Billionaire Bad Boy's Beloved

Chapter 1 - Hold Back

"Ace, did you get the email?" I asked, my eyes stuck to the screen of my laptop.

"What email?" he replied nonchalantly, scrolling through his phone.

"From the school. The Principal has changed. Mr. Warton left."

He frowned, putting his phone aside. "What? For real?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Look."

He walked over to me, and leaned down, resting his chin on my shoulder. I felt my heart flutter slightly, but maintained a blank face.

"Oh," he said, scrolling down the message. "I hope Mrs. Jacobs is flexible."

"Hmm, I'm sure you'd like that." I bit my lip, grinning.

"Why would I?" He raised an eyebrow, turning his face to look at me.

"You can't order her around. Maybe she won't care who your father is."

A mischievous smile stretched across his lips, and he stood up straight. "Duckling, she's a woman."

I frowned. "So?"

"So..." he trailed off, grinning. "I won't have to order her around. There are some advantages of being so good-looking."

I scowled. "You're gonna flirt with her?"

"Of course. Maybe she's a beautiful redhead," he smirked.

"She's married," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "And since when are you into redheads?"

"Always have been. And so what if she's married? That's her husband's problem. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna sleep with her. A little flirting doesn't hurt anyone."

I stood up. "Yes, it does. What if she... what if she develops feelings for you?"

"Good for her," he shrugged. "Why wouldn't she? Have you looked at me?"

"Alright," I grumbled. "If this is such a good thing, maybe I'll try it too. I think I know now."

"Know what?"

"How to pass Chemistry."

His face fell. "What do you mean?" he asked, stepping closer to me.

I smiled at him, crossing my arms. "Maybe I'll try flirting with Mr. Grey. Give him a few--" my sentence was cut short with a gasp, as Ace took my arms and pulled me to himself.

"Don't you dare," he stated, looking me in the eye.

"Why not?" I raised my eyebrows. "What will you do?"

"Ava..." he warned.

"Ace..."

"Don't mess with me."

"Why not? You think you're the only one who can do it?"

"Oh, so this is revenge?" he asked. "Why? You had a problem with me flirting with the new Princy?"

"Don't call her Princy." I scrunched my nose.

He chuckled, pulling me tighter against himself. "Why not?"

"It sounds so stupid."

"I think it sounds cute. Just like the woman herself."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes, pushing him away. "Do what you want." I turned around to leave, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Are you jealous, Clayton?" he teased.

I curled my toes, trying to push his arms off.

"Of course not."

"Are you sure?" He turned me around, pulling me even closer.

"Yes," I stated, looking away from him.

He took my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Say it again."

"I'm... I'm not jealous."

Ace chuckled, pressing a kiss against my nose. "Lying isn't nice, Duckling."

"Whatever," I replied, but a smile stretched across my lips.

He smiled back, dropping both his hands to my waist. "I miss you."

"I'm literally right here." I laughed.

He pushed my hair away from my face, staring at me intently.

"I still miss you," he muttered. He pulled me into a hug, and I smiled, hugging him back.

"What do you miss?"

"Everything," he sighed, burying his face into the crook of my neck. "I miss your bare skin pressing against mine, I miss kissing those lips of yours, I miss being able to call you mine."

"I am still yours, Ace," I replied softly, entangling my fingers with his hair. "I already told you. Since the day we kissed, I haven't even thought about liking another man."

He took a deep breath, pulling away to look at me. "Then let's date again, Duckling. It's been a months. You still don't forgive me?" he asked.

"I told you, Ace. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

He sighed, stepping away from me. "Alright."

"Hey," I took his hand, and kissed it. "Don't be upset."

"I'm not," he reassured, offering me a smile. "I just want you back."

"I know," I replied softly, feeling my heart sink. "It's just... whenever I think about us getting back together, I can't help but feel afraid. Since we stopped dating, things have been so--"

"Perfect? Good? It's because I have changed, Ava. I'm trying to be the guy you want. And I think I'm doing pretty well."

"Don't say that." I stepped closer to him, cupping his cheek. "You are the guy I want, and you'll always be. I can never want anyone else, Ace. The reason I'm so scared is, I don't wanna lose you again. You're one of the few good things in my life, and if we date again, I'm afraid I'll bring out the worst in you. You said it yourself, there's no in-between, no moderation when it comes to us."

"I understand," he said softly, taking both my hands. "It's alright. I'll wait for as long as you want. Because I don't want anyone else either." He kissed my forehead, and I smiled, warmth filling my chest.

"Thank you for being so patient with me."

He shook his head, ruffling my hair. I laughed, pushing his hand away.

"You love destroying my hairstyle, don't you?" I grinned, pushing the strands back into place.

"Mhm." He nodded, cupping both my cheeks. "I love doing anything to you. Except making you cry."

"You don't do that anymore."

"I try." He shrugged.

"Anyway, let's go." I stepped away from him. "Tanisha and Adrian are waiting for me. And, your friends are probably waiting for you."

"Of course they are. Jerks."

I let out a laugh, shaking my head at him.

- - - -

Ace and I entered the cafeteria, and unlike previously, when we'd go our separate paths, we walked over to the same table.

"Hey guys," I greeted with a huge smile, sitting down between Tanisha and Adrian.

Ace took the seat opposite to mine, between Sapphire and Darren. Beside Darren was Priya, then Aisha, and then Adrian. Beside Sapphire was Tanisha, and then finally, me.

"Hey," most of them replied in unison, offering me small smiles. Priya simply rolled her eyes, scrolling away on her phone. I didn't mind her behavior.

It was hard to believe how different things were now. There was a time I dreaded seeing the faces of these people, and now I was sharing a table with them. We all did not necessarily like each other much, but we were respectful and tolerant. Well, most of us. Priya seemed to be holding a weird grudge against me. I wasn't sure why, but she made sure I was aware of how unwanted I was on her table. I did not care, as all that mattered to me was Ace, and being close to him. Plus, Tanisha was very happy with Sapphire, and so was Adrian with Aisha. Getting to know the Wolves, they weren't as bad as they had first seemed. Sure, they were a little tough to handle at times, and they came from very different backgrounds than the three of us, but at the end of the day, they were our friends, and I enjoyed their company. They had also stopped bullying others by now. Ace for me, Aisha for Adrian, and Sapphire for Tanisha. Darren and Priya still fooled around at times, but people weren't as scared anymore, so they did not go too overboard.

Not bragging, but I loved to take the credit for that. Even Ace agreed with me. He said if I hadn't punched him, and stood up to him and his group, things would still have been the same.

"How's my little chicken nugget?" Adrian asked, putting his arm around me.

"I'm not your little chicken nugget," I scowled, but a chuckle escaped my lips. I glanced at Ace, and he was completely ignoring me, busy talking to Darren about the new cars in his father's showroom.

"Really?" Adrian pouted, and I turned his face away from me. He got busy flirting with Aisha again, as she blushed and look down, not meeting his gaze. They weren't exactly in a relationship yet, but they definitely were a thing. And everyone knew about it.

"What's up, Tan?" I asked, shifting my attention to her.

"Everything is great," she replied, a huge grin on her face.

I let out a laugh, glancing from her to Sapphire. "You guys are so cute together."

"I know, right?" Sapphire replied, smiling at me.

"Absolutely."

I felt Adrian nudge me with his elbow, and turned to him. He pretended he hadn't done it. I narrowed my eyes, smacking him on the back of his head. He accidentally spilled his drink on the table, and I gasped, covering my mouth. He narrowed his eyes, slowly turning his head to scowl at me. A laugh escaped my lips, as I offered him a tissue paper.

"No, don't give me that now," he scolded. "I want your drink."

I quickly picked up mine, shaking my head.

"Give it. Right now."

I gave him an innocent smile, before taking a sip from it.

He reached forward to grab it, but before him, Ace leaned over the table and snatched it from me. Adrian scowled at him, while I frowned in confusion. He sat back down, calmly sipping it, before he handed it to Adrian. "Here. You can have it now." He smiled sarcastically.

"Seriously?" I gaped at him.

Ace shrugged, before winking at me.

I clenched my jaw. "Now you're gonna get me a different one." I crossed my arms.

"Oh please," he scoffed. "It isn't like you would've been able to keep it away from him."

"Yes, I would," I retorted, scowling.

"No, you wouldn't."

"Fine, don't talk to me," I grumbled, lowering my gaze.

Ace chuckled, before standing up. "Fine, I'm going."

"I want a--"

"Vanilla Milkshake, I know."

"Yes," I grinned. "Thank you."

"I'll take my p*****t in full, when we go back to the dorm."

My eyes widened, and heat rose up my cheeks as I shot him a glare. The Wolves started laughing, and even Priya cracked an amused smile. Ace smirked, before turning around and walking away.

"Awww," Tanisha teased, poking my arm.

"Shut up," I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"Let me know the details," Adrian whispered, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"You want me to empty the shake on you?"

"No."

"Then keep your mouth shut."

"Okay."

There was a loud crashing sound all of a sudden, and all our heads turned to the food counter. My eyes widened, and I stood up from my chair, staring in disbelief.

Ace had knocked over a chair, and had a guy pinned to the wall, holding onto his collar. Everyone was staring at him with horror in their eyes, and I gulped, feeling a lump form in my throat.

"What is he doing?" I muttered, leaving everything and rushing towards him. Darren and Adrian followed, while Sapphire, Tanisha and Priya stood up as well.

"Ace," I said, trying to pull him away by his t-shirt.

"Don't," he snapped, making me flinch. "This jerk had it coming!" he yelled, raising his fist into the air. Before he brought it down on his face, Darren caught hold of his hand.

"Ace, what are you doing?" he asked, his tone laced with confusion. He leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, but I heard him. "Don't mess things up now, you've held back for almost a month."

"Fine!" Ace practically growled, letting go of him. He yanked his hand out of Darren's grip, and pushed him back, before turning and directing a glare at the guy. "Don't think you've been saved, and don't even dare to repeat those words ever again. I promise I won't leave you alive." He stormed out of the cafeteria, while I stood there staring at him, my mouth parted in shock, my heart breaking in my chest.

- - - - - -

Hey ClayGents! Welcome back! The updates will be three/four times a week, depending on the condition of my arms. So the injury that had happened was due to overexertion, and my doctor has forbidden me from working for long hours, and too much. I hope you will remain patient, and supportive as you were in the first book. Did you like the chapter? Let me know in the comments! I love you all.

I have a request, though. If you'd like to do something for me, it would mean a lot if you could read the first thirteen (free) chapters of my book--The Dragon's Kiss. I know you guys support me a lot, which is why I'm able to ask you this. If you'd just add it to your libraries, and read even the free chapters, maybe leave comments, it would do a lot for the algorithm and Dreame would promote it more. Love you all and thank you so much.