Page 42 of The Heiress

I nodded slowly, the tip of my nose running along his, sending electricity scattering across my skin. “I keep stopping myself and I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

“Why the hell have you been stopping?” he growled, his fingers digging into my skin.

I searched his eyes trying to understand everything I was seeing. Lust, desire, possession, and, most importantly,love.How the hell had I missed all this before? “Because you’reJace.And I can’t lose you again.”

He descended on me. This time with a crushing, bruising kiss that brought his hands up to my face, holding me captive. He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes again, his thumbs brushing my cheeks. “I never expected you’d feel this way about me.”

“It surprised the hell out of me. It scared me. But I can’t pretend I don’t feel this.” I closed my eyes and sank instinctively into his embrace, needing him to feel the weight of my surrender.

“Jesus, Sam. You’re killing me.” His arms came around me. Now we touched from head to toe. Well,myhead. Maybe not his. This new kiss was deeper as he teased my lips apart. I willingly gave him full access as I also took from him. His touch, his heat, his strength. I devoured it like the starved woman I was, clinging to him like his kisses might stamp out the world outside.

He pulled back, resting his forehead against mine, panting. “Is this real?”

I nodded, gasping for air. “I think so.”

“Is it a mistake?” He cupped my face in his big, rough hands and pulled back to look deep into my eyes.

I hid nothing. “I hope not.”

He froze and his eyes darted to the side as a lot of thoughts hit him at once. I saw them crossing through his mind, his features transforming and tensing. “Devil’s Wrath.”

Reality was a cold bucket of unwanted water. “Heiress.”

“They don’t really mix, do they?” His thumbs stroked my skin.

“We mix, with or without the titles.”

He took a deep breath and sighed it out, then released me and stepped back. “There’s shit you don’t know, Sam. Complicated fucking shit.”

I followed him. “Then tell me.”

His jaw flexed. “I can’t.” Then he glared at me. “Iwon’t. Not yet.”

“I don’t care. Whatever it is...I trust you.” I meant it too. There was no one I trusted more than Jace. If he had secrets, I was positive they were important to keep hidden. It’s not like it would be the first time the people I cared about did that.

He grimaced and backed away, shooting the rest of his bourbon at once. “Give me a second.”

For whatever reason I felt chastised and fell into a chair at the table. The glass of bourbon caught my eye, so I grabbed it and sipped. It burned like fire, going straight to my head. Had I just ruined everything? Had my impulsive need to kiss Jace just exploded any hope of something more?

“Sam.” His voice broke. I looked up to find him standing over me, his eyes dark and sad. He cupped my chin lightly in his fingers. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“So don’t,” I breathed.

His mouth opened and closed. Then, “I don’t know if I can promise that.”

Pain spiked in my chest. My heartachedat the blunt honesty. “Okay.” If the choice was Jace with a side of inevitable hurt, or no Jace at all, I’d take Jace every time.

He started shaking his head like he could convince me to take it back. When I didn’t he knelt in front of me. “I…” A thousand emotions rippled over his features. All the pain he felt laid bare in his eyes. Just when I thought he would walk away all over again, he cupped my cheek and kissed me. Lightly. Exploring all over again.

I melted. The first kiss was perfect but this one was more. This time I knew what his lips felt like, what they tasted like with a little bourbon on his tongue. I was able to enjoy this kiss and all the fireworks it set off in my body.

He smiled. “Yeah, okay. Just making sure.”

I smiled back, high on the pheromones. “Making sure of what?”

“That kissing you was the single greatest thing I’d ever done.”

I bit my lip to hold in all the giggly girly mushy things I wanted to say. “Makes it seem worth it, doesn’t it?”

---