Page 107 of Power

“Roll over,” he demanded, pulling out and sitting back on his knees.

I happily obliged, anticipation coiling through me.

Jace paused for what felt like an eternity. Then, with unbridled abandon, he thrust himself deep inside of me. I cried out, and he stilled, letting my body stretch around him, letting me take in the fullness of him. As he pulled back and found his rhythm, Iwas taken again by how we must look. Me on all fours, a muscular, gorgeous guy taking me from behind.

“You’re perfect—you know that?” He growled.

My sex throbbed around him, a fresh orgasm coiling in my lower belly. And as he moved, as he gave me a mix of angry thrusts and gentle words, he pulled my head back and to the side so he could claim my mouth with his own.

“I’m coming,” I said against his lips.

He growled, thrusting harder into me to ride my wave, ripple after ripple. Until finally, he stilled with a climax of his own.

After, we lay there in the meadow, in each other’s arms, my body still humming from what we’d just shared. It was remarkable, how one person could take me from the trembling ball of terror, through the valleys of happiness and passion, and now into a place of complete contentment. All effortlessly.

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” I admitted. “You’re pretty damn admirable—you know that?” In every way. Bedroom, emotions, you name it.

Jace stiffened beside me. Not the subtle kind of tension. We’re talking full-on marble statue mode. The silence stretched between us, elastic and threatening to snap while I was trying to figure out what in the world made the temperature drop between us.

I propped myself up on my elbow, studying the fresh apprehension on his face.

“Why did you deflate like an expired balloon when I said I find you admirable?”

His jaw tightened, eyes fixed on some distant point above my head. “I’m not the white knight you think I am.” He paused, and I swear, even the birds around us stopped chirping, straining their little ears to see if we’d heard him right. And then he added, “I’ve done something unforgivable.”

I froze. “What is it?”

He bit his lip while alarms began to blare. Whatever this was, it was big. Catastrophic.

“Another time,” he said.

“Fat chance. I’ll spend all night wondering what horror you’re keeping from me, and I’ve seen enough true crime shows to conjure some truly creative scenarios. Spill it. Now.”

Jace looked like he was mentally calculating the odds of winning an argument against me, then surrendered with a sigh. He knew me well enough by now to gauge my stubborn streak. I wasn’t letting this go. This man had just been inside me. If he was keeping something from me, I damn well deserved to know what it was.

“Fine,” he said, voice flat. “But let’s get dressed first.”

“Why?”

“Because after I tell you, you might want to get away from me as fast as possible.”

54

SCARLETT

“Scarlett, there’s something I haven’t told you …” His voice faltered. “And once I do, you might never want to talk to me again.”

I adjusted my shirt, my mind racing with horrible possibilities.

“I should have told you sooner. I … let myself get lost in finding out who did this to you while also fighting my feelings, but I should have told you before I asked you to be mine.”

It took Jace several seconds to speak. Seconds where I held my breath until my lungs burned, until finally, his voice emerged, soft and laden with guilt.

“After the death of my father, I felt like I had to be the strong one in the family,” Jace began, pacing slowly. “The one who never got in any trouble. I kept my grades up and tried to be the easy kid for my mom. Lord knows she was dealing with enough grief of her own, and my brothers …” He ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s just say, they didn’t handle the death of my father well. So, I tried to be a good kid for her sake.”

He paused, his attention sweeping over me. “You might want to sit down for this.”

My heart stuttered. What was he about to tell me? Jace was the first guy I had completely let my guard down with, the firstguy I had let myself fall for, the first guy I actually wanted a future with. In short, I’d given him power over my heart.