AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hear you,” he said finally, standing in the center of the room. “Stop pacing around, you’re making me tired.”
I stood still. “Okay.”
“Look, Juliet. I hear what you’re saying. I understand that sometimes people help us out, I get that. It’s just—when you’ve spent your life trying to take care of people and someone else comes along and does all the things you could never do for them, and makes it look easy—well, it’s hard not to feel small and impotent.”
“We talked about that,” I said, my charge of energy beginning to fade, leaving me feeling tired, wrung out. “I thought we’d gotten past that.”
“Maybe,” Jace said, dropping his chin before looking back up to catch my eyes. “I thought I was okay with it. But then I talked to Austin, and I felt like finally I’d done something myself. Earned something myself. Like maybe you and I could be equals in a way. And to find out the only reason he made the offer was because you called ahead and greased the wheels—”
“Hold on,” I said, putting a hand on his chest. “I didn’t ‘grease the wheels’—what is it with you and all the lube references, anyway?” I shook my head. “That’s not important right now. Listen. When I called Austin, it was to tell him what a douche Chad was, and to assure him that the rest of his team was incredible. I told him how happy I was with Jack, with Christian, and with you. That’s all. I didn’t tell him he should pay you more or offer you a job. And even if I did, why would he listen to me? Passing on his firm is a huge business decision. Some movie star calling to tell him what to do wouldn’t have much bearing on a choice like that.”
Jace looked like he was thinking about my words, though his gaze was on my hand, still pressed to the hard warmth of his chest.
“I didn’t get you the offer,” I said, my voice softer. “You did that. He chose you because he values your work, because you’ve shown him the kind of person you are. Jace, don’t you see that?”
Jace’s hand covered mine, holding it to his chest for a minute. Then he lifted my palm from his chest and brought it to his mouth, planting a soft kiss in the center of my hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“And equals?” I added. “Of course we’re equals.” I hung my head for a moment, trying to understand why he felt this was important. “Your ego gets in your way, and it needs to apologize,” I said. “Don’t let it stop you from taking the good things in your life.”
“My ego wants to do a lot more than apologize,” he said, reaching for me and pulling me gently against him. “But we’re both sorry. I’ve been an idiot, Juliet. I’m just used to doing everything on my own. I’ve never had anyone else.”
“It’s okay,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist, closing my eyes as the warm solidity of his chest pressed against my cheek. I wanted to be the person to show Jace he didn’t have to do everything alone. Maybe we were finally on the road where I could.
“You’re amazing,” he said, his arms around me. “Am I really this lucky?”
“As lucky as I am,” I told him, tilting my face up to look at him.
He leaned his head down and pressed his lips to mine in a kiss that was tender and sweet, filled with promises of tomorrows and the future. “Juliet,” he said quietly. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
My heart nearly popped inside me and I felt the smile pull my mouth wide. “I’m already there,” I told him. “I do love you, Jace.”
He kissed me again, and this kiss wasn’t soft or gentle, but the kiss of a man about to claim what was his. I melted against him and let him lift me off my feet and carry me to his bed.
That night, Jace and I went slowly, exploring each other as if for the first time. We peeled clothing from each other’s bodies, every inch of skin a revelation that merited attention, worship. We kissed, licked, sucked, caressed … and by the time I lay in the center of Jace’s bed, looking up into his handsome face as he held himself over me, muscles flexing and a look of focused concentration in his eyes, the world felt right again. When he notched himself against me and lowered himself to kiss me gently, he said, “I love you, Juliet,” and a feeling of such warm rightness flooded me. When he slid into me, pressing every last delicious inch into my eager depths, we both moaned with pleasure, and I didn’t think I’d ever feel truly complete again, without this. Without him.
We moved together, knowing that maybe for the first time we had a right to be this way. We didn’t have to hide, pretend, or sneak around.
We were two people in love. Two equals, making love, because it felt right.
And when the waves of pleasure racked through us both, when I clung to Jace like a life raft in a swirling, heaving sea of sensation, I knew I didn’t want anything else in the world.
We fell asleep after, neither of us needing to get up and sneak away, and the satisfaction I felt made every inch of me glow.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jace
Waking up with Juliet Manchester in my arms, knowing I could hold her and love her without hiding from anyone … well, that was like Christmas morning, my birthday, and the biggest cheese festival in the world all rolled into one (I liked cheese, so sue me.)
“Good morning,” she purred, her bright eyes blinking open as sunlight spread gradually through the room, casting everything in a warm yellow glow. The light was perfect for the way I was feeling—golden, pure.
“Hey,” I said, nestling her against my chest so I could feel her silky hair against my shoulder, her soft skin pressed to my stomach and hip. “Sleep okay?”
She tilted her head a little, meeting my eyes as I angled my head to look down at her. “Jace, I think that was the best I’ve ever slept in my life.”
Something like pride swelled inside me. “I slept well too.”
“You told me once you don’t sleep much.”
