Page 41 of Power

I stepped forward and kissed his cheek, trying to pretend like the feeling of my lips against his skin wasn’t pure magic, like my body didn’t pull to him, like my chest didn’t ache as I locked eyes with him one last time and then walked out of his life.

Or so I thought …

19

JACE

“I want to go to her place.” I knew where she lived, thanks to us picking up that change of clothes. And thinking of her entering that building in the dark of night, unprotected (not that it was a bad neighborhood, but sadly, anywhere women went could be dangerous) corded my nerves into a knot.

“Don’t.” Axel’s voice was flat, brooking no argument.

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the length of the room. The city lights twinkled beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, but they felt hollow tonight. Empty.

“I can’t let that be the last time I ever see her. Maybe I’ll just call, make sure she got home safely.”

She did give me her number before she left …

“That’s a bad idea.” Axel lounged in one of my leather armchairs, looking irritatingly calm while I was falling apart at the seams.

“Why? She took a rideshare home. I should’ve driven her myself.”

A knowing smirk played at Axel’s lips as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “From what you just explained about your weekend, if you’d driven her home, we both know you wouldn’thave made it back to your car until tomorrow morning. And that’s being generous.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, then snapped it shut. Exhaled. “Fine. I would’ve tried to.”

Axel studied me like I was a rare species discovered in the wild. “I’ve never seen you get this worked up over anyone before. It’s like watching a documentary on mating rituals. Fascinating and slightly disturbing.”

I glowered at him.Jackass.

“You’ve known her for, what, two days?” His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “You can’t possibly become this obsessed with someone in two days. That’s not even enough time to figure out if she’s a morning person or if she squeezes toothpaste from the end or the middle like a sociopath.”

“That’s what I thought too.” I dropped into the chair across from him.

“Tell me why she’s stuck in your head.” He pointed his glass at me. “And if you say it’s her eyes, I’ll pour this drink on your head.”

I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to organize the chaos in my mind. The scent of expensive whiskey hung in the air between us.

“I suppose it started with how we met. She was this beautiful, delicate-looking woman, but fierce enough to plot revenge fantasies against someone who hurt her.”

Axel’s eyebrow arched so high, it nearly disappeared into his hairline. He pointed his glass at me. “See, to me? That right there would be a red flag the size of Texas. Some woman plotting revenge? That’s not fierce; that’s the prologue to a true crime documentary.”

“She wasn’t plotting,” I shot back. “She was just blowing off steam.”

“How do you know that? For all you know, she could be some psycho who keeps her exes’ teeth in a jar. Or collects vintage beartraps. Or has a shrine to you already with candles and your stolen napkin.”

A smirk pulled at my lips. “Funny, that’s exactly what she said.”

“She admitted to the shrine?” Axel clutched his chest in feigned shock, nearly spilling his drink. “Quick, check your hairbrush for missing strands.”

“No, you idiot. She warned me she might be a psycho.”

“So, she tried to talk you out of hanging out with her again?” Axel nodded approvingly, raising his glass in a toast. “Smart woman. Self-aware. I like her already. Maybe she’s too good for you.”

“She did.” I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “But it was too late. I was already infatuated.”

“Infatuated.” Axel rolled the word around like the ice in his glass. “That’s all this is. It’s lust. You told me yourself that she’s beautiful, and I can only presume she was really good in bed. That’s why you can’t get her out of your head. It’s not rocket science; it’s biology.”

Part of that was true. The sex with her was like nothing I’d ever experienced. But was that all this was? Just lust?