Chapter 18 #2
Jace broke our kiss to hold my gaze, his hazel eyes glittering as he pushed inside me.
I cried out, feeling full as he seated himself to the hilt.
Time slowed down, or maybe it stopped entirely.
Either way, I hadn’t felt this electrified in forever.
I’d almost forgotten how it was with him.
How the rest of the world faded away when we were together.
“No one else, only you,” Jace murmured as he began to move his hips. To know that he was mine and I was his filled my heart with so much blinding warmth I could hardly stand it. Emotion clogged my throat, and unbidden, a tear fell down my cheek.
“Shannon? Should I stop?”
“No, I just … I’m a little …” Overwhelmed?
Jace started to frown, a look of concern shaping his features, and I felt him pulling away. My hand went to his neck, urging him back. “Don’t stop. I want this. What I feel right now is just … a lot.”
His face softened. “I know. Let me make it better.”
Then he was kissing away the tear before his mouth found mine again, moving slow and careful as he made love to me like I was precious, in danger of breaking.
Feeling his body move against mine felt right in a way nothing had for a very long time.
This was Jace, my Jace, and I didn’t want him to go.
His pace quickened, and I knew he was close.
Jace reached down between our bodies, stroking my clit and pushing me towards another orgasm.
My thigh muscles clenched, my body tightening as I felt it tumble closer.
Moments later, I was coming, followed closely by Jace.
I caressed his hard, strong back as he came, his muscles pulsing under my hand.
Then his arms came around me. Instinctively, I wrapped my thighs around his waist as he picked me up and carried to the top of the stairs.
Pushing open the bathroom door, he set me on my feet, then began running a bath.
I was still a little out of it, my brain barely comprehending that we’d just had sex on my stairs.
Jace studied a bottle of almond bubble bath before pouring it in with the hot water.
Once the tub was full, he came back, removing my remaining clothing and taking my hand.
He guided me to the bath, and I stepped in, sinking down into the warm water, closing my eyes and savouring the comfort.
I was vaguely aware of Jace climbing in behind me, pulling me back so I was lying against his chest. Sated, I could’ve fallen asleep right there.
We sat in quiet for a while, Jace rubbing soothingly at my stomach and making me think about having sex with him again. Once certainly wasn’t enough.
“What are we doing here, Shannon?” he asked, breaking the silence.
The question had reality hurtling back. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Jace exhaled and began rubbing my shoulders.
“Don’t freak. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I just need to know where your head’s at so I don’t push too far.”
I twisted to look at him, and his hands fell from my shoulders. My voice came out thick when I whispered, “I want to try.”
“Try?”
“You said you wanted me to trust you again,” I said, my chest tightening. “I want to try.”
For a moment, he didn’t speak. His throat worked on a hard swallow, his jaw tightening as his teeth caught briefly on the silver ring in his lip, like he was holding himself together by sheer force of will.
When his eyes met mine, they were too full of relief and hope and something achingly close to reverence, and it hit me so hard my own breath stuttered.
Understanding softened his expression, his hands returning to my skin, careful and sure, exactly where I needed them.
“Okay, then,” he said quietly, like a vow. “We’ll try.”
***
After our bath, Jace set me in my bed under the covers.
I thought he might crawl in next to me, but instead, he shut off the lamp and retreated back downstairs to the couch.
I was disappointed, but I understood why he did it.
He was trying to give me the space to let him back in again at my own pace.
Though honestly, I wasn’t sure I knew what my pace was. My bed felt empty without him.
I slept late the next morning, waking to the sound of Jace and Zara talking downstairs.
He said something, and she giggled. He must’ve gone out early to collect her from his parents.
Just the sound of them interacting had a smile stretching across my face.
My muscles ached from last night, though the bath had helped.
Taking the time to get dressed, I went downstairs and found them in the living room playing a game of Cribbage.
They sat crossed legged on the floor by the coffee table.
“Morning,” I said and felt Jace’s heated gaze follow me as I went to give Zara a hug. “Did you have fun at Granny and Granddad’s last night?”
“Yes. Granddad taught me this new card game. It’s really fun. Want to play?”
So Jace hadn’t been the only one playing cards last night, though Zara’s game with Jay was a lot less risky than a poker game in the back room of a casino.
The black bag full of chips was still outside in Jace’s car.
I wondered what he was going to do with them.
He’d said he didn’t plan to cash them, and perhaps that was for the best. He’d gotten Elias out of there, and that was the main goal.
“Maybe later. I’m going to make something to eat first.”
In the kitchen, I put a bagel in the toaster and went to check if there was any cream cheese in the fridge. As I scanned the shelves, a pair of warm, strong arms banded around my waist while a soft mouth pressed a kiss to the hollow of my neck. “How did you sleep?”
“Well. You?”
“Not too badly, considering.”
A small quiet passed while I grabbed the tub of cream cheese and closed the fridge. Jace released me as I went to put the kettle on for tea.
“Maybe we should keep things PG in front of Zara,” I said quietly.
“I agree. It’s hard not to touch you, though.” Jace sat by the counter, watching me eat my bagel. It felt like his eyes were everywhere, taking in every little detail about me. It was both exhilarating and nerve wracking all at the same time.
“I have to go see Elias now, but when I get back, how do you feel about taking Zara out somewhere for the day?” he suggested. “Yesterday was pretty heavy.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A funfair, perhaps?”
“A funfair?” came Zara’s excited voice. “Are we going to a funfair?”
Jace and I shared a smile before he turned to our daughter. “Looks like we are now.”
***
“I want the purple and green one!” Zara shouted while Jace pointed the BB gun at a row of plastic ducks.
“Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets,” he replied, casting her a fond grin before focusing back on the shooting game.
The teenager with long hair and an eyebrow piercing standing behind the counter folded his arms and wore a faintly cocky expression, like he knew the game was rigged, and Jace had no chance of winning.
Sadly for him, Jace was raised by a man who’d taught him every magic trick and carnival scam in the book.
How to play poker like a pro wasn’t the only thing Jay had passed down to his son.
One of the reasons Jace was so good at guitar solos was from all the sleight of hand stuff his dad taught him growing up.
Fast fingers. Yeah, they were good for other stuff, too …
stuff I should not be thinking about right now.
Catching sight of myself in the reflection of the clear plastic booth, I realised I looked different.
My hair was loose, several wayward strands flying all about.
My blouse had three buttons undone, when I was normally a buttoned up to the top sort of person.
My cheeks were rosy, my natural complexion on show because I’d forgotten to put on any makeup.
Don’t get me wrong, I was always going to be the type of person who liked to dress smart and live in an orderly, organised way.
But sometimes it was good to let go of the rules, just for a while.
Jace had always been an expert at making me that little bit more carefree.
“See the thing about this is, you’ve got to make sure the sight hasn’t been tampered with,” Jace said to Zara, like he was giving her a little shooting lesson, and I couldn’t help noticing how sexy he looked, his shirt sleeve tightening around his muscular arm as he positioned the toy gun.
He cast a smirk in the direction of Mr Eyebrow Piercing and continued, “Of course, I’d never expect a fine establishment such as this to, say, misalign the sight so it doesn’t shoot where I aim it. ”
The young lad’s cocky expression faltered, his arms dropping as he frowned at Jace.
“Sometimes, it just takes a small adjustment, and …” Jace took the shot and the first duck went flying, then the second, third, and fourth.
Moments later, he’d knocked all seven off their perches, winning first prize, which was to pick any of the large cuddly toys from the top tier of the prize shelf.
“Yay!” Zara cheered, jumping up and down, her enthusiasm so infectious I found myself grinning like a loon.
Jace slid the BB gun back to Mr Eyebrow Piercing before ruffling the top of Zara’s head. “You heard the lady. Give us the purple and green one, good sir.”
The lad didn’t look impressed as he stepped up on the ladder and grabbed the fluffy toy dragon off the shelf. I had a feeling he might get given out to by his boss for letting people win the big prizes.
“Oh my goodness, he’s so cute!” Zara said, squeezing the dragon before holding it out in front of her and assessing it. She tilted her head from side to side in a way that was so much like her dad before declaring, “I think I’ll call you Rodney.”
“Rodney?” Jace chuckled and glanced at me as if to ask, Where’d she pull that one from? I just shook my head, because honestly, I had no clue. Zara lived on her own planet at times. “Shall I win you another so you can name it Del Boy? Or Uncle Albert?”
“No, thanks,” Zara replied, busy petting the dragon’s head. “Rodney says he doesn’t want any friends except for me.”
“Let’s go get you and Rodney something to eat, eh?
He looks like a hungry lad,” Jace said, throwing his arm around her small shoulders and shooting me a sexy little wink.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I was honestly defenceless against his charm, especially when he was being cute with our daughter.
Zara nodded. “Hot dogs are Rodney’s favourite.”
***
After eating our weight in hot dogs and ice cream, we rode the merry-go-round, followed by the teacups and then the bumper cars.
We were exhausted—and vaguely nauseous—by the time we got home, including Rodney, according to Zara.
We spent the rest of the evening snuggled on the couch watching a Pixar movie.
Then, after Jace put Zara to bed, we snuggled on the couch, making out, followed by making each other come. I offered for Jace to sleep in my bed, but he refused, insisting that he’d gotten used to the couch, even though I knew it couldn’t be comfortable, especially not for a man of his size.
I wished for the weekend to go on forever, but soon Monday morning came around, and our little bubble dissipated while we got back to reality.
I was up early, and Jace was in the shower when my front doorbell rang.
Opening the door, I found Margie on my step, coffees and pastries in hand.
I’d completely forgotten we’d made arrangements for her to stop by.
Being with Jace had scrambled my brain until all I could focus on was him.
It was a good thing we’d made up on Friday after the whole “Dominic” debacle, but then I remembered that Margie didn’t know that Jace had been staying over.
She passed by the open doorway to the living room and immediately noted the rumpled blanket on the couch.
“Do you have a visitor? We can do this another time if you’ve someone staying—”
“It’s fine,” I said, hustling her into the kitchen. “It’s just Jace. He’s, um, been staying here for a little while.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh? What happened? Did his parents kick him out?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just because of the incident with the car almost running me over.
He didn’t want to leave Zara and me alone in the house if there’s some crazy person out there plotting to do us harm.
” Plus, I had sex with him this weekend, my brain added, but I left that part out.
My best friend wasn’t ready to hear about that first thing on a Monday morning.
“Well, now that you mention it, it’s probably good that he’s been staying here. I’ve been so worried about you. Have there been any more incidents?”
“Not so far, thank goodness.”
Margie lowered to sit before sliding my coffee across the counter.
“That’s a relief. Anyway, you’ll be glad to hear Dominic was cool about everything.
We actually ended up having a heart to heart on the way home on Friday, and he confessed that he’s still not quite over his ex, so it’s probably for the best that you weren’t interested. ”
I nodded, taking a sip from my coffee before hearing Jace coming downstairs. He appeared with wet hair, wearing an oversized blue hoodie and black jeans.
“Margie, what a nice surprise,” he greeted with a smile.
“Morning, Jace. I brought cinnamon buns if you’re hungry.”
“Oh, yeah, perfect.”
Margie held out the bag, and he took it, glancing at her for a moment longer than usual.
Margie started telling me about the puppy she was thinking of adopting, though she still wasn’t sure if it was fair since she worked so much.
Perhaps a cat would be better, she mused.
Jace took a bite out of his bun, and I realised he was still staring at Margie in a strangely concentrated way.
He’d also gone unusually quiet. By the time she’d left to head for work, I was relieved because Jace’s odd behaviour was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
I waved her off, then shut my front door, marching back down the hallway to confront him.
“Okay, what’s up with you? You were acting so weird with Margie just now.”
Jace ran a hand through his hair, still damp from his shower, his expression perturbed. He didn’t answer right away, and something about his demeanour had me worried. “Jace?”
His eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I noticed the colour had completely drained from his face. “Shannon, I don’t quite know how to put this, but your friend isn’t who she says she is.”