Chapter Forty-Three
Zoe
Joining Jace at his job after we arrived in Vegas is nerve-racking. What if his boss doesn’t like me? What if I screw up his contract? My stomach clenches as I fight back nausea. The weight of Jace offering me the position as his manager holds more responsibility than anything I’ve ever done.
I can’t fail him. He’s dealt with so much rejection from the music industry that I want to please him. But I also don’t want to alienate the people who already support him.
“Zoe….” Jace squeezes my hand as we walk toward the front door of the hotel. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” My response is stiff under the bright Vegas sun.
“No, you’re not.” He stops in the middle of the busy sidewalk as people stream past us and stares into my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
I lick my lips and shrug. “What if I screw this up?”
He cups my cheek with one hand. “You’re not going to screw anything up.”
“But I don’t want to disappoint you.”
His other hand comes up and cups the other side of my face. Having his strong, warm hands cradle me sends some of the uneasiness floating away. “You’ve never disappointed me. There’s no way you ever could. You’ve always believed in me. Even when I pushed you away, you still believed in my talent.”
As the world continues to drift past us, his eyes are serious. But in this moment, despite the crowd, the sun, and the glitz and glamour of Vegas, the only thing I see is him. This beautiful man who loves me. And holds nothing back in showing me that I’m his number one priority.
“I’ll never forget that.” His lips lower to mine, and I can’t stop the whimper that emits from my lips as I stand on my tiptoes and press my palms against his chest. The steady beat of his heart and the pressure of his lips against mine eases the remaining anxiety that had my nerves jumping.
He pulls back, and I smile at him. “I love you. I’m sorry I was freaking out. I just want all the good things you deserve to happen to you.”
His eyes twinkle as he wraps his arms around me and hauls me flush against him. “Darlin’, you’re in my arms. That’s all the good I need. When it comes down to it, I don’t care about singing or writing, contracts, stages, or fans. None of it matters if I don’t have you.”
He kisses my temple as I inhale his heady scent, basking in it. He’s mine. He’s mine. I couldn’t stop the smile from arching upward if I had to.
After he pulls back, he says, “But since I have you….” He winks, sending a shiver along my back. “The rest of it is the icing on the cake.”
“You’re too sweet.”
“Sweet?” He rolls his eyes while stepping back with his arm slung around my shoulder, pulling me tighter until my head rests against his chest as we resume walking toward the building. “Apparently, I need to do a repeat of this morning and do it right if you think I’m sweet.”
Heat floods my body. The man knows how to do it right, and he’s gladly willing to do it repeatedly against the wall of his condo, the kitchen island, the bed, the shower, and that was just since we arrived last night. And while there’s always a layer of sweet devotion to his lovemaking, it’s sometimes masked by an almost feral lust that brings me crashing to my knees.
“You are sweet.” I smile at him and wrap my arm around his waist. “But you’re also a filthy talking savage that rocks my world.”
“That’s better.” His chuckle tightens my nipples and sends heat curling low in my core.
“Darlin’,” he growls deep in his throat as he grasps the door handle and yanks. The crisp air from inside whooshes out to greet us. “If you keep that up, I’m going to drag you to my office and bend you over the closest object.”
“What?” I widen my eyes in mock innocence. The lobby of the building is large, spacious, and pure luxury. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
From what Jace has told me, the business includes a hotel with fantasy suites, which I can’t wait to explore with him, a nightclub, and their office spaces.
“Yes, you do. You’re a little vixen.” He smiles and waves at the receptionist. The redhaired woman’s eyes scan us from head to toe and back up to Jace’s face. Her smile is wide as she meets his gaze. “Good morning, Sir.”
“Sir?” I arch an eyebrow.
“Shut it.” He tweaks my upper arm with a light pinch, and my toes curl. His body tenses as his lips brush my ear. “I’m going to punish you if you don’t stop vibrating with need.”
“I can’t help it,” I murmur against his chest.
“Damn it,” he grinds out between clenched teeth but straightens and gives the woman a smile that would knock anyone’s socks off. “Good morning, Janice. Are Everleigh and Victor in?”
“Yes.” Her eyes dance with merriment. She’s probably in her early forties, perfectly made-up face and dangling earrings that dance as she moves her head from side to side. “It’s nice to see you smiling. I’m assuming it’s because of this pretty girl at your side.”
“Yes, it is.” He steps aside, leading me toward the black glass desk. “Janice, this is my girlfriend, Zoe. Zoe, this is our receptionist, Janice.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I accept Janice’s outstretched hand as she rises from behind the desk. Her handshake is firm and quick.
“The pleasure is mine because it’s amazing to see this broody, driven man who never smiles or takes a break, looking happy for once.”
“She makes me happy.” He winks again, and my heart sings with a matching light-heartedness. “I’ll see you later. We have an appointment with Everleigh and Victor in five minutes.”
She settles back behind the desk. “If it has anything to do with those beautiful songs you’ve been singing, make sure I get a front-row seat.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He walks us toward the private elevator. This man who’s downplayed his musical talents for years is finally standing tall and proud of what he brings to the table.
The second the door shuts, closing us inside, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his lips. He groans and draws me to him, deepening the kiss and pressing his hard body against mine.
When I gasp, his tongue slides against the open seam and flicks against mine–teasing and tempting me to forget the meeting and let him take me right here. I arch into him and moan as desire coats my already drenched and aching sex.
As if he senses the direction of my thoughts, he pulls back and laughs. “You do realize this is a glass elevator, right?”
Shit. I jump back and glance around the space. The windows are indeed black-tinted glass. Can anyone see in here? I step to the edge and look down at Janice, who waves at me with a grin on her lips. Double shit.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I spin around to face him but all he does is lean against the wall with his arms crossed and a sexy smirk across his lips.
“I wanted to kiss you.” He shrugs as if it’s the only possible answer. “So why would I tell you?”
“Seriously?” I swat at his chest.
He grabs my wrist. “If no one was watching, I’d pull your pants down, right here, and fuck you until you screamed my name as you came.”
“Yeah?” Need courses through me, banishing the embarrassment from moments before.
“Yes.” His jaw is tight as we continue our ascent. “The second our meeting is over, I want you on my desk, pants off, and my cock buried to the hilt.”
The elevator rocks to a stop as I swallow. “Yes.”
“Good.” He clasps his fingers through mine and steps onto the thick white carpet. “Now, do your magic and make us a bunch of money so we can buy a house with a slew of bedrooms for all those babies I’m going to fill you with.”
I straighten my back and inhale. I’ve got this. This is what I do. Well, maybe not this exactly, but I’ve watched my father conduct business for years. Only I refuse to be a slimy asshole like him.