Page 78

He doesn’t say anything but his chuckle caresses across my skin and my cheeks warm. I’m reminded of a time, a moment when I craved so much more from him and he couldn’t give it to me. I remember sitting in his truck, our future within reach, but out of my grasp in so many ways. What changed? Why now?

He stares out the windshield again. “If I hadn’t walked in, would you have gone through with it?”

I shake my head, sure of my answer. He’s already asked me this, but I can understand him wanting to be reassured we’re doing the right thing. It’s just like Jace to make sure this is 100 percent what I want. “No. I wouldn’t have gone through with it, Jace. That’s why I sent you the message, hoping you’d see it was you I wanted.”

He nods, no words. But then he sighs, staring at the steering wheel. “What about the future you couldn’t leave here?”

Emotion clogs my throat and my nose burns. He’s right to ask this. “My future belongs to the one inside me, and the man who holds my heart. It always has.”

A half-smile lifts the corners of his mouth and I can tell he’s still nervous.

“So?” I smile at him and his eyes slide to my wedding dress.

“I didn’t think this would work.” He rests his hand on the steering wheel, his eyes on the street now. “I never got that far in my plan.”

“Seriously?” I laugh, my hair sticking to my cheeks as I stare at my wedding dress. I still haven’t changed. How funny. I should have ripped it off and threw it at Griff.

“Uh, yeah.” Jace chuckles and finally looks over at me. “When have you ever listened to me?”

“I listened to you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “When?”

“Back seat of Ren’s truck. You said to keep quiet and I did.”

Jace licks his lip, a spark of desire clouding his eyes. “Because my hand was over your mouth.”

“Still, I was quiet.”

Leaning toward me, he drapes his arm over the back of the seat. He twirls a strand of my red locks around his index finger. “This won’t be easy.”

“I don’t want easy. I want pain and fighting at midnight because we want to spend the rest of the night making up.”

His smile forms softly at the corners as his eyes slowly move to mine. “We could start now.”

* * *

Starting now doesn’t happen,not yet, but we get about five miles into the Tennessee hills and Jace pulls over and gets in the back seat. I look back at him over the seat. “I thought you needed gas?”

“I don’t care if we get stranded out here.” He rips his tie off. “I need you.” Tossing his tie aside, he slips his hand inside his pants. “Are you going to help me out?”

I rest my chin on the seat, heat rushing through to my cheeks. “I don’t know. That’s kinda hot.”

He works his hand up and down in his pants. “If I have to finish this myself, I’m coming on your face.”

I watch with fascination for a brief moment. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” I giggle my way to the back seat and straddle him, our urgent need taking over. My panties are on the floor board and his pants are around his ankles. Every time I move, I can hear the clanking of his belt.

“Did you bring clothes?” he pants, kissing my shoulders and neck.

I’m not sure where he’s going with it when his hand raises and thumbs the spaghetti strap off my right shoulder. “I threw some shit in a bag. Pretty sure I left most of my stuff there.”

“We can start over.” The light in his eyes is reassuring. There’s music playing in the background on the radio crackling, and rain hits the windows. This is familiar, us lost in a moment, losing ourselves in everything we don’t understand, but can never resist. “We have to get this dress off you. I can’t stand it any longer.”

We fight to get the wet dress off, and let me tell you, it’s not easy.

Feeling his heavy and hot breath on my neck, he whispers, “You’re so beautiful.”

I rest my head in the crook of his neck.