Page 55 of When Ben Loved Jace

I suck in air, knowing I can’t take much more of this. Not without a break to rebuild my resistance. “I need to reconnect with Allison. We haven’t seen each other much lately.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“Jace will finally be back.”

“Ah. Okay. Some other time then.”

He ruffles my hair, and I lean into it a little, enjoying the feel of his touch. Chinchilla is lucky in that regard. For the first time in my life, I find myself wishing I could trade places with a dog. At the very least, it would help justify how much I’ve been drooling when around Tim.

— — —

People swarm around where I’m standing in the airport terminal, most of them as good as invisible to me. I’m staring with singular focus at the corridor where I know Jace will appear, my pulse already in overdrive, because I don’t know how this will go. I’m not even sure what result I want anymore. I adore Jace! But it would be easier if I didn’t. What we have together is still new. A sapling. Tim’s roots already burrowed in deep years ago. Chopping down that tree isn’t possible. Lord knows I’ve tried. Maybe there isn’t a happy ending to this story.

The breath catches in my throat as Jace appears at the end of the corridor, uniform meticulous, his expression serene. I start walking before breaking into a run—driven by everything I feel for him and drawn toward the reassuring presence I’ve craved. He opens his arms to me with a smile. I sob against his chest while clinging to him, because I’m so relieved. Tim hasn’t managed to chase this feeling from my heart. It’s all still there, safe and sound. I love him. How could I not?

Jace puts his hands on my shoulders and looks down at me in concern. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” I say, wiping at my eyes while nodding. “It’s just…” My chin trembles. “I ran into Tim.”

“Are you okay?”

Anyone else would ask if something happened between us. If I cheated. Not him. Jace cares more about my wellbeing.

I hug him again. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“So am I,” he says, tightening his arms around me.

I take a deep breath and exhale, already feeling better. Everything will be okay, now that we’re together again.

“Let’s get you home,” I say, pulling it together enough to smile. I grab his rollaboard—as he calls it—and sprint for the door, making him laugh when I double back, since my car is in the parking garage.

I ask how his flights went and give him an update on Samson, avoiding the topic of exes, because part of me wants to pretend that none of it happened. Jace is back! What more do I need? But I can tell, the longer we drive without me explaining my emotional outburst at the airport, the more his concern is growing.

“It’s been a weird week,” I say, before working my way through recent events. As soon as I get to the part where Tim showed up at my place, I’m quick to reassure him that— “Nothing happened. I would never cheat on you. But seeing him again has put me through the wringer emotionally. More than I ever expected.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Jace replies. “I wish I could’ve been there for you.”

“You are now,” I say, tearing my eyes from the road to glance at him.

He takes my hand. “So how did it all go?”

I explain that I visited Tim’s house to meet his supposed sugar daddy, but decide to end the story there, because we’ve made it to Jace’s place. We can discuss the rest later. Right now, I’d rather lose myself in him. I watch Jace reunite with Samson, my need almost overwhelming. My frustration increases when Adrien knocks on the door with a package that was delivered while Jace was gone. I catch Adrien’s eye.

“Gotta go!” he says, seeming to understand. “I don’t want the neighbors to see me near this thing. I told them the trailer belongs to the hired help. Live-in maids aresolast century.” ” He shoots me a wink on his way out.

“Charming as always,” Jace says after shutting the door. He shakes the package. “This must be Samson’s new water fountain.”

“Great,” I say, taking the box from him and setting it aside, “but you have more important things to unpack first.”

Jace smirks. “Maybe I should take a quick shower.”

“Good hygiene is a big turn on,” I say while loosening his tie, “but sometimes a girl just can’t wait. I’d rather lick you clean.”

Jace glances over at Samson, who is hogging the bed while grooming himself. “He’s been a bad influence on you, it would seem.”

“The worst.”

I press my lips against Jace’s before moving to his neck, my fingers unbuttoning his shirt all the while. Whenever skin is revealed, my mouth moves there next, until I’m down on my knees. I glance up while unzipping his pants, loving that his uniform is still hanging off him. I want to keep it that way, so I carefully pull out his cock and balls while leaving the rest of his clothes in place. I lay his meat across my face while staring up at him with big brown eyes. Jace gets the message. He slaps me with it playfully before my tongue lolls out. Then he positions himself, filling my mouth all the way up before I take over, my head bobbing as I slobber over his big beautiful boner.