He smirks. “Sounds like her.”
“We’ll have to get a photo and send it to her.”
“Deal.” He returns his attention to the menu, and when we’ve both decided on what we want, the waiter returns to take our order.
“Any word—” I begin but am interrupted by a tall brunette woman in a shockingly red dress with a slit up to the side of her hip. Her lips are painted the same red hue, and her blue eyes are pinned on Jace as she sets her hand on his shoulder and smiles.
“Jace, so lovely to see you.”
“Hello, Maria. This is—”
“I haven’t seen you around the hospital lately,” she says, clearly not interested in who I am.
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve been on leave.”
“Well, hopefully not for too long,” she says with a wink. “We need to arrange for another romp in the supply closet.”
Her blue eyes rake over him, from his face to his shoulders and dipping lower.
This isn’t like the girl flirting with him at the grocery store. No, that was harmless and even funny.
This isn’t funny.
He fucked her.
“Not going to happen, Maria,” he says, the smile gone from his face. “This is Joy, my girlfriend.”
“We’ll see,” she says, winks, then walks away, her hips swaying in her tight dress.
Before either of us can say anything at all, the waiter arrives with our dinner. He places the plates before us, offers freshly ground pepper, and tops off our champagne. I immediately drink half of my glass.
Jace’s eyes are pinned to mine, apology and anger shining in their depths. And frankly, I don’t know how I feel.
Embarrassed, which is stupid because I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. I’m surprised. And I suppose, reminded that I don’t know everything there is to know about Jace and his past.
Once the waiter is gone, neither of us reaches for our utensils to eat. I’m still sipping my drink, and Jace just watches me, his chest rising and falling as he breathes.
“I owe you an apology.”
“Why?” I ask, setting my glass down and reaching for my fork to dig into my chicken Alfredo. “Have you fucked her since we’ve been together?”
“Of course, not,” he says with a scowl.
“Well, then, you don’t have anything to apologize for.” I take a bite. “Because if we need to be sorry for every person we’ve slept with since we were nineteen, tonight isn’t the time for that.”
He narrows his eyes, and his hands curl into fists on the table. “No. It isn’t.”
I swallow hard and take another sip of my drink. “It’s also not your fault that she’s a bitch. And rude. That’s on her.”
“You’re entirely too calm about this.”
“Why?”
“Because if a man you’d been with had done what she did, I would have laid him out flat.”
I smile before taking another bite of my meal. “Well, I might have given a thought to breaking the hand that touched you.”
“That would have ruined her day,” he says, finally taking a bite of his own dinner. “And maybe her career as a surgeon.”
The fact that she’s a surgeon only twists the knife in my chest. I’m successful in my own right, and I don’t need to compare myself to her, but damn it.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.
“Do you?”
“I’d like to clarify some things so we can get on with our evening,” he says with a nod. “Because now it’s awkward, and that pisses me off.”
“Okay.” I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “Tell me.”
Jace reaches over for the bottle of champagne and fills my glass, instinctively knowing that I probably need it.
He’s right.
“She’s a surgeon at the hospital, and I’ve had sex with her exactly twice.”
“When was the last time?” I ask, holding my breath and watching his face, which doesn’t change in the slightest.
“Almost a year ago,” he replies immediately and reaches for my hand. “You’re right, we don’t need to go into who we’ve been with in the past. It might kill me. But she gave me no choice because she was rude to you, disrespectful, and made a show of touching me.”
“Really wishing I’d broken that hand,” I reply and then smile at him. His face is tense with worry, which only makes me love him more. “We’re fine, Jace. Really.”
“I’ll always be honest,” he says. “I don’t have secrets from you.”
“I know.”
It’s true. We don’t have secrets, and we don’t lie to each other. It’s one of the things I love the most about our relationship.
“My trust for you isn’t an issue,” I assure him. “My man is hot, I know that. I’m secure enough to not fly into a jealous rage every time someone hits on you.”
“You could fly into a tiny jealous rage,” he says with a laugh, the tension easing from his face. “It’s kind of hot.”
“I didn’t know what to do,” I admit. “The grocery store was easy. She didn’t do anything wrong. She saw a handsome guy and said hi. This woman was a different story. But she’s gone. I have the guy, and if she pulls anything again, I’ll punch her in the cunt.”
His eyes bulge, and he chokes on the bite of food he just took, making me smile smugly.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that word before.”
“We’re both full of surprises, aren’t we?”
“That was amazing,” I announce as we pull up to my house. The light on the porch is on, signaling that my dad was here to check on Angela and the puppies. “Seriously, all of the hype is well worth it.”
“Agreed,” he says with a grin as he follows me up to the front door. I reach out to unlock it, but he turns me to him, and right there on my porch, he grips my shoulders and lowers his mouth to mine, nibbling the corner of my lips seductively.
My knees are weak. My panties are soaked, and my nipples are hard and pressed against the fabric of my dress.
He kisses along my jawline to my ear, tugs the lobe with his teeth, and whispers, “Are you going to invite me in?”
“I didn’t know you needed an invitation.” I swallow hard, unable to take a deep breath. Jesus, he’s potent.
“It’s our first date,” he reminds me.
“Right.” I swallow again just before he drags his tongue along my lower lip. His hands roam over my back and move down to my ass, then slide up again, making it difficult to think. “Jace, would you like to come inside?”
“Very much.” He grins as I reach behind me for the handle, open the door, and stumble inside. I’m so turned on, I’m clumsy.
I set my clutch on the table by the door, then immediately tend to Angela. She’s whining, wanting to go outside. Once she’s back in and snuggled up to her babies, I turn to find Jace leaning his hip on the island countertop, his jacket already off, and his arms crossed over his chest.
“Is she taken care of?”
“Yeah.”
He nods, his eyes holding mine, and I’ve never been so nervous to be with him in my life. He’s suddenly taller, broader, more imposing than I remember. And the look in his eyes says we’re about to have a night that I’ll never forget.
He crosses to me and drags his fingertips up and down my upper arms, spreading goosebumps over my entire body. His fingers graze my collarbone and move up my neck until he’s cradling my face in his hands. I’m completely under his spell.
“You’re gorgeous, Joy.”
“So are you,” I breathe.
“I just have one request.” His lips brush mine softly. I’d promise him anything in this moment.
“What is it?”
“Take. This. Off.”
~Jace~
She’s tempted me all night. The dress skims over her curves deliciously, showing off her cleavage. I’ve wanted to kiss her there.
So, I do.
She gasps as I drag my
tongue over her sternum and up her neck.
“Keep the heels on,” I whisper against her lips before claiming them, teasing her with light kisses then deep ones, tangling my tongue with hers.
She peels the dress over her shoulders, and it drops to pool around her feet. She’s braless, wearing only a tiny scrap of lace as panties.
“I want to boost you onto this countertop and fuck you,” I inform her. A shiver rolls through her, and she nods, her mouth seeking mine as I lift her into my arms. “But I’m not going to.”
“Sad,” she pouts, making me grin.
“We need the bed for what I have in store.”
Her eyes flare with anticipation and need as I climb her stairs with her in my arms. When I reach her bed, I set her on her feet next to it.
“You’re too . . . dressed,” she informs me, but I catch her hands before they can unfasten my tie. Her eyes jump to mine as I kiss her fingertips.
“This is all about you.”
“Then I want you naked,” she insists, and I bite her fingertip, making her pupils dilate.
“I think you’ll be doing what you’re told tonight, my love.”
She doesn’t argue. Her pink lips part on a soft gasp, and as she stands before me, I drag my hands down her sides to catch the lace at her hips with my thumbs, then peel the panties down her legs. She kicks out of them. She’s finally naked, aside from the heels on her feet. I kiss her ankle and up the outside of her leg, my hand grazing the inside of the same thigh as I move, and smile when I find a she’s soaking wet between her legs.
“Good girl,” I whisper before planting an open-mouthed kiss on her hip. “This right here, Joy?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“This curvy hip is mine.”
She bites her lip, watching me as if she’s in a trance as I kiss my way over her belly to her navel and circle it with my nose. I push my fingers inside her and then still, simply filling her as my mouth feasts on her flesh.
“Sit,” I command. She follows orders well, scooting back on the bed until I’m kneeling between her legs, my fingers still inside her, and her heels planted on the linens. “Do you have any idea what you did to me tonight?”
She shakes her head no. “Tell me.”
“You make me lose myself,” I murmur, kissing up her belly to one perfect breast, the nipple tight and straining toward the ceiling. “Your body makes me ache.” I pluck the nipple with my lips. “I have a constant hard-on.”
“You’re welcome,” she whispers with a smile, and I tug the nipple again, harder this time, making her catch her breath.
“These breasts are mine, Joy.”
She nods wordlessly, and I make my way to the cleavage she’s had on display all night, dragging my nose down her smooth skin, then licking my way back up again. Her hips writhe, trying to make my fingers move and release the pressure I’m sure is building within her.
But I don’t oblige her yet. I will, in spades, just not quite yet.
“I fucking love your mouth,” I murmur against her lips, brushing against them softly. “Your lips are full and beautiful. And they feel so fucking good around my cock.”
She sticks out her tongue to brush my lower lip, and I about come in my pants.
Fuck me, she unarms me.
“This mouth is mine.”
“All yours,” she agrees before I lower my weight atop her, kissing her until we’re both breathless, then kissing her again. Her hands make their way into my hair, holding on tightly as she sighs, and I sink in deeper.
I make a come-here motion with my fingers, moving them inside her for the first time, and Joy’s hips jerk off the bed as she gasps and pulls on my hair.
“Oh, God.”
“So wet,” I whisper and trail my mouth down her jawline. “So tight. Have I mentioned how much I love your pussy?”
“Not today,” she manages, panting and writhing beneath me.
“Your pussy is what dreams are made of,” I tell her as I add my thumb to her clit and she cries out, giving in to the first orgasm of the evening, her body quaking and clenching around me. “And guess what it is?”
“Yours?”
“That’s right, baby. It’s mine.” I kiss down her body, moving quickly to replace my hand with my mouth. As soon as my tongue pushes inside her, she explodes again, crying out my name. “Good girl.”
“I can’t do any more,” she pants as she comes down from the high.
“Oh, you can. And you will.” I hurry to shrug out of my clothes, cursing myself for not doing it earlier because all I can think of now is sinking inside her until I’m blind. I kiss her leg, the underside of her knee, and smile when she whimpers. “Another hot spot?”
“My whole body is a fucking hot spot,” she says, her voice filled with confusion and frustration. “How do you do this to me?”
“It’s us, Joy.” Naked now, I cover her and cradle her head in my hands as I ease inside her as slowly as possible, giving her a moment to adjust to me. “I can guarantee you that it’s never been like this with anyone else.”
“Never,” she agrees, watching me with hot eyes as I bury myself balls-deep and brush my nose back and forth over hers. She hitches her knees up around my sides, spreading herself wider and making me sink farther into her.
“I don’t know where I end, and you begin anymore. And I’m not just talking about this.”
“I know,” she says, digging her nails into my shoulders as I begin to move. “I know.”
I link my fingers with hers and stretch our hands above her head, holding her down as I move in long, slow strokes, building us both toward orgasm. She pants, giving as good as she gets.
“Mine,” I growl, staring down into her eyes. “You. Are. Mine. All of you, every day.”
“Yes,” she says and arches her neck, drowning in her orgasm as another wave pulls her under. Her muscles bear down and milk me, and I can’t hold back any longer. I bury my face in her neck and grunt with my release.
“Mine,” I whisper before kissing her neck and letting go of her hands. She frames my face and smiles up at me.
“And you’re mine.”
“Knock-knock.”
I glance over at the front door, happily surprised to find Joy’s dad, Larry, standing at the screen, smiling at me. Nancy is sitting patiently at his side.
“Hey, come on in,” I call over. “Joy’s at work, but she should be home shortly.”
“I came to look in on this sweet girl,” he says as he looks into Angela’s whelping box and reaches in to pet the new mother behind the ears. “Look how pretty you are there. How are these babies doing?”
“Now I know where Joy gets her love of animals,” I say, wiping my hand on a towel.
“Never met an animal I didn’t like,” Larry agrees as he stands up, holding one of the puppies. Nancy sniffs and strains to see, so he shows her the little baby, then gives it a kiss on the head before giving it back to Angela. “I’m also glad that Joy isn’t here because I’d like to have a conversation with you.”
“Oh?” I cock a brow and toss the towel onto the countertop. “Would you like a beer?”
“Better not. I’m driving, and I’m a cheap date these days.” He chuckles and sits with me in the living room. “I hate to be a cliché, but I’m afraid I’m going to be anyway. I’d like to know what your intentions are with my daughter.”
I cross one ankle over a knee and take a deep breath. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Hell, it’s all I think about. So, I’m confident when I hold his gaze with mine and reply, “I’m going to marry her.”
His eyes widen, and his whole face lights up. “When did you ask her?”
“Well, I haven’t yet. I should say, I want to marry her.”
“Why in the hell haven’t you asked?”
I stand now, too keyed up to sit, and pace the room. “Because I feel like I should wait until this mess with the hospital is cleared up. How can I offer Joy a future when I don’t know for sure wh
at that future looks like?”
“Well, you’re not psychic, son. None of us knows what it looks like. Do you really think her love for you would change based on the outcome of the case?”
I turn and stare at him, surprised that he’d ask me that. “Of course, not.”
“Then I’ll ask again, what are you waiting for?”
I open my mouth, then close it again, and shrug. “I don’t know. I already bought her a ring, I’ve just been waiting for the right time.”
“Then you’re wasting time,” he says sadly. “Trust me when I say, there is less time in life than you’ll ever want. It’s never enough. I’d give anything to have just ten minutes back with my Elizabeth.”
“I know.”
“And you have the love of your life at your fingertips. If you want to marry her, marry her.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is.” He shrugs. “I don’t see where it’s difficult. That girl loves you like crazy.”
“I know.”
“Elizabeth and I knew from the day Joy brought you home all those years ago. You both insisted that you were just friends, but when you left that night, Elizabeth looked at me with that soft smile she had and said, ‘He’s the one for her.’”
I swallow hard, unsure what to say.
“She just knew things like that,” he continues. “She was usually right.”
“I’m sorry she’s not here.”
He nods once. “Me too, Jace. You have no idea. So, you marry my girl, and you have babies and enjoy every damn day of your life with her. You won’t find better than her.”
“I know it.”
“Daddy,” Joy says as she comes inside. She’s carrying files and breathing hard, and I know she didn’t hear anything before coming through the door. Joy isn’t one to hover. If she wanted to know what we were saying, she would have come in and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“Just chatting with Jace,” Larry says. “I came to look in on Angela.”
“She’s doing great,” Joy says with a smile, but it’s strained, and I want to know what’s wrong. “Some of the babies’ eyes are opening.”
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