Testing the Limits

by Kira Sinclair

  Slumping against the wall right inside the door, she let Jace do his hunt and destroy mission through the apartment. Letting her head fall back, she closed her eyes and just listened.

  A few days ago she couldn’t pick out a single sound as Jace moved through the place. Tonight she was hyperaware of him. The barely audible swish of his shoes against carpet. The squeak of a floorboard under his weight. His fingers pushing open a door.

  Behind closed eyelids, she could see the way his body moved, the give and take of muscles as they rippled. His strength and focus. The intensity burning deep inside his blue eyes.

  She was so afraid that one day the intensity was going to burn her up. Or burn out. It was the situation. Sure, Jace had said he’d wanted her for a long time, but he’d been able to deny himself. Until now. Protecting her had pushed some buttons deep inside.

  But it couldn’t last. This wouldn’t last.

  Eventually she’d lose. Again. How often was she destined to end up alone?

  Unbidden, tears stung her eyes. Clamping her jaw shut, she forced them back. Not now. Not tonight. God, she’d held it together at the house. She didn’t want to lose it now.

  She had to be strong. She always had to be strong.

  But apparently tonight she just didn’t have any more to give.

  Quinn didn’t realize she was actually crying until something soft brushed against her cheek. Her eyes popped open and she found Jace standing in front of her, staring at her bleakly.

  She felt the same hollowness inside. But tonight she knew they could fill the empty spaces for each other.

  Leaning forward, Jace pressed his warm lips just beneath her eye. Her lids fluttered but didn’t close. He kissed away her tears one by one. The gesture left her with the sweetest ache.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her skin, pressing his lips against her jaw, forehead, nose and chin.

  “For what?”

  “Everything. That he’s hurting you.”

  How could she tell him Warren had nothing to do with the tears she was shedding? Quinn just shook her head, unable to form the right words to explain.

  “That I hurt you.”

  Maybe she didn’t need words after all.

  He tried to say more, but Quinn placed a finger against his mouth, silencing him. “Shh.” Pushing up on tiptoes, she fused her lips with his.

  What he’d given her was sweet and delicate. What she gave to him was fluid energy. The very beginnings of passion. That edge right before the crackle erupted beneath her skin and restless anticipation took over.

  Jace groaned, his hands cradling the back of her head and pulling her closer. His fingers tangled in her hair, tightening. He moved into her, pressing her back against the wall. She loved the way he surrounded her, all hard muscle. The reminder that even beneath this honeyed moment he was barely leashed strength and delicious excitement.

  But tonight, that wasn’t enough. She wanted more from him. Slipping out from beneath his body, she grasped his hand and led him down the hallway to his bedroom.

  Stopping in the center of the room, Quinn turned to face him. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. There was a bright light in the back of his eyes, a fire that she could feel racing across her own skin.

  She trembled, her entire body quivering beneath the weight of his need for her. It was heady and scary. But Quinn had never been the kind of person to back down out of fear.

  He made a move to close the space between them, but with a quick shake of her head Quinn stopped him.

  His gaze sharpened, turning predatory, but he stayed right where he was. His fists clenched at his sides, proof of just what it was costing him to give her this.

  That tight control only made her want him more. Made her want to see just what it would take to break the hold he had on his actions and emotions.

  Crossing to him, she grasped the hem of his shirt and in one fluid motion pulled it off. His head bent so that he could watch her, but he stayed still. The only thing that touched her was his fiery gaze.

  A shiver rocked through her body.

  Her palms played across his skin, a tingle shooting up from her fingertips. He was hot to the touch, smooth and silky.

  She wanted more.

  Letting her hands trail down, she relished the hitch in his breath as her fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his jeans. He hadn’t bothered with boxers when they’d both scrambled to find clothes and race out the door earlier, and now she was grateful.

  Especially when the swollen head of his penis brushed against the backs of her fingers. A groan rumbled up through him. Quinn thought about pressing her mouth to his chest so she could feel his pleasure reverberate through her own body.

  But uncovering him was more tempting.

  Tugging at his button and zipper, she slowly peeled away the denim separating them. God, he really was beautiful. Hard and heavy with his need for her.

  Her own body reacted immediately, a liquid fire burning and aching at the center of her sex. She wanted him there, filling her, moving slowly and driving away absolutely every thought but how amazing he could make her feel.

  Dropping to the floor in front of him, she unlaced his boots and made quick work of tossing them behind her. Even before the second one had hit the dresser with a thud, he was kicking his jeans off.

  And Quinn couldn’t tear her gaze from him.

  She wanted to touch and taste, pull him deep into her mouth.

  Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips in unconscious reaction to the thoughts rampaging through her brain. Jace groaned, his hands weaving through her hair again.

  Quinn leaned back, letting her gaze travel up him. From her vantage point, she had the perfect view of his well muscled body. Yes, he was gorgeous, but that wasn’t what had her so turned on she could barely catch a full breath—not that she didn’t appreciate the package.

  It was the way he watched her. Cradled her head in his powerful hands as if she was the most precious thing he’d ever touched, and didn’t demand a single thing from her. Which only made her want to give him everything.

  But she wasn’t done torturing him.

  Pushing up from the floor, she took several steps away. He reached out, trying to keep her close, but she evaded him.

  Tugging her own T-shirt over her head, Quinn let her hair rain down around her shoulders. She reached behind her, flicking open her bra clasp. The straps slid down her arms, the sensation of satin against her tingling skin almost more than she could bear. Jace’s hungry gaze latched onto one bra strap, following the torturously slow descent, stoking her need higher.

  His ribs expanded and contracted beneath the smooth expanse of his tanned skin.

  The scrap of satin and lace she’d been holding hit the floor. Jace swallowed, his throat convulsing.

  There was something so...powerful about the moment. A gift they were sharing. And he hadn’t even touched her yet. But she felt the pressure of it, an ever-strengthening band twining tighter between them, drawing them closer.

  Quinn tugged at the button of her fly and then her zipper. The rasp of metal teeth was loud in her ears. Digging her thumbs into the loosened waistband, she dragged her shorts and panties down in one swift motion. They pooled at her feet, instantly forgotten.

  Quinn stood in front of him fully naked, enjoying the tortured groan Jace couldn’t quite hold back.

  It was heady, knowing she could make him want her so badly.

  Taking a single step, Quinn closed the space between them. Jace’s hands settled on the curve of her waist, digging in and pulling her closer.

  His face buried in the crook of her shoulder. She expected him to kiss her there. Instead, he simply inhaled.

  “God, you always smell so good.”

  Her skin
pebbled at the sound and feel of his words.

  She wasn’t just standing before him physically naked. She was baring much more than her body. Without realizing it, she’d started revealing her soul. And maybe taking a piece of his in return.

  Quinn worshipped him with hands, lips and tongue. She wanted to touch every part of him. To feel and measure, cherish and discover.

  This wasn’t the broken dam of physical need their first joining had been. Or the carnal frenzy of earlier. It was more. Profound in a way that had a lump of tears gathering again at the back of Quinn’s throat.

  The way he looked at her...it sent shivers through her body. As if she was the only thing preventing him from drowning. As if there wasn’t a single thing about her he didn’t want and need.

  As if he was finally free and she was the one who’d given him the key.

  When he scooped her up in his arms, a muffled squeal of shock fell from her lips. Kneeling on the bed, he set her gently onto the soft gray sheets before stretching out beside her.

  He propped himself on one elbow, letting his fingers play up and down her body. She was spinning, her world tilting off its axis.

  She tried to roll into him, to bring them together, but a heavy hand spread in the center of her stomach held her in place. He teased and tortured, brushing calloused fingertips over her body.

  His talented fingers plucked at her aching nipples, rolling and soothing before bringing them back to a sharp point of need. He pressed his mouth to her shoulder, kissing and biting his way up to her throat.

  His tongue rimmed her ear as he blew a soft breath against her dampened skin. The base of her spine tightened with a restless ball of energy that just kept growing and growing.

  She had no idea how long he teased her with caresses that were never enough. But by the time his hands and mouth moved lower she was already writhing, her body silently begging.

  She was a mass of raw nerves and need searching for the relief only he could give her.

  Flattening her palm against his chest, she could feel the racing beat of his heart thumping furiously against her palm. The heat rolling off of him seared her skin. Her hand traveled down, over the swell of his pecs to his abs and ribs. She brushed against the black ink curling across his stomach and the raised ridges of tissue hidden beneath. For the first time the reminder didn’t make her inwardly cringe. It only made her need worse.

  God, this man was perfect in so many ways—inside and out.

  The heavy weight of his hand settled over hers. Staring straight into her eyes, he directed her hand lower. Quinn sucked in a harsh breath, unable to look away from him, not even to watch what they were doing.

  As she wrapped her fingers tight around the jutting hardness of his erection, he sandwiched her hand between his velvety smooth shaft and his firm palm. Jace’s eyes slipped closed and his head tipped back as a deep groan dragged past his parted lips.

  Quinn began to stroke him. Up and down, slow and hard. Her hips pumped in time to their rhythm, unconsciously seeking more for herself even as she was completely absorbed with the thrill of watching him come undone.

  Out of nowhere warm fingers skated up the inside of her thigh. She jumped, startled at the unexpected contact, but quickly sank into the sensation. He easily found the throbbing, aching heart of her. And, God, his touch felt so damn good.

  As her thighs dropped open, Quinn’s hips arched upward, silently asking for more. She wanted. Needed.

  Jace traced fingers around her opening, teasing her sensitive flesh. He found her clit and rubbed, driving her straight to the brink.

  She ached. Throbbed. Whimpered, the needy sound clawing at the back of her throat.

  And then he was plunging two fingers deep inside, stretching and rubbing and making her pant in desperation.

  Matching the stroke of his fingers to the slide of their joined hands around his sex, all Quinn could think about was how it would feel if he was deep inside her.

  Her body craved the images her mind conjured up.

  “Please,” she groaned, unable to keep her hips from pumping hard against his hand. Her mind wanted him, but her body was greedy enough to take relief in any form.

  “What, beautiful? Tell me what you want.”

  “You!” she cried. She was so close, forcibly holding off her release. But she couldn’t do it for long.

  Jace reared away from her. Quinn nearly sobbed out her frustration when everything stopped. Until he shifted, pressing her deep into the bed. She could feel him, nudging at her entrance, and she just wanted him there already.

  Digging her fingers into his rear, Quinn rocked up at the same time she drove him down. They slipped together like a key into a lock. Relief and peace stole through her.

  How could anything that felt this right be wrong? It couldn’t. She and Jace were perfect together.

  He groaned, his mouth finding her ear. “I’ll always give you what you need, Quinn. Always.”

  And then he was moving. They were both past the point of slow and easy. Pleasure spiked through her over and over again. She wrapped her legs high around his waist and used the leverage to meet him thrust for desperate thrust.

  Together, they strained for that one, pure, perfect moment they could share. She knew it was there, shimmering just out of reach.

  His hips pistoned against hers. Sweat and need mixed on his skin. The mingled tastes burst across her tongue when she latched onto the base of his throat and sucked. A low, tortured sound rumbled up through his chest.

  Quinn closed her eyes, her vision going black with starbursts of bright color. And then everything was on fire—her body, the world around them. It rampaged through her, stealing her breath, forcing out a strangled cry of relief.

  Somewhere in the back of her brain Quinn realized she’d lost control of her body. She was shaken by the force of her release. The only thing that kept her grounded were Jace’s arms tight around her.

  And then he was yelling her name. She could feel his release. Loved knowing he was buried deep, losing himself in her.

  Wrapping her arms tight around him, Quinn cradled him with her body. His shoulders shook, arms trembling from the strain of keeping the full weight of his body off her.

  But she wanted it. Wanted all of him. Tugging, she relished the way he gave and collapsed onto her.

  His labored breaths sounded in her ear. His racing heart beat right beside her own less-than-steady pulse. Their fevered bodies slid together, settled.

  It could have been three minutes or thirty, Quinn had no idea. But soon her sweat-slicked skin got chilled. Still, she didn’t want to move. Not when Jace was tracing mindless patterns along her shoulder and arm.

  She was happy. Content. If someone had offered her the chance to freeze the moment and live inside it forever, Quinn would have taken it.

  And then Jace had to go and ruin it.

  “We lost him today, two years ago.”

  12

  THE DATE WAS permanently etched into Jace’s psyche...right along with the ink covering the scars below his ribs.

  It was the day he’d lost a piece of himself. No, given it freely, only to have a bigger piece of his life torn away instead.

  A tight band tried to cut off his supply of oxygen. No, wait, that was the weight of Quinn’s hand heavy against his chest.

  “Don’t,” she whispered.

  They were still joined. Out of nowhere, guilt and grief tried to choke him. What was he doing?

  His fingers clamped around her hips, ready to lift her away. But she wouldn’t let him put space between them.

  Instead, her legs and arms wrapped around him, holding tight. “Don’t,” she whispered. “Do not use his memory like this, Jace.”

  He just shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking a
bout.”

  “Bullshit,” she spit out, her gorgeous brown eyes flashing fire.

  He watched her, unable to look away. Or fight her hold on him. A single question plagued him. God, he didn’t really want the answer, but couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Do you still miss him?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.”

  Her answer cut into him with sharp precision. It was exactly what he deserved. He’d been playing with fire for days and this was the price.

  The thing was, even knowing he should, he wouldn’t have done a single thing differently. Having her here with him was worth any amount of pain that would come afterward.

  “But a little less every day,” she continued.

  Turning her gaze upward, she stared at the ceiling. Or maybe she was looking a little higher.

  “I miss the way his eyes would crinkle at the edges when he laughed. Or the exasperation that crept into his voice whenever I’d do something stupid like load the dishwasher and forget to turn it on. Or his will to fight until the very end.”

  Jace felt a hitch in the center of his chest. A heavy breath that sliced him open instead of setting him free.

  He missed all of those things. And so many more. The way Michael had whined when he was eight or nine and Jace had picked on him. Or that mischievous sparkle, and the way he’d tilt his head to the side when he was trying to get away with a lie.

  He needed space. Air. Something.

  No, he needed his little brother back, but that wasn’t going to happen.

  His grip on Quinn’s hips tightened. He wasn’t sure if it was to push her away or pull her closer. Not anymore. His brain didn’t even know what the right thing was. He’d lost that certainty, drowning in her scent and taste and just the comforting, igniting feel of her so close.

  He’d been floating. For two years his feet had been firmly planted on the ground and still he’d been floating. And he hadn’t even realized it until she’d pulled him back and grounded him. Given him something more than the unimportant things he’d forced himself to get up for every day.