Chapter 57 You Fuck In It, You Buy It
CHAPTER 57: YOU FUCK IN IT, YOU BUY IT
JACE
Jace: I miss you.
Pixie: You literally dropped me off at my apartment thirty minutes ago.
Jace: What are you doing around 5?
Pixie: Nothing. Poppy’s at Logan’s again, so I planned on reading. I thought you were going to see your dad?
Jace: I am, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll see you at 5.
Pixie: What are we doing?
Jace: It’s a surprise!
L acey swings open the door right at five. She looks me up and down, eyeing my casual clothes. “Where are we going?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” I lean in and kiss her cheek. “Come on.” I grab her hand and lead her to my Jeep.
“How was your dad?” she asks, as I turn out of the parking lot and onto the road.
“He was good. It was a quick visit. I had to pick something up.”
“What?”
“Just something small.” I flip on my blinker and change lanes. “He told me to tell you hello. Asked about you and work.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“That I love you.” I grab her hand, and she smiles.
“I love you too. Did you talk to him about the Australia job?”
“I did.” I don’t tell her anything else. If I do, it’ll ruin the surprise, and I can’t. I want to see the look on her face when she realizes where we are. We pull up to a red light and I grab my phone. Swiping up on the screen, I send her a link. Her phone pings and she looks down.
“Jace?” she questions. Looking at her phone. “Why’d you send me this article?” Her eyes glance over to me.
“Click on it. Read it. We’re almost to where we’re going and I need you to read it before we get there.”
Glancing over in her direction, I watch as she exhales deeply and then clicks on the link to an AJC article titled Photographer Jacks Jackson’s Motivation For His Latest Discovery Might Surprise You . I return my eyes to the road, and after a few minutes, I hear her begin to cry. I turn down the street to our destination and park along the curb. I watch as she continues to read, wiping away her tears with her hands and when she finishes, she turns to face me.
“Did you know I googled you? That’s how I knew you found the Bix.”
“You mentioned it.”
“It was weird. Seeing so many articles and links pop up. I saw this one and almost clicked on it, but I didn’t.” She pauses. “I was so mad at you then and somehow knew reading it would make me forgive you for what I thought you had done. Would bring back all the memories of when we were kids and I couldn’t put myself through it.”
“I wanted you to read it because I wanted you to know you’ve always been it for me and at the risk of sounding like an absolute lunatic, everything I’ve done in the past decade was because of you. It was all for you, pixie. When I walked into Poppy’s graduation party, I was not expecting to find you. But it felt like fate. Like every wish I made had finally come true.”
She wipes the tears from her cheeks. “You’re turning me into a huge softy.” She laughs. “Wait, where are we?” She looks out the window at the two-story home we are parked in front of. The exterior is covered with white siding and a red brick skirt surrounds the base of the home. The shutters and doors are painted dark green. An exposed fireplace that matches the brick skirt climbs up one of the sides of the house. The minute I saw it, I knew it had to be mine. Ours.
“Come with me.” I exit the Jeep and round the front. She opens her door and I help her down.
I lead her down the driveway and up the steps to the front door of the house. I grab the brass handle.
“Jace, what are you doing?” She grabs for my hand. “Aren’t you going to knock?”
I flash her a wide grin and push the door open, revealing an empty house. Her eyes go wide. The entryway is framed by two large rooms. Polished hardwoods cover the floor in every direction. A staircase with a wooden banister leads to the second story. A beautiful iron and crystal chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling. Fresh creamy, white paint covers every wall.
“No one is living here?” she asks, looking over her shoulder to where I stand. “Wait, what are we doing here?” With my hand on her lower back, I gently guide her over the threshold.
“It’s for sale,” I say, casually. “I was thinking I might buy it.” She flips around to face me.
“Buy it?” Her throat bobs up and down. “What do you mean buy it?”
I stifle a laugh and grab her hand. We make our way down the hall and into the kitchen. A small gasp breaks past her lips. Natural wood cabinets are topped with white leathered granite. In the center is an island that could easily accommodate four people. A large window sits over the kitchen sink letting in natural light and giving the perfect view of the wooded backyard.
“What do you mean buy it?” she asks again, her hand running over the rough granite.
“This summer has been phenomenal,” I begin, trying to find the right words. She spins around to face me.
“It has, but why are we here? What’s going on?”
“A week and a half ago I reached out to Donovan and he got me in contact with Jaime, another realtor at his office. This house will go on the market tomorrow and I’m thinking about buying it. She pulled some strings, as a favor to Donovan, and was able to get us in today.”
“We get to tour it unsupervised?” she asks.
“For the next hour, it’s ours. Perks of having a friend that’s a realtor,” I laugh.
“And why am I here?” Lacey’s eyes move around the kitchen taking it in. Her hip is propped against the island and her arms are crossed. I walk over to where she stands. Picking her up, I set her on top of the island. I move my body between her legs and push a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“When I came back in May I was considering staying because of my dad and then I walked into that party and saw you. I know things weren’t easy at first, but I knew I wanted you from the moment I saw you.” She smiles. “This morning you asked me to think about Australia and I love you for that. I love that you want me to follow my dreams, but you, pixie, are my dreams. You are what I wish for on every star. I want to build a life here with you. I know we’ve only been doing this for a couple of weeks and that might sound incredibly crazy, but I’m crazy about you and I have been my entire life.”
I place a soft kiss on her forehead and tears begin to well in her eyes.
“Jace, I?—”
“You’re here because I want your opinion. For ten years, I had to live without you and I don’t want to live without you anymore. I want it to be your house too.”
Our eyes hold each other and we’re both quiet for a moment. “What’s going on in that mind of yours, pixie?”
She takes a deep breath. “In the occupational therapy world, we often have to find ways for our patients to modify their environments so they can become accustomed to their new normal. Some need new equipment to eat, some might need it to shower, and others need it to move. We find ways to make life easier for them, but it’s never the same. No matter how hard we try to wipe away the difficulty or the disability, it never completely goes away. Life is always a little bit harder for them.”
I nod and give her a look that encourages her to continue.
“I think, in a way, that’s what I’ve been doing for the last ten years. I tried so hard to erase you because the pain was so big and some days it was so debilitating I didn’t think I’d survive it. So, day by day, I adapted to a life without you, but no matter how hard I tried my feelings for you never went away.”
Tears run down her cheeks and I wipe them away with the pads of my thumbs.
“I want this too, J. The house. You. Whatever comes next. I want it so badly. I want you so badly.”
Our mouths meet in a passionate kiss full of love and desire. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me tight against her. My hand weaves in her hair. I tug slightly causing her to let out a moan. We get lost in each other completely forgetting where we are. My hands run up her legs and move over her hips. I pull her towards me and she grinds forward. Moving up her body, I find the small strap of her dress and push it down her shoulder. I plant kisses across her collarbone, sucking gently on her pulse point. She lets out a whimper and her body erupts in goosebumps.
Her hands run through my hair and then down my back. My cock hardens and she grinds forward again. “Make love to me,” she pleads through heavy breaths. “I need you. I don’t want to wait until later. I want you now.”
I let out a low chuckle. “You want me that bad, baby? Want me to fuck you in this house that’s going to be ours?”
“Yes,” she says. I plant kisses back up her neck and across her jawline until our mouths meet again. My fingers run up her thighs until they find the thin fabric.
“My God, you’re so fucking wet. So ready for me.” She leans back on both arms. The hem of her dress is bunched around her waist revealing her sheer black underwear. I move them to the side and swipe up her center, making her shutter. Her head falls back and her eyes close. I push a finger in and hit her most sensitive spot. Lacey’s hips thrust forward.
“More. Give me more,” she begs.
“So fucking needy,” I say pushing a second finger inside. Her body clenches around me as I work her and she cries out my name. My thumb finds her clit and I rub slow, purposeful circles. Her hips jolt forward.
“You look so pretty letting me fuck you with my fingers like this,” I praise her and she lets out a moan. Her hooded eyes find mine and I increase the pace. I press my thumb against the sensitive bud of nerves and then she falls. Liquid rushes around my fingers. I move my hand to her mouth and she cleans herself off of me. Her eyes stay locked on mine as her tongue swirls around.
“Good girl.” Her lips tip into a sexy half-smile. Her hands work down my body finding the button and zipper of my shorts. She undoes them quickly, pushing them and my boxers over my hips, so they drop to the floor.
I pull her forward, sliding her panties to the side again, and push into her. She takes me so well and the moan she lets out when I’m fully inside of her threatens to end our fun prematurely.
I drive into her over and over. Our movements are in perfect rhythm. The rise and fall of our breaths sync. My lips find her rapid pulse and I suck on her skin.
“Fuck… yes… Jace… God…” Her words are like a chant encouraging me to continue. My hands find her ass lifting her slightly to help us find more friction.
“I’m close. Come with me, pixie.” I push my hips forward and we both find our release. Our mouths meet again as we ride out our orgasms together.
“Shit,” she says, trying to catch her breath. “That was really fucking hot. We should definitely have sex in semi-public places more often.”
I let out a laugh. “I didn’t realize exhibitionism was a kink of yours,” I say, stepping back and buttoning my shorts.
“It never was before, but I’m into it.” She laughs and uses her legs to pull me closer.
“I love you,” I say, kissing her.
“I love you too.”
“We’re going to need to get you cleaned up.” I look around the kitchen trying to locate paper towels and find none.
“There might be some toilet paper in the bathroom,” she suggests.
“Good idea. Hold tight and I’ll be right back.” I move across the house. My footsteps echo throughout the empty space. I return with a roll of toilet paper and clean her up. Helping her off the counter, she stands wrapping her arms around my neck. She pulls me in for another quick kiss before disappearing down the hall. She adjusts her dress as she moves and then disappears into the bathroom.
“Fuck, Jace,” she yells.
I move toward her quickly, not exactly sure what she’s freaking out about.
“You gave me a fucking hickey,” she says, glaring at me as I enter the bathroom. She looks back in the mirror and examines the red mark on her neck.
I start to laugh. “Stop,” she whines. “I have to work tomorrow.” Her face breaks into a wide grin and then she starts to laugh too.
“Can’t you put some makeup on it or something?”
“Maybe,” she says, looking at it again. She turns to face me. “So, you think this is like when you break something at the store and then you have to buy it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like if you fuck in a house, do you have to buy it?”
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them,” I chuckle. “Why, are you having second thoughts?”
She looks around the small bathroom. “I’m not sure about this wallpaper. I don’t know if it’s?—”
I cut her off and pull her into my arms, placing a kiss to her forehead. “I will personally see to changing the wallpaper. This will be your place as much as it’s mine. Come on, there is so much more of it I want to show you.”