That doesn’t sound so bad. His plan seems logical, and I completely understand his reasoning for not facing the label and the media until he’s ready. But besides all that, I don’t want to be without him. He’s worth leaving everything behind for a while.

Finally, I nod. “Okay. I’ll go with you when the time comes, but in the meantime you can talk to Mr. Stern. He’s the attorney who handled Gran’s estate, and I’ve known him my entire life. You can trust him.”

Ace nods. “Okay, we’ll have to go to Sarah’s house in Columbus and get my contract so the attorney can go over it.”

Ace grins and pulls me into him, suddenly seeming extremely happy. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask, confused because I haven’t really done anything to be thanked for.

“For agreeing to leave with me, and”—he gives me a wry smile—“for agreeing to be mine. No one has ever belonged to me before.”

I raise my eyebrow, not believing that this sweet, intelligent, beautiful man before me has never had anyone be his before. “No one?”

He shakes his head. “No one has ever been the total package before—just you, Iris. You’re the one.”

This is all happening so fast, but I don’t care. I’m not going to allow the logical side of my brain to ruin this happiness for me. For now I will revel in it. For now I am his.

ACE

I readjust my arm and then trace my fingers along Iris’s skin as she sleeps. Now that I’m allowed, I can’t bring myself to stop touching her. I always feared that having the chance to share intimate moments like this with her would cause me to have an addiction, and I was right.

I sigh as I watch her in peaceful slumber. Yes, I’m afraid that it’s far too late for me to back out of this now. She’s already taken a piece of my heart, so I don’t know at this point if it was ever possible to stop this from happening.

It’s almost as if we were fated to be.

I place my lips softly against her forehead, and she stirs, moving slowly, stretching her muscles awake. “Good morning, beautiful.”

She snuggles into my side and pulls the blanket up around her shoulders. “Good morning.”

“Are you hungry?”

She nods and then giggles. “Yes, considering we skipped dinner last night and went straight for dessert . . . all night long.”

A grin spreads across my face as I remember back to exactly how many ways we had our dessert last night. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing this stunning creature moan my name in moments of unadulterated bliss.

A little growl rumbles low in her belly and I laugh. “Yes. I will most definitely have to remember to feed you from here on in.”

“If only we could live on the dessert alone, then we’d never have to leave this bed.” She sighs happily.

“That’d be nice,” I agree, and then her stomach rumbles again, causing me to sit up. “I’ll be right back.”

She frowns and touches my wrist. “Don’t take too long.”

I laugh and touch the tip of her nose with my index finger. She’s adorable when she pouts.

I whip into the kitchen and grab the pizza box out of the fridge. I go to the cabinet Iris got the plates from last night and get a clean one and begin loading it down with as many slices as it will hold.

After heating the food up in the microwave, I grab a can of soda from the fridge and rush back into the bedroom.

I sit on the edge of the bed and set the plate between us. “Sustenance.”

“Indeed.” Iris smiles at me, her green eyes dancing with amusement, and I know there’s something weighing on her mind. “Can I ask you something?”

I raise an eyebrow and eye her with mock suspicion. “I thought you said you Internet stalked me. What else could that inquisitive brain of yours want to know?”

She blushes. “I really am sorry about that. I just wanted to know you.”

“It’s okay, Iris, really. It’s fine. I would’ve probably done same thing if I were in your shoes. You didn’t know me from Adam, and I was acting like a crazy man—so hot and cold with you.”

She sighs. “Still, it was wrong, but I’m glad we’ve got everything out in the open now.”

“Me too,” I agree. “So what is it that you want to ask me about?”

“Well . . .” she begins, but hesitates. “Last night—the tattoo about Shakespeare and the quotes—how do you know all that stuff? Most guys can’t even name one classic play, let alone use Shakespearean quotes in just the right moments off the top of their heads.”

I take a drink of soda and then pass her the can, from which she eagerly drinks. “It started when I was about thirteen or so, I guess. My foster mom was a huge reader. She loved the classics, and her favorite was Shakespeare. She always told me a man who could quote the lines from one of the most romantic men of all time could woo the heart of any woman. So, being the loner I was, and desperate to find a girl who would love me someday, I did like I always do—I studied. The crazy thing is, I ended up loving it. The written word is a beautiful thing. It’s one of the things that initially inspired me to write songs.”

“So did it work?” she asks with a shy smile, and I tilt my head, causing her to elaborate. “The quoting?”

I grin at her wickedly and raise my eyebrows suggestively. “You tell me. You’re the only girl I’ve ever exposed that side of myself to.”