Was it realization I saw? Or does he not care anymore that everyone will know? That our sexcapades will be broadcast for the world to see.
“Are you going to get under the covers?” He asks, popping the button on his jeans.
My focus is trained on his hands as they slowly pull the material away from his body. When I make no effort to move, he tugs my legs toward him, wraps his arms around me, and tosses me over his shoulder. All I can do is gasp as Jace pulls the covers down, gently lays me back on the bed, and crawls in next to me, covering us with the blanket before wrapping his body around mine.
“Sleep, beautiful. I’m not going anywhere.”
Closing my eyes, I dreamed of a life with Jace. One where we didn’t have to hold back. Where we could cuddle every night and I’d wake up in his arms every morning. With a smile on my face and love in my heart.
Yet when I wake up, he isn’t beside me. His side of the bed—God, did I really just call it his side?—is empty and cold. My smile fades until I hear a beeping noise. When I go to inspect, I find Jace, in only his boxer-briefs, standing in front of the coffee maker.
“You were supposed to stay in bed,” he says without turning around.
“I heard a noise.”
“That would be me making you breakfast in bed.” He still hasn’t looked at me. His focus is on the coffee as he stirs in cream and sugar. “Go. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn and head back into the bedroom. When I get there, I’m not sure what I should do. Crawl back under the covers? Sit on top of them? Get dressed?
I’m still wearing the yoga pants and hoodie I pulled on after Lennon left last night.
“You don’t listen very well, do you?” Jace says, breezing past me with two plates stacked up his right arm and two mugs of coffee in his left hand. He sets everything down on the nightstand and crawls in, holding the covers back so I can get in next to him.
As soon as we’re situated, our backs resting against the headboard, I hand him a plate and reach for my coffee.
“So about last night. That thing I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
His playful tone has disappeared. Whatever he wants to tell me is serious. I need to lighten the mood a little. It’s too early for this.
“You do realize that nothing you tell me will change the way I feel about you, right? You’ll still be devilishly handsome and sweet.” Setting my coffee aside, I place a hand on each of his cheeks and stare straight into his eyes before continuing. “If you’re about to throw your dirty laundry in my face in an attempt to scare me away, you can save your breath. You. Are. Stuck. With. Me.”
Punctuating each word with a kiss, I feel Jace’s smile grow at my statement.
“Not trying to scare you away. I just want to prepare you.”
“For what?”
“My life.”
“After this is all over?” I ask, confused about where he’s going with this.
“Yes. I was hoping you might want to come back to Miami with me for a little while. Especially since I know you don’t have a job you need to get back to. You could stay with me. We could get to know each other a little better. Without the cameras in our faces.”
That sounds amazing, but I have a sinking feeling. Something is telling me that if he needs to prepare me for his life, he might not be the person I thought he was. And if that’s the case, I may have just lied to him. There’s a lot I can accept, but if he breaks my trust, I won’t hesitate to run.
Fast and far.
“Are you married?” I ask, the question coming out before I can stop myself.
“What? No!” Wrapping his arm around me, he pulls me close, his fork falling off his plate and onto the comforter. “Is that what you think? God, Presley. I never meant to give you the impression that you would be walking into a life that someone else was already a part of. Not married, never have been, someday hope to be.”
“You just sound so serious. Like I should be scared of your life or something.”
“Not scared, just prepared,” he replies, kissing my temple.
“You’re a bartender, Jace. I get it. You work late nights. At clubs. With hot women probably hitting on you left and right. Yes, I’ll be jealous, but I also know how to control myself.”
“That’s the thing...” his voice trails off as thinks over his next words.