by R. A. Boyd
Casting one more glance to the common hall where his brethren sat, he chuckled and made his way back home.
It was a chilly night. Maybe he could convince Emma to come out on the deck and eat dinner with him. The cold winds of winter still haunted the spring nights once the sunset, but he could light up the fire pit for her and enjoy the night sky.
You couldn’t see the bright stars at night in town, but here in their community, they kept the lights low so they could always look up and see the heavens. They were surrounded by the darkness of tall trees and rolling hills, and the streetlights seemed miles away. It was perfect. Even more so now that he could hear Emma humming to herself inside his house.
Their house.
He would fix it up the way she wanted him to. If her dream was to live in a split-level rancher, he would tear down his two-story house and build it up again. Anything to make her happy.
Gathering the gift bag and both wrapped up plates in one hand, he used his other to open the front door. After leaving the plates in the microwave, he followed Emma’s song up the stairs and into a spare bedroom.
Her startled voice went high as he knocked on the door, and the sounds of her bare feet padded across the floor. “Come in. I’ll be out in a second.”
Peeking into the room to see what she was doing, he caught a brief glimpse of her as she ran into the bathroom. The only thing she wore was a thick red towel covering her from her full breasts, right below her perfectly heart-shaped ass. The lovely globes of her ass cheeks seemed to play a game of peek-a-boo from under the towel as she quickly disappeared beyond the doorway.
“Fuck me,” Jace growled. His dick thumped against his denims, leaving him dizzy with want for Emma. How the hell was he supposed to get anything done knowing she was so close again?
After taking a few deep breaths to get rid of his hard-on, his eyes darted around the room. Emma already started putting her clothes away in the drawers and closet. He wanted her in his space, in his bed. Sighing, he cursed himself for trying to rush things. She needed time. On their drive to his home, she admitted that the sting of having to leave her house and everything she was comfortable with was enough for one day. He might face her wrath if he demanded she come and sleep in his bed, or worse. She might pull away from him and look at this as if it were only temporary. Damn-it, he wanted forever.
To distract himself, he unpacked the monitor and left it on the bed so Emma could see it as soon as she came out. The thought of packing up her stuff and moving it into the closet in his room crossed his mind, but every sense-making idea flew from his head as she walked out of the bathroom.
She was sexy as hell. Her dark coily hair sat high on her head in a loose ponytail, and tiny ringlets hung in different places, making her seem like an innocent librarian who needed to be sullied. A light blue tee shirt with the words This goddess gives cuddles and throat punches scrolled across her tits made him chuckle, but the matching blue shorts almost brought him to his knees. They hit her thick, curvy, mocha-colored legs mid-thigh, showing off the little half-circle shaped birthmark on her leg. Brightly striped socks covered her pretty feet and made her look like a wet dream come to life.
Motioning her hands around the room, she shrugged and blew out a tense breath. “It’s messy. I’ll get the room sorted.” She walked toward the bed and put the suitcase on the floor. “Is that for me?” she squealed. Her eyes went wide as she pointed at the monitor. “Of course it’s for me. Who else needs a baby monitor accept the one with a baby. Well, she not a baby, but you know what I mean.”
She snatched it up and started to read the directions, but stopped short as she noticed Jace watching her. Her rounded nose scrunched up and a line appeared on her forehead. She must think he was an idiot, just standing there ogling her like she was the best thing on the planet. Well, she was.
Jace nodded a few times, trying to figure out what to say. “Riley,” he said, putting his hands on the bed as he leaned toward her. “She sent it over. And food. They sent food. Dinner? Want to go outside?”
Her dark eyebrow shot up as she took him in, eyes roaming his body from his large booted feet to his eyes. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why he was tongue-tied around Emma. They’d known each other for years.
After sitting two of the monitors side by side, she looked up and gave him a natural smile that softened her face. “This is weird, isn’t it?” She fished out the pack of batteries at the bottom of the bag and put them in one monitor. She grabbed the one that would go in Lily’s room and stood up. “Hold that thought. Let me check on my munchkin and plug this up in her room.”
When she ran past him, the soft scent of soap, coconuts, and maple syrup wafted around him, encompassing him with her luscious scent. Not only did she look like his favorite meal, but she also smelled fucking delicious. Taking two quick strides to the door, Jace leaned out to watch her move. The jiggle of her ass and legs as she quietly tipped up the hallway elicited a low growl deep in his chest. Even his beast loved to look at her. It wanted a taste of her sweat-slicked skin as she writhed beneath him.
He stood there in the hallway, fantasizing about taking her every way he could. In his bed, against a wall, on the kitchen floor, in the deep claw-footed bathtub that sat in the bathroom connected to his room. Most importantly, he wanted to sleep next to her and be enveloped in all things Emma. Kissing her forehead as she slept, making her feel safe. Jace wanted those things years ago, and for a brief time, he was allowed to have it. Now, they were starting over again.
“Are you watching my ass while I walk away from you?” Emma said as she closed the door to Lily’s room. She ran past him and into the bedroom. When she came out, she held the other monitor in her hand. Testing out the sound, she turned up the volume high until she could hear the humidifier and the soft sounds of Lily snoring. “I’ll punch you in the throat if my baby catches you eye-fucking me.” Her eyes went wide as she slapped her hands over her mouth, almost whacking herself in the face with the monitor. “Damn-it, being around Audra has me cursing again. There. I did it again.”
Jace snickered as she took careful steps toward him, trying to stay quiet on the hardwood floors. When she reached him, she stood so close that she had to crane her neck back just to look into his eyes.
“Can I hold you?” Jace asked, fingertips itching to touch her soft velvet skin.
The right side of her full lips curved up into a smile. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I wish you would,” she whispered, her head settling against his chest where his heart beat just for her. She let out a soft sigh, and all the tension in her body instantly melted from her muscles.
Not even knowing he was wound this tight, Jace let go of a trembling breath that eased his soul. She was finally here again. He kissed the crown of her head, loving the feel of her as she took comfort from his embrace. “I’ve missed you so much, Emma.”
“I’ve missed you too, Jace. I’ve missed this hug. Yours is the only one like it in the world.”
They stood in the hall like that for so long, Jace lost track of Emma’s heartbeats. When he first met her, he would count the beats of her heart. Jace learned a long time ago that the sound of someone’s lifeline was one of the most precious things out there. He would never take hers for granted. Whether her life was extended because she was mated to an angel-shifter, or his life was shortened, Jace would cherish every moment she existed. He would love her in this life and the next, and all the ones that came after that.
They swayed back-and-forth to the combined rhythmic pace of their breathing as if the Earth knew it as some long lost tune that only played when they were together.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, already knowing she was.
“Yes. I was supposed to meet your sister for lunch, but she stood me up, so I didn’t get a chance to eat. Bright side,” she said, pulling away and waggling her eyebrows at him. “I did get to make out with my old boyfriend.”
She tried to tickle
his ribs but was too slow. Jace went straight for the spot just above her hips that always made her laugh and give the cutest little snorts. She belted out one loud crack of laughter but shoved away from him, holding in her giggles behind clenched teeth.
“Come on.” She pointed toward the stairs. “I don’t want to wake my munchkin. She’s had a busy day.”
After they settled down in the breakfast nook in his open kitchen, their plates of food warmed up in front of them, Emma pointed to the bucket on the windowsill next to her.
“I know that’s mine, isn’t it?” She motioned her head toward a wine bucket filled with ice and her favorite peach wine.
Jace swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes and grinned. “No. You know how much I love that fruity shit. Get your own.”
“Whatever.” She slid her way out of the long corner bench and went straight for the cupboard with the wine glasses. Grabbing him a beer from the refrigerator, she paused and shook her glass at him. “Should I pour you a glass, you know, since you love it so much.”
Reaching behind him, he grabbed the bottle and filled her glass until she motioned for him to stop. “You did right by taking that beer out.” He grinned and took the bottle she offered him as she sat back down.
“This looks amazing. Do you all still gather for meals?” Emma asked as she stirred the savory braised beef into the mashed potatoes. She looked like a kid mixing her two favorite kinds of cereal together.
“We do.” Jace watched as she lifted the fork to her lips and tasted. Her eyes rolled closed and she moaned.
“Oh, my gosh.” She stirred more of the potatoes with the hearty beef and then ate another forkful. “This is freaking delicious. I always want to make it, but I never have the time to dedicate four hours into making something Lily won’t eat. I am so going to love staying here.”
Sipping his beer, he nodded and ate most of his food while Emma did the same thing again and again. Stir the beef and mashed potatoes, take a forkful, and then do it again. Every third rotation, she would sip her wine and then eat a roasted carrot.
“I don’t want you to leave.” The words fell from his mouth before he had the chance to think it over. It’s what he’d wanted to say to her since she and Lily set foot into his house, but he knew he needed to take it slow. And now, that was no longer an option. “When this is all over I want you and Lily to stay. For good.”
Emma didn’t look up at him. She kept her eyes glued to her plate though he knew she’d heard him. When those simple words broke through his nonexistent filter, her eyes widened and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Damn-it. Too fast.
Jace shook his head and turned to face her, but before he could apologize, she put her hands up to quiet him.
“I’m not the same person I was before. You don’t know me anymore.”
That was bullshit. “I do know you. You’re still you. I know what you said, but I don’t need to get to know you again. I never stopped loving you, and I know you never stopped loving me.”
“It’s different for you. Your beast tells you that it’s the right time for us. You knew all along that you loved me. And yeah, I knew I loved you. But you know what?” She moved away from him and slid off the bench seat. Crossing her arms, she stood with her back to him. “You have no idea what it felt like. I took you at your word. You were done with me. You didn’t want me anymore. That ripped me up. All I wanted was you, and for five years I lived with the knowledge that the man I loved, fucking loved, didn’t love me back.
“And then I met Richard. I knew what I was getting into. I knew he was my heart’s poor excuse at trying to save itself by latching on to someone else. Same for him too. A year or so before we met, the woman he was engaged to left him for someone else. We were both lonely, desperate to find someone to hold on to. And we fell. It was stupid. Hell, we both said as much the morning we woke up married. When I found out about Lily, it was like everything else disappeared. Even Rich leaving didn’t hurt like it should have. We were cordial about it. I didn’t blame him. Still don’t. It’s selfish as hell, but I got what I always wanted.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, giving herself the embrace Jace wished he could provide. “My baby. But even with her filling every empty spot inside me, there was still this little place in my gut that called to you. And you were gone because you didn’t want me, and I hated myself for still wanting you. I felt weak. Stupid.”
When she turned around, unshed tears shimmered in her eyes. He thought the hurt written across her lovely face would kill him. If he could take her pain on to himself, he would gladly do so. She looked at him, and her pained expression gutted him.
She offered a weak smile and hugged herself tighter. “Okay. I get why you did it, and I’m trying to work my way back to us. I love you so much, Jace. No matter how hard I tried, I still love you. And even though I know I’m your mate, it doesn’t make it easier. That emotion might be solidified inside of you somewhere, and I know it’s here inside of me too. But I can’t help fighting it. I’m scared. I’m so scared that it’s going to fall apart again. Just… just give me time. You said you would earlier. And I know it’s hard. I keep wanting to fall back into you like we were before. It’s so easy, especially with us being here. But don’t push.”
Slowly, Jace slid out of the seat and stood in front of her. Even though everything inside of him needed to comfort her, he kept his distance.
He’d done this to her. They were fine making baby steps, but he’d pushed her too hard.
Reaching up to his neck, he massaged the tight muscles and then scratched his fingers through his hair. “You think I’d be better at this.” He sighed and huffed a laugh. “I’ve been on this planet forever and still can’t keep my shit in order.”
Emma gave him a closed-mouth grin and leaned against the counter. “Yeah. You are super old. You should know better.” The tense mood lightened at their admissions. Emma pointed to her glass. “I’m done eating. Pass me that wine glass, will you?”
Just as he moved to grab the glass, his phone started to vibrate where it sat on the counter behind Emma. She reached behind herself and grabbed it, but paused as she began to hand it to him.
“That’s my dad,” she said, confusion evident in her voice as she handed him the phone. “I don’t know if I should answer it or give it to you.
The words Emma’s Dad flashed on the screen as Jace took the phone. He slid the pad of his thumb to answer the call and was met with a string of thunderous curse words.
“You son of a bitch,” Shaun yelled before he could bring the phone to his ear. “Where the hell is my daughter? Did you get her and my grand-daughter wrapped up in your shit? If something happens to either one of them, I don’t give a shit who created you. I will fucking murder you.”
Emma’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared beneath the hair that hung low on her forehead. His voice was loud enough that she could hear. “It’s for you,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. Jace pushed the phone at her, eyes pleading to get her to calm her father down. She smirked and folded her hands at her waist.
Jace grabbed the top of her shirt and let the phone fall into the cup of her bra. “I’m trying to get back into your good graces. Your father hating me more than he already does is not helpful.”
“Wuss,” she hissed. She reached forward and tweaked his nipple way too hard for his comfort. She used her other hand to fumble down the front of her shirt until she pulled the phone out. “Dad. Dad. It’s me. Calm down. I was going to call you tomorrow but—”
“Jemma called an hour ago to inform me that you withdrew Lily out of school because of a family emergency. Paddie’s been trying to get in contact with you since she came by your house to see why you told her mother you didn’t know when you’d be back to work, and apparently, someone broke into your house and trashed the place. What. The. Fuck is going on and where the hell is my Lily-Pad? Oh. And your neighbor called to say that your car is on fire. Why aren’t you answering your phone?�
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“My car is on fire?” Emma yelled. She stumbled forward and slapped one hand on the dark marble countertop to steady herself. “And my house is trashed? It wasn’t trashed when we left it,” she said, questioning eyes looking to Jace for confirmation. A new wave of anxiety blasted from her.
Jace could hear Shaun on the other end of the line, anger slowly leaving his voice as he tried to soothe his daughter. “Come home, baby. I don’t know what’s happened, but you should come home. Did you meet a crazy person on one of those dating websites?”
“No, dad,” she snapped, clenching her hand into a fist. “Richard was the only person I ever dated from one of those sites. I told you that. And my phone is in my purse. Things got crazy today. My phone has been in my bag since I left work. Which probably means it’s still on vibrate.” She rolled her eyes heavenward and pinched the bridge of her nose. “The insane clan that’s after the Ghost shifters found out I was his mate. It’s a long story, but I’ll come over tomorrow afternoon and tell you everything.”
The sound of Emma’s steadily increasing heartrate boomed in Jace’s ears. It set his beast on edge. Everything inside him wanted to kill everything that threatened his mate and cub. He knew it wasn’t his brother’s fault that this was happening, but every urge pointed to wringing Ronin’s fucking neck until the bastard who possessed his body had no other choice than to flee from Jace’s wrath.
“Emma,” Shaun said, voice breaking through the haze of fury darkening Jace’s mind. “Come home.”
Emma nodded, and for five scary as hell seconds, Jace thought she would pack up and leave.
“Dad, Lily and I are safe here. There are witches, fallen angels, and saber-tooth shifters here who have vowed to maim and eat anyone who tries to hurt us. We’re staying. I should have called, but I figured me and Lily would surprise you tomorrow.” She looked up at Jace and gave him a wary smile. “I’ll call Paddie and Jess tonight and let them know that we’re fine.”
“Are you sure? My door is always open. You know that.”
