15. Kayla
Apparently, we are doing a couple’s costume. I’m dressed as a sexy policewoman, for reasons that Jace is about to find out very soon, and he is dressed as himself, which is a hitman. He even wore all black for the occasion. Black pants, black combat boots, and a tight-fitting black shirt that shows off every inch of his sculpted body and makes girls turn their heads to stare at him as we walk through the door and into the grand building where the party is in full swing.
Cop and criminal. Technically a couple’s costume, which Jace has pointed out no less than five times already.
The smell of perfume and spilled alcohol hangs in the air like mist as we make our way through the packed hallway and towards the ballroom on the other side of the building. As opposed to the party last weekend, this one isn’t hosted by just a single person in their own home. This massive costume party is hosted by none other than Ivy River’s Society for Dramatic Arts. And say what you will about drama students, but they do know how to throw a party.
“I’m impressed,” Jace comments from right next to me.
“Of course you are,” I reply. “I’m sure you’ve never seen a party like this at your university.”
Turning to face me, he levels a pointed look at me. “First of all, we throw epic parties at Blackwater. And secondly, I meant I’m impressed that we managed to make it all the way here without you trying to sneak off even once.”
I roll my eyes. “As if hitmen know how to party.”
“Uhm, excuse me…” He stares at me with a look of absolute affront on his face while gesturing up and down his own body. “Have you met me?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Oh my God,” an excited voice interrupts before Jace can retort.
Both of us turn to find Aurora skipping towards us, her green eyes sparkling with joy. She’s wearing a white gauzy dress with gold accessories that make her look like some kind of Greek goddess. Her long blonde hair is styled into loose waves, and it ripples behind her as she comes to a halt before us.
“Are you wearing a couple’s costume?” she says.
“No,” I mutter at the same time as Jace says, “Yes.”
She lets out a little squeal and grins. “You guys are adorable.” A sly smile plays over her lips as she looks us up and down before she gives me a conspiratorial wink. “And hot.”
Well, she’s right about that at least. I’m wearing a short navy-blue skirt and a low-cut top with a fake badge that imitates a police shirt, and a leather belt around my waist with handcuffs hanging from it. I am hot. And Jace is…
Actually, it doesn’t matter what Jace is. He’s not supposed to be here, and we’re not wearing a couple’s costume. So whether he’s hot or not is irrelevant. He might as well be dressed as a house plant for all I care.
Next to me, the seriously overconfident bastard is smirking at the compliment, and probably at the poorly hidden lust that burns in Aurora’s eyes too. I let out a silent scoff. I’m about to wipe that smirk off his mouth and turn him into a wallflower.
“Speaking of hot,” I begin. “I’m going to grab something to drink.”
“Good plan.” Aurora flashes me a mischievous grin. “Jenn and I started drinking before we even left our house, so you have some catching up to do.”
A sharp jab of pain spears through my heart at the casual reminder that that is what siblings do. Drink and get ready together before heading to a party. Together. I could’ve had that too. But instead, I’m stuck with a fucking bodyguard.
“I was just heading to the bathroom,” she continues, and points down the packed hallway. “But Jenn is in the ballroom with Lionel and those guys we met at the party last weekend.”
“Great,” I reply with a smile as I shove aside that flicker of pain. “I’ll meet you in there after I grab something to drink.”
“Yes, we will,” Jace adds, putting just a hint of emphasis on the word we.
We, huh? I suppress another scoff and a wicked smile. We’ll see about that.
While Aurora continues towards the bathroom, I turn around and start in the direction of the basement. Jace falls into step beside me. There is a slight smile lurking on his lips as he strolls along there next to me while also watching the crowd. And the crowd is watching him too.
Several guys scowl at him as we pass, jealousy and annoyance clear on their features. Most girls cast discreet glances at him, but a fair number outright stare too. Their hungry eyes track Jace’s every move as he raises his arm to drag a hand through his messy curls. After raking their gazes over his sinfully hot body, they shoot envious looks at me.
I just scowl back at them. If they only knew how annoying and frustrating Jace really is, they wouldn’t be so jealous of me.
“I thought you were getting something to drink,” Jace suddenly says.
“I am,” I reply.
“We’ve passed the kitchen.”
“So?”
Before he can retort, I round the corner and start down the white marble steps that lead to the storage room underneath the ground floor. Jace, who assumed that we were heading straight forward, has to skid to a halt and then backtrack to follow me.
“You know,” he begins as he hurries to catch up with me again. “Everything would be so much easier if you actually communicated with me instead.”
“Because you’re such a master of communication yourself.”
“I thought the snake in your bed was a pretty obvious message.”
My gaze darts to him. But he only wears his customary casual smile, so it’s impossible to interpret if he meant that as a threat or as a double entendre.
I shake my head at myself. I don’t need to understand Jace Hunter. I just need to get rid of him.
We reach the bottom of the stairs. Only stacks of chairs and tables piled on top of each other meet us there. Most of them have been pushed up against the walls, but the space is still packed to the point that there is almost nothing left of the floor. Not to mention that there is a sliding gate made of iron separating the stairs from the storage area.
There is a confused frown on Jace’s features as he scans the odd space before us. “What, exactly, are we doing here again?”
I twist around so that I’m in front of him instead. Then I let a sly smile curve my lips as I start backing him towards the sliding gate. Cocking my head slightly, I look up and meet his gaze.
“I just wanted to get you alone for a minute before we rejoin the party,” I say, my voice coming out low and sultry.
Even more confusion pulses across his face. And I’m not sure if that confusion is the reason for his lack of resistance, but he lets me back him across the floor.
“Kayla,” he says, a cautious note to his voice.
His brown eyes are full of suspicion as he studies my face. I just keep moving until his back connects with the sliding gate. The metal lets out a rattling sound at the impact. I close the distance between us until I’m standing only a breath away. I can almost feel his chest brush against mine when we breathe, and an involuntary tingle ripples down my spine. While holding his gaze, I slide my hands over my waist. Jace makes no move to touch me. But he doesn’t try to leave either. He just watches me with those intense eyes of his.
“Aurora was right, you know,” I say. “You are hot.”
At last, a smirk replaces the suspicion on his face, and he grins down at me. “I know.”
A laugh that is half surprise and half exasperation rips from my lungs as I shake my head at him. “You’re very cocky, aren’t you?”
“False modesty is pointless. Own who you are.”
His words spear right into my soul with unexpected accuracy. Because I actually agree with him. It’s why I never apologize for being rich. Why I never feel bad about being powerful even though I have done nothing to earn it. I am who I am. And I own every inch of it. So the fact that I apparently share that sentiment with Jace surprises me so much that I almost forget what I’m doing for a second.
Recovering quickly, I force that revelation aside and instead focus on what I came here for.
My heart pounds as I reach up and draw my hand over Jace’s shoulder.
A shudder rolls through him the moment my hand touches his body.
And once again, I almost lose track of my mission.
While trying to keep my mind from wandering down ridiculous paths, I slide my hand down his arm. Heat pools inside me at the feeling of those hard muscles underneath my palm. I reach the end of his shirt sleeve and trail my hand down his forearm. His skin is warm against mine.
“Kayla,” he says, that cautious note now back in his voice again. “What are you doing?”
Holding his gaze, I flash him a smile full of mischief. “Something I have been thinking about doing all week.”
Fire flickers in his eyes for a second. “Really? And what’s?—”
The moment he’s distracted, I strike. In two quick moves, I snap one side of the handcuffs that came with the costume shut around his right wrist while locking the other side to the iron sliding gate behind him.
Jace blinks in genuine surprise.
That alone makes victory pulse through me like glittering fireworks.
I leap back out of his reach before he can get his wits about him again.
Standing halfway between the bottom of the stairs and the gate, I study Jace while a wide grin spreads across my mouth.
He stares at me for a few seconds before looking down at his now shackled wrist. I managed to lock the manacles to a spot where two rods intersect, which means that he can’t slide the handcuffs up along the bar. Instead, his right hand is now trapped at waist level.
A metallic rattling noise comes from the gate as Jace gives his restraints a small tug.
That wicked grin remains on my mouth.
The veins in Jace’s forearm shift as he flexes his hand. It makes a pulse of heat sear through me. In that tight-fitting black shirt and with his messy brown hair falling down over his forehead as he looks down at his handcuffed wrist, Jace is illegally attractive.
My gaze drifts down to the manacles again.
And God fucking damn it but he looks hot as hell when he’s handcuffed too.
“Really?” Jace tears his eyes away from his shackled wrist and looks up to meet my gaze again. Raising his eyebrows, he gives me a look of both exasperation and incredulity while he gives the handcuffs another little tug. “This is what you brought me down here for?”
“Naturally.” I toss my hair behind my shoulder. “Why do you think I dressed up as a policewoman?”
“So that you would be able to handcuff me.”
“Exactly.”
A sly smile blows across his handsome features as he rakes a suggestive gaze over my body. “I didn’t realize you were into role play.”
My cheeks heat, but I manage to shoot him a disinterested stare. “Don’t flatter yourself, pretty boy. The only reason I handcuffed you was so that I would be able to enjoy the party without having you glued to my side.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes.” I give him a mocking smile as I take a step back towards the stairs. “So, have fun down here while I go back to the party and get drunk and dance with my friends and fuck strangers in dark rooms. If you’re a good boy and say please, I might even come back down here and release you before I leave.”
A wicked glint appears in his eyes. “Been planning this all week, have you?”
“Yes.”
“Impressive.”
“I know.”
“But you forgot one thing.”
I arch a cocky eyebrow at him. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” The smile on his face turns outright villainous. “You forgot the importance of high-quality equipment.”
“What’s that supposed to?—”
He yanks his arm forward in one quick motion.
And the handcuffs snap.
I gasp and jerk back in shock.
Broken bits clink down on the marble floor, and for one second, I can only stare at them in stunned surprise.
Jace, however, doesn’t hesitate.
Shooting forward, he closes the distance between us again in a matter of moments. I scramble backwards, trying to escape up the stairs. But it’s too late. His arms wrap around my waist and yank me off the first step. I suck in a hiss as he spins me around and shoves me up against the wall.
Air escapes my lungs as my chest hits the marble wall. Placing my palms on the cold stone, I try to push myself away from it. Jace just grabs my right wrist and yanks it down from the wall before twisting it up behind my back. His knees dig into the back of my thighs as he uses his body weight to keep me pinned to the wall.
Leaning forward, he places his lips right next to my ear. “So that’s how you want to play it, huh?”
Lightning skitters across my skin as his warm breath dances over the shell of my ear.
“Then fine,” he continues, his lips almost brushing my skin. “That’s how we’ll play it.”
Faint metallic clinking sounds. Then something cold appears against my wrist. I try to yank my arm back but Jace keeps it mercilessly trapped behind my back. A very ominous click sounds. Followed by another.
Then Jace at last releases me and steps back.
I yank my arm down while whirling around towards Jace, and then snap my gaze down to my hand.
Disbelief pulses through me.
My right wrist is now handcuffed. Not with the ones I brought, since half of them are still stuck to the iron gate. No, this is another pair of handcuffs. Ones that look much more professional. And sturdy. But that’s not the worst of it.
One side of those handcuffs is locked around my wrist. The other side encircles Jace’s left wrist.
I drag my gaze up to his face, but no words make it out of my mouth.
“As opposed to the cheap toy you brought,” Jace begins.
And then he demonstrates just how cheap and low-quality my handcuffs were by breaking what remains of them from his right wrist until the cuff falls to the floor in pieces. Shock crackles through me. Because even though they might have been a toy compared to real handcuffs, it would still take serious strength to just shatter them like that.
Jace raises his other hand, lifting my right hand with it as well since it’s trapped to his.
“Mine are the real deal,” he finishes. Mischief sparkles in his eyes as he casts a pointed look at our joined wrists. “So good luck trying to ditch me now, little demon.”
For a few seconds, all I can do is to stare at him in complete disbelief.
Then reality snaps back into me like a hard slap to the face.
“Ugh,” I growl, giving his muscular chest a hard shove. “You are unbelievable! Who even walks around with a pair of extra handcuffs like this?”
“You did.”
“I was on a mission!”
“So was I.”
“God fucking damn…” Another snarl rips from my chest as I shoot him a vicious glare. “Asshole.”
Then I whirl around and storm up the steps.
Or I try to, at least.
My movements come to an abrupt halt as my arm doesn’t follow me up the stairs. I jerk back, almost falling down the steps as I’m pulled off balance. Twisting back around, I stare between my wrist and Jace, who is still standing on the floor below.
“What are you doing?” I growl.
He just raises his eyebrows at me, completely unfazed by the venom in my voice. “What does it look like?”
I stab a hand towards the corridor at the top of the stairs. “The party is up there!”
“So? I’m not here to party. I’m here to guard you. And it seems to me that’ll be a hell of a lot easier down here than up there.”
“I don’t want to be standing here all night! I want to go up there and dance with my friends.”
“Tough luck.”
Wrapping both hands around the handcuffs locking us together, I try to forcibly pull him with me as I start backing up the stairs.
I might as well have been trying to pull a mountain up those steps.
Jace simply stands there on the floor, watching me with raised eyebrows while amusement dances across his face.
A vicious curse rips from my chest as I try to pull him up the first step again.
He doesn’t move one inch.
Deciding to switch tactics, I stalk down the steps instead and move until I’m standing behind him. Then I try to push him forwards instead.
Once again, I would have had better luck trying to move a fucking bolder.
“Come on!” I snap, frustration welling up inside me.
I make another three attempts to get him to move before I’m forced to admit that it’s impossible.
Stomping my foot down on the floor, I grind my teeth as I glare up at his stupid smirking face.
Music and laughter and the sound of people chatting drift through the corridor upstairs. I glance longingly towards it.
“You want to go up there and dance with your friends?” Jace asks.
“Yes,” I all but growl since he damn well already knows the answer to that.
He wraps his free hand around my jaw in a highly commanding move that sends a pulse through my spine. “Say please.”
I glare up at him in silence for all of two seconds before I force out, “Please.”
His lips tilt up in a satisfied smile. “Good girl.”
A shudder rolls through my body. I draw in a sharp breath and yank my chin out of his grip while desperately trying to ignore the throbbing sensation in my clit.
Thankfully, Jace doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he simply starts up the steps.
I scramble to catch up with him before he changes his mind.
The smell of perfume and spilled alcohol once more fills my lungs as we return to the packed hallway upstairs. Several couples are making out against the walls to our left and right. I glance at them while we make our way back to the carved double doors that lead to the ballroom.
The back of Jace’s hand brushes against mine when we have to squeeze through a gap in the crowd. It sends a jolt through my body, and I try to snatch my hand away. But because of those damn handcuffs, it only makes his hand follow mine and bump into it again. I can practically feel Jace’s smirk even though I’m not even looking at him.
With a scowl on my face, I stalk forward.
We have almost reached the open doors to the ballroom when I’m abruptly jerked to a halt. Throwing out my free hand, I spin it in the air to keep my balance as my other arm remains far behind me. Once I have my balance back, I twist around to see what caused it.
“Give me that,” Jace orders as he snatches a bat out of the hand of some guy who is dressed up as a baseball player.
The guy, who was half turned away from Jace, whirls around. Anger flashes in his pale eyes.
“Hey, what the fuck!” he snaps.
Then he jerks back as he comes face to face with Jace’s menacing presence. Jace expertly spins the bat in his right hand and then places the top of it straight against the guy’s chest. Power and utter dominance pulse from every inch of his muscular body.
“If you don’t know how to properly hold a bat, you shouldn’t bring a fucking bat,” Jace says, sounding surprisingly offended.
I stare at him in bewilderment. It’s just a bat. Is he some sort of baseball aficionado or what?
The Ivy River student shrinks back and holds up his hands in surrender, clearly not interested in picking a fight with the biggest guy at this whole damn party. “Sorry.”
“You should be,” Jace declares.
Then he promptly spins the bat again and rests it against his shoulder before turning around and starting towards the ballroom once more. I stumble after him.
“Bloody amateurs,” Jace mutters under his breath. “Not one of them knows proper bat etiquette.”
“Uhm…” I say, very eloquently.
However, before I can figure out what to even ask, we round the corner and walk into the ballroom.
I’ve been here before, so I know that this massive room is very elegant when the sun falls in through the gleaming windows and illuminates the pale walls and the frescos in the ceiling.
Right now, however, it’s dimly lit, packed with people, and full of strobing lights in neon colors. It might as well have been a night club in a concrete factory for all the attention people spare the beautiful decorations around the room.
“Kayla!” Jenn calls, and waves a hand at me from a short distance away.
We start towards her and the rest of their group. Aurora is dancing with that guy Mitch from the party last weekend. Though dancing is probably not the right word. More like grinding herself against him while he has his hands on her hips. Both of them look like they’re a few minutes away from sneaking into a private room.
I grin at Aurora and give her a nod of approval. Go for it, girl.
Trina and Felicia are dancing together, their blonde hair rippling as they jump to the beat of the music.
Lionel, who was facing Rebecca, immediately snaps his attention to me when Jace and I reach them.
“We were starting to think that you had gotten lost,” Jenn says to me as she laughs, evidence that she is as drunk as the rest of them appear to be.
I wink at her. “We just had some stuff to sort out first.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now.”
Before I can reply, she tilts her head up to the ceiling and starts dancing.
“Me too,” Lionel says from my right before I can start dancing as well. His gray eyes are full of hope as he meets my gaze and smiles. “I was actually wondering if you want to get some air. Just you and me.”
I grimace and raise my right hand, showing him the handcuffs that trap me to Jace. “Unfortunately, I’m dragging around like two hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight at the moment.”
Lionel jerks back in surprise. Then anger flashes in his eyes as he snaps his gaze between the handcuffs and Jace’s face. “You handcuffed her to you?”
A smile that is half threat and half challenge slides across Jace’s mouth as he looks Lionel up and down. “So what if I did?”
“Handcuffing someone without their permission is illegal.”
The threatening smile on Jace’s mouth turns into a sly smirk as he shifts his gaze to me. “You hear that, little demon? Maybe I should file charges against you.”
“Come try it.” I match his wicked smile and wiggle my eyebrows at him. “I would bury you with elite lawyers who charge more a month than you make in a year.”
He laughs. A full, genuine laugh that makes his eyes glitter.
It sends a ripple of warmth through my soul.
“Just uncuff her,” Lionel demands, ruining the rare moment.
Jace drags his gaze to him and simply declares, “No.”
“You can’t just?—”
“Can we please drop it?” I interrupt. “I just want to dance.”
Before either of them can start arguing again, I turn away from them both and throw my free arm up into the air, tip my head back, and dance.
Music pulses through the air, beating in tune with my heart. I grin up at the ceiling. Then I try to raise my other arm too.
It doesn’t move.
Turning back to Jace, I find him simply standing there on the floor, watching me. He still holds the bat he stole in his right hand, leaning the smooth wood against his shoulder, while he keeps his left hand down by his side. And my right hand with it.
I yank pointedly against the handcuffs and give him an expectant look.
“What?” he asks, looking back at me with mock confusion.
“I said that I wanted to dance.”
“So dance.”
“It’s difficult when you refuse to move your arm.”
“How is that my problem? I agreed to let you come here and dance. I never said anything about my own participation.”
Narrowing my eyes, I glare at him. He keeps a nonchalant expression on his face, but I swear I can see him trying to suppress a smile too.
Fine, he wants to be difficult? I can be difficult. In fact, we’ve only scratched the surface of just how fucking difficult I can be.
A grin full of challenge slides home on my lips as I close the distance between us instead. This move worked wonders last time. And now, I’m going to make it even worse for him. I won’t stop until he fucking blows his load in the middle of the dance floor. Let’s see how cocky he is then.
With my eyes locked on his, I raise my free hand and wrap it around the back of his neck. Then I slide it down towards his chest while I start swaying. I’m so close to him now that my breasts brush against him with every writhing move I make.
From behind me, Aurora whistles suggestively before laughing. The sound is full of approval. Some others laugh too. And a little to my right, I swear I can feel Lionel scowling, or maybe glaring, at us. I ignore them all as I dance closer to Jace.
A muscle feathers in his jaw, and his body is suddenly rigid.
Twisting around, I dance exactly like I did at the last party we went to. Moving to the beat of the music, I grind my ass against Jace’s crotch.
Satisfaction pulses through me when I can feel his cock harden instantly.
A wooden clattering sounds from right next to me, and I glance down to find the bat hitting the floor.
Then Jace’s free hand lands on my hip. But he doesn’t do what Mitch did earlier, who let his hand follow the sway of Aurora’s body. Instead, Jace digs his fingers into my hip as if he is trying to stop my movements.
With my other arm twisted rather awkwardly behind me because of the handcuffs, I simply ignore his demanding hand and instead continue dancing. My ass brushes against his cock over and over again. I can practically hear Jace’s teeth crack from how hard he is clenching his jaw.
And because I truly am a little demon, I use that moment to bend forward, giving him a clear image of what it would look like if he actually was fucking me from behind.
He sucks in a sharp breath between his teeth.
I chuckle as I straighten and then continue to grind against him.
His fingers tighten on my hip. “I would suggest you stop that. Unless you?—”
“What?” I cut him off, my voice pulsing with challenge. “Unless I what?”
He yanks his left arm, and since it’s locked to mine, the movement makes me spin around to face him instead. His free hand shoots up and wraps around my jaw. Fire burns in his eyes as he stares me down.
“Stop,” he commands, his voice coming out low and rough.
Realization flashes through my mind. It’s followed by a brilliant idea. I know just how to make him take these handcuffs off.
“Fine,” I reply, making sure to sound defeated. “This is giving me a headache anyway. I need to go somewhere quiet and sit down for a moment.”
“Oh, are you okay?” Jenn asks from behind me.
I can’t turn to meet her gaze since Jace still has his hand locked around my jaw, but I assure her, “Yeah, I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
Jace keeps his eyes on mine for another few seconds. Then he nods and lets his hand drop back down. I immediately turn to my friends and give them a smile.
“I’ll be right back,” I promise.
Aurora and Mitch are already lost in each other again, but Jenn smiles back and gives me a little wave. Trina, Felicia, and Rebecca haven’t even been paying attention to us, so they only continue dancing. Next to them, Lionel glowers as he nods in acknowledgement.
I start towards the door.
Jace bends down and picks up his bat before following.
Thankfully, he doesn’t stop me as I weave through the sea of drunk people and make my way upstairs. I know that there are several lounge rooms up here. I walk until I reach one that’s unoccupied.
After going inside, I close the door behind us and lock it. Then I stride over to the dark red couch by the wall and drop into it. Since he has no choice but to follow, Jace does the same. The carved wooden frame creaks, and the soft cushions let out a huff as his massive weight lands on them. Twisting to the side, he places the bat on the cushions next to him with more care than any bat deserves. If I didn’t know better, I would think it’s because he’s feeling guilty about simply dropping it on the hard floor back in that ballroom earlier.
Ignoring Jace’s odd behavior, I slide down so that I’m lying almost flat on the couch instead. It’s so wide that I can rest the back of my head against the bottom of the backrest while the entire rest of my body, except for my legs, is still on the seat. Jace arches an eyebrow at me but doesn’t comment.
However, my slouched position leaves his arm in a mildly uncomfortable position, so he slides down the backrest too until he’s half lying down as well.
“You have a headache?” he asks.
To my surprise, he actually does sound concerned.
“Yeah,” I reply, keeping my voice neutral. “I just need to release some tension. Then I’ll be fine.”
“Tension?”
Instead of answering, I slide my right hand between my legs. Because of the handcuffs, it makes his hand follow as well until it’s resting on my thigh. I keep my eyes on the beautiful landscape painting on the beige wall opposite us as I push my skirt up and move my fingers towards my pussy.
“Kayla,” Jace says, his voice dark and full of warning.
I ignore him and instead push my panties aside so that I can reach my clit. Jace’s hand rests on my bare thigh only inches away from my pussy now.
Leaning the back of my head against the couch, I close my eyes and blow out a long sigh as I start stroking my clit.
Next to me, I can feel Jace’s body tensing up. His fingers flex where his hand rests on my thigh.
That small movement sends bolts of electricity up my spine even more than the work my fingers are doing.
“Kayla,” Jace says again. His voice is hoarse this time.
A wicked smile threatens to spread across my mouth, but I manage to keep my expression neutral as I continue rubbing my clit until pleasure starts building inside me. I squirm a little on the soft cushions.
Jace squeezes the hand he has on my thigh into a fist.
I let a moan slip past my lips.
Jace draws in a long breath between what sounds like tightly clenched teeth.
At last, I crack an eye open and glance over at him.
Just like I expected, he is clenching his jaw hard and his entire body is as taut as a bowstring where he sits next to me. I shift my gaze up to his eyes.
A jolt shoots through me.
Because what I wasn’t expecting was the searing fire burning in his eyes as he stares down at my hand.
I barely remember to keep my fingers moving while I try to process the expression on his face. Since it proves more difficult than I anticipated, I abandon that effort and instead concentrate solely on my plan. To make him uncuff me.
While continuing to stroke my clit, I shoot him a look full of challenge. “If it makes you uncomfortable, you can always remove the handcuffs.”
Jace snaps his gaze from my hand and up to my face. For a few seconds, it looks like he is trying to reorient himself or get his wits back. Then his expression clears, and a matching look full of challenge and forbidden promises settles on his handsome face.
My stomach flips at the sight of it.
Before I even know what’s happening, Jace sits upright on the couch, twists so that he is facing me, and then grabs my hips with both hands. The movement forces my hand away from my clit. But before I can protest, he shifts my body up and to the side so that my legs are resting along the length of the couch instead and my head is on the seat cushion on the opposite side.
I suck in a surprised breath while lust burns through me at how effortlessly Jace moves my body into his desired position. Blinking, I stare up at him with wide eyes as he straddles my right thigh.
“Uncomfortable?” Jace echoes as he places his free hand on my left thigh and pushes it sideways, spreading my legs wider. His eyes glitter in the golden light from the chandelier above us. “The only thing that’s making me uncomfortable is watching you work to relieve your own tension. That should be done for you. By someone who knows what he’s doing.”
I try to sit up from the couch, but Jace places his hand against my chest and pushes me back down. My own free hand shoots up and wraps around his wrist. But he keeps his hand there on my chest, pinning me to the soft cushions.
A devilish smile graces his lips as he moves our handcuffed hands over my thigh and towards my pussy until he can push aside the fabric of my panties. “Allow me.”
Lightning crackles through my veins as his fingers brush against my clit.
I suck in a gasp and try to arch up from the couch.
Jace just keeps his hand on my chest, holding me firmly in place as he starts stroking my clit with slow tantalizing movements. His eyes remain locked on mine, cataloging every expression on my face.
He rolls my clit between his fingers.
A tiny whimper spills from my lips, and I tighten my grip on his wrist.
It makes a sly smile blow across his features.
He shifts his hand so that he can continue to rub my clit with his thumb while his index and middle finger trail down to my entrance.
My heart slams against my ribs.
Drawing in unsteady breaths, I hold his intense gaze as my very soul flutters.
He pushes one finger inside me.
A moan escapes my lungs.
Closing my eyes, I throw my head back against the cushions again as Jace slowly pushes his finger farther in. His thumb continues working my clit, making pleasure spear through my belly with each firm stroke.
Jace moves his finger in and out a few times. Then he adds a second finger.
My eyes fly open again, and I stare up at him while my pulse thunders in my ears. A faint smirk plays over his lips as he pushes both fingers deeper. Then he pulls them out again.
I drag in shuddering breaths.
His thumb rubs over just the right spot on my clit.
Another moan rips from my throat, and I squirm against the couch.
The smile on Jace’s mouth widens.
While rubbing his thumb over that exact spot again and again, he starts up a steady pace with his fingers.
Pleasure pulses through me with each thrust and each precise move of his thumb. I grip his wrist harder. My heart pounds in my chest.
I writhe and squirm on the soft red cushions as Jace pushes me closer and closer to an orgasm.
It feels as if my heart is going to break through my ribs.
More whimpers fall from my lips as the tension inside me soars towards unbearable levels.
“Please,” I moan, throwing my head from side to side. “Oh God.”
He curls his fingers on the way out.
Pleasure shoots through me like a lightning strike.
I gasp into the white-painted ceiling as my pussy tightens around his fingers and release crashes through my limbs with enough force to make my body tremble. I hold on to his wrist as if it’s the only thing keeping me in this world.
Jace continues rubbing that perfect spot on my clit until it feels as if my brain is melting.
My inner walls flutter around his dominating fingers as he keeps pumping them inside me.
“Oh God,” I gasp again.
Pleasure spikes through my spine with each thrust of his fingers. My clit throbs and black spots dance before my eyes as Jace wrings every drop of pleasure from my soul and prolongs the orgasm until I feel like my brain has left my body.
My chest heaves and my heart hammers so loudly in my chest that my ears are ringing.
Once the orgasm at last fades, I just lie there on the soft red cushions and stare up into the ceiling while I try to piece my mind back together.
Every bone in my body feels like it’s made of jelly. I don’t even know if I can stand up right now. I’m pretty sure I will just crumple to the floor if I try. So I simply lie there, my chest heaving, and drag my gaze to the man still straddling my thigh.
Jace’s brown eyes glitter like golden sparkles, and there is a victorious smirk on his lethally handsome face. His messy curls fall down over his forehead in a way that makes my already exhausted heart clench.
This was not how I had planned for this to turn out. At all. And I’m pretty sure I just lost this round.
But God damn, what a sweet loss it was.