“Thank you.” A blackness settled over Jace’s mind as he remembered what he’d found at Bonds. Dominique was gone, and there’d be no way to track him down now. “Unfortunately, I don’t think a character witness will get me out of this one.”
Carrie’s mother gave them one last smile before shutting the door behind her. Jace didn’t envy what she was about to walk into. She’d have to calm down his father and listen to him rant and rave all night. Jace had to hope she could handle the man. His father could get belligerent when he didn’t get his way, especially if he added booze into the mix.
“Are you okay, Jace?” Carrie asked after her mother had left, reaching up to wrap her hands around his neck. The movement caught him off guard, and he snatched her wrists in a steel grip. She gasped, her eyes widening.
He needed a release. He needed some control. What he really needed now was what only Carrie could give him.
Carrie stared up at Jace’s handsome face. He had an intense look in his eyes, one that made her heart stutter inside her chest. His fingers gripped her wrists, and his tongue swept across his lips. The tiny movement alone caused her breath to catch.
She couldn’t believe what they’d just found out and the way his father had delivered the news. Jace wasn’t Walter’s son, not biologically at least. And Jace had never been told. All these years, and he’d thought his father was something else. That had to be hard to comprehend.
Knowing Jace, Carrie could guess his current state of mind. He was the kind of man who liked to have everything under his control. And now that he’d had a rug pulled out from under him, by his very own father, she knew that he needed to exert control the only way he could.
Control over her.
And if that’s what Jace needed right then, Carrie would give it to him. She was already wet just thinking about it.
“You know what I want,” Jace said in a low growl, tightening his fingers around her wrists. He squeezed so hard, flickers of pain began to crawl up her arm.
Carrie nodded, swallowing hard. Even though he’d been like this before, bondage and pain were both so new to her that every nerve in her body felt on edge. Jace flipped her around so that her ass pressed into his crotch, and she could feel the hardness of his cock through their clothes. Already he wanted her, and it made her heartbeat pick up speed.
His breath was hot on her ear as he leaned down to whisper. “Go into my closet, take off your clothes, and wait for me.”
Heat flooded through her as she obeyed his commands. She left him standing in the living room, her head and body buzzing. What could he possibly have in mind? All of his toys in Bonds had been taken away when Dominique had fled the scene. Jace still had the whip and the chains in his closet playroom, but the way he’d looked at her…Carrie was certain he had something more in store.
She entered his closet and stared up at the high ceiling. The chains still hung from their hooks, glinting against the overhead lights. The sight of them still sent a rush of emotions through her. Excitement, desire, and a hint of fear. After Carrie undressed, she stood waiting, her body aching for Jace to join her and show her exactly what he wanted to do to her body.
Only moments passed, but it felt like hours. When Jace finally opened the door, Carrie couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of him. He was naked, and every muscle of his body shifted as he moved toward her as if she were his prey. Carrie’s heart throbbed as her eyes drunk him in. He was absolutely perfect. There was nothing about him she would ever want to change.
Jace grabbed her arms roughly and lifted them over her head. He slipped the chains around her wrists and cinched them tight. Carrie’s body began to tremble, despite every effort to stay in control. Her breath was quick and hot, and her heart fluttered against her lungs. If Jace so much as caressed her, she was afraid she might dissolve into a puddle of pure lust.
After he’d attached the chains to her wrists, he disappeared out of the closet for only a moment. When he returned, he held a flickering candle in his palm. Carrie widened her eyes as he took slow steps toward her and his lips turned up into a wicked grin.
“Close your eyes,” he said in a commanding tone.
Carrie obeyed. With her sense of sight gone, the smell of the candle consumed her nose. She couldn’t place the scent. Something spicy and seductive that reminded of her hot nights in exotic locations. The scent filled up her whole head as she heard Jace begin to move around her. He was taunting her again, waiting until she couldn’t stand the absence of his touch any longer.
His hand finally found her nipple. He squeezed hard, causing Carrie to drop back her head and cry out in pain. Before she could catch her breath, something hot and wet dropped onto her skin. It seared her breast, making Carrie writhe and pull against her bonds. Another sizzling droplet fell onto her nipple, and Carrie couldn’t help but scream. Her thighs grew wet as the rush of pain began to subside, her breaths quickening and her nipples swelling with need.
God, it felt so good. The pain sparked every nerve ending, making everything feel ten times better than it normally did. Jace’s hand squeezed her breast, and she arched her back against his touch. She no longer cared what he did to her, just as long as he did something. She wanted to feel him, everywhere and anywhere until every part of her was complete.
“Open your eyes now,” Jace said, suddenly very close.
When her eyelids flew open, she found his face only inches from hers. His mouth caught on her lips, hungry and hard and rough. She pressed back, pushing her tongue into his mouth as desire ripped through her.
“I’ll never let anyone take you away from me,” he said, gripping her thighs and spreading them open. His hands were smooth and strong, and she held tight onto the chains as she opened herself to him and wrapped her legs around his waist. Jace pushed inside her, his hard cock filling every inch of her sex. Carrie moaned, kissing his neck and his face.
Jace began to thrust inside her, and his fingernails dug hard into her skin. Carrie’s entire being shuddered as his perfect length slipped in and out of her body. He groaned, his mouth still moving against hers, the intimacy of his need taking over. Carrie dropped back her head, and his lips moved down to her neck and to her breasts. As he rocked against her, his tongue tickled her nipples, driving her to the very edge of her need.
“Come for me now, Carrie,” Jace groaned against her skin. His hands slid up her ass, squeezing tight as he thrusted harder. Pleasure consumed every one of her thoughts until she was screaming out, her orgasm pouring through her, wave after wave of euphoria.
When both of their shudderings stopped, Jace wrapped his arms around Carrie, unhooked the chains, and kicked open the door. He carried her over to the bed and eased her down onto the mattress. He held himself over her, his breath hot on her neck. She couldn’t be sure, but she swore she saw something wet glint in his eyes.
“You’re going to sign that contract, Carrie,” Jace said in a gruff voice. “Tonight.”
All the pleasure Carrie had felt only moments before was zapped away by Jace’s words. She sat up, pushing him away. “I thought I’d made it clear how I felt about that contract.”
“Don’t fight with me about this right now,” he said, his voice going hard. “You want to be with me. You’ve said you’re mine. There’s no reason for you not to sign it.”
“Um, yes there is.” Carrie grabbed the soft sheet and wrapped it around her naked body, suddenly very cold. “That contract would mean I’d have no free will. I can’t believe you’re bringing this up again.”
Jace’s face clouded over as he turned away. Once again, he was going cold and distant, pulling away from her when she needed him most. Carrie yearned to reach out and pull him back, but she knew she had to stay strong in this. No matter how much she loved him, she wasn’t going to sign away her decision-making power to anyone else.
“Not signing it means you hope you can still get out of this when you decide you’re done with me,” Jace said, his back still facing her. “
All over again, just like you did three years ago.”
Carrie’s heart dropped. So that’s where this was coming from. No matter how much Carrie had shown Jace she cared, he was still certain she’d leave him all over again. It hurt, the fact he didn’t trust her after everything they’d been through. But she also knew it was all her fault. She’d been the one to run away three years before. Jace hadn’t been the one to call it quits.
“There’s another kind of contract I could sign, Jace.” Carrie’s voice was soft when she spoke. “One we could both sign. But you don’t want to give me that. Just like I don’t want to sign this one.”
Jace moved away from Carrie and began to pace back and forth in front of the bed. The incident with his father had left him feeling out of control, and Jace hated nothing more than not being one hundred percent certain he was in charge of his own life. The world had tipped underneath him, and he would do whatever it took to get his feet firmly back on the ground. Which was precisely why he needed Carrie to sign that contract and confirm without a doubt she was his.
“A different contract?” Jace frowned. “There are no other contracts. We can negotiate some of the terms of mine if that’s what you mean.”
“No, Jace.” Carrie gave a light sigh and flicked her gaze away. She held the sheet tight around her gorgeous, curvy body, and he hated that she wanted to hide herself from him right then. “That’s not what I mean. Just forget about it and come back to bed with me. We can talk about this later.”
“I need a drink.” He spun away from Carrie and left the bedroom, heading straight for the bar by the fireplace. Another contract. He frowned as he opened the gin bottle and poured the liquid into a glass. Opening the freezer to get a couple of ice cubes for his drink, realization dawned on him. Carrie wasn’t talking about any contract of his. She was talking about marriage.
Alarm flittered through Jace, and he took a deep gulp of the bitter beverage. As it slid down his throat and into his stomach, his body began to warm. This wasn’t the first time Carrie had brought this up. Three years ago, just before their parents had tied the knot themselves, Carrie had asked Jace if he’d ever be ready to take their relationship to the next level.
“Jace,” Carrie said as she dropped a series of kisses down his stomach. His cock hardened as she hovered just above his crotch. He loved it when she went down on him, wrapping her perfect lips around his length and stroking him with her mouth until he came hard. “Do you think you’ll ever be ready to take things between us further?”
Jace groaned and pulled her back up to his chest. Her body felt so soft in his arms. He was more than happy to fuck her any way she wanted, and his lust intensified at the thought of it. “I’m ready to take this to any level you want. What did you have in mind?”
She pulled back from him and looked into his eyes, her wavy hair falling in her face. “A commitment.”
Jace’s heart thumped hard, and he forced his face to remain still. If Carrie was asking what he thought she was, he wasn’t sure how he could respond. A commitment. That wasn’t a word Jace was comfortable with. He wasn’t ready to lock himself down. He wasn’t ready to give someone the ability to destroy him if she decided to walk away, even if that person was Carrie Simmons—the only woman he’d ever wanted more than once.
“I am yours, and you are mine.” He gave her a wicked smile. “Isn’t that enough for you?”
Carrie’s face dropped, and Jace realized he’d said the wrong thing. She pulled away from him, climbing off the bed and grabbing her clothes from the floor. “No, it’s not enough.”
“Carrie.” Jace stood to try and stop her from leaving. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I want to get married one day, Jace.” Carrie tugged her shirt over her head and closed her eyes. A tear slid down her cheek. “I’m not asking for that now, but if you can’t even give me the promise of something more, then how can I believe you’ll ever be ready to make that kind of commitment to me?”
And then she left. The next time Jace saw her, they found out their parents had tied the knot.
Jace closed his eyes and leaned against the refrigerator, swirling the ice in his glass. He should have known this would come up again. Carrie’s dreams were to have a husband and a career, and Jace could now see that he was asking her to put both of those dreams aside for him. And that wasn’t fair. Carrie deserved more. She shouldn’t have to lose her job because of him. And she shouldn’t have to settle with second best—a man who wouldn’t give her the commitment she wanted so much.
Jace’s grip tightened on the glass. Everything in his control was quickly slipping away from him. He knew he needed to let Carrie move on to something better, so she could get what she deserved out of life. But he couldn’t. Not yet at least. She was the only good thing in his life right then, and he wasn’t ready to let her go.
Carrie woke the next morning to find Jace had already left the penthouse. He’d been off the night before, ever since she’d refused to sign his contract. He’d moped around in the living room, drinking his gin until who knew what time. By the time he’d crawled into bed beside her, she was asleep. Through her grogginess, she’d felt the warmth of his body and smelled the gin on his breath. He’d wrapped his arm around her, but he hadn’t said a word.
And then he’d left that morning without saying goodbye.
Carrie showered, got dressed and fed Coco, trying to rid her mind of worry about Jace. He wouldn’t close himself off to her now. He just couldn’t. Not after everything that had happened between them. But she couldn’t stop her mind from jumping to the worst conclusions. Jace hadn’t brought her a coffee or ordered up any breakfast. And that wasn’t typical behavior coming from him. He’d always gone out of his way to pamper her, to make her feel like the most special woman on earth. But it was like he was pulling away from her now, and she couldn’t stop the pain in her heart from thinking about how this might be the end.
She would just have to talk to him tonight when he got home from work. They would figure this out together. It was only a small bump in the road. It had to be.
Carrie held her breath as she stepped out of the elevator at Hanson, Allen & Chase. She hadn’t heard a word from anyone at the firm, not even Sarah, since the news had gone viral about her and Jace. Time to face the music, Carrie thought. She had to get this over with, one way or the other. Maybe she could talk Rick Allen out of firing her if he just gave her time to explain things. They were in the middle of a murder investigation after all.
Her heels clicked on the floor as she strode toward the receptionist desk. Anna glanced up at her, and her face blanched when she saw Carrie.
“Miss Simmons,” she said through a strained voice. “Mr. Allen asked me to send you to his office when you arrived this morning.”
Carrie’s heart squeezed, but she managed to smile through the fear. This wasn’t exactly unexpected. Even if he was going to let her stay employed at the firm, he’d want to talk to her about the news leak and figure out a plan of attack against the rumors circling like vultures overhead.
When she reached his office, she took several deep breaths to steady her nerves. Through the clear glass door, she could see him in his crisp thousand-dollar suit bent over a stack of papers, a pen poised high in the air. He glanced up at the sound of the door and frowned when he saw Carrie. With a flick of his fingers, he waved her through. He didn’t look very happy.
“Good morning,” Carrie said, shutting the door behind her and making her way over to his desk. She hovered by the leather chair but couldn’t bring herself to sit down. If he was going to fire her, she wanted to take the punch in the gut standing up.
Rick sighed and shook his head, tossing his pen onto his messy desk. “Hello, Carrie. I assume you realize I saw the tabloids yesterday.”
“I would have been surprised if you hadn’t,” she said.
Rick leaned back in his chair and stared hard at her. It was difficult to know what he was thinking. He was a l
ot like Jace in that. Cold and guarded and hard as a rock. She could see why her best friend was into him.
A lightbulb went on over Carrie’s head. She wasn’t sure she had the balls to go through with the idea, but it might be the only thing in the world that could save her job. Her heart squeezed as her mind flicked to her best friend. Could she actually do that to Sarah? Carrie wasn’t sure she could.
“You remember what I told you,” Rick Allen said. “If there were any more photos in the press, I’d have to let you go.”
“Those photos weren’t my fault,” Carrie said. “Jace was being blackmailed.”
“Blackmailed or not, you went out in public to a sex club together.” Rick shook his head and sighed. “How else was it going to turn out, Carrie? If you two wanted to do whatever it is you’re doing, you should have kept it behind closed doors.”
Carrie winced and glanced away. She stared at the bar in the corner where bottles of gin and whiskey were clustered around sparkling glasses. It reminded her of Jace. The man who had made her feel like losing all of this would be worth it. And yet, he was still holding back and pulling away, while there she stood, seconds away from losing the job she loved.
“I realize that,” she finally said, meeting Rick’s gaze straight on. “It was a mistake. We can come up with a way to combat the press to keep the firm’s solid reputation in place.”
“My hands are tied,” he said, lifting his hands from his desk and mimicking the cinching of a tie. “I’m very sorry, Carrie. You’re a good attorney, but the partners are calling for your head. I have no other choice but to let you go.”
All the blood drained from Carrie’s face. So, it really had come down to this. The floor seemed to tip underneath her, and she grabbed the back of the leather chair to hold her body steady. She had no idea what she would do now. No other firm would touch her with a ten-foot pole. She was stuck, unemployed, with nowhere to go but straight down.
Dangerous Page 22
