by Wood, Vivian
“What is your problem?” Jace snapped, laying the papers back down with much more force than necessary.
“Uhhh… you. You are my problem. Do you realize that you were actually happy for one damned minute there? Tessa made you happy. Don’t deny it,” Maddie demanded.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, his tone firm as steel.
“That’s why you’re a moron. Because it clearly does matter, you just don’t want to admit it.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s done.”
Jace leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. Maddie had to force herself not to smile at the physical tell. He was digging his heels into the ground, which never worked for long. She had twenty-plus years of experience as her guide.
“It’s not done, but it will be if you don’t stop being such an asshole. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you don’t connect with a whole lot of people, Jay. But her… she gets you. Shit, she likes you. Bizarre, if you ask me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he repeated, grinding his jaw. Maddie chuckled to herself as she prepared to unleash the fountain of his anger. One more particularly sharp blow should do it.
“Do you honestly think I can stick around here forever, keeping you in touch with reality? You know what they call relationships like that between brothers and sisters? Creepy, Jay. It’s creepy.”
Jace’s face turned an incredible shade of maroon and he stood up behind his desk, seeming to take up all the space in the office. She’d hit the mark, alright. Now she just had to cover her own head and wait until it was over.
“Shut UP, Madeline! I have done nothing these last years but work and care for you, and now you’re insulting me? I’ve given you everything, and I’ve never asked for anything from you but your loyalty.”
Maddie couldn’t agree more, but she shrugged. He had some things to get off his chest. Better that she let him dish it out now than on his poor mate-to-be. God knows the girl had already heard enough. Maddie struck back at him, going in for the kill.
“At least I’m not stuck in the past. So our parents died. So what? People die every day, Jay. It was almost twenty years ago. Don’t you think it’s time to start letting go a little bit?”
“You don’t get to dictate the grudges I hold! You don’t even remember our mother!” he roared, leaning over the desk as if he might jump over and throttle her. Maddie swallowed. She knew Jace would never hurt her, but his anger was hard to withstand.
Maddie opened her mouth to answer, but Jace cut her off.
“No. It’s my turn to talk. For someone who is supposed to be so well adjusted and not completely screwed in the head, can I just point out that you just took Jasper fucking McDonough as a mate? He’s fucking insane, Madd. He’s crazy, and volatile, and I can’t understand what was going through your tiny brain!” Jace snarled.
Uh oh. Maddie had lost control somewhere along the way, and now Jace was turning the tables. Maddie had no desire to examine her own life. Shit, she lived with her flaws every day.
“Don’t change the subject. I’m an adult, and I have my reasons for taking Jasper as a mate,” Maddie said.
“And I’m not an adult? I don’t have good reasons? Please, tell me the differences you see between us,” Jace shouted. Bingo. Maddie had slipped for a second there, but now she had everything lined up like a game of nine ball. One more shot, and Jace was through.
“I don’t love him, Jay. That’s the difference. I’m not playing around with my own heart,” Maddie said, dropping her voice to a soft chiding tone. “But you, you love her.”
Jace deflated like a balloon. He slouched, and then dropped back into his office chair. His expression was nothing short of tormented, and Maddie’s heart bled a little for him.
“Shit,” he mumbled. Jace raised his hands and scrubbed them over his face. He bowed his head and raked his fingers through his hair.
“Hey. Look at me,” Maddie said. When he didn’t respond, she got up and went around to his side of the desk. Slipping her arms around his neck, she hugged him hard.
“It’s not over yet, Jay. Tessa is a survivor. She didn’t come through all of the Legion’s shit just to be taken down but a few mean words from you. Not to deflate your ego or anything,” Maddie teased.
“I can’t forgive her, Maddie. You of all people should understand that about me,” Jace whispered, his voice rough with emotion. Maddie released him and knelt down next to his chair, peering up into his face.
“Maybe you’re looking at it the wrong way, Jay. Maybe you’re the one who should understand her, even if no one else does. Look me in the eye and say that if the Legion snatched me up, you’d let me die.”
Jace met his sister’s eyes, and then looked down again.
“There were other options,” he muttered.
“Like asking for help?” Maddie asked.
“For starters, yes.”
“And what exactly do you think her confession was? Sounds like a cry for help if I’ve ever heard one.”
Jace looked up and met Maddie’s eyes again. She could see the gears turning, working out her words.
“She waited until we were practically under attack to ask for help,” he snapped.
“Yeah, okay. So she didn’t trust a total stranger with her sister’s life. For all Tessa knew, you’d just kill her and be done with it. The only person that would ever miss her was locked up in the Legion’s prison,” Maddie pointed out. Damn, she was pretty good at this. Maybe she should have gone to law school or something.
“She waited almost two weeks, Madd. It wasn’t until after we were in bed together that she told me. Even after she’d discovered that we were fighting the same enemy,” Jace said. He clenched his jaw, stubborn to the end. Maddie waved a dismissive hand at him, causing his scowl to deepen.
“So she didn’t trust you soon enough. She made a judgment call, and it was wrong. You’re mad at her because she didn’t feel like you’d help save her sister.”
“Anyone who’s ever met me knows that I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress,” he said, rolling his eyes. Some of the anger had leaked out of his expression, which Maddie took as encouragement.
“Uh, no. Clearly you haven’t met yourself. You put off this vibe like some kind of heartless potential axe murderer. You’re too private, and you play your cards close to your chest. You’re basically a single girl’s nightmare.”
“You’re saying I should forgive her, just like that,” he said.
“Just like that. Think of it as the first step of letting go of the past, Jay.”
“And what if she won’t have me? I got in her face. I told her I hoped Shaw had her put down.”
Maddie’s jaw dropped for a second before she could school her expression. Clearing her throat, she tried to push the little burst of anger rising in her chest aside. Her brother really could be a cold-hearted bastard.
“I’m sure she knows you don’t really want that. And if she doesn’t, you’d better tell her. Make a grand gesture, you know? If she’s meant to be your mate, and I believe that she is, she’ll be able to forgive you. Like I said, she’s a hell of a lot tougher than she looks.”
Jace was quiet for a long moment, his expression one of reflection. He nodded, looking down at Maddie.
“Thank you,” he said at last.
“No problem. Now I have to take care of some things, so I’m gonna get going.”
“I hesitate to even ask where Jasper is at the moment,” Jace said.
“Jasper’s a big boy. He’ll be fine,” Maddie said with a smirk. She stood up, moving to the door.
“Madd,” Jace said as she was leaving.
“Yeah?” she said, turning back toward her brother.
“Don’t kill him unless he really deserves it,” Jace said, completely serious. Maddie chuckled and waved, then left him to his thoughts.
Maddie was equally absorbed in her own thoughts as she headed across the Grass. She had a lot of things to do and very l
ittle time to do them. She estimated that Jasper wouldn’t sleep much longer, and by the time he awoke she’d need to be ready to lay out their situation to him.
She was so embroiled in her thoughts that Maddie managed to crash into a very distracted-looking Tessa. Tension crackled between the two women in an instant, Maddie’s temper swelling and pushing at her to do something. She surprised herself by growling low in her throat, openly threatening the other Shifter.
Rage splashed over Tessa’s face, but just as quickly it was gone, replaced with a cool façade.
“I need to talk to your brother,” Tessa half-growled.
“I imagine you do,” Maddie said with a knowing smirk.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tessa snapped. She sounded darker, more primal than usual. It was like the wolf was talking for her, through her.
“I just spent a huge amount of my precious time and energy talking my brother into a relatively reasonable state. Do me a favor, and don’t fuck it up. Just get the mating thing out of the way,” Maddie said, her expression turning serious.
“I don’t care about mating. Shaw told me to fetch Jace, so I will. There’s nothing more to it. Now where is he?”
“In his office,” Maddie said with a shrug.
“And where is that?” Tessa said, trying to tamp down her frustration.
Maddie pointed to a smaller brick building beside the Armory.
“He’s on the first floor of the security offices.”
“Fine,” Tessa barked, leaving Maddie standing outside the infirmary.
Jesus. Maddie had just taken a major hit for the team, and her reward was getting that as a sister-in-law? Just great. Maddie sighed and headed to the Armory, hoping that this wasn’t a sign of how the rest of her day would go.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Finding Jace’s office wasn’t much of a challenge. His was the only door with a thin line of light seeping out the bottom. If she’d had any doubt whether it was his, the name COPELAND was on the door’s brass nameplate.
Tessa paused, trying to get a hold on her emotions. There was a drumming noise taking over her consciousness, intense and insistent. She felt her wolf stir, pleased at Tessa’s proximity to Jace. Tessa couldn’t even think enough to fight against the relief and pleasure creeping up on her.
She raised a hesitant hand, unsure if she should knock or just enter. The door swung open at the same time and Jace’s huge frame filled the doorway. Tessa had a heartbeat to look up at his face, to find his eyes dark with the same unbearable need she felt. He looked deranged, but she didn’t have time to be afraid.
Jace swept her up as if she were weightless, pressing his mouth against hers. The onslaught of his kiss was sudden and relentless, his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth. She moaned as her lips parted to give him access. His tongue swept over hers without pretense, rolling in the rhythm of his harsh need.
Tessa’s back hit something soft and she found herself pinned beneath Jace’s heavy form. She shifted and rolled her hips experimentally needing to be closer to him somehow. Jace broke the kiss and growled as he mirrored her movement, pressing his growing hardness against her softness.
Tessa let out a breathy mewl of pleasure and dug her hands into his gorgeous hair, writhing as she met his every thrust. Jace growled again into her neck and shifted for the barest moment. His hands brushed against the bare skin of her hip before Tessa realized that he’d untied her wrap dress to leave her in a lacy white bra and panties.
Tessa arched her back as Jace’s hand traced a path upward to her breast, searingly hot. He tugged the strap off her shoulder and pulled the bra down to free her right breast, then did the same with the left side. The second he’d freed her breasts, his big hands slid over them and cupped their fullness. Drawing a ragged breath, he nuzzled the creamy expanse of cleavage. The stubble on his face rasped over Tessa’s skin and she moaned, gripping his hair even harder. Jace began to add nips and licks to the nuzzling and Tessa thought for a moment she might die of pleasure. Then he turned his attentions to her nipple, flicking it lightly with his tongue before taking it in his mouth and sucking almost hard enough to cause her pain.
When Tessa cried out, Jace repeated his action on her other nipple, nipping and sucking. She became hyper aware of the dampness slowly spreading at the juncture of her thighs. Her body was in readiness and she didn’t want to wait a second longer.
She pushed against his chest, not expecting a real response. The next moment Jace was moving, somehow keeping Tessa pressed against his body and pulling her onto his seated lap. Her thighs spread as she slid down his lap to press against him, and her dampness pressed down on his cock through his jeans. She ground against him instinctively, her hands ripping at his t-shirt and yanking it up over his head. She didn’t even hear the material hit the floor because Jace was nuzzling her again, this time just where her neck met her shoulder.
Tessa ran her nails over his bare shoulders and back impatiently. She rocked her hips harder, eliciting a murmured curse from Jace. His hand grasped the hair at the back of her head and tugged firmly, forcing Tessa to further expose her neck to his ministrations. He nuzzled and licked mercilessly, and suddenly bit the side of her neck in a very tender spot. She convulsed and cried out again, loving his rough play.
He brought his hands down to her narrow ribcage and squeezed, just hard enough to make her exhale. The sensation heightened Tessa’s excitement even as it made her feel vulnerable, and she pounded her fist against his chest.
Jace slipped his hand down between them and brushed two big fingers against her softness through her panties. Tessa gasped and rolled her hips, trying to get him to touch her most sensitive spot. He pushed aside the scanty material of her panties, avoiding touching the throbbing ache he’d created and instead dipping his fingertips into her core. He probed gently, rubbing her own creamy response around to prepare her.
Then he slid a single large finger inside her, and Tessa nearly forgot to breathe. He gently worked his finger in and out before adding a second one, stretching her sheath slowly. Then he all but withdrew before sliding his fingers home forcefully, making Tessa let out her breath in little gasps as he did it several times. Jace slid his fingers deep and stroked her in a certain spot that had her toes curling as she cried out, shouting his name.
Tessa wanted to cry when he froze, then withdrew his fingers. He kissed her fiercely, then picked her up and moved to the side. Her reaction was nearly violent until he pulled her back onto his lap. As she straddled him, she realized that they were skin to skin now. He’d slipped his jeans off and at last nothing separated them. Tessa pressed down until the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance, and then she hesitated. She had never wanted anything so badly in her life, but her inexperience was a barrier between them. Biting her lip, she decided that the only thing to do was to press all the way down, taking all of his hardness at once.
As she started to move, though, Jace caught her hips and slowed the movement. She took him in just an inch before he eased her back up, and she protested. Jace growled and repeated the action until Tessa was panting, dripping with need. Then he slowly began to press her down further with each thrust, stretching her tightness in measures so that she could feel every exquisite inch of his penetration. Finally he slid all the way down his length, obviously fighting not to lose control.
Tessa couldn’t decide if she loved his control or hated it, but either way she needed more. Slipping her arms around his neck for balance, she began rolling her hips in a smooth rhythm. She could feel him struggle to keep her easy pace, shifting her body around as if he needed to find just the right angle before letting go.
He slanted Tessa’s body backwards and leaned back against the couch, and suddenly he was touching the same spot he’d reached with his fingers. She let out a breathy cry as a look of purely masculine smugness flashed over his features. He closed his eyes in concentration as he thrust into her, increasing the pressure as he his tip rubbed
that same sweet spot with every motion. Tessa’s toes curled again and every muscle in her body tensed so hard that she shook.
Tessa stared down at Jace, enraptured, as he made every thrust with precision and intent. She watched as he bit his lip, concentrating. She wanted to lean over and kiss him but she didn’t dare interfere with the wonderful heat spreading outward from her softness and reaching all the way to her fingertips and toes. Her inner muscles began to clench, and she was all hot need and fiery sensitivity.
“Oh God,” she said softly, feeling her body beginning to unravel.
Jace groaned but kept his pace steady, rubbing and pressing the spot that was threatening to push Tessa over the edge.
“You want it?” he growled, his thrusts becoming punishing.
“Yes,” she whispered, trying to pinpoint the storm about to erupt in her body.
“Louder, Tessa. Tell me you want it,” he said, his voice sending chills down her spine.
“I want it. Oh god, I want it,” she said.
“Now say my name. Tell me who owns you, Tessa,” he snarled.
“Oh god, Jace. Please,” she shouted.
“Tell me what you want,” he demanded.
“Make me come, Jace.”
In a flash of movement, Tessa was lying on her back with Jace inside her to the hilt. He adjusted, automatically homing in on the center of her pleasure and hammering into her heedlessly. Just as Tessa knew she would explode, his fingers rubbed her clitoris.
Waves of hot pleasure shot through her body as she cried out his name again. He was still pounding against her, keeping the ripples of sensation alive. His thrusts were frantic now, barely keeping a rhythm and swearing to himself.
Jace tensed and an inarticulate cry escaped him. Then Tessa felt a searing flash of pain at her neck as he pumped his seed inside of her mindlessly. Opening her eyes, Tessa saw that his mouth was smeared with blood and saliva. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was adrift, weightless, boneless.
