by Ali Dean
I see Wesley making his way over to the porch, where two tough-looking guys are walking towards the pool area. Wesley glances nervously at Jace, who lowers himself down in the water and gently moves my legs off his shoulders. He turns to look at me and puts his hands on my own shoulders.
“Bunny expecting you for dinner?” he asks.
“No, I told her I didn’t know when we’d be home. She told me to call whenever we’re ready.”
“We’re grilling burgers here. If you want to stay, I can give you and Zoe a ride home later.” His hands are rubbing up and down my arms and it feels so nice. I just want to take one step closer and lean into his chest. But I don’t.
“Yeah. That’d be great.” I try to sound casual but my heart is beating rapidly. Jace is not only touching me and standing shirtless in front of me, but he actually invited me to stay and hang out with his friends. I smile at him.
“You’re getting goosebumps. Do you have dry clothes to change into?”
I shake my head. “I just brought a dress to go over my suit, but I can’t wear it without any underwear. And I didn’t bring any.”
Jace just stares at me.
“Underwear, that is,” I clarify. “I have a big beach towel I’ll use until I dry off. Poor planning on my part,” I add with a shrug.
“It’s gonna get cold when the sun goes down. I’ll get a sweatshirt from my car.”
“You don’t have to,” I tell him, knowing he will anyway. He ignores me and takes my hand.
“Where’s your towel?” I point to a patio chair and he guides me to it. He takes out the towel and quickly wraps it around me. I notice the tough guys on the patio are watching him. I recognize one of them from the day I saw Jace tubing on the river.
“Who are those guys?” I ask Jace.
“Just some UC guys I hang out with sometimes. But they aren’t good news, Pep, so don’t go making new friends.”
“If they’re bad news, why do you hang out with them?” I turn and look at him. His green eyes are even sexier when his eyelashes are wet.
Jace sighs. “It’s complicated.”
I raise my eyebrows, awaiting further explanation.
He shakes his head a little. “Don’t push it, Pep. I’m going to my car to get you some clothes.” He tosses me my cell phone from my bag. “Give Buns a call and tell her I’ll get you home tonight.”
I make a quick call to Gran, who tells me I sound far too sober. “Jace’ll keep an eye on you. Tell him I told him to make you another margarita. They’re good, don’t you think?”
“Zoe certainly thinks so.” I watch her stumble a little as she climbs out of the pool, with Pierce still tagging along beside her.
After my phone call, I lie back on the patio chair and pull the beach towel tighter around me. The sun is fading, and the sky is turning a light shade of pink. I look up into the clouds, and a shadow hovers over me. I blink. It’s one of the UC guys. He has a black tee shirt on that stretches tightly across defined muscles. His dark hair is buzzed short, and the smile on his face does nothing to soften his hard features.
He sits on the chair next to mine. “I’m Wolfe.” I smirk. What an appropriate name.
I remember Jace’s warning, but there’s not much I can do short of ignore the guy. “I’m Pepper.” I sit up, deciding I should make my way over to the bar and grill, where Wesley is with the other UC guy, and there are others around.
He holds my elbow as I stand up and I can’t help but flinch. “So, you and Jace, huh?”
“What do you mean?” I ask warily.
He shrugs. “I’ve seen Jace with a lot of girls. Never had him stare me down like he just did when I checked you out.” Wolfe winks. I narrow my eyes.
“Yeah, well, we’ve been friends a long time. He keeps an eye out for me.” Hopefully he catches the implication that I’m not interested.
“In that case, no one has a claim on you, huh? I can check you out all I want?” I wrap my towel more tightly around me, and see Jace coming out from the house with a bundle of clothes.
“I’m changing, so you lost your opportunity.”
I walk towards Jace, who clenches his jaw and glares at Wolfe over my shoulder. His eyes dart to me and soften slightly. But he still looks angry. “I guess you didn’t listen?”
“I did. I tried not to encourage friendship.” I try to look back without being obvious. “Is he sticking around? He kind of creeps me out.”
Jace hands me a pile of clothes. “I think that’s the plan. Rex is manning the grill over there and they came together. I should ask them to leave.” Jace looks at me, awaiting my opinion.
“It’s not worth it. I’m going to change,” I decide.
I put on a pair of baggy basketball shorts that fall to my calves and tie the string as tight I can around my waist. I pull Jace’s hoodie over my head and don’t bother looking in the mirror. I’m sure I look ridiculous. Although I certainly don’t look sexy, strangely enough, I feel all kinds of sexy with my naked skin underneath Jace’s clothes, knowing his skin has been on it too. I roll my eyes at my wayward thoughts as I walk down the hallway and join the others on the patio.
Jace is sitting on a patio chair drinking a beer. He smiles and asks me to sit with him.
“On your lap, Jace?” I ask doubtfully.
“Yes. You look adorable right now.” He pulls me towards him. I am so utterly confused. I know exactly what I want this gesture to mean, but I have no idea if he is on the same page. Adorable, huh?
“Don’t get too comfortable. Gran ordered you to make me a margarita. Apparently I’m too sober, and you will watch out for me if I get drunk.” I turn and look at him. “She trusts you.”
“She should,” Jace says. “With you, at least.”
“I trust you too.” We are inches apart and I lean forward just enough to touch my forehead to his. I want to communicate so much more than that. I stare at him, hoping he’ll recognize what I feel but can’t say. He squeezes his arms around my back. For a moment, I see something in those green eyes that looks familiar, because I’m sure it’s what’s reflected in my own eyes.
“You guys want cheese on your burgers?” the guy at the grill asks, interrupting the moment. I had completely forgotten the world around us for those few seconds.
“Yeah, thanks Rex,” Jace says.
“Same.”
“Hey Wes, can you make Pep a margarita?” Jace calls to Wes at the bar.
“You liked that last one I made, huh?” He grins.
I nudge Jace. “You lazy-ass.”
“Nah, I’m just comfortable.” He squeezes me again. “How many have you had?”
“Just the one when we got here hours ago.” I tap his beer bottle. “Don’t drink too many. You’re the driver.”
“Thanks, Pepper. You know I can take care of myself though, right?” he says playfully.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“If you start coming around with me, is this what it’s gonna be like? You scoldin’ me?”
“I wasn’t scolding!” I grin, delighted that he is considering that this might become a regular occurrence. “Besides, you’re the one who gets all big brother bear on me.”
Jace swallows a sip of beer and frowns. The silence that passes is awkward. After all, I’m sitting on his lap, and I just brought up his brotherly feelings towards me.
I don’t know what to think or feel anymore. I thought I’d finally figured it out, but now I’m questioning everything. I get up and walk to the bar to get my drink from Wes. I sit on a stool with my back to Jace. I need a moment.
“Thanks, Wes.” I take a huge gulp of the drink.
“Easy there, Killer.” Wes pats my hand.
I hang at the bar with Wes, and keep an eye on Zoe. Pierce seems genuinely interested in her, and isn’t being a creeper. Wolfe doesn’t approach me again. When Wes heads into the house for something, Madeline takes the stool next to mine.
“Hi.” She looks directly at me.
“Hi
.” I swallow. With her perfect hair flowing around her shoulders and her confident demeanor, I can’t help but feel intimidated.
“I saw you talking to Wolfe. You know those guys?”
“Uh, no. I just met him.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so. They don’t hang with a good crowd.” She glances over her shoulder. “I didn’t think Jace would be down with you hanging with them. I guess he’s okay with you hanging with us though, huh?”
I frown. “How do you know anything about me and Jace?”
Her eyes widen in surprise before she lets out a startled laugh.
“I mean, I, uh,” I stutter, realizing how bitchy I must have sounded. You don’t do bitchy around Madeline Brescoll unless you want to get caught in her net. “It’s just, you know, I just met you. We don’t really know each other. Maybe I do hang out with a bad crowd, right?”
She continues chuckling and shaking her head. “You’re a funny girl, Pepper.”
I stare at her, awaiting further explanation.
“And a little clueless,” she adds. Before she can elaborate, Jace is behind my stool.
“Ready, Pep?” He squeezes my shoulders. “I’ll get your stuff. Wanna grab Zoe?”
“Sure.” I glance once more at Madeline, who still has an amused look on her face. She checks out Jace’s ass, and my own eyes follow her gaze, as he walks away. I sigh.
“Hot as all hell, isn’t he?” Madeline says softly.
I clear my throat. I’m not supposed to feel this way about Jace. “I guess. Nice to see you, Madeline. See you around.”
She just smiles at me and nods. I grab Zoe, who exchanges numbers eagerly with Pierce before we leave.
After dropping off Zoe, we head to Jace’s house. Jim is watching ESPN in the living room with a Budweiser in his hand. “Pepper!” he exclaims. “It’s good to see you.” He envelops me in a bear hug.
“Hi Jim.” Jim’s the closest I have to a father. I don’t see him too often, but I know he’s always around if I need him.
Jace takes my hand and pulls me towards the stairs. “We’ll be downstairs, Dad.” I follow him to the basement, where he has his own bedroom, bathroom, and entertainment area. It’s a modest ranch house, but with just the two of them, Jace has a lot of space to himself.
“Want something to drink?” He opens his mini fridge and pulls out a beer. “Apple juice?”
“Yup.” Jace knows I love apple juice. Especially when it’s in those little juice boxes with a straw. He unwraps the straw and pops it into the box before handing it to me.
Jace plops himself on the black bean bag in the corner of his bedroom and takes a long sip of beer. He watches me, and I can’t bring myself to look away. I stand in the middle of his room, lips touching the straw of the juice box. The air in the room is thick, and my breaths are shallow. A low hum vibrates through my body. It starts in my core and pulses to the tips of my fingers and down my legs. Does Jace feel it too?
“We never started the Hendrix puzzle,” he says.
I blink. Oh. Right. Of course he doesn’t feel it.
“I’m not really in the mood for a puzzle,” I tell him. I can’t make eye contact. I place the juice box on Jace’s dresser and pull my hair off my neck. My skin is hot; I need relief, so I pile my hair on my head.
“Do you have a rubber band?” I ask him, scanning the top of his dresser.
“Don’t think so. You can check my desk drawer.”
I sit at his desk chair and pull open drawers, anything to distract me from the buzzing in my body, my head, the air that I’m breathing. How can he not feel it too?
“No rubber bands,” I say with a sigh, dropping my hands from my hair and letting it fall down my back. I lean back against the chair and stare in front of me.
“A movie, then?” he asks.
My eyes dart in his direction before I can help it. Maybe it was something in the tone of his voice that made me look at him. But I catch it. The look that Ryan was talking about. I don’t know how to describe it, or exactly what I’m seeing. All I know is that it might be the first time I’ve ever seen Jace Wilder look defenseless. I’ve always sensed some vulnerability buried deep within him, and I know it has to do with his mother jumping ship when he was four years old. So what brought it on now?
The softness in his green eyes glazes over again, and the cool, controlled Jace is back in place. Did I imagine it? Maybe it’s the tequila making me bold, but I suddenly can’t stop myself. I stand up slowly.
“Not in the mood for a movie either,” I say quietly.
It’s time to find out once and for all if Jace really thinks of me like a sister, or if Ryan’s conviction that it’s something more holds any truth. I’ll either crush all hopes for good, or… what? My brain can’t process any further than its want, its need, to be closer to Jace. I walk towards him.
His lips part ever so slightly. His face is still a mask of calm, but he’s holding his breath, and that gives him away.
I stand in front of him for just an instant before placing a knee on either side of his hips. I’m straddling him, but we aren’t touching.
Jace puts his beer down and places his hands on my hips. “Pepper? What are you doing?”
It’s that vulnerability again. This time in his voice. If I didn’t know him so well, I wouldn’t hear it.
I let my hands tangle in the hair that I’ve wanted to touch so many times. Jace’s eyes drift closed. I lean my head in and brush my lips back and forth against his.
He’s stopped holding his breath, and is now breathing heavily. I lower myself onto his lap, and that’s when I know for sure. I can feel him through his swim trunks. He definitely does not think of me like a sister.
I push my tongue in his mouth, urging him to open to me. He complies, and lets me explore, but he doesn’t respond. His grip on my hips is feather-light. If it wasn’t for the growing hardness pressed against my thigh, I would think he was unaffected.
I continue to clutch his hair in my hands, and when my hips shift slightly, Jace’s hands squeeze me tighter. His tongue begins to massage mine, and he shifts in the bean bag so that I can feel his erection right at my core. Whoa.
I’ve never been this close to a boy before, but my body knows exactly what to do. My hips move forward and back, creating a delightful friction. There’s just skin underneath Jace’s gym shorts, and the silky material slides with me as I rock back and forth.
Jace’s hands begin to wander. Over my bottom, up my stomach, and to my breasts, which are uncovered beneath his sweatshirt. His thumbs rub gently over the curves in rhythm with our massaging tongues and rocking hips.
Jace breaks our kiss, but doesn’t say anything as he moves his lips to my neck. His hands continue to wander, and I can feel his hot breath move along my collarbone. It’s all so instinctive. My body has a life of its own, and I’m feeling desperate for something, I don’t know what.
I press harder into him, seeking the delicious friction rubbing at my center. Pressure is building slowly in my belly. It keeps tightening and I groan in both frustration and ecstasy.
Jace seems to understand, and he grabs my hips again, guiding me against him. Our foreheads mush together as we rock frantically in a natural rhythm that feels so right. Suddenly the tension and pressure building inside me explodes.
Strange, wanton cries leave my lips. My entire body quivers and shakes and I realize Jace is kissing me to smother the noise I’m making. I continue to rock against him as I tumble, a feeling of total and complete ecstasy exploding from my core and tingling throughout my body.
Jace’s breathing is ragged and a deep frown creases his eyebrows as though he’s concentrating hard. I watch, fascinated, as his eyes widen and he gasps before closing them tightly. He squeezes my bottom and thrusts up hard against me several times before shuddering.
I drop my head to the crook of his neck. Our chests rise and fall together for several minutes. My mind is spinning, and I don’t want to come back to reality.
“I can’t believe you just made me come in my pants, Pepper.” He sounds utterly astonished, and slightly ashamed.
I smile against his neck. “I came in mine. Well, yours.”
He brushes damp hair from my forehead and kisses me lightly on the top of my head. “Have you ever done that before?” he asks gently.
