my mother is back in town and I’m determined to find her. Finally, Ace’s part in all of this is too big to ignore, and I don’t know where that leaves our relationship.

“You can’t let his family’s actions interfere in your relationship with him,” Jade says, taking a bite of her burger while she sits atop my bed. Stella ordered dinner for us from her favorite diner in town but left us to eat alone after something came up at her family’s estate that required her immediate attendance. Cryptic, but after all, she is a Silver.

“For one, we are the poster children for dysfunctional families, and second, he can’t be blamed for their sins, just like we don’t deserve to be punished for our parents’ sins,” Jade adds, wiping her mouth and taking a drink of her soda as I watch her attentively. I stare down at my burger, setting it to the side. My appetite has been nonexistent lately, nothing seems to appease me. My body craves something more.

“But what if he has some of his own,” I say solemnly, while she starts nearly choking on her food.

“Who doesn’t? Scarlett, I say this with love, we’re not perfect, and we have to stop acting like it. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone does or says things they don’t mean, but what we have is an instinct, an intuition that lets us see people for who they are deep down inside. To see their true selves.” She grabs her food, moving to stand, as she walks toward the door, turning back to me before exiting. “What you must do now is think about that. Does everything you claim Ace has done, mean anything after all he’s been through? If his uncle threatens you so easily, what do you think his life has been like living with that man for its entirety?” She walks out, closing the door behind her and leaving me to dwell with my own thoughts.

She’s right, her words are raw, and their meaning is felt deep inside me as my soul burns vigorously to have Ace near me again.

Does the way he was raised, with an absent, cowardly father, left to be brainwashed by his uncle to believe all of this is morally right, that this is how it must be, justify his behavior? If not, who am I to say it doesn’t?

Just like if he could sense my doubts, as if our minds, not just bodies, were connected, he feels my need for him growing each moment I spend without him. My phone vibrates beside me, a text message from Ace, appearing on the screen.

Ace: I’ll be back at the beach house tonight. Meet me tomorrow before school starts. We need to talk.

Seeing his name pop up on the screen, I changed it once we officially became a couple, does something weird to me. It not only makes me instantly ache for him, but it also makes me feel all warm and giddy inside, and I don’t like it.

Me: Why not talk now?

Ace: Eager to see me babe? Believe me, I’ve missed you too.

His humor is refreshing after the seriousness of the last few times we’ve been together, so deciding to not turn this conversation into another one of our petty arguments, I decide to play along.

Me: I’ve missed a part of you, can’t say all.

Ace: Trust me I’ve missed every silky fucking inch of your perfect body.

Me: Hmm you just want me for my body.

Ace: Says the girl who literally just said she missed only ONE part of me .

I laugh to myself imagining the scowl upon his face as he reads my messages.

Me: I’ve missed your lips too…

I know I’m playing with fire here, but for once I don’t care if I get burned.

Ace: I’m calling you as soon as I arrive. You better fucking answer me, and you better make sure you’re alone.

I shift on my bed, his words fluttering something inside of me, making my craving for him insatiable. I need him to hurry and come for me.

Though instead of telling him that, I play coy. Nothing wrong with letting him grovel a bit longer.

Me: Mmm maybe.

He doesn’t reply, ending our flirty banter, and I can’t help but feel a bit pissed about it. That seems to have backfired on me as now I’m the one groveling. I head over to the bathroom, hoping a cold shower is exactly what I need to cool down, before finishing some homework and getting my things ready for school tomorrow.

Now that Macallan is gone and Headmistress LeBlanc has thrown out his syllabus, the rest of the semester will focus on tedious book reports, preparing for our midterms, and college next year, which is keeping me busy with schoolwork.

My mind seems to be preoccupied, given all that’s been happening in my personal life. Tedious work sounds perfect, something to keep me and my mind busy from the wreckage that is my life. I’m not sure what the future here holds for me, or if college is even an option, but I’ve kept up with my schoolwork and am on the right track to graduate this summer. After that I plan to get out of this wretched place as fast as I can and never again step foot in this hell.

Where that will leave Ace and me, I’m still unsure.

I startle awake as my phone vibrates loudly on the bedside table beside me. Slowly rubbing my eyes, I look down at the bright lights of the digital clock, which read nearly two in the morning.

Cursing to myself, I move to pick up my phone answering it on the last ring.

“Hello?” I answer in the worst, groggiest voice.

“ Why haven’t you fucking answered? I called you like four times,” Ace scolds, as I realize I must have slept through the other calls. I must have been out cold, but I’ve had a few nights of restless sleep, so it makes sense.

“It’s called sleep, try it sometime. Ugh, I sound hideous. Why are you calling me right now? It’s almost two a.m. and we have school tomorrow, Ace,” I groan, closing my eyes as I speak.

“I told you I was going to call you when I got back. I got held up, so I arrived just a few minutes ago. I’m actually skipping tomorrow, so I was calling to let you know I’ll meet you back at the Dahlia House after school instead.”

“Okay fine, whatever. Can I please go back to sleep now?” I ask, annoyed by his pointless call.

“No, I’m not finished with you. I haven’t made you come,” he says sternly, my body instantly tightening at just the mention of the word coming from his mouth.

“Oh God, no, we’re not doing this. Not only am I not in the mood, but I’m not about to have phone sex with you.” I whisper, although I’m alone in my room and the girls are fast asleep.

“Baby, please, I need you. It’s been almost two weeks without you, I can’t hold off any longer. I swear my hand is going to fall off from all the jerking off I’ve had to do to just the memory of you. I know I’ll come apart almost instantly to just the sound of your intoxicating voice.” The rasp of his voice deepens, the arousal clear in his tone, making me unwillingly ache for him.

“Ace,” I groan sleepily, unsure I should give in to this delicious ache he’s causing.

“It’ll be quick, I promise. I just need to hear you come apart for me tonight. It’s been a hell of a week. I need you, Scarlett, please, you don’t know how badly I need you, baby.”

The desperate need in his voice makes me give in. “Okay, but I have to be quiet.”

“Are you not alone?”

“I am but Stella’s a light sleeper, and after the nightmares, any little sound makes them come running in.”

“What nightmares?” he asks sternly.

“That’s a conversation for another time. Right now I just need you to make me come.”

He groans loudly through the speaker and it’s almost as if he’s in the room with me right now. “Fuck, baby, what are you wearing?”

I roll my eyes at the cliché question of course, but yet somehow it still does things to me. “Nothing but an oversized T-shirt.”

“You were waiting for my call.” I can almost hear his cocky smirk in this voice.

“I figured just in case.”

“I want you to pull your T-shirt off. I need you to be naked for me, that’s how I imagine you every night, Scarlett.” With shaky fingers I set the phone down on my pillow, quickly moving to tug the T-shirt over my head. My nipples harden instantly from the cold air of my bedroom against my tender, heated flesh. I hear rustling on the other end of the phone and know he’s adjusting himself or freeing his dick from his pants.

“There,” I say, bringing the phone back to my ear.

“Fuck, I can just imagine how good you look right now, babe, naked and spread eagle on the bed just waiting for me. I need you to reach out and touch those tender nipples I know are hard and pointy, perfect for sucking into my mouth and tugging with my teeth.” I set the phone back down, putting it on speaker at the lowest volume possible, while I bring both of my hands to my breasts cupping them and twirling my nipples through my fingers. “I can just picture those pink, taut peaks, they’re fucking perfect.”

“Ahh,” I moan, my breath hitching slightly as I play roughly, pinching and tugging at them, feeling the heat deep in my core.

His voice sounds harsher than before, the growing arousal in his gravelly tone. “I need you to reach down slowly, brush one finger over your pussy, and feel how wet you are for me, because I have my hand wrapped around my cock and I can tell you I don’t think I’ve ever been this fucking hard.” His crass commands are quick to excite me as I reach lower under my covers running my finger gently through my folds, feeling the damp slickness of my arousal.

My pussy is practically throbbing, the need to feel more has my eyes rolling back. “Fuck,” I moan breathlessly.

“You feel good, don’t you, baby? Tell me how you feel. Fuck, tell me how good it is.” I whimper eagerly as my finger continues to rub gently against my clit, my head pressing down into my pillow. This is all for him. With just the simple sound of his voice he brings me to this point of ecstasy. This can’t possibly be healthy.

“You feel it, don’t you? The effect I have on you. What one simple command can do. Baby, I’m worse off. Just the thought of you brings me to the edge. The thought of you on your back for me, spread out on your bed, just like you are right now, your legs wide open clearing a space for me to kneel between them.” My knees instinctively open wider as he speaks, my fingers moving faster against my arousal, my back arching as the sensation heightens.

“Fuck, Ace, I need you to…” my voice gives out, as I insert one finger into my pussy, my thumb rubbing against my clit forcefully. I add another, pushing my fingers in and out frantically, the friction bringing me so close to my release.

“Hold off for me, baby, I’m almost there. I need us to come together. God, I fucking need you here with me., Scarlett” I hear him moaning and groaning as he vigorously pumps his cock on the other side and the ache of my arousal is overpowering me.

“Ace, please, I can’t anymore,” I cry out, needing my release.

“Now, fuck…” he yells out so loudly, I’m afraid someone’s going to hear.

I bring my free hand to my mouth suppressing my own cries as I come ravenously coating my fingers with my juices. My body shakes, my pussy convulsing around my fingers, as my breath slowly settles. That was one of the most intense orgasms I’ve ever had, and it was all at his command. I pull the covers back over me, shifting slightly, my eyes slowly losing their will to stay open. I whimper once again, sleep threatening to consume me.

“Goodnight, baby, I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Remember, after school at the Dahlia House.”

“Mm-hmm,” I mutter breathlessly. “Goodnight.”

Today has been another tedious day of midterm after midterm, essay after essay, all because the end of the semester is near. On top of that, instead of Ace quelling the desperate ache in me last night, I woke up needing the fucker even more. I guess my fingers themselves don’t do the trick anymore, and I’ve yet to get myself a new toy.

Jade and Stella are going out to some party tonight at Liam Walker’s house, the captain of the lacrosse team, who much to her dismay, still has a huge crush on Jade. However, I decided I’m going to skip out on the party not knowing how long my conversation with Ace will go, or what kind of mood I’ll be in after it. Something tells me this trip out of town has nothing to do with his role in the Horsemen, since none of the other guys were gone. This seems personal, but I’ve yet to decide if it’s a family matter, or if it has something to do with me .

The weather is cooling down drastically as the sky above us rumbles, the threat of a storm brewing in its depths. I step out of the gym, my last class of the day, with Jade and Stella and find Ace leaning against one column of the auditorium.

“Looks like your boy is back,” Jade says, nodding toward where he stands, arms crossed, and glaring in my direction. The memory of our conversation last night comes flooding back to me, heat instantly pooling in my loins. “God, look at how he’s watching you, like damn… he just wants to fuck you here and now,” she adds. The lust she speaks of is clear in Ace’s stare.

“Oh my God, she’s blushing!” Stella yells, turning to me. I roll my eyes walking away from them.

“Go get him, tiger!” Jade shouts so loudly, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in a five-mile radius heard her. I raise both hands in the air, flipping them off and not bothering to turn around and acknowledge their whistling and hollering as I walk away.

Although I hate myself for it and won’t admit it out loud, it’s exactly where I’m going.