Billionaire Bad Boy's Beloved

Chapter 2 - Giddy

ACE ARGENT

I stormed out of the cafeteria, my jaw clenched in anger, fists balled at my sides. My blood was boiling. How dare he say that, and that too, in front of me?

"Ace!" I heard her call out, and I stopped, running a hand through my hair. I wanted to punch something, preferably that jerk's face, but I knew I could not let her down again. She did not like violence, and it was not a good thing anyway, so I knew I had to change that about myself. I wanted to be the best version of myself for her. I wanted to be everything she had ever wanted. I wanted her to be proud of me.

She took my arm and turned me around, staring up at me with a gaze full of concern and confusion. I had expected to see anger and disappointment in her eyes, but surprisingly, there was none.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, her chest heaving up and down as she breathed. Her nose was slightly red, which meant she was either stressed, holding back tears, or angry. At this point, I think it was all three. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath, looking away from her.

"Ace?" she said softly, stepping closer to me. She cupped my cheek, and as soon as I felt her warm hand touch me, all my anger and frustration melted away. I glanced into those beautiful eyes of her, letting out a sigh. "Are you gonna tell me what happened?"

"Are you mad at me?" I asked, taking her hand.

"No." She shook her head. "Not without knowing your reasons."

"He was talking s**t," I replied, gently caressing the back of her hand with my thumb. "First he commented on me, and said I'd gone soft for you. I ignored him. Then he passed a lewd remark on Sapphire and Tanisha, suggesting something absolutely disgusting. So I told him to shut up or I'd break his jaw. The i***t went on to say your name. I grabbed his neck before he could finish his sentence." I had tried my best to sound apologetic, but I did not succeed.

A small, amused smile stretched across her lips, and for a second there, I thought I saw a glint of pride in her eyes.

"You're smiling?" I raised an eyebrow.

She lowered her head, and quickly covered it up, clearing her throat.

"Absolutely not," she muttered, meeting my gaze again. She was feigning anger, furrowing her eyebrows and thinking she looked scary. All I wanted was to kiss her, but unfortunately, couldn't. "You should have ignored him."

"Not possible." I shrugged, wrapping my arms around her waist. I leaned down to her eye level. "No one gets to say s**t about my girl--I mean, my friend, when I'm around."

A grin took over her face, but she rolled her eyes.

"Hitting people isn't right."

"I think passing a remark on his girlfriend, sister, or mother would have been worse."

She scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, never do that."

"I wouldn't. Which is why I just found a polite way to shut him up."

"Creating a scene in the school cafeteria isn't polite. You know you could get into trouble now. The Principal--"

"I'll deal with it," I reassured. "There's only one thing my father has ever done for me, which I actually appreciate. And that is giving me the freedom to use his status to get out of difficult situations."

"Which is completely unethical." She gave me a glare, but there was an amusement to it.

"Hmm, I like doing unethical, immoral things..." I trailed off, lowering my gaze to her lips. My grip on her waist tightened, and I pulled her closer, causing her eyes to widen.

"Ace, what are you doing?" she asked, staring at me incredulously. Her hands were resting on my chest, and she tried to push me away, but I did not budge.

"Something unethical," I replied, leaning in.

She leaned back, before covering her mouth with her hand.

"No kissing."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?" I teased.

"Ace," she tried to scold, but amusement seeped into her tone. "Stop it." She laughed.

"And if I don't?" I whispered when my face was only inches away from hers. Her body tensed up now, and I could see the nervousness on her face. "What if I kiss you right now, Duckling? Would you kiss me back?" My nose brushed against hers, and her eyes fluttered shut.

"I..." she trailed off, her heavy breath cascading over my lips.

"You...?"

"I will... I will push you away," she muttered.

I turned her around, and gently pinned her against the wall, while she stared up at me with worried eyes and a parted mouth.

"Are you sure you'll push me away?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No," she said softly, shaking her head. "Not really."

A smile stretched across my lips. "Then I'm gonna take my chances."

- - - -

AVA CLAYTON

"Then I'm gonna take my chances."

I closed my eyes again, sucking in a breath as he leaned in. His warm breath fanned against my lips, and my stomach exploded with a million butterflies, my heart fluttering and his warmth seeping in my chest. When his lips touched mine, the world stopped. It felt as good as every other time, yet better, and far more special. It had only been a month since I last kissed him, yet I felt like I had been waiting for this since years. He wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up. I held onto his broad shoulders, as he slammed me against the wall, making me gasp. Ace deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into my mouth, and a soft hum left my lips.

Someone loudly cleared their throat, and we both froze, our eyes shooting open. For a moment there, we had completely forgotten about where we were--in the school corridors, not our bedroom. I quickly pushed him away, combing my fingers through my hair, as heat crept up my cheeks in embarrassment. Ace turned around, but continued to cover my body with his, allowing me to catch my breath and pull myself together. I was still in a daze, sparks of pleasure shooting through my body, and I leaned against the wall for support.

"There is lipstick on your lips, Mr. Argent," a female voice said, and I cringed internally, wanting the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

"I hope you like the shade, Ma'am," Ace replied without a hint of shame, making me slap his back. He did not react, but I knew he was smirking.

"Yes, of course. It's quite pretty. Which brand is it?" the woman asked.

"Hmm, I'm not quite sure. Mac, I think. That shade... Candy Yum Yum?"

I couldn't stay silent anymore. "Ace," I groaned, glaring at his back as if he could see me.

"You may step forward too, Miss Clayton."

I took a deep breath, and did as I was told, my gaze stuck on the ground.

"Good Morning," I muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure yours was good," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh it was," Ace replied, putting an arm around my shoulder.

My eyes widened, and I pushed it off, giving him a look.

"How would you know, Mr. Argent?"

"I thought you would know, Mrs. Jacobs. You're the new Principal after all, aren't you?"

If it was even possible, my eyes widened further. Great. What a lovely first impression, Ava. On the Principal's very first day, she caught you sucking faces with your boyfriend. How wonderful.

"I am, I'm glad to know you already know me," she smiled.

"Of course I do," Ace replied. "I keep tabs on everyone. It's kinda a Mayor's son thing."

Her eyes glittered with something almost wicked, and I instantly got a bad vibe from her. She had a mean-girl look on her face. I wouldn't be surprised if she would start bullying me on my hair or makeup. I knew what to say to her if she did. Her lipstick was crooked too.

And that's when I realized how much hanging out with the Wolves was influencing me. Where are your manners, Ava?

"The Mayor's son," she said, her eyes narrowing to slits. "The leader of the infamous Wolves, who like to bully fellow students, and use your influence to get out of it."

"Precisely."

She let out a chuckle, stepping closer to him. "Mr. Argent, since you seem to know everything, I hope you're also aware that I am not as cooperative as Mr. Warton. Your reign is about to end very soon. I'd like to see you in my office at ten."

Ace's smile did not falter. "Sure, Mrs. Jacobs. I'd love to have a chat with you."

"Likewise." She turned on her heel and walked away, allowing me to heave a sigh of relief.

The moment she was gone, Ace rolled his eyes, before grabbing my arm and pulling me to himself. His lips crashed onto mine before I could speak, and once that happened, I forgot what I was going to say anyway. I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck, and entangling my fingers with his hair. It was euphoric. I missed this.

We pulled away after a heated moment, both of us breathing hard, completely drunk on each other's scents.

"s**t, I missed this so much," he muttered, pushing my hair away from my face.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I replied, lowering my hands to his chest. "I love you, Ace."

"I love you more," he replied, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. He leaned in and planted a lingering kiss on my forehead, making me feel all warm and giddy.

"I love you most."

"You can't."

"Yes, I can."

"You can never love me more than I love you."

"Shut up," I chuckled. "This isn't a competition."

"It's a fact. I love you more than you love me."

"That's not true. Why would you say that?" I frowned.

"Because, I love you more than any man can ever love a woman, and more than any woman can ever love a man."

I smiled. "I know," I replied. "And I love you too."

He smiled back, pulling me into a hug. "I know."

He placed another kiss, this time on my hair, and I smiled, burying my face into his chest.

"Don't keep doing that all the time now," I said, blushing. "In front of everyone."

"Do what?"

"Kiss me like that."

"Why not?" He pulled away, a frown on his face.

"Because," I replied, lowering my gaze, "I get all pink and flustered. It's embarrassing."

"It's cute," he replied, looking relieved. "You scared me for a second."

"Tanisha and Adrian make fun of me," I muttered, covering my cheeks with my palms.

"You want me to tell them off?"

"Absolutely not," I replied, scowling.

He shrugged, letting out a chuckle. "I mean I could do that."

"I know you could, which is why I'm telling you not to. Don't do that."

"Then you don't tell me not to kiss you," he countered. He bent down to my eye level, taking my arms in a firm hold. "You have no idea how I've held back for the past month." His tone was suddenly serious, his eyes almost dark with lust. "I will kiss you however much I want, anywhere I want, and in front of whoever I want. I'll kiss you on stage, in classes, and behind closed doors. Because you, Ava Clayton, are officially mine again. And I'll make sure everyone knows that." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

I blinked at him as he pulled away, unsure of how to feel. There was a whole storm brewing in my heart, full of love, longing, a slight fear, and most of all, excitement. I loved his possessive side as much as I disliked the violence that came from it. And I only hoped he would manage to balance the two. The danger and thrill I felt with him, was something I could get drunk on. And yet, there was no one else I felt safer with.

He turned to walk away, when I caught hold of his forearm.

"Ace," I said softly, gulping.

He turned back to me.

"You can kiss me whenever you want, whenever you feel like. I'm sorry for forcing you to stay away from me for a whole month. I hope you know it was as hard for me, as it was for you. I love you, Ace, and I love every part of you. I just don't like it when you hurt people."

A boyish smile took over his lips, one that sent fireworks through my body.

"I know," he replied, pulling me into another hug. I wrapped my arms around him, and he rested his chin on my head. I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent of his cologne, all my nerves melting into a puddle of warm giddiness and comfort.

- - - - - -

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! We all knew Ava wouldn't be able to hold back for too long. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Check out the author's note too, please! It would mean a lot to me! Find my story The Dragon's Kiss on my profile.