Wake Up Call (19 page)

      Max smirked while taking another sip of his drink, just brushing off the fact that Jace sounded annoyed with him. "Yeah we have, but I haven't seen you in how many years?" he questioned.      

      Jace looked uncomfortable as he looked Max in the eye. "Let me see...about four years now." He ran his hand through his hair and looked away. "It hasn't been long enough.

      Kat leaned closer to Jace so that her arm brushed against his. "That's a shame, boys. We all should get together and hang out. I'm sure the four of us could have a fun time." She crossed her legs in a sexual manner as she looked down at Jace's crotch. "I bet you're a big boy, and great in bed."

      "Oh, I am." Jace muttered, looking me in the eye. "To both."

     
You damn, slut.
I cleared my throat being sure to get everyone's attention. "I think that I'm going to bed." I started to get up from the loveseat, but froze as Max gripped my inner thigh.

      "Stay, beautiful," he smirked. The party is just beginning."

       "Get your hands-"

      Suddenly, I was knocked out of the way, as Jace wrapped his hand around Max's throat and slammed him against the back of the loveseat. He leaned in close to Max's ear and jerked him away from me. "Don't you ever put your fucking hands on her again."
      I jumped out of the way. Jace might've been smaller than Max, but that obviously didn't seem to matter to him.

      Max coughed and pushed Jace's hand away. "Are you serious?" he questioned. He pushed Jace away and stood up from the loveseat. "We've been friends since we were ten and you're going to do me like this? I knew that you were still fucked up. You haven't changed." He flexed his muscles before rubbing his neck. "That's fucked up, bro."

      Jace looked shocked by Max's words. He shook his head, brushing off Max's words and then pointed at the door. "I think it's best that you both leave." He walked over to the wall and slammed his fist into it, causing a picture to fall off the wall. It shattered into little pieces as it landed on the corner of entertainment center and then down onto the floor.

      Kat jumped up from the couch and grabbed for Max's arm. She looked at Jace and then over to me. "Are you guy's dating or something?"

      The room stayed silent.

      "If not then you sure do act as if you're in love." She pulled Max to the front door as Max kept his eyes on Jace. "So much for having fun."

      With that, they were gone, slamming the door behind them.

      My heart pounded violently as Jace stared at me with concerned eyes. He studied me looking confused.

      Not knowing what to do, I ran over to the broken picture and attempted to pick up the glass. I jumped back as a piece of glass pierced through my thumb, causing blood to ooze out. "Shit!"

      Jace was by my side in an instant. He grabbed my thumb and looked it over. "Shit, Avery," he whispered. "Are you ok
ay?" He pulled my finger to his mouth and lightly kissed it. My whole body shivered at the feel of his soft lips and the warmth of his sweet breath. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

      I swallowed hard as Jace pulled me by the arm so that my chest pressed against his. "It's... okay." I managed to get out. "I... um-"

      Jace placed his hand on my cheek and gently rubbed his thumb over my lip. My eyes closed involuntarily "You're so fucking beautiful," he breathed. "I don't ever want anyone to hurt you again."

      We both sat there in silence, the only sound, being the pounding of my heart. It went wild in my chest making it hard to breathe. A feeling that I only got around Jace. "Jace. Don't say-"

      I was cut off as he crushed his lips to mine. His hands shook uncontrollably as he gripped my face, running his fingers over our lips. His lips were soft and sweet, making me want to fall into him and let go of everything. The past. The future. Nothing seemed to matter. Just us.

     We stayed like that for a while before we were forced to pull away, us both gasping for air. He gently tugged back on my hair so that I could look him in the eye.
Those eyes.
The prettiest eyes I have ever seen. They were beautiful and caring. So full of everything that I didn't deserve.

   
Please, stop looking at me that way. I'm no good for you.

     I quickly looked down at the ground, pulling my eyes away from Jace's gaze. That was when I noticed the picture. It was of Jace with some woman. They were at some beach running through the water. The girl had short brown hair and big beautiful eyes. She was gorgeous and they looked so happy playing together.

      Jace pulled away, nose flared as he noticed me looking at the picture. He turned his head, letting go of my face. "You should go and get a bandage on that cut." He swallowed hard, while gripping the picture frame. "I will clean this up."

      I grabbed my cut hand and slowly stood to my feet. "Who is-?"

      "Go and clean up, please." he cut in. His body language was tense as he looked away.

      I turned my head away in frustration and shook my head. "Yup. I guess I should take care of this." I was somehow mad at him for not opening up to me despite the fact that I refused to do the same for him. It wasn't fair of me to be angry, but I was.

      I walked into the bathroom and cleaned my finger off before wrapping it in a bandage. Again, I managed to upset Jace. Not to mention the fact that it was my fault that him and Max were fighting.

     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.