Fever (31 page)

“This has been torture for her,” Jace said quietly. “This whole day. Damn it, I shouldn’t have made

her come.”

“Did we say anything wrong?” Mia asked anxiously.

“No, baby girl, you did everything fine. I appreciate it. This is just hard for her. She’s not used to

any of the things we take for granted. She’s not used to being around people, much less people who

care. She was a nervous wreck about meeting you all. She doesn’t want to embarrass me.” He broke

off with brittle laughter. “She doesn’t think she’s good enough for me.”

“Shit,” Gabe murmured. “I hope you put an end to that crap.”

“I think maybe we should go,” Jace said, casting a look of apology to the table.

Mia nodded and Gabe rose, putting his hand on Jace’s shoulder. “If you need anything, let us

know.”

“Will do. Thanks for the great food, Mia. You outdid yourself.”

“Give Bethany our love,” Mia said softly.

Jace smiled at her. “I will.”

chapter twenty-five

Jace hugged Bethany to his side as they hurried into the cold and toward his waiting car. She hadn’t

met his gaze once after he’d told her they were leaving. Mia and Gabe, hell, even Ash—
especially

Ash—had been extremely gentle with her, hugging and kissing her good-bye and acting as though

nothing had gone wrong.

But Bethany had been mortified. It was evident in the tight lines of her body and the anguish in her

eyes.

He ushered her into the car and kept her close to him as they pulled into traffic. He’d already given

his driver their destination when he’d called to tell him they were ready to leave Gabe’s apartment.

She didn’t even notice when they didn’t head in the direction of either of their apartments. She likely

thought he planned to take her to her apartment. Maybe even thought he’d stay over with her.

As if she was staying anywhere but his place on Christmas night.

He was growing more and more impatient with the distance between them. He wanted her in his

apartment, in his space. In his bed every night. No, there hadn’t been a single night since he’d moved

her into her apartment that they’d spent apart, but many of those nights had been spent at her place.

His mind told him not to move too fast, not to push too hard, that the end result could be disastrous.

His heart just wanted . . . her. In his arms, his bed, his life. Any way he could make it happen.

When they pulled up in front of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bethany finally became aware that they hadn’t

gone back to her apartment. She lifted her head and gazed around in consternation.

“Where are we?”

He leaned over to silence her by kissing her. Then he opened his door and gently pulled her from

the car.

“Jace, what are we . . .”

She broke off when her gaze lighted on the Christmas tree that towered above the ice skating rink.

Tears immediately filled her eyes and it made his chest squeeze painfully.

“Oh, Jace.”

She went silent, her eyes rapt and alight with joy. She stared, motionless, her breath puffing out in a

cloud.

“I came here once,” she whispered. “It was my first Christmas in the city. Mine and Jack’s. We

walked forty blocks in the rain because I just wanted to see this one time.”

Jace struggled to breathe at the ache in her voice. His hands tightened and curled into fists. “How

long ago was that, Bethany?”

She was twenty-three. So young and yet she seemed years older. Hardened by time. With the

cynicism of someone much older than her tender years. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know just how

long she’d been on the streets.

“Four years,” she murmured.

He stifled the curse that blistered his lips. She’d been living on the streets of New York City for

four fucking years. She’d been nineteen. An age when most girls were looking forward to the start of

their lives. Fresh out of high school. In college. Having fun. Taking on the world.

He was more determined than ever to shield her from every bad thing in her life. He wouldn’t

allow anything else to touch her. He only wanted to surround her with good things. Happy memories.

He wanted to give her that.

“Let’s go closer,” she said, her voice trembling with excitement.

She took hold of his hand, tugging him forward. He couldn’t help a smile at her excitement. Her

eyes danced and her entire face lit up just like the Christmas tree.

She was so beautiful when she smiled she made his gut ache. And every time she smiled, he was

always struck by the fact that she did it so rarely. It was another thing he was determined to coax from

her. He wanted to give her a reason to smile every damn day.

She weaved her way through the small crowd and then stopped in a spot where they wouldn’t be

elbow to elbow with anyone else. She stared at the tree in silence, her hand leaving his to clasp with

her other in front of her.

Damn it but he should have made sure she brought her gloves with her. Her hands were cold. For

that matter, she wasn’t dressed appropriately to be standing outside. She had a coat, but it was the

lighter of the two he’d bought her. He’d thought they’d only be going from the car to the apartment and

back.

But she didn’t seem to notice the cold. Her focus had drifted to the ice skaters and she wore a soft

smile of pleasure.

Suddenly her face lifted and her lips parted in delight.

“Jace, it’s snowing again!”

She held her hands up, capturing the slowly drifting flakes on her palms. They melted instantly but

she chased after more.

She spun around, laughing as they landed on her nose and cheeks and caught in her hair. He was

transfixed by the picture she presented. So lovely she took his breath away.

“Do you know, this is the first time I’ve ever been excited about snow?” she said in a wistful

voice. “Before, I knew if it snowed I’d be cold and wet and I’d never get warm. But now? I can enjoy

the beauty and elegance of snowfall because I know I’ll be warm and dry afterward.”

The simple words cut him to the quick. It physically hurt him that she’d led such a spartan, lonely

existence. He didn’t know how she’d survived. If he thought too long about what could have

happened to her, he came undone. He tried to focus on the fact that the past no longer mattered. That

she was here with him and he wasn’t letting her go. That she never had to go back to that life.

But it wasn’t so simple, because that life had shaped her, made her into what she was today. She

had wounds that hadn’t healed. Scars that ran soul deep. Insecurities that only time would appease.

He pulled her roughly into his arms, wanting her against him, more to comfort him than her. She

was a lot more accepting of her past circumstances than he was.

“Thank you for this,” she whispered. “I’ll never forget tonight. The tree is beautiful. And that I got

to see it with someone who cares about me . . .”

Care? He didn’t goddamn care. He
loved
her. With every part of himself. It was crazy. Insane.

Lunatic, even. Shit like this didn’t happen in real life. You didn’t meet a woman and fall instantly and

completely in love with her after only knowing her a little over a week.

But it did and he had.

Jesus.

“Jace?”

Her worried voice cut through his thoughts.

“Is something wrong?”

He slid his hand over her cheek and then bent his neck to kiss her. “Nothing’s wrong, baby. Things

couldn’t be more right.”

She smiled, her eyes brightening and reflecting the glowing lights. Then she leaned up on tiptoes

and kissed him. It was rare that she initiated any affection with him. Not because she didn’t want to.

But she was reticent. Always conscious of doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.

He lived for times just like this, when she forgot to worry about doing the wrong thing and she just

let herself go.

Her lips moved warm over his, a contrast to the cold. So damn sweet. He wrapped his arms around

her, lifting her so their mouths were on the same level. She laughed in delight as her feet dangled

down his legs. Resting her arms on his shoulders, she looped her hands around his nape and then

kissed him again.

“This was the best Christmas ever.”

He smiled. “I’m glad.”

Her expression sobered and the light died in her eyes. “I’m sorry I ruined things at your sister’s.”

“You didn’t ruin things, baby,” he said gently. “It was a lot to ask of you. I should have introduced

you to them separately and before I threw you to the wolves at Christmas. I wasn’t thinking. I was too

caught up in wanting you to meet them and spend time with them.”

She pressed her forehead to his and sighed softly over his lips. “I’m working on it, Jace. I swear I

am. I’m trying not to overthink things and freak out. I want to be someone you can be proud of.”

At that his frown was fierce and quick. “I am proud of you, damn it,” he growled. “There isn’t a

single goddamn thing about you that I’m ashamed of.”

“Okay, so maybe I want to be someone
I
can be proud of,” she whispered.

He squeezed her and then slowly put her back on the ground again. “One day you’ll see you like I

see you, baby. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to make it happen.”

She turned up her face and then stuck out her tongue to catch a drifting snowflake. Her laughter rang

out when one melted in her mouth.

He suddenly wanted nothing more than to have his dick where that snowflake had been. Him

melting on her tongue. Him coming all over her mouth.

Despite the cold and the snow, heat flushed through his body. Sweat bathed him.

“We’re going now,” he ground out.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“My place.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to fuck you senseless, Bethany.”

“O-kay.”

Her response was shaky and drawn out but her eyes told the real story. She was excited. It was all

the encouragement he needed.

Grabbing her hand, he tugged her back in the direction of the car. It would take a lot of doing not to

fuck her in the backseat of the car. Tonight he would take her his way. Not that the last week hadn’t

been his way. He’d definitely dictated the pace, the how and where, but he’d still been . . .

conservative.

Even after she’d been clear in that she would be a willing participant to whatever he wanted to do

to her, he’d still held back, because he was deathly afraid of screwing up.

But enough of that. Maybe if he’d been more forceful she wouldn’t still be so insecure. She was a

woman who needed stability and security above all else. She needed structure. Routine. All the things

she’d been denied.

She needed love.

His
love.

They got into the car and for the entire drive to his apartment, it was silent and tense. Sexual

awareness was taut and crackling, a tangible aura that surrounded them. Bethany’s eyes glowed in the

dim light cast by passing streetlights. Her hair was delectably mussed and her lips were swollen from

his kisses. Just the way he liked them.

Hell, he had to stop looking at her lips. His dick was already about to bust out of his pants. He had

to focus on something else because all he could imagine were those swollen lips wrapped around his

cock.

She ran her tongue over her top lip, a nervous gesture that made him groan out loud. She jumped

when the sound exploded from his mouth and he reached automatically to reassure her.

“Christ, baby, if you only knew what I was imagining about those lips and then you run your tongue

over them. There’s only so much I can take.”

A gleam entered her eyes. “How long do we have?”

His brows furrowed. “How long do you need?”

She slid her hand between his legs. “I think that depends on you.”

He fumbled for the intercom. “Take the long route.”

“Yes, sir.”

Bethany’s hand had already slipped into his pants, past his boxer briefs. His breath escaped in a

long hiss when her fingers curled around his rigid length. Then she leaned in, her mouth hovering

precariously close to his.

“Do I have permission to suck your cock?”

He nearly came on the spot. Her breath blew warm over his mouth and it took every ounce of his

control not to roll her over on the seat and fuck her until they both passed out.

“Hell yeah,” he breathed.

“Help me out,” she murmured as she tugged at his fly.

“Happy to oblige.”

He yanked his pants down and heard the ripping of material. He shoved them down his thighs,

allowing his swollen, aching dick to surge upward.

“Tell me how you want it,” she whispered.

Her gaze found his and he saw uncertainty shining. His heart softened. She was trying but she was

also scared and unsure. She wanted his dominance. She needed it. Just like he needed her.

His hand tangled in her hair and he brought her forward, pulling her head down to the tip of his

dick.

“Take it deep,” he said.

Her tongue tentatively found the slit where precum already beaded and he groaned when she traced

a path around the head of his cock. He curled his hands around her nape, stroking and massaging,

offering silent encouragement.