Melt Into You (9 page)

Andre’s eyebrows rose, but before Jace could respond, Colby was pulling out a collar and laying it on Evan’s table, letting her know that he was offering to take her on. Jace’s hand, as if acting on its own accord, yanked the strip of leather from his own back pocket. He squeezed the collar in his hand, inches away from laying it down and making his first solo claim in two years.

Colby stared at him, waiting to see what Jace’s move was going to be.

Shit. Shit. Shit.
Anxiety rose in Jace like a tidal wave, drowning the surge of bravado. What the hell was he doing? He didn’t do jealous or possessive. Not anymore. The fact that he was feeling either was a glaring sign he should back the fuck off. Now.

His good sense screamed for him to bail. To back off. His body and mind warred, but finally, he forced himself to step backward, leaving Evan to Colby, the concession almost physically painful. He had to give her up. Do the smart thing.

But before Jace could take another step back, Evan looked down at his clenched hand and looked . . . disappointed.

NINE

Evan tried to wet her lips, but her mouth had gone arid
the minute she’d seen Jace. What in the hell was he doing here?

“Sasha, do you accept my offer?”

Her gaze darted to the man standing closer to her—dark brown hair and hazel eyes, a friendly smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. Handsome. And built like a brick shithouse. The collar on the table meant he was offering to take her on, which meant . . . Her focus returned to Jace and the collar he gripped in his hand. He was offering, too?

No, Jace had stepped back and was half-cloaked in the shadows at the edge of the singles area.

“Jace, what are you doing here?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

The other man turned to Jace with a questioning look.

“I’m a member,” he said, his voice tight.

Oh, fan-frigging-tastic
. This was
so
not what she needed right now. The whole point of coming to a place like this was the anonymity, the privacy. And now not only had she run into someone she knew, but Jace, the last person in the world she needed to be around.

The man turned toward Jace. “You’ve got history with her?”

“Sure do,” Jace said, the words clipped.

“So are you making a claim or not?” he asked, his words laced with annoyance. “You know I’m not going to overstep if you have some previous connection to her.”

Jace’s gaze darted back to Evan and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. His jaw flexed. “No, I’m not.”

Evan clenched her teeth together, not sure if she was more relieved or insulted. She reminded herself that this was a good thing. Despite the fan club her hormones were forming just from being near him again, getting naked with Jace was a first-class bad idea.

Mr. Hazel Eyes graced her with a sexy smile. “Guess that means you’re mine, darling. That is, if you’re interested, of course.”

Nerves thrummed through her. The guy was hot as hell and he had kind eyes, giving her reassurance that he probably wasn’t some psycho. Always a bonus. But was she actually going to do this? Could she hand herself over to a stranger? Her eyes automatically found Jace again—the only anchor of familiarity in a suddenly fast-moving world of unknown.

Jace shoved his hands in his pockets, his expression softening. “You don’t have to choose Colby. You don’t have to choose anyone, Ev. You can turn around and go home. Back to the guy you’re marrying. This isn’t something to mess around with if you have doubts that you can handle it.”

His gaze dipped down and traced over the oh so faint scars on her lower belly. Ones that no one else would know to look for except him. Shame, hot and fierce, burned within her.

“I’m not that kid anymore, Jace. I don’t need someone to protect me,” she said more sharply than she’d intended. She switched her focus to Colby, her anxiety ratcheting up another notch. “I accept your offer.”

She caught Jace in her peripheral vision, scowling.

“Thank you.” Colby smiled down at her and gripped the back of her neck. “Now stand up, sub. I want to sample what’s mine for the weekend and make sure my friend Jace back there knows who you belong to since he seems to be confused.”

Her eyes widened as Colby helped her from the stool and to her feet. He had her put out her wrists for cuffs, then locked her arms behind her back. “There, that’s better.”

He slipped his large hands onto her hips and stepped in front of her, pulling her close. His hard body pressed against hers as Jace glared at her from over Colby’s shoulder. Colby dipped his face down until his eyes were inches from hers and his lips only a breath away.

Holy shit. He was going to kiss her. Right away. With Jace watching.

Before she could catch her breath, his mouth met hers, warm and inviting. Her eyelids closed automatically, and she tried to give herself over to the kiss. It’d been forever since she’d really kissed someone, and the sensation was something new again. Soft and sensual, his tongue teased hers, testing the waters. He was a good kisser, not giving or taking too much. But despite his skill, the experience felt empty, vacant. All she could think about was the man behind him, standing there watching it happen.

Colby pulled back and stared down at her, running a thumb over her lower lip. “You have a beautiful mouth. I can’t wait to feel it against my—”

Without warning, she was yanked sideways by a firm hand on her upper arm, the jolt nearly causing her to tumble onto her ass. “What the—”

“Get your goddamned hands off her, Colby,” Jace said, his voice full of grit.

Colby’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be an asshole, Austin. I gave you your chance, and you didn’t make a claim. She chose me.”

“She can change her mind. You haven’t collared her yet.” Jace led her a few more feet away from Colby. She didn’t know what else to do but let him. “I changed my mind. I’m offering. Let the lady choose again.”

What? Oh, shit.
Evan’s heart jumped into her throat. She pinned Jace with a desperate stare. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you a choice.”

No. No. No. She didn’t want a choice. She couldn’t be trusted with this choice. Especially not after her lackluster kiss with Colby. “Why are you doing this?”

He wrapped his hand around her nape and without any further warning, brought his mouth down on hers. Electricity, sharp and instant, sparked at the contact, waking every nerve ending in an all-encompassing rush.
Oh, Jesus
. The muscles in her legs quivered, fighting to hold her upright position, and pulsing heat radiated down to her clit.

He kiss was hard, hungry, not at all tentative like Colby’s. It was a proclamation, a claiming. And God, she wanted to be consumed by it. By him.

But as quickly as he’d started it, he pulled back and straightened. “Just choose me, Evan.”

It took her a second to find her voice and her brain. “Jace, I—”

Something flickered in his eyes, and his mouth hardened into a line. “I know you’re new at this, sub, but you’re to speak only when spoken to. And you need to address me as sir or Master J in public. All you have permission to do right now is choose your dom for the weekend.”

She sucked in a breath, the change in his demeanor and stark authority in his voice almost knocking her off her feet. Everything was happening too fast. Her thoughts and hormones were whirling into a firestorm in her gut, and she couldn’t process any of it.

He frowned. “Answer the question, sub. It’s not that hard. You want Colby or you want
me
?”

Ha. There was the question of the day. Physically, she wanted Jace so bad her arms strained to bust out of the bindings just so she could touch him. She couldn’t remember ever having a kiss affect her so intensely. But how could she risk being with him even in a casual way? Nothing with Jace had ever been casual for her.

And after what had happened between them in the past, how could she trust him? Back then he’d had her completely convinced that he really cared about her. She’d opened up to him like she had never done with anyone else, and it had all been bullshit. Just Jace fulfilling a duty. A guy trying to make a messed-up girl feel better about herself.

Too bad she hadn’t figured that out before she’d talked her way into his bed one night and taken things too far.

She’d imagined many times that year what losing her virginity to Jace would be like, but being a mercy fuck had never been part of the fantasy.

Neither had getting pregnant.

Though Jace didn’t exactly know about that last part.

So why in the hell was he standing here, asking her if she wanted him? He couldn’t be serious about sleeping with her, dominating her. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips with a nervous flick. Despite the warning sirens shrieking in her head, the thought had her hot in all the right places.

No, this had to be about his ridiculous protective streak. He probably just wanted her to select him so he could haul her over his shoulder, stuff her back in the limo, and send her home.

She straightened her spine. “I’m serious about trying this, Jace. Don’t do this so you can keep me from participating or give me some edited, half-assed experience. I know you still see me as someone who needs a keeper.”

He frowned. “What I see is a girl jumping into a game she knows nothing about just because her fiancé isn’t doing it for her in bed. But if you’re really here to find out what it’s like, I’m one of the best doms here. I can help you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Thanks, but I don’t need another sympathy screw. You already covered that with me a long time ago.”

He winced.

“Come on, Austin. You’re wasting all of our time,” Colby said.

Jace lowered his voice. “Look, I realize what a dick I was to you back then, and I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. But I’ll make you a deal,
Sasha.
I can leave everything outside these doors as long as you can. I want you. And based on that kiss, you want me, too. So let’s keep it that simple. This is sex. The past doesn’t exist here. And I promise whatever I do with you, sympathy or pity definitely will
not
be a factor.”

She blew out a breath. Could she really block out everything while she was here? Be someone else for a while? She came here for one reason: to feed her physical side in a no-strings-attached environment. Could she do that with Jace? She wasn’t a desperate, love-struck teenager this time. Jace didn’t mean anything to her anymore. And if they didn’t dredge up the past, her secret was safe.

Could she just focus on the fact that he was a sexy man who happened to get her hormones firing faster than any other guy ever had? He certainly stirred up a tempest with a kiss whereas Colby had only left her cold.

Hell, she was a master of compartmentalization. When she’d run away all those years ago, she’d learned very quickly how to lock away painful memories and emotions. It was the only way she’d survived it. And she’d certainly been able to tuck away her libido for the last few years without much incident. So why wouldn’t she be able to do this?

There was no reason. She was strong enough, and she’d earned this chance for indulgence. If Jace stuck to those “no past” rules, then so could she.

She glanced at Colby, who nodded at her as if he already knew what she was going to do and understood. She took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to Jace. “I’m all yours . . . sir.”

The green in Jace’s eyes darkened, clouding the normal humor that resided there. He stepped closer, his intimidating height looming over her as he grasped her elbow and led her away from Colby. Her arms had been bent into L-shapes behind her, so keeping her balance was a challenge, but Jace made sure she didn’t tip over. He took the collar he’d been holding and wound it around her neck.

“This will let everyone know you’re mine while you’re here,” he said into her ear. “Don’t take it off.”

“Yes, sir.”

He fastened the lock and ran his fingertip along the hollow of her throat. “And don’t worry about half-assed, baby. I’ll make sure you get exactly what you need.”

She shivered, goose bumps tracking over her exposed skin. This wasn’t a side of Jace she’d ever seen. He’d always kept it lighthearted around her when they were younger—quick with a joke or harmless teasing. The guy who hadn’t taken anything seriously, including her. Master J seemed to be a whole different animal all together. If she focused on that, this different persona, maybe blocking out the past would be easier than she thought.

He urged her forward, and she tried to find her voice. “Grant said I may have to do something in front of the group.”

Jace shook his head as he led her to the side of the room. “Only guests are required to submit publicly. You and I? We need to take care of some things in private first. Now move. Andre, get the door.”

She whipped her head around to see Jace’s friend from the conference a few steps behind them. Andre shot her a saucy smile, then moved in front of her to shove open the door. He swept an arm in front of her. “After you,
bella
.”

They entered a quiet hallway, her hammering heart and unsteady breath the only sound. She looked between the two of them. “Where are we going?”

“Our cabin,” Jace said. “And you’re not so good at this not speaking thing, Sasha.”

She huffed.

They reached the end of the corridor, and Jace grabbed a long silk robe from a hook and draped it over his shoulder. “It’s gotten chilly.”

Andre pushed open the exit door, and the cool night air rushed over her as they stepped outside. He crooked a thumb at one of the two golf carts lined up next to the wall of the main building. “I reserved one of the cabins next to the lake. It’s too far to walk with Evan—er, Sasha—barefoot. We can take one of these, or if you want to go scenic, I can call the stable and have them bring around two of the horses.”

Horses?
The place had freaking horses? Damn, how much had Daniel paid for her to get in here?

“Let’s just take the easy route for now.” Jace moved behind her, running his palms along her arms. “As lovely as you look all trussed up like this, I’m going to need to undo these. You have to be able to hold on to the cart.”