19. Jace
Jace
We leave my mother's house as the sun dips lower over the water, the sky turning shades of orange and pink that reflect off the waves rolling in along the shoreline. Sadie walks beside me, her hand in mine, her fingers warm and steady. I’m still processing everything.
Billy's story. The plan we hammered out around the dining room table while Mom fussed over fresh cookies and sweet tea. We’re heading back to the safe house tonight.
All of us. But not immediately. Billy’s got a tip.
The people who took Nash and Sin, the same shadowy group that forced him into hiding all those years ago, will be at the Summer Nights Concert at High Tide Pavilion in a few days.
Scouting. Because they’re onto him. Onto us.
The concert is the perfect cover. Crowds.
Music. Lights. A place where we can all meet without drawing too much attention, get our brothers together, and start putting together a real plan to get Nash and Sin back.
I squeeze Sadie's hand as we reach the Jeep. She looks up at me, her eyes soft but serious in that way she gets when she’s thinking too hard.
I like that about her. The way she balances my need to charge ahead with her careful consideration.
Last night at the safe house was incredible.
The way she felt, her body moving with mine, her hands all over me, her voice breathless as she told me how good it felt.
I can’t stop thinking about it. It was fun.
Steamy. The kind of sex that makes you want to do it all over again the second it’s over.
And I do. I want her again. Right now. But first we have to get back to the safe house. We have a plan to execute.
The drive back is quiet at first. The top’s down on the Jeep, the wind whipping through our hair as we head south along the coast road.
The ocean stretches out beside us, endless and blue, waves catching the last of the sunlight in flashes of gold.
I keep one hand on the wheel and the other on Sadie's thigh, my thumb tracing lazy circles over the fabric of her jeans. She leans back in her seat, her hair blowing around her face, and I can’t help but smile. She looks good like this.
"You okay?" I ask after a while, glancing over at her. The wind carries my words away a little, but she hears me.
She turns her head, her eyes meeting mine. "Yeah. Just thinking. About everything. About Billy. Nash and Sin. The plan. It’s a lot to absorb."
I nod, squeezing her thigh gently. "It is. But we’ll figure it out.
All of us. Billy's tip about the concert is solid. Vanguard Helix will be there scouting because they’re onto him.
We meet there in a few days with Crewe, Colt, Banks, Mack.
Get everyone on the same page. Then we go after Nash and Sin. No more running. No more hiding."
She’s quiet for a moment, her hand covering mine on her leg. "I’m nervous. About what happens next. About all of it. But I’m glad I’m here. With you."
The words hit me somewhere deep. I glance at her again, the road stretching out ahead of us under the fading light. "I’m glad you’re here too. More than glad. Last night..." I trail off, a grin tugging at my mouth. "Last night was something else. Sexy as hell. I haven’t stopped thinking about it."
She laughs, the sound light and real, and I feel it in my chest. "You’re so cocky."
"You like it," I shoot back, my voice velvety and teasing. "Admit it. You like the way I talk to you. The way I touch you. The way I make you come."
Her cheeks flush, but she doesn’t look away. "Maybe. A little."
"A little?" I laugh, the sound carrying on the wind. "I’ll take it. For now. But when we get back to the safe house, I’m going to remind you exactly how much you like it."
The rest of the drive passes in easy conversation.
We talk about the plan some more. How we’ll contact my brothers.
How we’ll keep her safe. How we’ll use the concert as cover to meet and strategize without Vanguard Helix realizing what we’re doing.
Sadie asks questions, smart ones, about logistics and risks.
I answer them, my hand never leaving her leg.
The wind feels good against my skin. The ocean looks endless beside us. And Sadie feels right here with me.
By the time we pull into the safe house driveway, the sky’s darkened to deep blue, stars starting to peek through.
The ocean is louder here, waves crashing against the sand beyond the dunes.
I park the Jeep and shut off the engine.
The house is dark and quiet, the way we left it.
Sadie turns to me, her eyes bright in the dim light from the moon.
"We’re home," she says softly.
I lean over and kiss her. It starts soft, a brush of lips, but it doesn’t stay that way.
The tension from the day, the relief of having a plan, the memory of last night all crash together.
My hand slides into her hair as I deepen the kiss, my tongue brushing against hers.
She makes a soft sound against my mouth and I feel it everywhere.
We stumble inside, barely making it through the door before I have her backed against the wall.
My hands are on her waist, pulling her closer.
Hers pull my hair, tugging enough to make me groan.
The kiss turns hungry, desperate. I can taste the faint sweetness of the tea she had at Mom's.
I can feel the warmth of her body through her clothes. I want her. Now.
"Bedroom," I murmur against her lips, my voice rough. "Now."
She nods, breathless, and we make it down the hall in a tangle of limbs and laughter.
The bedroom is dark except for the moonlight coming through the window.
I kick the door closed behind us and pull her against me again.
This time the kiss is slower, deeper. My hands slide under her shirt, palms skimming the warm skin of her back.
She arches into me, her body fitting against mine.
I walk her backward toward the bed, my mouth never leaving hers.
When the backs of her knees hit the mattress she sits, pulling me down with her.
We land in a heap of laughter and heat. I roll us so she’s on top, straddling my hips.
The position’s perfect. Her hair falls around her face in soft waves.
Her eyes are dark and playful as she looks down at me.
"Hey," she says, her voice a little breathless.
"Hi," I answer, my hands settling on her hips. "You look good up there."
She grins, that smile that always gets to me, and leans down to kiss me again.
Her hands work at the buttons of my shirt, pushing it open.
I sit up enough to pull it off, then reach for hers.
The fabric slides over her head and I toss it aside.
She’s not wearing a bra. The sight of her bare breasts in the moonlight makes my mouth go dry.
"Beautiful," I say, my voice gravelly. I cup them in my palms, thumbs brushing over her nipples. She gasps softly and arches into my touch. "Ride me. I want to watch you."
She bites her lip, her eyes sparkling with that mix of shyness and heat that drives me crazy. "You like that?"
"Love it," I admit, my hands sliding down to her jeans. "Please."
She laughs softly and stands to shimmy out of her jeans and underwear. I do the same, kicking mine off the bed. Then she’s back, straddling me, her body warm and soft against mine. I can feel how ready she is, the heat of her against my cock. I groan and grip her hips.
“Pill?”
She nods, eyes locking with mine. “Everyday.”
"Then, take what you want," I tell her, my voice rough with need. "Use me. I want to feel you come on me."
She leans down and kisses me, slow and deep, while her hand reaches between us.
She wraps her fingers around me and guides me to her entrance.
The first push inside her is slow, deliberate.
She sinks down inch by inch, her body taking me perfectly.
I watch her face the whole time. The way her eyes flutter closed.
The way her lips part. The way she bites her lip when I’m fully seated inside her.
"Fuck," I breathe, my hands tightening on her hips. "You feel so good."
She starts to move then. Slow at first, rolling her hips in a way that makes me see stars.
Up and down, a steady rhythm that’s got me gripping the sheets.
Her hands are on my chest for balance, her nails digging in.
I can't stop watching her. Every slow roll of her hips steals my attention, her hair cascading over her shoulders like she doesn't have a care in the world.
Then she lifts her eyes to mine, and everything else disappears.
"Yes," I say, my voice deep and encouraging. "Just like that. You’re so sexy. Riding me. Taking what you want."
She laughs breathlessly, the sound turning into a moan when I thrust up to meet her.
The pace picks up. She rides me harder, faster, her body moving with a confidence that makes me crazy.
I slide one hand between us, my thumb finding her clit, circling it in time with her movements.
She gasps my name and I feel her tighten around me.
"Come for me," I tell her, my voice rough. "I want to feel you. I want to watch you fall apart on top of me."
She does. Her whole body tenses, her head falling back as she comes with a soft cry.
The sight of her, the feel of her pulsing around me, pushes me right to the edge.
I thrust up into her a few more times, chasing my own release, and when it hits it’s like everything in me breaks apart and comes back together at the same time.
I groan her name and hold her hips steady as I come deep inside her.
We stay this way for a long moment, both of us breathing hard. She collapses forward onto my chest, her hair tickling my skin. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close, my heart still racing.
"That was..." she starts, then laughs softly against my neck. "Fun. Really fun."
I grin and press a kiss to her temple. "Yeah."
She lifts her head to look at me, her eyes soft and happy. "You make it easy to be that way with you. I like that."
"I’m falling for you," I say simply, because it’s true and because I want her to hear it. "Hard."
She smiles and kisses me, slow and sweet.
We stay tangled together for a while longer, talking in soft voices about nothing and everything.
The plan. My brothers. The concert. The way it feels to be here, like this, after everything.
Eventually we clean up and crawl under the covers.
She curls against my side, her head on my shoulder, one leg thrown over mine.
I stroke her hair absently, the strands soft between my fingers.
Tomorrow we start making calls. Getting my brothers here.
Preparing for the concert. But right now, with Sadie asleep in my arms and the ocean keeping time outside, I let myself have this.
The quiet. The closeness. The feeling that maybe we’re building something real in the middle of all the danger.
Something worth fighting for. Something that started with a reluctant drive from Halo City and has become the best thing I never saw coming.
I close my eyes and let sleep take me, her warmth against me and the steady sound of the waves the only things I need right now. Whatever comes next, we’ll face it. Together. And that thought, more than anything, lets me finally rest.