Jace

by T. A. Grey

  “Listen, there are some things you don’t know about me, but I need you to trust me. I know you’re in danger and I want to help.”

  “Why is that?” she suddenly asked. All the fear and anxiety from yesterday and today was twisting inside of her belly into a knot of anger.

  “Because I think your ex is dangerous and will likely hurt you if he can.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean. You’re doing this job for free. I was so caught up in,” she thought of their kiss, “other things, that I didn’t even ask. Why are you willing to help me for free?”

  Jace scowled, looking like he really didn’t want to answer that question.

  “Well?” She wanted to hear him say it, not so she could be angry with him, but so that when she remembered him months from now, she’d know he really had wanted her.

  “I like you,” he said. He started to say more but stopped.

  “Go on, tell me.” She crossed her arms.

  A reluctant smile pulled at his lips like he was helpless to smile. “What can I say? You’re gorgeous, and if I can get you in bed I’m going to do it.”

  Holy hell.

  Things just took a turn for the what-the-fuck. Mara had never had a man speak to her like that. And he did it with that loopy smile on his face while looking hot and bloody.

  “Really?” her voice squeaked.

  Before he could say anything, Tia came out of the car. “I’m not sitting here all night, girl. Are we going or what?”

  Mara nibbled on her lip. She was still angry at what she’d seen, angry that Jace wasn’t who she thought he was. And she was sad that Corey was here, sad that her car was trashed, sorry that she’d ever met this man because for a brief moment she’d considered him for position in her life as the “one”.

  But now she saw that couldn’t be true. She would not get into a relationship with another a man who used his fists in any way.

  “Yeah, we’re going.” She turned toward the car, but his voice stopped her.

  “Wait, Mara!”

  Just looking at him made her chest feel weird like she was suffocating. It shouldn’t feel this way, not so soon after meeting someone. But after that kiss she felt like she’d known him for ages.

  “I’m following you home. I’ll be outside your house tonight. Lock up all your windows and doors. If you need anything, call me.”

  Mara shook her head wildly. “Hold on. What’s going on here? Didn’t I already fire you?”

  “I think she did,” Tia said.

  “Right, I fired you,” Mara told him.

  “You can’t fire a free employee,” Jace said, a scowl on his face. She hated the fact that they stood here talking like this instead of smiling and kissing like she wanted to be. But the blood on his hands could not be ignored.

  “I did. Goodbye now, Jace.”

  Tia got back in the car. Mara grabbed the door handle but was pulled away. Jace immediately let her go and stepped back a clear foot at her outraged expression. He threw his hands up defensively. “We’re not done talking about this and I don’t care what you say. You’d be stupid to turn down my help. I saw Corey’s police record.”

  Mara sucked in a breath as her voice rose with anger. “We’re done here. I’d be stupid to be around you any longer than I already have. I don’t care about Corey’s fucking police record. I heard all about it afterward, okay? How much of a nut he was his whole life. Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to police records before we started dating or I would have stayed away from him!” She breathed hard. She’d been yelling. Humiliation quickly settled in.

  Jace spoke in an irritatingly calm voice. “You might have seen his police record, but what I’m talking about has been much more recent, Mara.”

  “What are you talking about?” She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to fight. She just wanted to go home and cry in the tub for the rest of her life.

  Jace crossed his arms. “Three months ago, Corey Williams was seen with Melody Dempshire, a seventeen-year-old girl from Connecticut. He’s wanted for questioning in her disappearance. The police can’t seem to find him anywhere though. He’s not back home, Mara.”

  Mara gasped. She’d thought things couldn’t get worse; no way. Corey might have killed someone.

  “That’s not even the only trouble he’s been in since you left him. That’s just the most disturbing.”

  Mara found herself nodding, agreeing with him.

  “Until we get proof he’s stalking you, you need help. It’s no longer an offer, Mara. You’re getting my help whether you like it or not.”

  “Well, I don’t like it, and I’ll go stay with Tia until I can get things squared away.” Her voice broke on the away. She didn’t want to move, but there was no question she had to now. She wanted to stay in her adorable little house tucked in between a copse of trees. Things can never stay good for long. She’d had seven months of reprieve from Corey. Maybe this is just how life was going to be from now on. She’d set roots down in some city, Corey would come along and terrify her, and then she’d pack and move to another city to do it all over again. Of course, there was always the scenario most likely to happen—the one where Corey finally kills her.

  “No, you’re not.”

  She faced him head on, anger bubbling up. “Excuse me? Since when do you get a say in what I do with my life? Oh right; never.”

  Jace gazed around the parking lot looking irritated. “We shouldn’t talk about this here. Let’s go to your place. I’m driving you so tell your friend goodnight.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath as her jaw fell open. “Are you seriously trying to bully me right now, Jace? What gives you the right?” Her voice was far too loud for an intimate conversation. A few passersby watched the scene.

  His eyes dipped to her mouth. With that one look she remembered the kiss, the electric feel of his lips against hers, pressing inside and tasting. He cupped her cheek so softly she almost didn’t feel the caress. “What gave me the right is when you came out of your seat and kissed me.”

  Mara gasped as his thumb moved over and pressed to the corner of her mouth just barely touching her lips. Her lips trembled with the need to kiss that thumb, to dart out her tongue and lick him, nibble the thick pad. Then he moved his thumb to push against her lips. His gaze was dark as he pushed in softly. There was no stopping her next action; it was involuntary—she couldn’t stop it.

  Her mouth opened to allow his thumb in and then she bit down on the tip of his finger, not enough to hurt, but firmly.

  “Mara.” His voice choked. He pulled his hand away and held it at his side, fingers wiggling. They both struggled to catch their breaths.

  “I won’t be around someone who can do that,” she managed to say.

  He looked at his bloody hands. “I’ve never hit a woman in my life.” He put some distance between them. He still felt entirely too close. “I’m a bodyguard, Mara. When a guy attacks my client, I intervene.”

  “And do you always intervene to the point that you went to in there? Beating a drunk idiot to a pulp?”

  The clench of his jaw said it all—no. Something had made him lose control.

  “I don’t know what your history is and I don’t care because I’m going home,” Mara said.

  Now he took a step closer to her. “And I’m coming with you.”

  “No!”

  “Yes,” he said between gritted teeth.

  Tia lowered the passenger window, and said, “Mara, are you coming or not? He’ll keep you safe, so I have no problem leaving you with this boy.”

  Mara moved to the car, but Jace slipped his arm around her waist, catching her. Whereas the creepy bar guy’s arm had made her skin crawl, Jace’s touch made her tingle with awareness along every nerve ending.

  “I’ll be taking her home. Thanks, Tia.” Jace even managed to give Tia a tight-lipped smile, although it looked more like a grimace.

  Tia stared at Mara. “Tell me yes or no. I’ll call the police if I have to. Just
tell me what you want.”

  This was entirely too much for one day. Mara snapped. “I don’t know what to do!”

  Tia rolled her eyes. “Let the bodyguard do his job then. Call me if you need me. Bye, bye darling.” She pulled away, leaving Mara standing alone with Jace Mathews.

  “This is bad,” Mara said.

  Jace was staring at the concrete lost in thought.

  That gave her a moment to study his shirt. He had a white polo on with an open collar. It wasn’t what he’d been wearing earlier that day. It looked good on him, showed off his golden skin.

  “I know you hate me right now, but we can’t stay here any longer out in the open like this. Let’s go.”

  Mara found herself inside his big black truck with him behind the steering wheel. It didn’t feel nearly as comfortable as it had the first time she sat in it. In seconds they took off. A part of her almost leapt for joy—finally she was going home.

  “I’m not hiring you. I won’t use your services, free or not.” She couldn’t. It was too risky. What if she lost her heart to him and wound up with another Corey? What an idiot she’d be, how weak.

  “Fine.”

  She turned to face him, her voice loud from anger. “What do you mean, fine?”

  “I don’t need your permission to protect you.”

  She snorted. “I’ll call the police and have you arrested for harassment.”

  He gave her a sideways look that said try it. “First off, you wouldn’t do that because you’re a good person and that’s too mean for you—” she blushed fiercely at the strange compliment, “—and secondly, you won’t be able to shake me. I’m too good and if for some reason I lose you, I have a whole team of professionals available at my call.”

  “Oh, aren’t you fancy,” she said under her breath.

  Jace strangled the steering wheel. “Mara, damn it, I’m sorry for what you saw back there. But when I walked in, I saw him a man hit you. He needed to be put down, so I did it. Next time, he’ll hesitate before making an ass out of himself.”

  “Are you even listening to what you’re saying? ‘He needed to be put down.’ This isn’t a rabid dog you’re talking about, it’s a human being.”

  His eyes flashed irritation “I guess you’d prefer I stood by and watch him hit you again? Maybe wait until he broke skin open before I intervened? Then maybe I could politely ask him to leave the building, buy him a free drink to calm him down, and escort him outside while patting his back. Yeah, I’m sure that would have worked, sweetheart.”

  Mara sucked in a breath and faced him. “I hate you!” She wanted to say so much more. She wanted to say she wasn’t that mad about him saving her. Not really. But she couldn’t tell him what this was really about. No way, ever. Because the reason it hurt so much to be sitting next to him right now was the disappointment.

  He was not the kind of man she thought he was.

  “Yeah well, that’s too bad, because I’m not going to drop this. You need protection, Mara. This guy is bad news.”

  “You really don’t need to tell me that,” she said with a growl.

  His eyes snapped to hers, just as angry. “I know that, but I don’t think you really understand just how bad this is.”

  She sputtered. “The man beat me for almost as long as we were together. For two very long years. You have no idea what that’s like.”

  He squeezed the steering wheel. “I grew up watching my mom take beatings from Ray. I was on the receiving end of it a few times. I do know what it’s like, Mara.”

  She blinked, dumbfounded. He was so big and strong. How could anyone have ever hurt him? Is that why he grew up to become a bodyguard?

  “I’m sorry,” she found herself saying.

  “Don’t be sorry. Just tell me you’ll take my help.”

  She wanted to say yes so badly… “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  They arrived at her house. Her cute little one-story tucked away at the top of the hill under her great willow trees.

  “Because I don’t want to be around you.” The words held a grain of truth making them hard to say.

  Jace ground his jaw but didn’t say anything for a minute. “I’ll be out here tonight, but I need to do a sweep through your house first. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be here.”

  He got out, then said over the hood of the truck, “Get out, Mara.”

  She did, feeling haughty with him telling her what to do.

  “Open the front door.”

  Now her jaw slid side to side. “I do not take orders.” Yet, she found her unlocking the door for him.” Corey used to control her with disgusting, humiliating ease. Being with him had warped her mind. She’d sought his approval and would do anything to get it.

  “Open the front door, Mara, so I can check out your house.”

  Muttering under her breath, she unlocked the damn door. When he started to go through her house, she followed on his heels. “Where are you going?”

  He didn’t stop. “Checking your windows and doors to make sure no one’s here.”

  “No one’s in here,” she said. Of course, she had no proof of that.

  “Excuse me, but I’m a security specialist. I’ll be the judge of that.” He tested all the windows and the front door with disgust. “This is awful. You have bedroom windows which don’t open more than halfway, then living room windows that open so quietly you’d never hear someone enter. Your back door has a decent deadbolt on it but your front door doesn’t. That can be picked by someone who knows that they’re doing in about three minutes.”

  “Someone who knows what they’re doing like you?”

  “Or anyone who has Internet. Nowadays, there’re all kinds of videos online showing people how to do everything—even break into locks.”

  Wasn’t that a scary thought? “Well now you’ve seen that my house is perfectly safe. Will you please leave?”

  “I think we should spend the night at my place. It’s significantly safer.” He took one lingering look into her bedroom and she wondered what he was thinking about. Too bad she couldn’t ask him.

  “No way. Now get out, please.” She held the front door open for him. She was probably letting in all sorts of flies and mosquitoes but she didn’t care. So long as he left her house, that’s all that mattered. Seeing his big form filling up her small home only made an ache grow around her heart.

  He paused a few feet away. “There’s something I should tell you.”

  Her eyes slid closed. “Please just go. It’s been a very, very long day. I need to be alone.”

  It looked like he was about to say more but he finally nodded. “I’ll be outside if you need anything at all. Sleep well.”

  Chapter 6

  Hours later, Mara growled in frustration and threw the covers off her and stormed into the bathroom to put her favorite vibrator away.

  “You suck today, Mr. Kinky. Ha. Mr. Kinky, more like Mr. Sucky.” God, that was lame even for her. Mara blamed it on her exhaustion.

  She just couldn’t get to sleep. She’d tried everything she could think of. There was soft jazz playing on her radio, a delicious apple cinnamon candle making her bedroom smell like pie, and she’d bathed in the tub until her skin looked like a raisin. Still, sleep eluded her.

  That’s when she’d turned to Mr. Kinky. Four months back, she’d tested him at work and gave the product ten very excellent stars. She also bought one as soon as they were available. Just like all good pets, she’d named him. Mr. Kinky. Tonight, Mr. Kinky was not doing his job. No matter what she thought of or how fast it vibrated. None of it made a difference.

  She killed the music and switched off the dim lamp by her bed, encasing her in darkness. Her body felt energized, like she could run two miles backward without getting winded. She couldn’t do it forward without getting winded. Mara had never been one to prefer exercise. She’d much rather wear a nice dress, some pumps, and light makeup.

  There was no struggle to figure out why she cou
ldn’t sleep. She knew that. Because of Jace. Yeah, she was awful, she knew it. It wasn’t even the fact that Corey had been in her house last night messing with her that kept her awake. Not at all. It all had to do with the big bear of a man sitting in his car outside.

  It was terribly difficult, but she managed to not peek out the front window to see what he was doing. As she was lying in bed staring up at the shadows on her ceiling, she pictured herself army-crawling to the front window then slowly pulling back the curtain to spy on him. But knowing him, he’d see the little bit of movement and bust her. Then he’d know she was unsure about where they stood.

  That kiss earlier today had been magical. Mara wasn’t one to normally forget a kiss like that. In fact, she knew she never would. There had been something different and special about it. It was like their souls just lined up making the kiss taste even better.

  But no matter how badly she’d like to be kissed by him again, she had to resist him. He was no good for her. How long would it take for him to lose his temper and treat her how he did that drunk man tonight?

  Mara wasn’t planning to find out.

  Without the nightly orgasm that Mr. Kinky usually provided, her body refused to wind down. Yet her eyes grew weary from exhaustion, sitting at half-mast.

  Jace Mathews. She shouldn’t, but she let her thoughts drift to him. In her mind, she saw alternate realities where she’d never had the problem with Corey. In that scenario, she dated Jace, fell in love with him, then married him after he proposed. Mara soon felt her eyelids droop. The muscles in her body gradually relaxed while she pictured the could-be between her and Jace.

  She finally fell asleep.

  Sometime later, Mara bolted awake. Her eyes took in her dark surroundings feeling terror clutching her. She panted as she reached to turn on her lamp. Dim yellow light flooded the room, casting back shadows. Her heart finally stopped racing. There was nobody here. Corey wasn’t here.