Wake Up Call

by Victora Ashley

  Once inside my bedroom, I shut the door behind me and leaned against the wall. My breathing quickened as I ran my fingers over my lips and closed my eyes. Jace's kiss still lingered on my lips, and the sweet taste of him had me on a high. My mind spun as I dropped to my knees and placed my head in my hands. What is wrong with me? Why do I want to scream?

  Suddenly, my bedroom door swung open to Jace standing there breathless. His bare chest was hot and wet from the sweat that covered his body and dripped down to the top of his low hanging jeans. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him. To feel the firmness of his bare skin under my fingertips.

  "Jace," I breathed.

  His eyes pierced through mine as he took a step toward me, causing my back to press up against the wall. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip and grabbed the back of my neck, wrapping his fingers in my hair. A gasp escaped my parted lips as he yanked my neck to the side, running his fingers over my skin, and grabbed my hip. "Do you want me?" he questioned, breathless.

  I stared at him in disbelief. I didn't know what to say and I was at a loss for words. "I don't...what?" I questioned, feeling lost.

  He stared me in the eye, walked me backwards, and softly pushed me onto the edge of my bed. He slowly laid down on top of me, spreading my legs, as he rubbed his hand up my right arm.

  The feel of him sent a shiver up my spine and caused my legs to shake as he placed his body between my open legs. His jaw clenched as he leaned in, placing his lips back to mine.

  His body pressed into me even more, causing us both to moan into each other’s mouths. Then with shaky hands, he reached under my skirt and gripped my thong in his hand. "I want you so bad," he whispered.

  I felt a surge of panic kick in, and without a second thought, I pushed Jace away. What does he want from me? The thought of having sex with Jace scared me, as I had never been scared before.

  Jace looked down at me breathless and dripping with sweat. "Did I do something? I'm sorry." He instantly removed his hands from my body and gave me a concerned look. "I would never do anything to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable."

  I turned my head away and suddenly my eyes filled with tears. I had been holding so much back and keeping so much from Jace that I could barely even breathe. "I just can't do this," I cried. "I'm sorry, Jace."

  He backed away from me and walked over to the wall. He placed his right arm against it and took a deep breath. "Don't be sorry," he whispered into his arm. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

  I slowly sat up and took a deep breath, looking down at my exposed panties. I pulled my skirt back down and then threw my hands over my face. My body jerked violently as the tears spilled out.

  Suddenly, I felt Jace's hands around my face as he pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head. He had a way with his hands and he always seemed to cup my face in them. It made me feel safe. "Please don't cry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you." He rubbed his thumb over my moist cheek and looked me in the eye. "I don't want you to be scared around me."

  I shook his hand away from my face and turned the other way. I hated the thought of Jace seeing me so vulnerable. I had been trying for so long to be strong. "I'm not," I swallowed. "It's not that I'm afraid of you or to be around you. It's that I'm afraid of getting hurt." I instantly blushed at revealing my feelings toward him. Ones that I wasn't even so sure of yet or what they even meant.

  Jace grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eye. Then he pursed his lips and gripped a handful of his hair in his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you. I wouldn't," he paused and bit his bottom lip. "I would never hurt you. I promise."

  Unable to stay away from Jace any longer, I leaned into him and gripped the back of his neck. I pulled him against me and rested my head on his shoulder. The comfort of his strong arms made me feel safe. "Thank you," I whispered.

  Jace smiled and then pulled me down so that we were both lying down on the bed. Then he reached out and pulled the blanket around us. "I'm staying in here with you," he whispered. Then he grabbed my cut hand and held it to his mouth. "Does it hurt?" His warm breath tickled my hand.

  My eyes wandered down to my hand and I shook my head. "No," I began. "It doesn't hurt. Not now at least."

  Jace smiled sweetly before he pulled my head down to his chest and sighed. "Can I ask you something without you getting upset?" he questioned, hesitantly.

  I felt my heart drop to my stomach. I couldn't say no to Jace after all that he had done for me. I owed him some answers. I took a deep breath and pushed my face further into his chest. "Sure," I whispered.

  The room was silent for a minute and I could tell that Jace was trying to figure out the best way to ask me. Perhaps he was afraid of me having some kind of meltdown that he wouldn't be able to handle. He shifted a little to the left before he bent down and kissed the top of my head. "Do you ever miss your parents? I mean... have you ever thought about going home?"

  My body stiffened in his arms and my heartbeat skyrocketed. "No," I blurted. "I mean no." I paused and gazed up at the ceiling. "My parents hurt me in ways that you will probably never understand."

  Jace clenched his jaw and his whole body stiffened. "I understand it more than you think," he said stiffly. "You saw my sister. Her life wasn't always like that." He paused and ran his hands through his messy hair. Then he let out a deep breath and chewed on his lip ring. "The way that my father was..." He swallowed. "That led my sister and me both to make some bad decisions, ones that we can never take back. I can never bring..." He stopped and pressed his hand to his forehead. I could almost see tears glisten in his eyes.

  I slowly sat up and looked into his hurt eyes. His eyes were so full of pain and grief that I somehow managed to forget about my own problems for once. I felt so hurt. Not for myself, but for him.

  I pulled myself closer to Jace and wrapped my arms around his body. I just wanted to feel him next to me. It gave me a kind of rush that I had never felt before.

  Jace pulled me closer to him so that his lips were against my neck, and we both laid there in a comfortable silence.

  Chapter 10

  I awoke the next morning wrapped tightly in Jace's strong arms. The feel of his skin against mine made me shiver as I rolled over and out of his grip. Again, I somehow managed to sleep through the whole night without a nightmare or even a thought of my parents. It almost seemed as if Jace kept the nightmares away. As crazy as that seemed, I almost believed it to be true.

  A small smile crossed my face as I reached over and shook Jace's shoulder. He looked so sexy lying there sleeping and I almost didn't even want to wake him up, but I knew that I didn't have a choice. "Good morning," I whispered.

  Jace slowly opened his eyes and stretched, a smile lit up his rugged features. Then he ran his hands over his chest and adjusted his pants. The bulge in his thin pants made me blush unwantedly, as I turned my eyes away. "What time is it?" He yawned.

  I glanced over at my phone, which had three missed calls from Caleb. I picked it up and cleared the screen off, not bothering to care what he wanted. It was best for him if I was out of his life anyhow. I did nothing but bring him down. "It's 10:30 a.m."

  Jace swiftly jumped up and crawled out of the bed, a worried look on his face. "Oh shit." He ran his hands over his face and yawned again. "We need to get ready for work and fast. The rush starts in thirty minutes." A smile crossed his handsome face before he leaned down and placed a short kiss on my lips, his breathing soft and even as he cupped my face. "I'll skip a shower so that you can take one. Meet me out front in twenty minutes."

  I shook my head still in shock from the kiss. I hadn't expected there to be more kissing involved and I had to admit that it shook me up. I bit my lip and scrambled across my room. "I'll be fast. I promise."

  Twenty minutes later, we were both ready and out the door. We hopped into his little black car and arrived at the diner with one minute to spare.

  The parking lot seemed very
empty for the diner to be busy, but Jace still seemed to rush over to the door, holding it open for us to walk in.

  We entered the diner to see Winston and Stacy casually leaning against the counter having conversation. Clearly, we'd beat the rush.

  Stacy grinned, flashing us her dimples as she ran over and threw her arms around me. She quickly pulled away and fixed her hair. "Guess who's coming to see me today?" She bit her bottom lip and waited for an answer. She looked so sweet and innocent.

  Jace and I both looked at each other and then back at Stacy confused. I suppose that it could've been the guy that she was dating, but I forgot his name, so decided to stay quiet.

  Stacy laughed and rolled her eyes. "William," she sang, grabbing her apron and tugging on it. "I saw him last night at a party and he said that you hadn't called him so I asked for his number."

  Jace rolled his eyes and headed toward the kitchen. "I think that I'll leave you girls alone." He laughed. "Just be ready for the rush." He looked somewhat relieved as he pushed the kitchen door open and disappeared.

  I threw my stuff on the waitress station and reached for my apron as it fell on the ground. "What happened to that...?" I froze when I noticed the letter lying on the ground right next to my apron. I had completely forgotten about the letter until then. The sight of it made me slightly uneasy.

  Stacy gripped my shoulder and arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Is everything okay?" she questioned. Her eyes anxiously watched mine as I pretended to not be bothered by the letter.

  Despite my efforts, my hand slightly shook as I grabbed for the letter and shoved it into the pocket of my apron. Then I quickly struggled with putting my apron on. My nerves were overworking, again. "I'm fine," I stammered. "It's nothing."

  Stacy tilted her head and pointed down at the little black apron. "Are you sure? What was on that piece of paper? Was that a letter?" She crossed her skinny arms over her chest and waited for an answer. "So?"

  Frustrated, I reached into the apron and gripped the letter in my hand. "It's just something that some crazy lady left for me a few days ago. I'm sure that it's nothing important," I explained.

  Stacy looked over as the door opened and a little stubby man walked in. His gray hair was long and messy as it covered his rosy cheeks. The man looked up with warm eyes and waved at Stacy. She waved back and shook her head. "I'll be right back. Don't think that I will forget about the letter," she grunted, and walked away.

  I watched Stacy as she greeted the old man and jotted down his order. The letter was now moist as I gripped it with sweaty hands and ran my fingers over the smooth paper. I wasn't sure why, but I had a bad feeling about the letter. There was something so familiar about the woman and the way she'd spoken to me.

  I jumped out of thought as Stacy snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Well…?"

  I sighed and pulled the letter from out of my apron. I stared down at it, causing my vision to blur. My head spun as I struggled to open the paper. "Fine! I'll read it, but I'm tossing it afterwards. Like I said, I'm sure that it means nothing." I slowly opened the letter and fought for breath as I read the words repeatedly.

  "Dammit, Avery," Stacy growled. "What does it say?" She gripped my shoulder and shook me. "You can tell me anything."

  I took the letter and crumbled it in my hands. I stared Stacy in the eye before I tossed it into the trash and walked away. I tried to look as calm as possible, but it was the impossible. I wanted to scream. "It's not important," I snapped, as she continued to follow me.

  Stacy grabbed my arm as I attempted to walk away. "Is that lady harassing you," she questioned. "We can report her."

  I shook her arm off and looked up to see Jace staring over at us. He leaned against the doorframe and studied my face, obviously wanting to know what all the commotion was about. "Is everything okay, Avery?" He lifted an eyebrow.

  I looked between the both of them before I took off and ran into the bathroom. I felt as if my whole world was crashing down around me and it was hard to breathe.

  I fell down to the floor of the bathroom and reached up with shaky hands to lock the door behind me. "Oh shit! Oh shit!" I gripped onto my messy hair and leaned into the door.

  "Avery," Jace said into the door. "Please let me help you. You can talk to me."

  I tightly closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was then that I realized that I wanted Jace's help. I needed his comfort. I almost craved it. I reached up and unlocked the door. Then I stood up and walked over to the sink, leaning against it.

  A few seconds later, the door opened and Jace walked in with a worried look on his face. He walked over and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. Then he looked me in the eye and sighed. "Tell me what's wrong."

  I looked into his green eyes and suddenly felt safe. As if he could make everything go away, but I knew that wasn't possible.

  I quickly looked away and prepared to tell him the story. "Remember that creepy lady from a few days ago?

  Jace just nodded in understanding.

  "She left me a letter the other day," I whispered. "I knew that I knew her from somewhere. I just knew it.” I slammed my fist into the sink at the memories.

  Jace's arms stiffened as he gripped onto my chin and forced me to look into his eyes. "Tell me," he demanded. "Who is she?"

  I closed my eyes and let out a soft cry. "She's my aunt," I cried. "My father's sister."

  Jace pulled me against his chest as my body trembled in fear. He ran his hands over the back of my head and pressed his lips against my hair. It made me want to cry even more. "I won't let them hurt you again," Jace said stiffly. "I promise," he whispered, his lips pressed into my hair.

  I felt my heart stop at his words. I looked up into Jace's eyes as he reached down and wiped the tears off my cheeks. I wanted to believe it. I really did. "I wish I could believe that," I whispered.

  Jace just sighed and held me closer.

  "Oh… is that right?" The sloppy woman crushed her face against mine while pressing her sharp fingernail into my forehead. She suddenly pressed with so much force that it caused my neck to bend into my father’s shoulder. "You little bitch," she spat. "You owe me some damn money. That shit is not cheap."

  I stiffened up and flared my nostrils as my father tightly gripped my hair and yanked me into the side of the bed. I attempted to reach out for the bedpost, but missed and ended up landing on the floor with my face pressed into the frame of the bed. I let out a soft cry as the pain shot through my body and caused my body to quake with fear. "Aunt Pam," I stammered. "I'm sorry."

  Aunt Pam gripped a handful of her stringy hair and shook her head back and forth. Then she bent down on one knee and looked me in the eye. Her eyes seemed distant and lifeless. "I don't give a shit." She turned away to face my hopped-up father. "Henry, I told you that you should've aborted that little bitch in the first place."

  Then next thing I knew her rough hand connected with the right side of my swollen face. "I will get you back someday. You will pay for this shit one way or another.

  "Avery."

  I shook my head, in a daze, and looked up to see Stacy standing just inches from my face. She delicately brushed her blond curls from out of her worried eyes and then reached out to grab my arm.

  Not wanting to be touched, I shook her arm off and ran my hands over my face. I was too shook up to handle being touched. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

  Stacy pursed her pink lips and placed her hands in the front of her apron. She stared at me for a few moments before she pulled her hands out of her apron and held out the crumpled up letter. She looked down at it with a pained look on her face. "I'm sorry, but I needed to know what this letter said. You're my friend and I care about you."

  My heart raced and I wanted to vomit.

  She smiled weakly and placed the letter into my open palm. "What does that mean," she questioned. "The letter said 'they know where you are and you will always belong to them. Love Aunt Pam.' please tell me. Are you in some kind of trouble?"
she questioned, with frightened eyes. "I'm here for you."

  My eyes wandered down to the letter and my heart dropped down to my feet. At least that was what it felt like.

  "I can't...," I mumbled. Then I ripped the letter up and shoved it back into the trash. I pushed it down to the bottom of the can and made sure that it was lost in the mess forever. "It's complicated and probably not worth your time. Just forget about it," I demanded.

  "But-"

  "I mean it." I cut in, looking up to see Winston poking his head out from the kitchen. His white hair covered most of his face as he attempted to hide. He thought he was slick. "I'm fine and we have work to do." I put on a fake smile and nodded my head. "We have a lot to do today. It's almost rush hour and Jace is depending on us."

  Stacy gripped my wrist and pulled me over to the corner by the waitress station. Then she grabbed my chin with her other hand and forced me to look her in the eye. "Listen here. You can resist all you want, but I won't give up so easily." She paused and tilted her head to the right. "I care about you. Jace cares about you. You will tell me what is wrong," she demanded.

  I forced my gaze away from Stacy's intense stare and looked down at my feet. I had never in my life had someone be so damn persistent and I wasn't sure how to handle it.

  Suddenly, my heart started aching. It felt as if it was being crushed. I didn't know what to do, so I freaked out. "You want to know what's wrong?" I shouted. "I'm a worthless piece of crap that came from a worthless family. Don't waste your time on me. You're too good." I paused to choke back the tears. "Jace is too good"

  Stacy's eyes went wide as she reached out and attempted to wipe the tears from off my face. It almost looked as if she were about to cry. "Avery-"

  "No! Don't," I breathed. "Don't worry about me. I've always known that this is all that I’ll ever be. Just a nobody." I slammed my fist onto the counter and then reached over, grabbing my purse off the waitress station, palms sweaty. "I'm out of-"