Shattered (The Protectors 11)

We were both breathing hard by the time I got it turned off.

“That’s four,” Jace muttered.

“To be fair, there wasn’t an actual fire,” I pointed out as I opened the windows to air out the room.

My body was still simmering with need as I took in Jace’s appearance. At some point during our make-out session, his hair tie had come out, so his hair was loose around his face. There was a smattering of frosting along his chin and his shirt was covered in the remnants of my Sno Ball. The rest of the cake was all over the floor.

Jace’s eyes were sweeping my body, probably because I looked much the same as him. “I, ah, guess we need to clean up again,” I murmured.

“Yeah,” Jace agreed. I didn’t like how quiet he’d gotten. “Why don’t you go change and I’ll clean this up?” he suggested as he motioned to the cake on the floor.

Disappointment flared as I nodded. I’d kind of hoped we’d pick up where we’d left off.

I went to the bedroom and stripped off my shirt, then began searching for another one. My pants were okay, though my arousal was obvious. It was probably a good idea to change into jeans, since being around Jace going forward was likely going to make it impossible to keep my dick in check.

I was in the process of pulling out one of the drawers that was built into the platform of the bed when I felt a shiver go through me. I turned to find Jace watching me from the doorway, his eyes burning. He had his arms braced on the doorframe, like he was trying to support himself. I could see that his fingers were digging into the wood. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought he was angry.

And maybe he was.

But not at me.

I wasn’t afraid of him, but admittedly I was a little nervous. Not that he’d hurt me, but that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him… that my mind would confuse him with those who’d used me in the past.

“I was just going to change my pants,” I said, my words stumbling over one another.

The hunger in his eyes was undeniable and the way he was watching me should have creeped me out. But all it did was make my already hard cock even harder. He wasn’t even touching me and I could feel my body reacting like it had this morning – like it was no longer my body, but his.

His to command.

His to find pleasure in.

But unlike the other men who’d taken my body and used it for themselves, I knew Jace would give as much as he took. More so, even.

When Jace didn’t move, I dropped the shirt I’d been about to put on and then reached for my sweats. My hands shook as I slowly worked them down my body, my eyes never leaving his. I had no idea where my boldness was coming from, but I knew what it was that was keeping me from dissolving into a puddle of fear.

It was him.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he’d never hurt me. And I knew that if that fear made itself known, he’d be the one to stop things. If I hadn’t had the events of this morning to rely on as proof, I’d have been terrified. But I wanted more of what he’d given me then and just now in the kitchen.

I just wanted him.

I left my underwear on as I pushed my sweats down. A flicker of self-doubt went through me as I bent over to work the pants off my legs. I’d never really given much thought to my looks before. I’d lost a lot of weight in the past couple of years and I’d already been kind of skinny before that. What if he liked guys who were more built, like him? I was technically experienced at sex, but I also kind of wasn’t. Would Jace want me to just lie there and take whatever he did to me? Or would he want me to be an equal participant?

Because I didn’t know how to do that.

Fuck, why was I doing this now? I finally had the chance to show him I was his equal and I was blowing it.

Because you’re not his equal.

I shook my head at the thought and then lifted my eyes. Jace was still staring at me. Desire burned in the depths of his dark gaze, but there was something else too.

A certain softness that I couldn’t put a name to.

But it was enough to have me stripping off my sweats the rest of the way. My plan had been to stand there, silently offering him my body, but I chickened out and quickly turned to rummage through the drawer for my jeans. Just as my fingers closed around the denim and I started to straighten, I felt Jace’s heat at my back. I closed my eyes as I held there a moment, waiting for him to grab me.