Day 19
What in thehell is that pounding?
Cracking my eyes open, I wait to see if it happens again or if it was part of my dream. After a few seconds of silence, I roll over, tucking the sheet under my chin. There’s barely a sliver of light filtering in through the open blinds, telling me it’s early. Milo and I didn’t get back to the ranch until after midnight last night, and I drank my fair share of wine.
I’m not ready to get out of bed yet. Not even close.
The moment my eyes close, the pounding starts again. Someone’s knocking and, apparently, they’re not going away. This time, instead of trying to ignore them, I throw the covers back and storm toward my door. When I pull it open, I’m surprised to come face to face with Jace, fresh from the shower with damp hair and a bright smile.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says, stepping inside without waiting for me to invite him.
Beautiful? Yeah, right. When I got home, I slipped into a T-shirt, pulled my hair in a ponytail, and crawled in bed. I didn’t bother to take my makeup off last night. I probably have dark circles under my eyes from my mascara, and my ponytail feels crooked.
“Why are you here so early?” I close the door and then lean back against it, shutting my eyes.
“Tired?” His voice is close, but I can’t bring myself to open my eyes. I could fall asleep standing up at this point.
“It’s too early to be awake,” I mutter.
“Maybe we should go back to bed then.”
His hands land on my hips as the meaning of his words hit me. My eyes fly open just in time to see Jace lean in. I turn my head away from him as quickly as I can and cover my mouth.
That doesn’t stop him from kissing me. On the cheek. The side of my neck. Pulling the lobe of my ear in his mouth and tugging on it with his teeth, eliciting a groan from me.
“Are you awake now?” he asks, his minty fresh breath fanning across my cheek.
“I think you know the answer to that.”
“Still want me to take you back to bed?”
Yes. No.
Shit?
I’m not awake enough to play this game with him.
“Or,” he continues, taking a step back but not releasing my hips. “I can make us breakfast while you get ready to go.”
“Go?” I ask, keeping my hand over my mouth as I chance a glance in his direction.
“I know our date isn’t until tomorrow, but I was hoping you might want to go for a ride with me this morning. The horses are available for us to use as long as we stay on the property, and I was thinking we could go back down to the creek.”
“Isn’t that cheating?” My hand may still be covering my mouth, but there’s no hiding my smile.
“Depends how you look at it, I guess,” he replies, turning and heading into the kitchen. “Stealing you away for a few hours to spend some alone time with you doesn’t feel like cheating to me. In fact, it sounds like fun.”
Jace pops a pod into the coffee maker and then grabs two mugs from the cupboard. He works in silence, making us each a cup, before taking a seat on the couch and patting the cushion next to him.
“Did you have other plans this morning?”
“Sleep.” I yawn, stretching my arms over my head. When his eyes scan my lower body, I realize exactly what he’s looking at. I may have slipped into a T-shirt last night, but I never bothered to put on shorts. Why would I? I sleep alone. I live alone. I wasn’t expecting company at this hour.
“I’m still game to go back to bed if you are,” he replies, his eyes still trained on my bare thighs.
I roll my eyes. “I bet you are.”
Jace hands me my coffee as I slip into my room, closing the door behind me. I contemplate locking it, knowing I inadvertently tempted him only moments earlier, but as my fingers linger over the lock, I decide against it. I want to trust him. To trust that he will give me privacy to shower and get ready. Especially after my conversation with Milo last night. It’s what I want more than anything.