Page 1 of Jace 4Ever
Nelson
“Nelson Powers.” I stuck my hand out.
I thought the poor guy was going to hyperventilate.
Jace literally fell off the chair, away from the bar top and straight into my arms. He gasped, flooded with embarrassment, and tried to get his feet under him.
His foot was caught in the chair and he went down even further, dragging me with him to the ground.
I managed to turn so the stool that was coming down with us didn’t land between us—and we didn’t land on it. Somehow Jace wound up sprawled up on top of me.
Everyone standing around us was cracking up. It was such a cluster of bad luck, there was nothing to do but to laugh. Except poor Jace was completely mortified and scrambling to get away from me.
“Hey, hey,” I said. “Relax. It’s fine. I didn’t think you’d get that startled.”
“I’m so sorry!” He blushed and it was absolutely adorable.
“Jace, stop.” Marcus laughed. “It’s okay. Nels, you scared the crap out of the kid.”
He held his hand out for Jace to grab while I pulled the chair off the poor kid’s leg. They got him righted as I righted myself. I laughed and put an arm around Jace, who now paled instead of flushed.
“Kid, it’s okay. You’re good. Shit happens. That was actually really funny.”
Jace forced the air out of his lungs and relaxed a bit. “Okay, yeah, it was. It takes talent to fall off a stool sober.”
“All right, shots,” Austin said to the bartender. “Tequila for eight—”
“Nope, thirteen,” Maddox Jones said, walking up.
“Nope, fifteen,” Uriah corrected, dragging up someone who looked exactly like him, an identical twin brother.
Austin found a shot glass in his hand, and I had mine in the air. “To Up Down Left Right! May you go platinum!”
Tossing my shot back, I could tell this was the good tequila. It went down without complaint, and the warmth spread through me. I glanced over at Jace—I liked the name—and grinned at him.
He choked on his shot.
Poor guy wasn’t used to being around big name people. I’d noticed him as soon as I walked in, though, and I was happy to introduce myself and get his name. I straightened the stool next to him and waited until all the other guys started to disappear and mingle in the crowd.
Sitting down, I leaned forward on the bar. “Two Brooklyn Brown?”
Jace turned and stared at me. “Aren’t you…going to mingle?”
“Already have,” I said as the bartender placed the two drinks on the bar top. “I prefer the company here.” I pushed the other beer toward him.
He accepted it and took a sip. It was an adorable delay tactic so he could gather himself and I wanted to run my fingers through his tousled brown hair. It wasn’t intentional, his hair was really that wild and soft.
“You’re really Nelson Powers,” he finally whispered.
“I am.” I grinned.
“Why are you here?” His face went red again.
“Hailey and Marcus invited me, and I thought it would be a fun night. I was on set for the past few weeks and I was tired of hanging out with those people.”
“Those people who?”
“Oh, you know. Michael Bay, Helen Mirren, Zendaya, Zachary Quinto.”
