Chapter 34 Finally
The sun is lower when we make it back to the dorms, brushing the tops of the windows with fading gold. Noah and I walk in step, quiet but at ease now, the kind of silence that doesn’t need to be filled.
As we round the corner toward the front entrance, I spot a familiar figure leaning against the rail just outside the lobby doors, hoodie up, sleeves pushed up, a lollipop tucked in the corner of his mouth like it’s a cigar.
Luca.
Of course.
He glances up when he sees us and smirks like he’s been waiting all day just to say something dumb.
“Look who finally emerged from their walk of feelings,” he drawls.
Noah snorts, unfazed. “Don’t be weird.”
“I’m always weird. It’s part of my charm.”
Noah gives me a sidelong glance. “I’m heading up. You good?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
He squeezes my hand once — not lingering — then disappears through the doors.
Luca watches him go. Then looks back at me.
“You told him, didn’t you?”
I blink. “What?”
His lollipop shifts from one side of his mouth to the other. “Noah. You told him it wasn’t him.”
My eyes narrow. “How the hell did you know that?”
“I told you,” he says, grinning now. “It’s how you look at people.”
I fold my arms. “You’re guessing.”
“I’m not.” He kicks off the railing and steps closer. “You don’t even realize you do it. You look at the people you want differently than the people you’re trying to figure out.”
I stare at him.
He continues, voice lighter but not unkind. “You were always kind to Noah. Careful with him. Curious, even. But you never looked at him like you were drowning.”
“And I do that with the others?”
He tilts his head, considering me.
“Only a couple of us,” he says eventually, and for once his grin dims. “But yeah. Sometimes it’s like you’re not even aware it’s happening. You just… ache toward them.”
The words land harder than they should.
Luca shifts his weight and offers the faintest shrug. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. Or confused. I just… notice things. It’s what I do.”
He leans back against the railing again, gaze flicking up to the sky. “You know,” he says, “there was a version of this story where I thought maybe if I kept things light and easy and fun, you’d fall for that instead of the messier stuff.”
I glance at him, heart tight.
“But I see you now,” he says, meeting my eyes again. “And I get it. I really do.”
There’s no bitterness in his voice. Just certain, Luca-style truth.
Luca doesn’t say anything when we start walking.
He falls into step beside me like he always does, like we’ve done this a hundred times before. The quiet between us feels different now. No tension. No open-ended questions. Just something settled, gentle.
When we reach my room, the door’s already slightly open.
Inside, Jace is leaning against the far wall, arms crossed. Still in his fitted long-sleeve, his watch glinting in the low light. His expression is unreadable, but the second his eyes meet mine, I feel it in my chest.
That weight again. That pull.
Luca sees him too, and he doesn’t say a word. Just glances at me, then at Jace, and gives me the smallest, almost-smile. No teasing this time.
“Night, Ashthorne,” he murmurs, stepping back into the hall.
The door closes behind me.
Jace doesn’t move. Neither do I.
“Am I going to have to call Tex back here?”
“No.” His jaw flexes.
Silence folds between us again, thick with everything we left unsaid. My heart beats too loudly.
He sighs, pushing off the wall and crossing over to the couch. He takes a seat, dropping his head in his hands.
“I just… I can’t get you out of my head.” His voice is raw. “I don’t understand it.” He looks over at me, his eyes pleading.
I walk over, each step tentative. I sit down beside him, leaving some space between us.
“Why don’t you hate me? I’m a Ravencourt, you’re an Ashthorne.”
I sit back, staring up at the ceiling. “That’s a good question… My dad did warn me away from you. But you were just always around, like a gnat.”
Jace shoots me a look, and I can’t help but smile.
“You know…” He clears his throat. “I’ve never felt this way before.”
He sits back, looking up at the ceiling. “I’ve never really let anyone in, only the guys. But you, you got under my skin. I thought you were just an annoyance, an obstacle I needed to conquer.”
I roll my eyes. He continues.
“But the more time I spent around you, I started seeing the cracks in my father’s words.
You weren’t some stuck-up bitch, who thought she was owed the world, you weren’t some broken girl we could easily manipulate.
Everything we threw at you, you took it and kept getting back up.
“His hands flex, the veins popping out. “You’re infuriating. But I do respect it. You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”
My eyes widen. “Wait, can you repeat that so I can record it?”
He shoots me a look. I ignore it.
“As much as you annoy me, I like you, Jace. I can see how much you care for your friends. You’re a great leader, and you have a brilliant mind. As cruel as parts of it may be.” I mumble the end.
He turns to look at me, his eyebrows raised.
“What?” I ask.
“I didn’t expect it to be reciprocal.”
“I mean, I don’t like you all of the time. Most of the time you’re annoying.”
The sides of his mouth tilt.
“I definitely don’t like you when you’re being possessive.” I cross my arms.
He chuckles; it’s a different sound when it’s not full of malice. “You can lie to yourself all you want, but I see the truth in your eyes.”
I stand up, turning to glare down at him. “You can tell yourself whatever you want, Jace.” I lift my leg to step over him. His hands reach up and pull my waist down.
I catch myself on his chest, my legs straddling him. My hair falls like a curtain around us. He lifts a finger, tracing my jaw, featherlight.
“I feel a pull to you. Tell me, Isobel, you feel it too, don’t you?”
That breaks something open in my chest. I lean forward. I can feel the heat of him and the tension in his shoulders, like he’s trying so hard to stay still.
I close the distance.
And he kisses me back, not rushed, not greedy.
Just sure. Like he’s known all along this was coming but didn’t want to reach for it until I did.
I let all the things I want to say pour into the kiss.
It’s not heat or hunger or the rush of adrenaline.
It’s gravity, it’s grounding. Like I’ve finally found the place all my chaos stops spinning.
When we pull apart, my hands are still curled in his shirt. His forehead resting against mine.
“Okay,” I whisper.
Jace’s voice is a breath against my lips. “Yeah. Okay.”
His breath is still warm against my lips. I’m not done. Neither is he.
The second time our mouths meet, it’s different, no longer tentative or testing. This one comes with heat, with pressure, with weeks of tension finally snapping. His hands find my waist, firm and certain, like he’s done holding back.
I sink into him without thinking.
His mouth is softer than I expected. Slower, too, not devouring. Tracing every angle. Like he wants to memorize me this way. I tilt my head, deepen the kiss, and he answers immediately, one hand sliding up my back, the other curling into the edge of my shirt.
My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling slightly, and that’s when he exhales against my mouth, the sound wrecked and low it makes me weak.
His movements stay precise, controlled, but his restraint is fraying. I feel it in the way his grip tightens. In the soft curse he breathes when I nip at his bottom lip. In the way his body leans into mine.
His hands grip my hips like he’s trying to stay grounded.
“Isobel,” he murmurs, voice hoarse, “you’re going to ruin me.”
I smile against his mouth. “That’s the plan.”
He kisses me harder.
My shirt rides up. His fingers brush bare skin.
And for a second, we both still, breath caught, foreheads pressed together.
His chest is rising hard beneath my palms. I can feel the steady beat of his heart. His lips are red. His hands haven’t moved. This version of him…it does something to me.
I feel bold, powerful.
Sexy.
“You’re… addictive,” he says roughly.
I smirk. “Well, you may need to detox then.”
Jace narrows his gaze. “We both know you’ll only be answering to me.”
“Do we?” I sit back.
“Yes, because if it’s already this good now… imagine if I loved you.” His hands grip my hips.
“You’re sure of yourself,” I mumble.
“Oh, I’m quite confident in my abilities.” He smirks and grinds his hips up into me.
I gasp as I feel his hardness against me. His hands slip under the hem of my shirt, pressing into my skin.
He sits up until his mouth is against my ear. “Let me show you.” He nips my earlobe then kisses my neck.
I tilt my head, allowing him more access as his hands continue up my sides. He bites the base of my neck, and one hand tangles in my hair.
“Jace…” A breathy moan escapes me.
He growls into my neck. Gripping my thighs tightly, he stands and walks to the bed, dropping me down. I bounce slightly, looking up at him. He hovers over me, eyes dark with desire. Any restraint has snapped.
He lifts one arm over his head, pulling his shirt off in the way only skilled men do. I have to try not to drool at every sculpted muscle that flexes. The veins that run up his forearms, how his chest rises and falls with every breath.
He gives me a smug smile, and I want to wipe it right off his face.
“I’ve seen better.” I smirk as his smile drops.
He crawls on top of me, hovering over my body. His breath light against my neck
“You’re playing a dangerous game here, Ashthorne.” His voice is rough.
“You’re not showing me anything vastly different, Ravencourt.” I continue to poke at the bear.
Jace sits back, pulling my leggings down and off in one swift motion. He drags his nose lightly up the inside of my leg, biting my thigh. I squirm.
He grips both thighs in his hands as he flattens his tongue against my pussy through my panties, the heat of his breath seeping through the fabric. He continues to lightly run his tongue back and forth, until my panties are soaked through.
“Jace,” I warn.
He chuckles as he finally pulls my underwear off and dives back between my legs. My hands plunge into his hair, as my stomach tightens.
My body writhes as his tongue moves against my body. I moan and curse. When I look down to see his blue eyes watching me, another wave of pleasure flows through me. His gaze, it’s hunger and admiration, all wrapped together.
With every flick and stroke of his tongue, the tension winds tighter and tighter.
“Fuck, Jace, yes.” I moan as I pull him closer to me, my heels digging into his back, my thighs gripping his head, refusing to let him move even an inch.
The promise of pleasure comes closer and closer, as he brings me higher and higher. My legs tremble in his hands, and the look of him is enough to push me that last bit.
Before I can break apart, he pulls away with a smile.
“Jace!” I gasp, my hips trying to follow him.
He tsks.
“What the fuck?” I pant. My core aches, my clit throbs painfully.
“So needy for me.” His face glistens. He licks his lips. “Absolutely delicious.”
He lowers his mouth to me, starting again. He builds me up then pulls away, over, and over.
“Jace,” I plead. My skin is covered with sweat, every nerve ending screaming for release. My legs tremble and I can’t make them stop. “Please.” I can barely find the words, my brain is scrambled. All I can focus on is the release he keeps denying me.
He enters a single finger, hissing. “So tight, so wet.”
“Jace,” I beg again as he moves a finger slowly in and out.
“You’re stunning.” His voice is rough. “Laid out and needy for me.”
I whimper as he slightly speeds up. My breaths come in ragged pants.
“Open that pretty mouth and tell me who you belong to.” His eyes lock with mine.
I throw my head back as he hits deep inside me. He freezes.
“No…” I whimper.
“Look at me,” he says.
I obey.
He starts moving again, the pleasure building. “Say you’re mine.”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Say it,” he growls, as his fingers pump harder into me.
“No,” I gasp and moan.
I need more. I’m so close. I need release.
“You’re mine.” He sucks my clit into his mouth.
I shatter, pleasure exploding through me as my hands grip in his hair, the bed sheets, my back arching off the bed. His fingers keep me riding the high.
Everything is sensitive. Every touch has my muscles jolting.
“I hate you.” I pant.
“You love it, admit it. It was one of the best you’ve had.”
I hate that he’s right.
“You let me come, even though I didn’t say I was yours.” I nudge him with my thigh.
“But you did.” He smiles, standing up.
I watch as his fingers unbuckle his belt, pushing his pants down his legs. He palms himself through his boxers, and I lick my lips.
“Come here,” he demands.
I move down to him. I must be dickmatized.
“Lay on your back. Head towards me.”
I obey.
“Open wide.” He pulls his cock out, stroking it.
He’s big and I want to lick every vein. The smooth pink tip has my mouth watering. I open my mouth, sticking my tongue out.
He slowly inserts himself into my mouth, pushing to the back of my throat, I swallow him.
“Good girl.” He moans. “I can see my dick in your throat.” He clenches his jaw.
He moves another hand to pull up my shirt, the air hitting my nipples. He slowly begins to thrust in and out of my mouth.
“Play with yourself.”
I move a hand down to my clit, the other up to my chest, squeezing and pinching my nipple.
Jace groans and I clench; the sound is music to my ears. He starts thrusting harder and faster. I match his speed and moan.
“Fuck, yes, Isobel.” His eyes don’t leave my body. One hand grabs my other breast and squeezes.
The pain is delicious.
He continues thrusting in and out of my mouth, and I moan around him as I work myself.
“Isobel… I’m going to come.” He moans.
I suck in my cheeks, wanting to taste him.
He speeds up, growling as he finds his release, which pushes me into mine. I greedily swallow him down while riding out my own.
“Good fucking girl.” He pants. “Beautiful.”