“I should’ve noticed,” he whispers across my shoulder. I feel his fingertips lightly come up to dance across the healing wounds. He sounds so twisted with the pain I’m causing him.
I close my eyes to his words and actions. “I didn’t want you to know.”
And just like I’ve been stung, I step away and prevent him touching me anymore. I was beaten for a reason, and it wasn’t so I could end up here. I have seen what dark traits Clara beholds and with it, I have seen what she is capable of. And I cannot allow Jace to see those.
“I can’t do this,” I mutter under my breath and rush away, unable to do this to him. I have to pack to leave. I can’t allow him to do this for me. I have to leave and go back to my life as a Viper Girl. He has to have a chance at a happier future. I love him for giving me this opportunity, but the problem with our pasts is that they have a way of creeping up on us.
I can tolerate Josh coming back into my life and telling me the truth but I cannot survive Clara returning. I cannot bear to think of how life will be looking over my shoulder. Jace and I would be like Bonnie and Clyde, chased and hunted until death throws us apart. My position in The Viper Rooms makes the bounty far higher. We’re wanted, and in the eyes of Clara, we’ll be wanted fugitives.
I can hear Jace calling out to me. Feeling him begin to follow me, I know the shock has lessened. But I don’t stop, and I don’t look back. I need to leave, and I need to do it now. I need to go and grovel, tell Clara I had no say in this, that this wasn’t my idea. I’ve been reprimanded far too much lately to test the waters. I didn’t choose to rock the boat. I was forced to jump ship. It’s these thoughts that make me throw what minimal things I had unpacked back into the duffel bag. I had no idea, but Eli had packed my things and helped orchestrate this entire thing. I have to go back for his safety as well now.
“Where are you going?” Jace interrogates the moment he barges into the room. By which time I’m in a new flood of tears, my heart tearing itself to shreds in my chest.
“I can’t do this. I can’t,” I whisper, my tears wrecking me slowly, but I don’t stop making my way to the door with my poorly packed bag. “You brought me here, but you don’t realize what you’re risking. What you’re putting on the line.”
Jace stops me, blocking my way. “Tell me then,” he pressures me. “You didn’t tell me the truth before. Tell me now.”
“Your life,” I admit, and I see a part of clarity beckon forth in his eyes. I hiccup on the thought, but I bear down and master the words. “She told me-” I pause, I have to because it’s too hard to confront. He forces me to look at him, and the strength in his eyes compels me to admit the punishable future bestowed upon us. “She told me I would have to pick the way for you to be killed.” I see him wince, the horror flashing in his gorgeous eyes. “She gave me an ultimatum. End it or choose how I got to kill you.” I feel my body shudder. “Can you see why it was better for me to break your heart?”
“You broke my heart. There is no reason for her to think you’re with me. I quit the club, made damn sure it looked like I hated you.” He’s fighting for me, fiercer than ever. “We got out. You look like a runaway again, Lee. You did it once when times got tough, she had to know you were capable of doing it again.”
“This is different.” I heave in a deep breath. “I didn’t have a life bound to you when she found me. And I can’t handle being the one thing who jeopardizes you.” I feel my shoulders slacken, and I soften as I admit what’s in my heart. “I just want you to have a safer future, Jace, and if that’s without me, then so be it. I won’t risk ruining your future just because I love you.”
“But I love you too.” His tone cuts me deep. “So it isn’t easy to just cut a loss and run, Joely! I’m a counterpart in this. I forced you here, and I know the dangers, so will you just give this a chance. It’s going to be difficult, but I know if we have each other, it’ll be worth it. So don’t leave.”
I nod a little, still reluctant to his claim. I allow him to take my bag. I look at the bed as he sets it down and starts to unpack for me. Jace won’t ever let me leave him as easily as he had, and I’m not sure I could make myself go through that again. As he pulls the extravagant dress I stripped out of two hours ago, something else flies out with it.
We’re both left looking down at the tied up piano string.
“You kept it?” he asks me, his voice stolen with his shock.
“I deserved to be reminded,” I solemnly admit. I hate feeling so heavily to blame, but it’s all I’ve really known. When life goes wrong, it’s usually my fault – killing Dylan was and breaking Jace’s heart was. Now I know that neither were my doing.
“Joely,” Jace breathes, stepping toward me. When I look back, he’s before me. His body is right in front of me, and his gaze is settled firmly on me. “You are never leaving me again. I won’t let you. Whatever happens, it happens to us both.”
I don’t have time to argue. When his lips crash down upon mine, I feel my world begin to revolve once again.
Chapter Three
I’m cutting up fruit, getting it ready for breakfast, listening to the waves crashing against the sandy shoreline. It’s a noise I cannot adjust to. I lived three years in the middle of a busy city, life pumping around me twenty-four-seven. It was a life I drowned in, allowed it to consume every aspect of me. Now, there are barely any noises apart from the waves, my content heartbeat, and Jace’s kisses. There’s a different sense of isolation among us.
Just the thought of total seclusion with Jace forces me to release a heavily sigh.
“What are you thinking about?” Jace asks, breaking me from my peaceful reverie with a kiss to the neck.
“You,” I tell him, shrugging him off me so I can turn to face him.
“Me?” he queries, and I nod, biting my lip impishly. “Why me?”
I just giggle, while I take a step toward him, my hands skimming across his chest. “You’re in my every inappropriate thought, Mr. Mason.”
His face ignites wickedly as I finish my sentence, my underlying lustful tone hitting him perfectly as my hand falls upon his chest, right above his heart. I feel the gentle beat beneath my palm, and my body comes to life with a tantalizing heat. But I have to ignore it, because today we start our new life and we head to Australia. I cannot miss the welcome shot to our newer, palpable start.
“Now let me finish breakfast,” I teasingly push him away. I’m exerting my willpower, knowing I want nothing more than to allow him to take me against the kitchen counter.
He doesn’t leave me alone for long. I’m back by the cutting board when he steps in behind me once again, his hands pushing down my arms as I cut up a mango.
“You ready to leave later?” he asks me as I toss the mango into a bowl and pick up the bowl of berries beside it.
“I am. Well, I think I am!” I chirp and swivel around in his grasp. I face him, a strawberry between my fingers, the bowl in my other hand. “What time is the flight?”
“Eleven,” he comments, his seriousness taking over. “So we need to look at leaving soon.”
“Sounds good,” I agree and take a bite of the strawberry. I groan at how deliciously fresh it tastes and put it up to Jace’s lips for him to take a bite. I start to allow my brain to concoct a list of whether I’ve packed everything or if I’ve left anything out that I don’t essentially need.
Taking my moment of mental oblivion, Jace presses his lips to me. They’re tainted with the taste of the delicious fruit. It’s just sweet, sweet strawberry kisses that make my mind lose all manner of concentration. I groan in pleasure and weaken against him. My hands brace me against him as I sink deeper into this beloved rapture that swirls and twirls around us.
Dragging himself away, his lips hovering above mine, and he speaks, “You’re all packed. Your toothbrush is still in the bathroom, so is your makeup bag and deodorant. The only clothes left out are the ones you planned to wear, and the ones I’m about to take off you.”
As he goes to take my top off, I stop him. “Do not start something we don’t have time to finish.” I’m scolding him, but I don’t want a quick moment of lust. We had too many of them when my life was under Clara’s control. Now I can be indulgent and enjoy every single second of sex with Jace. It’s not for stress relief or because we won’t get a chance any other time. Now it’s about isolation and having the freedom to just worship and learn every inch of the other.
“I think we need to eat and get ourselves ready,” he counters, drawing away from the lustfulness we nearly fell into. “Just remember that all this pent up heat in me has to erupt at some point.”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” I promise him with a short laugh. “I just don’t want to delay this any longer. Seven months has been long enough.”
“I know.” His face drags into a scowl, his lips puckering into a frown. “I forgot to tell you we have one final stop before we head for Australia.”
“Oh?” I question in a monosyllabic way. I’m slightly confused over this sudden game change. “What for exactly?”
Now I see the scowl loosen, the twinkle in his eyes appearing as a cheeky grin ignites upon his face. He leans in, giving the illusion he’ll kiss me, but he doesn’t. “That would be telling.” He then separates our bodies, walking away.
“Jace!” I yell in a heated manner. “What are we doing before we fly to Australia?”
He doesn’t look back, just walks toward the large spiral staircase. He continues to leave me, only shouting over his shoulder to allow me some enlightenment. “You’ll find out at the airport!”
I pop a few blueberries into my mouth and run after him. I intend to get all my things together, all the while trying to beat him down! I run after him, swallowing my food in order to scream after Jace. He cannot tell me this then walk away without a single clue. When I catch up, he’s entering the master bedroom. I watch him pull his top up, throwing it into his suitcase, and I stand at the door. He’s ready to get going, but I’m not sure I’m ready to leave without getting a single hint.
“If we’re jumping onto a plane and heading somewhere before Australia, give me a clue!” I’m begging, and I’m not far off from dropping to my knees and clasping my hands together to plea some more. “Just one,” I plead, putting a finger in the air. I pout a little as I approach him.
He rolls his eyes as he admits defeat and relents. “It’s hot there,” he states plainly, and I allow my shoulders to slump.
“Really?” I ask. “That’s all I get?” He gives me a simple nod in the affirmative, and I hit him playfully. “You’re hot, but that doesn’t mean I’m jumping you.”
“I told you once, and I’ll tell you again, Sweetheart, you cannot execute control.” He’s teasing me, baiting me for a reaction. “I know right now, that look in your eyes, is telling me you wish you could have me, right here, right now. You’re thinking that if you give me a little loving I’ll break and tell you. Well I’ll let you know right now, Joely, I know how to work with control and having you all over my body won’t break that.”
I’m always one for a challenge, so I shrug my shoulders and tilt my head playfully to the side. “Nothing wrong with trying.” I literally pounce at him, feral and out of control. I don’t care about exhibiting control, I just care about finding out where we’re headed.
As we fall onto the bed, kissing and indulging, I don’t care about this penultimate destination or the time. I just care about having another memory with Jace.
***
It didn’t work.
My plan of kissing him into submission failed so I’ve been gawping at the check-in board for far too long after learning of that golden destination that awaits us. I can hear Jace chuckling beside me as the penny dropped and realization hit me full throttle. After leaving ten minutes behind schedule we made it to the airport in record time and still find the line for our check-in practically empty.
That gave me time to be curious and see what the secretive stop was. I’ve already been to places I had never thought I’d go, so this final spot has me overwhelmed.
Jace has been moving me forward in my shocked state, but now he’s standing with our passports and tickets, and I feel like my mind is seeing something that isn’t there. This has to be an illusion.
“Barbados?!” I shriek my question at him. This is a change of plans I wasn’t expecting.
“Yeah,” he tells me emotionlessly, not at all affected by my outburst. “Didn’t I tell you we had to make this stop?”
“No!” I shout at him, my excitement is bubbling up horribly fast. I can feel my body beginning to shake, my cheeks beginning to cramp with the ever-growing smile I have. I watch as Jace hands our passports over before I unleash myself upon him. I leap at him, barely giving him chance to catch me, as I wrap my arms around his neck. “This is a surprise I wasn’t expecting!”
“That’s the whole point of surprises, Lee,” he jokes and kisses me. “Now, let me go so I can check us in, and we can finish this little vacation before we start our life together.”
I hand over our suitcases and watch as they are tagged and disappear before we’re directed to our departure gate. I have an excitable spring in my step, and as I take Jace’s hand in mine, I’m excited for the finale of this vacation.
What does a girl love more than white sandy beaches, clear blue oceans, and the man she loves?
Nothing, that’s what! An absolute moron would think otherwise.
I try to downplay my animated exhilaration over this, but I’m losing the battle. I can see Jace is tiring of finding ways to calm me down.
“So what is our plan when we get to Barbados?” I ask him curiously. “The heat here is making me want to jump in a pool.”
“Oh, the pool at our house there will have you jumping in fully clothed,” he responds, relaxing further into his seat. “Do you want to know why I chose to do this one final stop?”
“Why?” I ask, clueless on the matter. It’s just another spot on the map, another place to hide. I’m wondering if the ulterior motive Jace did this with will thrill me.
“I wanted you to have a place to say you went to with me for fun. Not because we had to, or because we had to keep our heads down. I want you to remember Barbados as our first vacation together.”
As my heart swells in my chest, I stand up, go, and sit on his lap. He catches me as I fall gently onto him, and I just look at him. “Jace, the moment we stepped foot in Miami I felt like we were on a permanent vacation. Sure, I’ve been panicked about the backlash, but you took me to beautiful places and loved me unequivocally. We weren’t a couple on the run.” My comments are laced with truths, no lies to reside in them, and they never will. I’ll never regret this turn in my life. “We’re like Bonnie and Clyde remember?” I quip sarcastically.
He laughs heartedly. “Can we avoid the deadly end?”
“That was the plan,” I tell him and lower my head to drop a kiss upon his lips. “You have made my life truly amazing and that was because you gave me a second chance when I didn’t deserve it.” I see his eyes dim, the sparkle disappearing. I know he’s going to argue, so I press my index finger to his lips. “I’ve found myself in some tight predicaments, but the one I found myself in with you, Jace, was killer. Not because of either of us, but I believed everything that woman said to me which almost caused me to lose out on this little piece of happiness.” I remove my finger, but only once the light returns to his perfectly blue lenses.
“I’d have come back for you anyway. Missing out on that little piece of happiness is as much my loss as it is yours.” He just gives me a small, reassuring smile, but we’re halted from our sentimental moment when our flight is announced. “That’s our flight.” His grins at me again, and I copy him.
I clamber off his lap and wait for him to stand. He takes my hand again and we head off to our gate.
***
I’ve been restless the entire way here. Two hours of first class, and I’m already wait
ing for fresh air. I have angry anticipation in me, like my body is living on the edge, full of tenterhooks. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This is no different from when Jace and I first fled. We went to the house on Fire Island, then fled before dawn to head down to Miami. We left there after a week and ran around the Bahamas. We slept, ate, and lived like tourists. We found ourselves learning life with one another without the reaping that came with my job. I wasn’t Joely, the head Viper Girl. I was just Joely, Jace’s fiancée. I was a person, not a thing. My purpose wasn’t to give someone else a life; it was to give myself a life. This life liberates me, but I still get antsy when we board a plane ready for the flight to a new life.
I’ve seen so many things I never had the opportunity to. Jace flew us to Cuba where we traveled for a little while and then we headed to Mexico. Jace had this well planned, he didn’t want us to have a predictable line taking us from place to place. He wanted us bouncing between continents, making our next country a surprise. We headed through Mexico to Costa Rica before we flew to Jamaica and landed in the Dominican Republic.
Our last seven months left us well traveled and content. I worried about money, panicked that because of me, I would run Jace’s bank account dry. I didn’t tell him that, but one night I overheard a conversation, and my heart blossomed in my chest at how much Jace did this out of love. He’s been consulting on jobs, keeping the money coming in. When I questioned him, he told me one of the things that has never left my mind.
“Money means nothing to me, Lee. You mean everything. I’d bleed myself dry to keep you away from that hell.”
The Runaway Viper (Viper #2) Page 2