Ace-High Flush by Patricia Green Page B

turn to her lips.
    Curious, and unable to stop herself, Gabby tried to make conversation with Liv, who sat next to her. "You look terrific, Liv."
    "Thanks, Gabby. You do too. That's a good color on you."
    Gabby smiled. It felt good to be complimented, even if was out of politeness. "I like your purse." Actually, the purse didn't go well with Liv's outfit, but it was good quality and a designer brand.
    Liv's expression was pained. "I liked it when I bought it, but it's not as great as I thought."
    "Oh." What could Gabby say to that? She tried to make small talk for a while, and Liv played along. After a few minutes, as they ate, Liv seemed to relax a bit, and Gabby's tension eased off as well. They were getting back to their former friendly relationship. They might never be close friends, but they could be pleasant with each other.
    "How are you and Trey getting along? Is it awful to consider him going to Afghanistan?"
    Liv bit her lower lip for a moment. "He's my world, Gabby. I never thought I'd meet a person who would fill in the gaps in my life so well. I've been very lucky. When he's gone, I'm going to miss him a lot. But I knew it was a possibility going in. It isn't fair to say it was a surprise."
    "I'm sorry. I mean, I'm glad that you and Trey are so close, but sad that you have to be apart."
    "Thanks. I was a little surprised to see you here with Ace."
    "I don't know how he found me, but I'm glad he did."
    Liv smiled, but looked a little sheepish. "I'm afraid I'm the one that gave him your phone number."
    "You did?" Gabby hadn't even thought about that. She knew her mother had provided her cellphone number, but no one had said where he got her home number. "Well, thank you."
    "So you're getting along pretty well?"
    "Better than that. He's a wonderful man. Even if he has this tendency to make his irritation known on my butt."
    Liv laughed and squirmed in her chair. "It's a family tradition."
    "Great. I should have known." Gabby wondered how often Liv got spanked, compared to her own experience with Ace. It seemed like a common thing with the Journeys. She spared a glance at her beau and when he looked up, eyes warm, she smiled. It was painful to think about their impending separation. Gabby knew exactly how Liv felt. Come to think of it, Liv was in love with Trey, and if Gabby was feeling pretty much the same sense of sadness at being separated from Ace, didn't that suggest that Gabby was in love with him?
    "Liv..." She paused to think before she went on as Liv looked at her, expecting more. "How do you know if you're in love?"
    Liv's eyes went from Gabby to Ace and back again. The two were sharing another heated glance. "Ace?"
    Gabby nodded, her gaze going back to her plate.
    "You can't imagine a world without him in it. You want to crawl into his pocket and be a part of his every moment. When you climb into bed with him, you can't get enough of his smell, the timbre of his voice, his warmth..."
    That was how Gabby felt. Unhappiness washed over her and she wanted to cry. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she told Liv. "Please excuse me for a few minutes." She rose and hurried off to the ladies room where she could cry a little in peace.

Chapter 6
    They made love four times through the night. Four times they were locked together, Gabby's whole world revolving around Ace. She couldn't get enough of him. When he pulled her close and pressed himself into her, she wanted to melt in his arms. Turning to him in the middle of the night, he encouraged her to take what she wanted from him. It helped satisfy her need to possess.
    But in the morning the magic had to end. It would be Ace's last day on the east coast, and their last hours together. Gabby hoped for one more luxurious night, but she knew it would be as much pain as it was pleasure.
    Ace smacked her on the butt as she crawled out of bed, and Gabby's first thought was more but her second thought was don't leave a mark, I have to be naked in front of the camera