Hope y'all enjoy! It's a little short but I think you'll like it ;)

hapter Twenty-One

As Ace tended to Blackey and got him settled in for the night, he told himself his hands were shaking because he was nervous. Why they hell would Ace be nervous? He'd been with plenty of women and knew his way around a woman's body, but the truth was, he'd never been with an innocent woman—and he'd never been with Penny.

With Penny it was different. Penny touched a place deep inside him that no other woman ever had. She made him want to please her. He wanted to ensure that every touch of his body against hers gave her a sense of just how deeply he'd fallen in love with her....

Dear god, what if he had an off night???

Ace swallowed hard and realized that there wasn't anything that Blackey needed and he was only stalling. Penny was waiting in the house, probably just as nervous as he was and wondering why her man was taking so long. He wondered what stories her pessimistic mind was making up and realized he needed to get to her before she convinced herself of something horrible about him.

Taking a page out of Penny's book, Ace squared his shoulders, raised his head and strode for the house. It was time to get over the nerves. He was Phillip 'Ace' Montgomery Anderson—he damn well knew what he was doing.

Entering the cabin, Ace found Penny standing in front of the kitchen window, staring out at the night and chewing on her lip for all she was worth. "Princess, stop abusin' that lip so much. I'm far to fond of kissing it to have you gnaw it off."

Penny whirled around to face him, clearly not having heard him walk in. Her green/gray eyes were wide and her freckled cheeks flushed. Damn she was beautiful.

"Ace... I was getting worried about you. It was taking a while."

Ace smiled. He pulled his hat off and placed it on the hook by the door, did the same with his gun belt, locked the door, and yanked off his boots. "And just what had that brain of yours convinced you of?" he asked, stalking toward her.

"I...you... um...."

"Cat got your tongue?" Ace teased, he loved seeing Penny flustered. "Tell me."

"I was worried," she admitted breathlessly as Ace came to a stop with their bodies brushing. Her neck was craned as she looked up at him and Ace put his hand behind her head, burying it in her soft hair.

"About what, Princess?"

Her eyes left his a moment. "That you'd changed your mind and didn't really want me."

"Damn that imagination of yours," Ace growled, just before slamming their mouths together and devouring her. No slow buildup, no tenderness just yet, Ace wanted the woman too damn bad.

Picking her up in his arms, Ace never broke their kiss as he cradled her body against him and carried her into the bedroom. Ace laid her down gently upon the bed and stood beside it as he gazed down at her.

Penny's face was flushed, her lips were red from his assault, and her eyes were dark with passion as she gazed up at him through long eyelashes. Ace knew then and there that he would never grow tired of seeing that sight.

After undoing the buttons, Ace slid his shirt form his shoulders and he saw Penny's gaze rake over his naked torso. He trembled under her gaze, hoping she liked what she saw. When their eyes met once again, Penny rose from the bed. She stood in front of him and swallowed hard, clearly unsure of herself. "Undress me, Ace."

Ace damn near swallowed his tongue. There was that passionate woman he'd seen that morning. Who'd have thought his Princess Penny would have that kind of fire inside her? "Yes, ma'am," he growled. He'd been wanting to see that tiny body for a long time.

She turned her back to him and Ace undid the buttons down the back of her dress, letting his fingers dance across her porcelain skin as it became visible to him. There were more of those freckles and Ace took time to taste as many of them as he could, feeling Penny tremble violently against him.

Deciding he'd tortured her enough, Ace slid her dress from her body. As she stood there in nothing but her underclothes, Ace drank in the sight of her tiny waist and that slight swell of her hips.

He slid her chemise from her dainty shoulders and slid it, as well as the rest of her underclothes to the floor. Ace's mouth went dry as he watched her step out of them, taking in the way her slender body moved in the faint moonlight through the window.

"Turn around," he somehow managed to whisper. Penny slowly did as he bid, though she had her arms crossed over her chest, hiding her breasts from him.

Ace shook his head. He gently grabbed her upper arms. "My princess doesn't ever need to hide from me," he urged. She remained tense and unsure, her eyes wide and uncertain. Slowly with a bit more urging, Penny let her arms fall.

Ace damn near swooned. His knees grew weak. Damn, Penny was a beauty. All slender lines, dainty curves, small but high breasts, a tight stomach leading down to slightly curving hips and a delicious triangle of golden curls between her thighs.

Ace couldn't wait to touch and taste every single inch of her.

"Ace?" Her voice pulled him from his daze and he realized she was once again unsure. Did the woman actually think he didn't like what he saw. Hell, he loved what he saw. Penny was breathtaking and Ace was humbled to know that she was all his.

Instead of speaking, Ace undid his trousers and let them fall to the floor, stepping out of them and kicking them aside. He was already hard and ready for Penny and he heard her sharp intake of breath.

Having had enough of the space between their bodies, Ace was preparing to pull her into the bed, when Penny shocked him by throwing herself into his arms and raising up to kiss his lips.

His shock faded quickly, and Ace devoured her mouth. He led her to the bed and brought both of them down upon it, never breaking their kiss. Letting his fingers wander, Ace traced her neck, feeling the bounding in her pulse.

His fingertips found her collarbones next, then danced lower to her tiny breast. She gasped against his mouth as Ace teased her nipple gently, bringing it to a hard nub. "You like that, Princess?"

Penny barely managed to nod. Ace felt her hands go to his thick hair and then she pushed him lower. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest just before he licked out and caught that nipple with his tongue.

Penny's hands remained tangled in his hair. It was nearly painful but Ace wasn't about to say anything as Penny writhed and moaned beneath him. If she thought this was good, Ace couldn't wait to show her what would happen when he moved lower.

Letting his lips leave her breasts, Ace kissed his way down her stomach. He nipped at her hip bones and blew a warm breath against her womanhood. The heat coming off her was intense and Ace didn't waste time. He put his lips against her core and teased her with his tongue. Tasting and drinking her sweetness as she cried out his name in shock.

Ace continued his assault. Letting his tongue lazily draw shapes against her clit before suckling it. He could tell by the sound of her panting breaths and the tension beginning to fill her body that Penny was nearing her release—or at least her first one of the night.

Taking one finger and sliding it inside her, Ace pumped it in time with his suckling and it took only seconds before Penny's back was rising from the mattress, her cries of ecstasy filling the room as she tightened around his finger and held it firmly in place while wave after wave of pleasure washed through her body.

Taking his time to taste her freckled skin on his way, Ace made his way back up the bed and kept his lips on her neck, just above her thundering pulse, waiting for her to come out of the daze her release had her in.

"Ace?" she finally whispered.

He smiled against her skin. "Yeah, Princess?"

"What did you just do to me?"

Pushing himself up on his elbow, Ace met her gaze and flashed a smile. "Same thing I plan on doing to do every damn chance you'll let me."

Her golden hair had begun to come loose from her pins and it was wild and unruly around her head. Those green/gray eyes met his full force. "You won't be getting any arguments from me."

Ace chuckled. "That's good." His lips found hers again and they wasted no time before deepening the kiss. Warring tongues and roaming hands filled the darkened bedroom with their moans. Damn, Ace needed her.

He found himself hovering over her, braced atop her tiny body. "I've never had an innocent woman, Penny, and I've never had a woman I loved. I want to make sure you know that."

Penny's hips rose, causing those curls to bump against his hardened cock causing his vision to go black a moment. "I know, Ace. I love you too."

That was all Ace needed to hear. He lowered himself and gently slid his cock inside her. Time stilled. Damn, he fit inside her perfectly. Her warmth surrounded him, clinging to him as he continued his entry. He felt that slight resistance, lowered his mouth to hers in a hot kiss, and then shoved past that proof of her innocence.

Penny stiffened beneath him but Ace put his lips to her ear and whispered soothingly. Ace forced himself to remain still until her hips slowly began moving against him. "Ace?" she whispered. "Is this all there is?"

Ace chuckled. "Hell no, Princess." Then he began to move.