CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jett
Outside of Rhys’s building, I linger like an idiot. My arms are crossed, braced against the cold. Blade is an impossible mix of hardness and sorrow etched into his face.
The faint melody of “Silent Night” from somewhere drifts down the street, sweet and haunting.
I nod toward the building. “So... Rhys is getting it on with his fake girlfriend?”
Blade huffs out a breath that could almost be a laugh. “Fake my ass. She’s been dragging him to Christmas markets, cookie exchanges, and a Friendsgiving with people I heard him say he plans to kill. And he just stole a damn tree for her. He’s gone.”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “Guess love makes you do insane things.”
The words hang there, too heavy, too honest. Blade glances away first. Snowflakes drift, catching on his leather jacket. He doesn’t seem in a hurry to leave.
I suck in a breath of cold air. “So... How’s Stavros?”
The shift in his body is instant. Shoulders stiff and eyes vacant, he says, “He’s...okay.”
That’s it. Just okay.
There must be more that Blade thinks I don’t want to hear. I nod like it doesn’t gut me, like I didn’t hope he’d tell me it’s awful and beg to come home with me.
Blade shakes his head. “See ya. Say hi to Lennox for me.”
He turns and walks away, disappearing in the haze of falling snowflakes.
Something inside me snaps. “Blade!”
He stops and turns toward me with red, tired eyes.
“Want to share an Uber?” I ask, shrugging.
He hesitates, then gives a small nod.
I order one on my phone, using a fake account tied to a shell credit card. The car arrives two minutes later, and we climb in. The driver pulls away and heads to Blade’s address since I entered that first for a two-stop ride.
The heat blows weakly into the backseat, just enough that we both lean toward it. Blade’s thigh brushes mine, barely touching, but it’s enough to light up every nerve I have left.
Blade’s voice breaks the silence. “He’s been sleeping on the couch. That’s how Stavros is.”
My heart stutters, and I turn to him. “Yeah?”
He nods, staring out the window. “I’m moving out at the end of the month.”
I swallow hard. “You got a place in mind?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “But I’ll figure it out.”
The words are out before I can stop them. “Move in with me.”
That gets his attention. He turns, brows pulling tight. “You only have one bedroom.”
“That’s the point.”
His breath hitches. And then I can’t take it anymore.
I grab him, pull him in, and my mouth is on his before I can think about what a mistake this might be.
Blade tastes like mint and spice. His hands fist the collar of my coat like he’s drowning, and I’m the only thing keeping his head above water.
Ironic, considering this all started with me nearly drowning that night on the pier, and now it’s Blade gasping for air.
When we finally break apart, the driver pretends not to notice.
Blade leans his forehead against mine, whispering, “I missed you, Jetty. I only want you.”
The sound of his nickname for me wrecks me.
“Change of plans,” I tell the driver and adjust the app. “Skip the first stop. Just the last one.”
He smiles, accepts the new route, and adjusts course. Blade and I kiss for the rest of the ride, sweet and tender. But there’s a storm in his touch. He will ruin me when we’re alone. And I’m here for it.
When we reach my building, we get out hand in hand. I use the key to get into my building, feeling happier than I have in weeks. Maybe ever. We jog up the stairs, my pulse pounding with excitement.
Outside my apartment door, Blade stops. He looks at me like he thought he’d lost me forever.
Me too, buddy.
And then he kisses me again. There is no hesitation this time.
I know we’re both still bleeding from what happened up on that mountain. From what we’ve done. What we said. The promises we broke. It doesn’t change who we are and what we want.
I groan against his mouth, and holding his face, I say, “Make love to me, Blade.”
He smiles and says, “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that.”