Chapter 30 JACE
JACE
Steam curls thickly around the bathroom, warm and heavy, almost drowning out the world outside. I lean against the tiles, water sluicing over my shoulder, mind still buzzing from the mission, the graze, the tension of the night.
Then I feel her. Pressing close, her hands trailing across my chest, tracing the lines of muscle I didn’t realize I’d missed so much until now. She smells like lavender and that subtle hint of herself that always makes me forget everything else.
“Thank you for keeping your promise,” she murmurs, her lips brushing my collarbone. “Thank you for coming back home safe.”
I inhale sharply, letting her words sink in, let them steady the adrenaline still thrumming through my veins. I grab her wrist gently, turning her to face me. Her eyes are bright, soft, filled with that mixture of relief and desire I know all too well.
She doesn’t hesitate, leaning in, kissing me fully—lips and teeth, mouth and tongue, claiming me like she’s been waiting for this moment as long as I have. And maybe she has.
My hands find the curve of her hips, pulling her flush against me. Every nerve fires. Every worry, every fear, every scar from the night melts under her touch.
“God, Tess…” I groan against her mouth, shivering as her hands explore me, memorizing, grounding.
“Jace,” she rasps out as my teeth and lips mark her neck and chest.
“I’m here, baby,” I smile as my mouth finds one of her nipples.
She arches her back to my lips and pulls my head closer.
I wrap my lips around one of her nipples and tug, making her moan out loud.
I pull back, watching as she pouts at me for the lack of contact.
I smile and guide her back to the wooden bench installed against one of the glass walls for my support.
“Sit.”
She does so without question, watching as I kneel at her feet, taking her legs and placing them on my shoulders, exposing her to me.
She gasps when she realizes what I’m about to do and leans back on the glass, her chest rising in anticipation.
Her bare pussy calls out to me, her pink wet clit leaking with juices.
I kiss her thighs, trailing kisses from her knees to the apex of her thighs, alternating between each leg.
“Jace, please,” she begs, pulling my head closer to where she wants me.
Unable to deny her or me any longer, my mouth finds her clit. I don’t waste a moment, lapping up her juices like the thirsty man that I am. Her thighs tighten around my neck as her pleasure increases, and I don’t mind it as I keep enjoying my meal.
“More, please,” she begs.
I oblige to her request as I carefully sink one of my digits into her wet, warm pussy. Knowing she can take more, I add a second finger and begin finger-fucking her, my tongue flicking her pink nub.
We lose track of everything except each other. Water splashes down over us, hot and relentless, masking our sounds, the heat amplifying everything—every gasp, every moan, every hungry whisper.
It’s messy, it’s urgent, it’s perfect. And for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel truly… alive.
“I’m close,” she chokes out, but I can already tell from the tightening of her stomach muscles.
My free hand trails up her torso and cups her breast. My mouth doesn’t leave her clit the whole time.
“Jace!!” she screams as she comes, her thighs holding me in place as her legs shake on my shoulders.
I can’t move, so I wait for her to ride out her orgasm, and a second later she loosens her hold on my head. Her stomach is still quivering from her orgasm as I set her legs down and kiss my way up her stomach, to her boobs, before finally finding her mouth.
Getting to my feet, I help her up as well and hoist her up to wrap her legs around my waist.
“You’re wounded,” she protests.
“I’m fine,” I groan, the pleasure I’m feeling canceling the pain in my shoulders.
Reaching between us, I fist my cock, aligning myself with her pussy before sliding in, in one swift motion. We moan simultaneously as I sink all the way to the hilt. Lowering my head, I wrap my mouth around one of her nipples, my hands going to her ass to bounce her off and on my cock.
The sound of our wet skin slapping against each other in the shower echoes in the cubicle, muffled by the sound of running water.
Steam swirls around us, thick and warm, a small world apart from everything else.
I pull her close, feeling her press against me, and for a moment, everything else disappears.
The fear, the adrenaline from the mission, the tension of the last few days—it all melts away under her hands and the way her eyes search mine, full of trust and desire.
Her nails rake gently down my back, and I grab her face, deepening the kiss, tasting the relief, the love, the pure heat of desire that’s been building for weeks.
“Jace…” she murmurs, breathless, her voice soft but full of need.
I smile, brushing her hair back from her damp face, and press my forehead to hers. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her lips find mine, soft at first, then more urgent, and I let the heat between us take over.
Every touch, every kiss, every lingering caress carries the weight of everything we’ve survived together.
I feel her close, all of her attention on me, and I lose myself in the moment, savoring the closeness, the safety, the love.
We move together under the spray of water, careful and yet insistent, hands tracing familiar lines, memorizing each other again after the chaos. Every sigh, every whispered name, every heartbeat pounding in sync makes it clear: we belong here, together, in this moment.
“Baby, I need you to come with me,” I demand, wrapping my hand around her neck and pulling her down for a kiss.
“I’m with you,” she moans.
I feel her pussy walls tightening around my cock, and I know she is right there with me.
When we finally part, breathing hard, foreheads pressed together, I can’t help but laugh quietly, the sound rough with tension and joy.
“You’re impossible,” she murmurs.
“Yeah,” I smirk, brushing her wet hair from her face. “But you love it.”
I pull her close again, pressing one last, lingering kiss to her lips before letting the water wash over us, letting the world outside wait while we reclaim the night together.
Later, after we’re done washing each other, steam still hangs thick in the bathroom as I tow Tessa over to the counter, settling on the stool. I can feel the warmth of her body against mine, the lingering heat from our shower making my chest tighten in all the right ways.
“You’re going to make me sit for this?” I joke, trying to mask the slight ache from the graze.
She rolls her eyes but smiles, pulling a clean cloth and antiseptic from the cabinet. “Yes. You’re not leaving until I make sure this is properly cleaned.”
I let her work; the cool antiseptic stings a little against my skin, but I barely notice. I’m watching her, tracing the lines of her face in my mind, the way her brows furrow slightly when she concentrates, the curve of her lips when she smirks at my complaints.
“Daisy said something today,” she begins softly, dabbing at my shoulder. “She… she told me she loves me and wants me to be her new mom.”
I pause, letting her words sink in. Heat rises to my chest, a fierce, protective pride.
My little girl, beating me at my own game.
I can’t even be mad. “That’s how I’ve been feeling too,” I admit quietly, voice low.
“I’ve been thinking about you… about us…
about all of this. I want you here. With me. With Daisy.”
Her eyes widen slightly, and she bites her lip, looking away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “You really mean that?”
I nod, reaching to tuck a strand of damp hair behind her ear. “Every word. I want you here. For good. With me.”
Her smile blooms, full and unrestrained, and my chest tightens again. “Then I’ll stay,” she whispers, voice thick with emotion. “Iron Stallion, you, Daisy, and the rest of the family have all grown on me. I feel safe here. With you. With Daisy. With all of you.”
I pull her into a fierce hug, pressing her close, inhaling her scent. “Good,” I murmur against her hair. “Because I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
Just then, there’s a sudden knock, then a small voice barging through the door. “Daddy! Tessa! I want to sleep with you!”
I freeze, glancing at Tessa, then back at the door. “Daisy,” I groan, voice full of mock frustration. “Now’s not—“
Tessa cuts me off, her hand on my chest, shaking her head with a grin. “She’s staying.”
“But why?” I lament.
“We’ll be right out, Bug,” Tessa yells back, glaring at me.
I shake my head, grumbling, though a smile tugs at my lips. “Outnumbered now, huh?”
She leans in, brushing her forehead against mine. “You love it,” she teases.
I can’t argue. I love it. More than I can ever admit aloud.
After we are done in the bathroom, we head back into the bedroom, where Daisy is lying in the middle of the bed, half-laughing, half-yawning, completely unconcerned with privacy. I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Tess, this is not what I had in mind for the rest of the night.”
She laughs, joining our daughter in bed, pressing a kiss to the top of Daisy’s head. “You’ll survive, cowboy. It’s just one night. Let her stay.”
I throw up my hands, mock surrender, but there’s no hiding the grin that spreads across my face.
We settle in together, the bed warm and crowded, the three of us forming a tangled heap of limbs and soft sighs. Daisy curls against Tessa, already drifting toward sleep, her little chest rising and falling in rhythm with the comfort surrounding her.
I turn to Tessa, cupping her face, brushing damp hair from her eyes. “I love you,” I murmur, voice low, rough with desire and exhaustion.
“I love you more,” she smiles, leaning into my touch.
“I could get used to this,” I murmur.
“Being outnumbered?” she teases.
I grin, pulling her closer. “Being outnumbered, being loved, being home. This. All of it.”
She smiles wider, and I feel it—the calm, the peace, the undeniable truth that Iron Stallion, our home, our family, is finally ours. Safe, whole, and ours to keep.
For the first time in a long time, I close my eyes, knowing the fight is over and this, right here, is exactly how it’s supposed to be.
The ranch is quiet outside, moonlight spilling across the windows, and inside, in this small, warm world, we are complete. Tessa, Daisy, and I. Together. Always and forever.
THE END.
Thanks for saddling up with Jace & Tessa—I hope their story left your heart racing and your cheeks a little flushed.