Chapter 344 ACE

Chapter 344 ACE

It was past two in the morning by the time Tom walked into his bedroom. His gaze moved to the bed, and he noticed that Lucy was already fast asleep. She had left the light on.

He quietly took off his shoes and put on his bedroom flip flop before walking as noiselessly as he could to the bathroom. He took off his clothes and dumped them in the laundry basket, and then stepped into the shower.

He tried to be as quiet as he could, and once he was done in the shower, he walked into the closet, lightly spritzed his body with his body spray, and put on a pair of clean boxers before turning off the light and joining her in bed.

The moment he raised the duvet and got under it, Lucy snuggled closer to his side of the bed, surprising him, "I thought you were not going to come to bed," she said sleepily.

"I thought you were asleep," Tom said as he adjusted to accommodate her so that she was lying on her side, facing him while he was lying on his back with her head resting on his left arm.

"I was," Lucy sighed contentedly.

"Sorry I woke you up," Tom said apologetically.

"I wanted to be awake when you got back. That's why I left the light on," She said as she sniffed his body and ran her hand over his bare torso.

"Sorry I took so long. Bryan refused to concede defeat," Tom said apologetically as he patted her back so that she would go back to sleep.

"It's fine. I'm glad you're here now," she said as she played with one of his nipples.

Tom tried to distract his body by thinking about anything else other than what she was doing. His nipples were very sensitive, and he could already feel a tent growing in his boxers. He wasn't going to touch her in any sexual way. For both her sake and his, he was going to resist every sexual urge or desire.

"Everybody is going back tomorrow. We will go back to being alone," Lucy said, and Tom looked down at her.

"I suppose you like that?"

She nodded, "Hm-hm. Although I will miss them, but yes, I like it. And I like your body too. It feels so cool and smells very nice too. I want to lick you," she said, and as though to prove it, she flicked her tongue over his skin, making Tom suck in a breath.

"You should sleep now," Tom suggested as he kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, willing himself to go to sleep. He wasn't sure he would be able to keep his hands to himself for much longer if she continued to touch him that way.

"I spoke with your dad earlier," Lucy said after a minute.

"You did? What did you both talk about?" Tom asked without opening his eyes, trying to relax his body.

"About my mom," Lucy said, choosing not to talk about what Desmond had said about his relationship with Evelyn. She didn't want to talk about anything marriage-related that would remind them of the awkwardness and tension of their conversation the previous day.

"She called me insensitive," Lucy said flatly, and this time Tom opened his eyes.

"Why would she say something like that to you?" Tom asked, feeling a little pang of annoyance on her behalf. Thankfully the topic was enough to calm the tension between his legs.

"She was mad at me for telling Lucas about Rachel before talking to them first. She implied that I was trying to make him feel guilty, and then when I reacted and said it wasn't easy for me either, she said I've always been insensitive," Lucy said, and Tom pulled away from her and sat up.

Okay, now he was angry. He knew he shouldn't be mad since he had seen just how sorry Janet had felt, and he had even consoled her when she cried, but he couldn't help his annoyance. He was mad at her. How could she have said something that hurtful to Lucy? Lucy didn't deserve any of that, whether or not she meant it. That she was putting up a brave front for her family didn't mean they should also ignore her feelings.

Tom tried to calm down by reminding himself that they were his family, and sometimes misunderstandings like these were bound to happen. He couldn't let her know that he was upset, so he schooled his face to look neutral as he switched on the light so that he could look into her face.

Judging by how stiff his body had suddenly become, Lucy could tell that he was upset but was trying hard not to show it, "I'm okay now," she tried to assure him as she also sat up.

"I'm sorry she said that to you," Tom said as he reached out to pat the side of her head.

"At first, I was really upset. No, I was more than upset, actually. I was very angry with her. I was mad because, deep down, I've always blamed them for not paying enough attention to me. Not once did they notice that I was not fine. Not one of them noticed. But despite blaming them, I never once made them feel like it was their fault because I didn't want them to live with that guilt. I kept it all to myself. So I was mad that my own mother said those words to me. I didn't care whether or not she meant it. I was just mad that she, of all people, was the one who said it," Lucy confessed.

"I understand. You have every right to be mad," Tom said as he took both her hands in his.

Lucy took a deep breath, "Yeah. I was mad, but I don't think I'm mad anymore. Your dad talked to me, and then I felt better. Although it still hurts that my mother said that to me, but I'm not mad at her anymore. It's possible to feel hurt but not be mad, right?" Lucy asked, and Tom nodded as he raised her hands to his lips and kissed her palms.

"Yes. It's very possible. I don't know what my dad said to you, but I'm glad you are no longer mad. What can I do to make you feel better?" Tom asked as he held on to her hands, and Lucy smiled, feeling very lighthearted.

"I think you are like your dad in a lot of ways," she said without answering his question.

"Really? What makes you think so?" Tom asked curiously.

"You're both excellent listeners. You're both patient, thoughtful, caring, loving, wise..."

"Why do you sound like you're almost half as in love with my dad as you are with me?" Tom cut in, and Lucy giggled.

"Not almost," Lucy corrected with a grin and giggled when he scowled at her, "And you were right about the gift. He loved it. He even wore it right there," Lucy said with a proud smile.

"Who wouldn't love a gift coming from a beautiful lady such as you?" Tom asked, and a blush stained Lucy's cheeks while Tom watched her with an affectionately amused glance.

"Ace," Lucy said as she met his gaze, and Tom raised a questioning brow.

"What's that?"

"That's my nickname for you. I will call you Ace," Lucy said with a shy smile, and Tom chuckled.

"Ace," he repeated as though testing the sound of the word, "Why Ace?"

"Because you're an absolute genius when it comes to making me happy," Lucy said, and this time Tom looked at her with serious eyes.

"Are you sure I make you happy?"

Lucy nodded, "More than you can imagine," she assured him.

"It's good to hear that. I think I like it," Tom said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "So are you going to call me Ace just when we are alone, or will you do that in the presence of others?" He asked, knowing how much she was embarrassed by public displays of affection.

Knowing how much he liked public displays of affection, Lucy shrugged, "I won't call you that in official settings since you are my boss, but I can call you that in public as long as it is outside the work zone," Lucy said, and Tom nodded as his eyes fell on the wall clock which was hanging on the wall directly opposite the bed.

"That is fair enough. We need to sleep now, Jewel. It's almost three," Tom said as he turned off the light and pulled her to himself so that they were both lying on the bed in their former position.

"What about you? Do I make you happy?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Your existence in itself makes me happy," Tom said as he kissed her forehead, "Now sleep," he ordered softly, and Lucy smiled as she kissed his chest.

"Goodnight, Ace," she whispered softly.

Tom smiled, "Sweet dreams, Jewel."