“Hey.” I heard him say, his voice gravelly with sleep.
“Hey.”
“I feel like I could sleep for a week.” He stretched his body out like a cat.
I yawned and moved off of him. “Well, we can do that.”
He looked at me strangely as if he knew something was off. Neither one of us could or would acknowledge it. Instead, we just got up and got ready for the day like we were a real couple. I threw on some cutoffs and a T-shirt over my black bikini, Jace wore black and white board shorts and an LTZ T-shirt.
In the light of day, I noticed that we were extremely isolated in the gorgeous, lush villa with a panoramic view of the lake. The house itself was magnificent, crafted from Italian marble and the finest finishes. Modern yet comfortable, the luxurious surroundings helped my mood improve significantly.
I vowed to enjoy my time with Jace, it would be a wonderful place to spend our last few days together.
We made our way to an exquisitely detailed tiled patio, filled with ceramic pots of flowering trees and bushes. Shielded by foliage, no prying paparazzi lenses would have a vantage point to spy on us. The cooks had prepared a wonderful spread of tapenade, crusty bread, fruit, and charcuterie. We devoured most of it while sipping crisp white wine on cushioned lawn chairs next to the clear, aqua infinity pool.
Satiated from our meal, Jace leaned back in his chair. His lips curled in a slight smile. Gahd. I was going to miss those dimples.
I got up, pulled off my T-shirt and shorts, dove into the crystal-blue water, and floated on my back, soaking up the sun’s warm rays on my face. I heard a splash and felt a spray of water shower over me. My eyes popped open to the vision of Jace—in all of his Viking God glory—swimming over to me. Towing him through the water to me, I could feel the hard planes of his abs against my flat stomach and his hard cock against my pussy.
“This place is amazing.” I threw my arms around his shoulders, linking them around his neck. “Thank you for setting this up.”
“I wanted us to be somewhere special for a few days.” Jace nuzzled my ear and soon we were hungrily devouring each other’s lips.
Swimming us to the side of the pool, Jace caged me against the rail. When he shifted his hips against my core, my legs hooked around the small of his back. I could now feel the full girth of his erection through his board shorts. Reaching down between us, I slipped my hand under his waistband and stroked him as we made out. His little groans coincided with each pass of my hand. Dipping under his arm, I guided him to turn around and change positions with me and then gestured for him to sit on the side of the pool.
He hoisted himself up and I pulled his swim trunks down and off his legs, then tossed them behind him on the patio. Gloriously naked, his muscled stomach flexed as he braced himself back on both arms, his feet dangling in the water on either side of my body. I stroked my palms up his granite thighs encouraging Jace to recline even farther. By the time he was leaning back on his elbows, his thick cock jutted proudly toward the sun.
“I’m going to suck on it.”
“Jesus.” Jace squeezed his eyes shut when, smacking my lips, I cupped his balls lightly and sucked the head of his cock into my mouth. His strong fingers threaded through my hair as I sucked and licked him thoroughly. Along his shaft, down along his sac, and along his perineum.
“Holy hell, that feels incredible. Jesus. Shit, Poppy. I’m gonna come so hard.” Jace rasped, his hips bucking against my lips.
I doubled down, running my tongue along his slit while my hand gripped him at the base. Laving him with my entire mouth, I wanted this to be the best blowjob of his life, something to remember me by. Jace tapped my head, gyrating wildly and pumping against my lips. Shaking my head, I hummed against his pulsing shaft and watched when he bit his lip, grimacing before he released a flood into my mouth with a shout. I swallowed every drop and tenderly licked him clean.
Jace flopped back, unable to speak, his arms thrown above his head. I rested my head on my hands, which were clutching the ledge in between his legs. My body remained submerged in the cool water, which was a relief against the hot temperature. After a while, he reached down and stroked my hair before he plunged into the pool next to me.
Like a shark, Jace sluiced through the water, only his eyes and the top of his head were visible. Giggling, I tried to push him away by his forehead, but he wrapped his arms around me and untied my bikini top and threw it up on the patio. His hands moved along my sides and down my hips and he untied my bottoms and they floated to the top of the pool.
When we were both naked, Jace dove under and swam in between my legs so that I was now back to his front. Wrapping his arms around me, his strong hands cupped my breasts, teasing my nipples with his thumbs.
“It’s your turn.” Jace bit my earlobe. His nipple teases turned to pinches, sending an ache of desire straight to my core.
Already, his cock had recuperated and was stiff against my ass. I tried to wiggle against him, but Jace held me firm, banding one arm across my stomach and swimming us over to the ladder at the side of the shallow end of the pool. Nuzzling my neck, he turned me around, so my back was against the steps.
He growled in my ear, “Grab the rail.”
I did.
Jace urged me backward up the steps until my pussy was level with his face and he licked me all along my seam. When he saw that I had a good grip, Jace cupped my ass so that both legs floated up and over his shoulders. Holy fucking Mary and Jesus, Jace used my weightlessness to move me against his lips and he devoured me like he was starving, feasting on my pussy from every angle and sucking and nipping at my clit in between.
The sensation of the sun beating on my body and the stimulation to my sex was completely otherworldly. I could barely keep my grip while he moved me back and forth against his mouth. My screams of unabashed pleasure filled the air when I came all over his face.
I was barely coherent when Jace flipped me over, so my arms were crossed but still gripping the ladder. Moving behind me, he held on to my calves and stepped on the bottom rung in between my legs. The crown of his cock pressed against my opening and he pushed all the way into me until I was completely full. Using the leverage of my legs, he balanced on the step and rocked me back and forth on his hard length. My nipples were diamond hard and crazily sensitive because of the movement against the rippling water.
Jace moaned my name and picked up the pace, changing angles until his cock dragged deliciously and repeatedly against the jackpot of nerves inside me. I whined when my inner walls convulsed against his shaft. He let go of my calves, gripped my hips, and slammed into me until I couldn’t tell my parts from his. I couldn’t stop coming, it was hard for me to tell if it was one long orgasm or multiples, but sex with him had never felt so intense.
Our cries of passion and pleasure were so loud, there was no possible way the staff and all the neighbors within a two-mile vicinity couldn’t have heard.
I didn’t even think about that until later.
Eventually, we came to Earth. Jace pulled out and cupped my exposed breasts until we found our footing on the floor of the pool. I turned in his arms and our lips met. He drew me flush to him by my waist. My arms encircled his neck as we kissed.
Jace looked down at me, his hair dripping down his face, his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “I really do love you.”
“I really do love you.” I nestled into his neck. I meant it, but I was unable to look him in the eye.
By then the sun had fallen behind the trees surrounding the villa. The pool felt more chilly than refreshing, and goosebumps broke out on my arms. Ever the gentleman, Jace jumped out of the water and grabbed the oversized beach towel that he wrapped around me when I climbed up our sex ladder. Fastening a towel around his waist, we walked back to our bedroom arm in arm.
After our loud pool activities, Jace sent away the staff—but not before ensuring that our fridge and cupboards were stocked with basic supplies. This left us truly alone. Our
chemistry was like wildfire, we had sex whenever the mood struck. Considering we were always naked, the mood struck often. We joked that we were living in a sex bubble because we never once left the villa grounds the entire week of our stay.
It was the first time Jace and I had a long stretch of time together alone with no other distractions. While I felt I knew him well, I learned small bits of information about his future plans and life outside of the band.
He mentioned settling in Seattle and wanting to start a family someday. I shared my own plans of buying acreage somewhere remote and opening my own horse rescue.
Oh, how I wished things were different.
As much as I adored Jace, those moments together were bittersweet because we just didn’t have the same idea of what the future held.
Chapter 13
JACE
My thoughts were on a continuous loop about how much I wanted Alex in my future.
Permanently.
Several times when we were at the villa, I nearly put all my cards on the table. Something held me back. Mainly, I sensed—or maybe worried—that she didn’t feel the same way. Or maybe, she wasn’t quite ready. It didn’t matter. My own uncertainty kept me from expressing my true feelings.
My friends-with-benefits relationship history and more than five years on the road failed to provide me with any clue how to successfully ask for what I wanted.
I knew I was falling into old habits by keeping my true feelings inside. Our attraction to each other was off the charts, and I didn’t want to do anything to ruin it. We literally could not stop having sex.
I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
She couldn’t keep her hands off me.
I wasn’t about to do or say anything that would spoil our long-awaited time together. Enjoying the hell out of her banging body in every room and in every position, was so much better than dealing with stupid feelings.
By our last night in the villa, I knew I wanted her—no, I needed her—to know how I felt.
We were out by the pool under heat lamps, naked in the moonlight. My golden girl was sprawled in front of me, wrapped in my arms in the cushy lawn chair. “I don’t want this to end, Alex.”
“I don’t either, but—” Her blue eyes seemed even bluer when illuminated by the water.
“No buts.”
“Jace, it’s not realistic.” Alex tried to squiggle away, but I kept her flush against me. “You’re already tied up for the next two years!”
“You can come with me.” I pleaded. “Let’s out ourselves.”
“I can’t just come with you.” Alex blew out a frustrated breath. “You know this. Don’t ask for something that isn’t even possible.”
“Let me talk to management, at some point I need to be able to have a life.” I was frustrated too. Did being a successful dude in a rock band really mean I couldn’t be with the woman I loved?
“I don’t want to be in a relationship when we are away from each other more than we are together,” Alex said as if reading my mind. “We’d end up hating each other. I don’t ever want to hate you.”
“I could be different now.” I insisted. “LTZ is at the top of the charts, I have more leverage to get a better life balance.”
“C’mon, Jace. I know you’ve been very successful with Z, but your next album is crucial. It will determine LTZ’s staying power.” Alex spoke quietly.
My heart started thumping.
She was totally right.
We lay in silence cuddled together for a long while. To someone observing us, we probably looked calm. Peaceful even. Not the case. The rollercoaster of fear and resolution in my head was anything but.
There was no way on Earth I’d leave my band. We were just finally making life-changing money. I couldn’t ask Alex to give up on what she had built either.
The entire situation was fucked.
“Jace, it’s okay,” Alex whispered, entwining her fingers with mine.
“Would you at least come back to Seattle with me?” I was desperate to hold on to her, which was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. For anyone.
“It will just postpone the inevitable.”
“So what?” I said petulantly. “It gives us another month.”
“You’ll be busy the whole time!” Alex sounded exasperated and annoyed with me. “It won’t matter if I’m there.”
“It will matter because I want you there. Please,” I begged, abhorring how weak I sounded.
Alex kissed the stubble under my chin. “Jace, I don’t ever want this to be over.”
“You don’t?” I gripped her tightly, wondering how Ty managed to ever get through five years of this heartbreak shit.
“I’ll come home for a visit. I gave up my flat in Belfast, and I need to see my folks anyway. But we can’t go on like this.” She was firm. “I have my own life, my own stuff. I can’t put my own work on the back-burner like I have for the past few months, or my momentum will change.”
“I’m sorry you made such a sacrifice to hang out with me.” I snarked.
Was it really such a fucking hardship?
“C’mon, don’t pick a fight tonight. I didn’t say that,” Alex soothed me. I realized that somehow our roles had reversed. “I’m just saying, don’t be the type of guy that expects his girl to drop everything she’s worked for.”
“I’m not that guy! I never expected that.”
“Let’s please just live in our awesome sex bubble for one more night?” Alex pleaded. She snuggled into my side and stroked my cock slowly. “We can hash through this in Seattle.”
“Fine. Okay,” I conceded as my dick grew under her touch.
And so we were able to compartmentalize our geography situation for the rest of the night and focus on each other. I memorized the details of her beautiful, lithe body with my fingers, hands, and lips. Every dimple, every freckle, every erogenous zone, every moan, every breath.
I wouldn’t allow any thought that we would break up enter into my mind. Not when every part of her body was touching every part of mine. Not when I was inside her and I didn’t know where she began, and I ended.
By the time we left the villa, I felt more confident that we’d figure it out.
I wasn’t prepared for it to all come crashing down around me.
Alex stayed behind for a couple of appearances and didn’t arrive in Seattle until I’d already been home for ten days. Our television production schedule was insane, and my promise of the endless hours we’d spend together in our hometown had been broken.
We were like ships in the night. I could feel the connection we had in Europe slipping away each minute. My body ached for her. My heart yearned to hold her and kiss her. To fuck her so she’d never forget me.
But our time was up.
Alex filled up her schedule and pulled away from me even more.
Which crushed my soul because I tried so hard to make time to see her. To find stolen moments. To bring her to the set. To have her stay over and at least eat breakfast together.
Instead, we were settling for a few nights of frantic sex, which wasn’t enough for me. I could tell it wasn’t enough for her either.
I was irritated. She deflated.
Our stupid secret love affair meant I had no one to talk to about my frustration. The rest of the guys, even Ty, were having a ball filming and were psyched to get back out on the road in South America.
For me, after having some time off in Italy, I wanted to stay home. It was exhausting thinking about the fact that we wouldn’t be back home for at least another year. Maybe more. The only thing I could do to free up my time was to finally turn over social media to Andrew and Sienna.
So I did.
As my departure date neared, Alex became even more distant. Almost like she was waiting for me to leave so we could just get the breakup over with and go our separate ways. I, in turn, became more clingy. It was like I couldn’t help myself calling and texting her all day.
Frantic to reassure her
we could keep our relationship going, I decided to try one last grand gesture.
Alex was visiting her dad on Bainbridge Island overnight, and I had the entire day to kill before her ferry arrived that evening. I called in a favor with my tattoo artist friend at Slave to the Needle and spent the day in Wallingford to incorporate a new design on my arm. Hours later, I was really pleased with the results.
I made a few stops before it was time to pick her up and get on with my plans.
When her ferry pulled to the dock, I was waiting with a giant bouquet of flowers I’d picked up at Pike Place Market. In homage to our time in Barcelona and London, and an attempt to be incognito in my hometown, I wore a Seattle Supersonics T-shirt, a Seattle Mariners baseball cap, and aviator sunglasses.
From my parking spot under the Alaskan Way Viaduct across from the dock, I saw Alex stride out of the terminal wearing her trademark T-shirt, jeans, and Frye boots. I stuck my head out the window to wave her over.
“Ohmygod.” Alex laughed when she saw my getup. “You are fucking adorable.”
“I’m a Seattle tourist!” I bowed deep and handed her the flowers.
Embracing me with her whole body, Alex breathed me in. “I never get sick of how good you smell.”
Not content with a hug, I cupped her head and threaded my fingers through her soft hair and pulled her toward me. Her lips parted and our tongues touched tentatively, then she opened for me and we had a proper kiss that turned into groping on my part. I couldn’t help but get carried away around her.
“Jace, wait. I have to tell you something,” Alex’s expression shuttered, and she stepped back from me.
“Nooooooo.” I shook my head and put my fingers in my ears.
Her face scrunched up. She seemed very stressed. “I’m serious.”
“Poppy, what is it?” Now I was worried.
Alex took a deep breath and gestured for me to get into the truck. She walked around and sat in the passenger seat, clasping her hands in her lap, looking forlorn.
“No, don’t break up with me,” I whispered.
“I’m late.” She puffed out air, ignoring my plea, but it was clear that she was trying to stop herself from crying.
LIMITLESS: A Less Than Zero Rockstar Romance: Book 2: Jace & Alex Page 15
