13. Jace
Jace
I pull back from the kiss slowly, my forehead still resting against hers, both of us breathing hard.
My hands are still on her, one at the back of her neck, the other at her waist, and I can feel the rapid beat of her pulse under my thumb.
The shock of seeing my father is still roaring inside me, but Sadie in my arms is the one thing keeping me from being swept away by it.
I hope she doesn’t take this kiss the wrong way.
The words come out rough, honest in a way I usually save for my brothers. "I hope you don’t take this kiss the wrong way. Like I’m using you to take my mind off seeing my father alive."
She shakes her head immediately, her hands still fisted in my shirt. Her voice is soft but steady, that serious tone she gets when she’s cutting through bullshit. "No. I didn’t think that."
Good. The relief that hits me is sharp and real. I lean in again, close enough that my lips brush hers when I speak. "Good. Because I’ve wanted you since I first saw you."
Her eyes widen a fraction, then darken with the same heat that’s been building between us since the beach.
Since the Jeep ride. Since that quick kiss on my cheek last night that’s been driving me insane.
I don’t wait for her to answer with words.
I kiss her again, deeper this time, and she meets me with the same urgency.
We stumble backward toward the bedroom without breaking the kiss.
My hands slide under the hem of her shirt, palms skimming the warm, smooth skin of her back.
She tastes like sunshine and something sweeter that’s just her.
The sound of our breathing fills the quiet safe house, mixed with the distant roll of waves against the sand.
I back her up until her legs hit the edge of the bed, then ease her down onto the mattress.
She pulls me with her, and I go willingly, settling between her thighs.
The kiss turns hotter, messier. My tongue slides against hers and she makes this soft sound in the back of her throat that awakens something deep inside me.
I’m hard already, aching, but this isn’t about me right now.
This is about her. About giving her something good after the madness I dragged her into today.
I break the kiss to trail my mouth down her neck, nipping lightly at the spot below her ear that makes her shiver.
My hands work her shirt up and off, tossing it somewhere on the floor.
She’s not wearing a bra. The sight of her bare breasts, the way they rise and fall with her quick breaths, nearly undoes me.
I cup one in my palm, thumb brushing over the tight peak, and she arches into my touch.
"Look at you," I murmur against her skin, voice low and a little rough with want. "So fucking beautiful. I have been thinking about this since the beach. Since I saw you in that navy bikini and realized I was in trouble."
She laughs softly, the sound breathless, and tugs at my shirt.
I strip it off and come back to her, skin to skin now.
The feel of her against me is better than I imagined.
Warm. Soft in all the right places. I kiss my way down her chest, taking one nipple into my mouth and sucking gently while my hand teases the other.
Her fingers thread through my hair, holding me there, and the little gasps she makes are the best sound I’ve heard all day.
I keep moving lower, kissing across her stomach, my hands sliding down to the button of her jeans.
I look up at her as I pop it open, giving her time to stop me if she wants.
She doesn’t. Her eyes are dark, lips parted, and she lifts her hips to help me slide the denim and her underwear down her legs.
I toss them aside and settle between her thighs again, this time with nothing between us.
The sight of her laid out like this, open and trusting and so goddamn perfect, hits me harder than I expect. I run my hands up the insides of her thighs, spreading her wider, and she makes another one of those soft sounds that I want to record and play on repeat.
"You’re so wet already," I say, voice dropping into that playful dirty register I know she’s fond of. I’ve always been a talker in bed. It’s part of the fun. "Is this for me, Sadie? Did kissing me get you this worked up?"
She nods, biting her lip, and I grin against the soft skin of her inner thigh. "Good girl. Let me take care of you."
I don’t rush. I kiss and lick and tease, learning what makes her breath hitch and her hips lift.
When I finally drag my tongue through her wetness she moans, soft and sweet, and her hands fist in the sheets.
I take my time, sucking her clit into my mouth.
I slide one finger inside her, and then another as I finger fuck her.
I curl my fingers, hitting that spot deep inside her.
"Fuck, you taste incredible," I tell her between strokes, because it’s true and because I want her to hear it. "So sweet and perfect. I could stay down here all afternoon. You’re so responsive. Every little sound you make goes straight to my cock."
She’s close already. I can feel it in the way her thighs tremble around my head, in the way she starts rocking against my face. I add another finger, fucking her slowly with them while I suck harder on her clit, and she cries out my name like it’s the only word she remembers.
"Come for me, Sadie," I say against her, the words vibrating through her. "I want to feel you come on my tongue. Let go, baby. I’ve got you."
She does. Her whole body tightens, back arching off the bed, as she screams out my name. It’s music to my ears. I keep going, making sure her orgasm doesn’t end too soon.
She’s still catching her breath when she reaches between us, her hand brushing over the hard line of my cock through my jeans. "Jace... let me. I want to."
I catch her wrist gently and bring her hand up to my chest instead. "No. Not today."
She looks at me, confused and a little hurt, and I shake my head, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I want to hold you all afternoon. That’s all I need right now. You. Here. Like this."
We rearrange on the bed, her head on my chest, one leg thrown over mine.
The sheets are cool against our skin where we’re not touching.
Late afternoon light slants through the windows, turning everything gold and soft.
Outside, the ocean keeps its steady rhythm, waves rolling in and out, completely unaware that everything inside me has changed.
But it has. My father’s alive. He’s here.
And the questions are already gathering in my mind, the first rumble of a storm I can’t stop.
Why did he disappear? Why’s he using a different name?
What the hell has he been doing for the last few years while my brothers and I tore apart every lead we had?
The relief of seeing him is already twisting into something darker.
Anger. Confusion. The sick feeling that whatever he’s into might be worse than we thought.
Sadie traces idle patterns on my chest with her fingertips. She doesn’t push for more. She stays close, warm and solid and real in a way nothing else feels right now. I tighten my arm around her as my mind spins.
There’s one person who might know what’s going on. One person who might have answers or at least a piece of the puzzle. The one woman who told Mack to not pursue this.
My mother.
She left Texas years ago after my father died (well now we know he faked it).
Packed up and moved to a small coastal town not even two hours from here.
We haven’t spoken much since we started searching.
She might know something. Dad always kept secrets, even from her, but maybe something slipped.
Maybe she’s heard rumors or seen something that didn’t make sense at the time.
It’s late afternoon when we finally emerge from the bedroom.
Sadie’s pulled on one of my shirts, the hem hitting mid-thigh, and I’m still in my jeans, shirt still off because the house is warm and I catch her looking at me more than once, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.
We stand in the kitchen while I make us both glasses of water.
She leans against the counter, watching me with those serious eyes that see too much.
I set her glass down and meet her gaze. "I need to go see my mother. She doesn’t live far from here. Left Texas years ago and settled in a small town up the coast. Not even two hours away."
Sadie nods without hesitation. "Okay."
Just like that. No questions about why now, no hesitation about being left alone or about the danger.
She accepts it and offers that quiet support that reaches places I’ve kept guarded for years.
Because I’m already in too deep with her.
The kiss, the way I went down on her as if I needed it more than air, the way I’m standing here wanting to pull her back into bed instead of dealing with my family mess.
But family comes first. It always has.
I reach over and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger on her cheek. "My mother’s going to love you."
She covers my hand with hers. "You think so?"
“I do.” More than I should admit. But I nod and lean in to kiss her forehead, soft and quick. "We’ll head out tomorrow morning. Gives us time to figure out the rest."
The rest being the concert in two days. The confrontation with my father. The brothers who are already on their way. The mess that started as a protection detail and has turned into something I never saw coming.
For now, though, the afternoon light is still warm through the windows, and Sadie’s standing in my shirt, seeing the man beneath the damage. I pull her in for another kiss, slower this time, and let myself have this one good thing before the storm hits again.