Page 60 of Between the Stars

“What’s wrong?”

“You,” he snaps, but there’s a condescending smirk playing at his lips. “Your presence bothers me. Why’d you come here?” His expression is haunted and I fear answering him.

“I told you.” I nervously meet his eyes. “Josie asked me to.”

“And him?” His eyes are heavy on mine, indifferent and unfazed by anything around him, or at least that’s what he’s trying to display. I don’t know if it’s true.

“I don’t think he wanted me here alone with you.”

He smirks, and I hate the kick it gives my heart. He stands up from the bed and comes closer to me. I back up against the bathroom door. “Does he know?”

I swallow, fighting the panic working through me. “I didn’t tell him, if that’s what you’re asking. But… I think he has an idea something happened between us.”

“I’m sure he does,” Jace grumbles and stands, taking two steps closer to me. He shifts his eyes to the door, and then me again. He wants to lash out—I see it in his eyes—but he surveys the shake of my hands, my appearance, all of it. Concern softens his gaze and his voice. “So you came here to torture me? Wanna fuck me in the bathroom?” he taunts, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip as a pleasured, forced groan erupts from him. “My arm doesn’t work, but I think I can get it up.”

I glare at him. “Don’t be an asshole.”

His eyes glint with cold amusement.

“You think I’m being an asshole?” He chuckles darkly. “I wonder how yourfiancéwould feel if he knew I fucked you without a condom.”

I gape at him, unprepared for the brutal expression he’s wearing. “Why are you acting like this?”

“Let me remind you, baby. You brought your fiancé here.” He slips his violent hold on his emotions, and I see it then—the gentleness in his gaze he tries so hard to hold at bay. He doesn’t want to treat me like this. It’s his only defense. “I told you to leave and never come back, but here you are.”

My jaw clenches when he grabs my face in his hand. “I don’t understand why you’re being so mean to me. So many times I asked you to choose me and you didn’t.”

His eyes soften, but there’s a hard edge to his voice when he speaks. “Couldn’t,” he corrects, holding tighter, digging his fingertips in.

“Well, Ican’tnow.” I fight to control the shake in my voice. “It’s not as easy as you think it is.”

“It’s pretty fucking easy,” he taunts, licking his lip. “Want me to tell him for you? Because I will. I’ll destroy it all,for you.”

“You’re being vindictive for no reason,” I snap, jerking my face from his grip.

“Yeah, well,” he whispers, his voice barely audible, his eyes sliding the length of my body and then away to his arm, “you’re torturing me.”

I can feel his pain radiating from him, his devastation, and it’s cruelty of the worst kind. “I don’t want to torture you, Jace,” I plead, staring at his arm in a sling against his chest. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to—”

With wild eyes and flushed cheeks he leans in, tormented green searing through my will to push him away. I back up a step on instinct and back up against a cabinet. “You wanted to what?” he shouts, and suddenly I’m against the wall and Jace’s right hand wraps around my neck. He holds tight enough to spark a memory, but not enough to hurt me or restrict my breathing. He bends and brings his eyes level with mine. His stare roams my face, memories surfacing. “You make me fucking crazy.” His eyes dim and he looks lost. “Why did you have to come back here? You knew what it’d do to me.”

I fight back tears as our eyes lock on one another. There’s no fear in mine, but he’s terrified for reasons he won’t give me. Or has he? “I-I-I wanted to see if you were okay….” My words trail off because his expression silences me. It’s etched in pain, agony I caused by coming back here again after I said I wouldn’t. Swore to him it was over, finally.

But it’s not.

It’ll never be.

“I’m not!” he shouts, his words vibrating through me. “I’m not” His words break and he swallows, his jaw tight and fingers relaxing on my throat. But then his eyes narrow and he gives an ounce of pressure to his grip. His body trembles, but he doesn’t move. All I see is his despair. His smirk surfaces but his words remain sharp and distinct. “Don’t you see? I can’t move on. And you keep torturing me. I want you to fucking leave.”

“I’m sorry.” I try not to flinch at his harshness. I straighten my shoulders. “I wanted to see that you were okay.”

“Yeah, you said that already.” Stepping back, he lifts his gaze and slowly releases his hand around my neck. “I’m curious.” His breath blows over my face, his words taunting, his eyes wavering between need and anguish. “When you fuck him, it’s my cock you’re thinking of, isn’t it, baby?”

I lick my lips, desire pooling inside me. He’s absolutely right. On so many levels. “E-e-every time, Jace,” I breathe, my words trembling as thirst pools in his eyes. He wants me, even now.

A sadistic smirk appears and his exhale hits my lips, our faces inches apart. He draws in his bottom lip again and rips his gaze from mine to the door.

That’s when I see who was standing on the other side of him

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