Carrie’s eyes widened. “But they handle your whole business.”
“Not anymore.” Jace gave a nod. “I’m moving all my business elsewhere.”
“But where, Jace?” Carrie stood and took a step toward him. “You need someone who knows what he’s doing. Otherwise, the prosecution will tear you to shreds.”
“I’m hiring the two best damn lawyers in the city.” Jace smiled and tucked a finger under Carrie’s chin. “Carrie Simmons and Sarah Evans. Starting now.”
When Sarah walked through the door of Jace’s penthouse, her usual lighthearted grin had been replaced by full-on depression. Her lips were turned down, and her eyes were red from what must have been previously-shed tears. Carrie knew how she felt. Both of them had lived and breathed Hanson, Allen, & Chase for most of their adult lives, and their futures had been ripped out from under them just when they were about to reach the height of their careers.
“Look,” Sarah said, spreading her arms to her sides as Jace poured the three of them very large glasses of wine. “I can swing by in the middle of the day because why? Because I no longer have a job, that’s why. Where’s that wine you promised me?”
Sarah swung toward Jace who passed her a glass with a polite smile. Carrie followed suit, and the three of them toasted to themselves, cheering to the total mess of their lives. At least they had each other. They were a team no matter what, and that was more than they could say for Walter Holt.
“So, what’s up?” Sarah asked after she’d swallowed the last drop of her wine. “I hope you didn’t call me over here for a pity party, because I don’t know if I can handle feeling sorry for myself much longer.”
Carrie glanced at Jace who gave her a nod. “Jace wants to hire you as his attorney.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Your father won’t be too happy about that. What about the firm?”
“I’m Jace Holt.” Jace gave them a slick smile. “I can hire whoever the hell I want, and I want the attorney who managed to get me out of jail before my trial.”
A smile broke out on Sarah’s tired face, and she stuck out a hand. “It’s a deal. You’re on.”
Jace held up his hands. “I need to warn you. This might not be pretty. When my father gets wind of this, he’s not going to be a very happy man.”
“Good.” Sarah’s smile widened. “I hope it gives him a hernia.”
Carrie couldn’t help but laugh as they poured more wine and toasted to the new partnership. They might be a ragged crew, and they might not have the resources and connections of a major firm, but she was certain Jace was better off in their hands than anywhere else.
Just as they were about to go for another round, a harsh pounding knock sounded on the penthouse door. Frowning, Jace’s eyes lifted to stare across the room, the lighthearted atmosphere suddenly replaced by a heavy sense of dread.
“Well, that certainly can’t be anything good,” he said quietly. “You two stay here. Get out of sight if anything goes wrong.”
“But…” Carrie began, but Jace gave her a piercing stare. He shook his head, and his meaning was clear. This was one of those points in time when he expected her to obey, and if she didn’t…well, she knew what would come next. She squirmed under his heated gaze, and she swallowed hard. Even in the tense moment, and even with Sarah standing right there, all she could think about was the way he’d bend her over and send thrills of pleasure through her entire being as he claimed her body as his.
“Holy shit, you two,” Sarah said with a sigh. “Do you really need to get a room at a time like this?”
“Sorry.” Carrie coughed and snapped her gaze away from Jace. Her cheeks felt warm as he moved past her toward the door, and she couldn’t help but watch his muscles shift underneath his shirt.
“Honestly,” Sarah said. “I know he’s hot and all, but you’re like a schoolgirl over him.”
Carrie edged closer to Sarah as Jace walked toward the door, dropping her voice into a low whisper. “He told me he loves me.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows and smiled. “Well, that’s a new development. I never knew he had it in him.”
Carrie couldn’t help but smile back. Despite everything going on, the fact the man she’d always loved had finally shared his feelings made all of it seem like just another hill they’d have to climb. It might be steep, but they would make it. As long as they had each other, it didn’t matter what the world threw their way. She was about to say as much to Sarah, but as Jace swung open the door, a new tension crackled through the room. And Carrie knew, without looking, who it was.
“Get out of my way, son,” Walter Holt barked from the hallway, shoving past Jace to stride into the room. He spun around like an angry bee, his eyes taking in Carrie, Sarah, and the three wine glasses on the kitchen island. His face turned beet red, and he pointed a stubby finger right at Sarah, who dug her nails into Carrie’s arm.
“You.” His voice dropped into a low growl, and he turned to Carrie next. “And you. Get out of my hotel. Now.”
“They will do no such thing.” Jace stepped in front of his father to block his agitated route toward Carrie and Sarah. “Despite your attempts to steal my assets right from under my nose, I’m still in control here. At least until your plan to lock me up in jail for the rest of my life pans out. But with two of Manhattan’s best on my side, I highly doubt you’re going to get what you want.”
The tension in the room rocketed up so high, Carrie was certain the air would crackle from the intensity of it. Jace and Walter stood at a standstill, staring each other while testosterone radiated off their bodies. Carrie held her breath, afraid to move. Jace had almost gone so far to accuse the man of what he’d done, and Walter didn’t look like he was about to take the remarks sitting down.
Sarah shifted by Carrie’s side. “Mr. Holt. We have confirmed that Jace is in full control of his assets while he’s awaiting his trial.”
“Bull. Shit,” Walter spit. “I know about the ankle tracker and about his conditions of bail. He’s as good as in jail in this scenario, and I won’t have him messing up this business anymore than he already has.”
“With all due respect sir,” Sarah said with a smirk that Carrie knew was pretty much the opposite of respect. “You’ll have to file a case against us if you don’t agree. I have to warn you, though, the contract was clear on its terms, and you’ll lose.”
As Walter Holt’s temple throbbed with his pulsing veins, Carrie wanted to let out a cheer for her best friend. It was a small victory, standing up to him like this, after everything he’d done to hurt Jace in every way he possibly could.
“This isn’t over.” Walter pushed his finger right into the middle of Jace’s chest. “You won’t be so smug when you’re sitting on death row.”
Jace held Carrie in his arms, wide awake. Moonlight from the outside world spread across the small of her back, highlighting the two small dimples above her perfectly-rounded ass. After his father had left, they’d made love as if they’d never see each other again, and now sleep was a distant mountain Jace was unable to climb. It was as far away from him as the streets below, the ankle bracelet trapping him inside his home.
Sarah had left hours earlier, more determined than ever to find some evidence to prove his father was involved with the murder and the set-up against him. But as smart and capable as Jace knew she was, he hated feeling trapped. There was little he could do except sit and wait, and his skin felt on edge at the thought of it.
He needed to be doing something.
With a sigh of frustration, Jace eased from the bed and left Carrie in her peaceful sleep. He paused for a moment at the door and let his eyes linger on her face. His heart beat harder in his chest. God, she was beautiful. No other woman in the world could compare to this woman who was his. Even now without a single shred of makeup on her face, without her heels and her styled hair, she looked absolutely perfect. Maybe even more so.
He slowly backed out of the room and headed for his home office, de
termination settling into his mind. His father wouldn’t get away with this. He wouldn’t let himself be taken away from the only woman he had ever loved.
Because even though Walter Holt was after his hotels and his accounts, that wasn’t the biggest thing Jace would lose if he was found guilty for his father’s crimes. His life with Carrie had only just begun, and an unending sentence in prison would take away the future he knew they both wanted.
Jace settled into his office chair and powered up his laptop. A future together. Despite his anger, Jace couldn’t help but smile. He’d never thought of himself as the type. After all his time spent building his empire of hotels, the bachelor life seemed to be the perfect fit to his only goal in life: build more and make more. But Carrie had knocked all that aside. He never wanted her to leave his side. He never wanted to wake up a morning without her there in his arms. She was his, and he was hers, and he’d do anything to keep it that way.
And if she wanted a proposal…Jace shook his head at himself. Could he actually be considering it? Yes, he thought. Yes, he could. When he thought about her perfect face, her easy smile, her beautiful eyes, and the way she looked at him as if he was the only man on Earth…he would do anything for her, including the one thing he never thought he’d do. If Carrie wanted to marry him, then by god, he would make her the happiest woman in the world.
Jace tapped a few keys on his laptop and smiled at the photos of rings that filled the screen.
Carrie rolled over and found Jace’s side of the bed cold and empty. Frowning, she wrapped the sheets around her shoulders and padded into the living room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She had no idea what time it was. It didn’t really matter if she woke up at 5:30 a.m. on the dot anymore. It wasn’t like she had anywhere to be. Last night, she’d decided—but hadn’t told him yet—that as long as Jace was cooped up in his penthouse, she would be, too.
It would be her show of solidarity. A way to show him that no matter what she was on his side. He liked to give off a bravado about his current situation, but deep down she knew it was slowly driving him mad.
“Jace?” she called out as she sniffed the delicious scent of roasting coffee on the air. A platter of bagels and cream cheese sat waiting for her, and she snatched one from a curved silver tray before settling onto one of the kitchen island stools.
“Morning beautiful. That sheet you’re wearing as a robe sure does suit you.” Jace appeared from the hallway, and Carrie’s breath caught in her throat just at the sight of him. The morning light fell across his face, highlighting the sharp angle of his cheekbones. His scruffy facial hair had grown out the past few days, and it enhanced his already ruggedly handsome face. He wore a loose pair of sweatpants that barely clung onto his hips. And he was shirtless, his smooth skin begging to be touched.
This man was hers, and he stared at her with such love in his eyes that it took her breath away. Emotion built up inside her chest, her heart squeezing as she fought against the worried thoughts that threatened to crowd inside her brain. She wasn’t sure what she’d done in her life to deserve a man like this, but she would do whatever she could to hold onto him. She wouldn’t let Walter Holt rip him away from her.
Jace crossed the room and gave her a long, lingering kiss that made her whole head fill with clouds. When he pulled back, he grabbed a bagel and some cream cheese from the tray before settling onto the stool beside her. “Sleep well?”
“I’ve never slept better,” she said before sinking her teeth into the dough. And it was the truth. Carrie had never been a particularly good sleeper. She’d stayed up late and gotten up early most of her life since she turned eighteen and went off to college. There was always more work to do. It never ended. And when there wasn’t anything pressing on her plate, she would lie awake in bed and stress about the next pile of work that would need to be done.
But not last night. Even with the world falling down around them, Carrie had found it easy to drift off into the land of sleep with Jace’s strong and comforting arms wrapped tight around her body. His familiar scent had filled her nose as he’d murmured loving words into her ears after hours of pleasure between the sheets.
“Why weren’t you in bed this morning?” Carrie asked after taking a sip of the hot beverage.
“I was looking into some things.” A smile slid across his lips that Carrie had never seen before. There was something mischievous about it, almost like a kid with his hand caught in his mother’s cookie jar.
Carrie cocked her head and pointed a finger at his chest. “Spill it. What have you been up to?”
“Okay,” he said, face suddenly going somber. “I’m not sure how you’re going to react, but I want you to keep an open mind. At least promise me you’ll think about it before you say no.”
“Jace.” Carrie’s heart began to thump harder. “You’re starting to scare me a little here.”
He sighed and shook his head, that lopsided smile returning to his usually stoic face. “Okay, here it is.”
Jace lifted the tray from the table and slid a piece of paper out from under it. He’d obviously placed it there earlier, ready for whenever Carrie sat down to eat breakfast. Crinkling her eyebrows, she glanced down and scanned the page. It looks liked a piece of stationary with a logo and a business name situated at the top in an elegant cursive font.
Simmons & Evans.
“Jace?” Carrie glanced up from the paper and met his sparkling eyes. “What’s this?”
“It’s your new letterhead. If you’ll accept it.”
“My new letterhead?” Carrie blinked down at the paper, confused. “Thanks, Jace, but I still don’t understand. Don’t I need an actual law firm to go along with it?”
Jace smiled and dropped his head to kiss Carrie’s cheek. “Of course you do. That’s what I’ve been doing all night.”
Carrie pulled back and placed her hands on his rock hard abs. “You were up all night…setting up your own law firm?”
“Your law firm. You’d be partners in it with Sarah. My part in it is just very small. I technically own it, but it’s yours.” Jace’s smiling face went serious. “It’s my fault both of you got fired from Hanson, Allen, & Chase, and I know how much being a lawyer means to you. So, I thought I would do something to make it up to you. The only logical conclusion was this. Everything has been settled. I’ve even found you office space on Madison Avenue. Whether or not you’ll accept this is up to you.”
“You…set me up a law firm.” Tears popped into Carrie’s eyes, and every emotion she’d ever had flooded through her veins. Never in a million years would she have dreamt Jace would do something like this for her. It was almost too much for her to comprehend, and all she could was sit there with her mouth hanging open, staring into Jace’s eyes.
She reached out and pressed her palm against his scruffy face and smiled. Her heart felt as if it had grown five sizes bigger, too big to be trapped inside her chest.
“Does this mean you’ll take it?” Jace asked, reaching up to wrap his fingers around her hand. “I was a little afraid you’d put up a fight.”
“Not on this, Jace Holt.” She pulled him closer, her whole body yearning to have his skin on hers. “This is the most thoughtful, most generous, most selfless thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.”
His smile widened as his eyes dropped to where the sheet barely covered her hardened nipples. “Oh, I think I know a better way you can thank me. Get back in bed.”
Jace met Carrie in the bedroom. Her skin glistened underneath the glow of the morning light spilling in from the windows. She was lying naked on the sheets, her gorgeous blue eyes open wide as he gently lowered himself on top of her. He hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted her to accept his offer until she’d wrapped her arms around him and thanked him for what he did.
Happiness radiated off her skin, and Jace felt three times the man he usually did. Making her happy was a better euphoria than all of the money, the hotels, the cars, and the private helicopters combined
. None of that could compare to the love he saw in her eyes.
Jace dropped his mouth onto hers, and Carrie snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him close. Her lips opened, eager and soft, and her hard nipples pressed into his chest. He felt himself go hard, the desire to be inside her taking over his mind. Carrie murmured against his lips and reached down to wrap her hand around his length.
Groaning, Jace breathed in her sweet scent and shuddered as her hand quickened against him. Just before he lost control, he pulled back and pinned her wrists over her head. “Not yet. I want to feel all of you first.”
Jace moved down her stomach, slowly trailing heated kisses in his wake. When he reached her pussy, the scent of her arousal filled his head. He pressed his hands against her thighs so that she was open to him, and his mouth found her sex. God, she tasted so good. He could spend hours with her legs wrapped around his head, never tiring of her taste and her scent. His tongue swirled against her, and she began to cry out, her pleasure climbing with each stroke of his mouth. Moments later, she was shuddering against his lips, and he relished the taste of her orgasm and the way she cried out his name as she reached the peak of desire.
When her panting had finally slowed, Jace eased his body back over her sweat-glistened skin and caught her mouth in his. She stared up at him, face euphoric from her pleasure.
“Jace,” she said, dragging her nails down his back as he shifted even closer. “I want you inside me. I want to feel you as much as I can.”
Jace gripped her hips and slowly slid his cock into her tight pussy. She was so wet and so perfect, it took all his self control not to come right then and there. She groaned and dug her nails harder into his back, and it began to drive him wild. His pace quickened, and he thrusted harder and harder. Carrie wrapped her legs around his waist and matched his pace with her own.
His entire head filled with his need, and he knew he couldn’t hold on any longer. She felt too good, she was so damn excited. All of it combined made him so hard he was about to explode.
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