Page 78 of Muse (Fighting Fate)

I shivered at the slight sound of desperation in the words and moaned. It was only a soft sound, but it seemed to send Jace a little wild. Stepping out from the fallen dress, I slipped off my shoes and took his hand, gently leading him over to the bed before helping him strip down to his boxer briefs. Then carefully, he guided me down onto the bed.

I don’t know how long he spent covering my body with kisses, but as I lay there, unable to stop the incoherent moans that escaped me, listening to the appreciative groans he made each time I writhed under his touch, I knew I would never feel this way with another person. Ever. He was it for me.

After a while, he unclipped my bra, sliding his hands over my bare skin, trailing them with sweet, warm kisses. Then he worked his way down, doing the same with my panties, sliding them off until I was lying there, on his bed, in nothing but my naked glory.

I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed with emotion for this soft side of Jace. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from thinking about the way he’d been there for me. At school, when the pep rally overcame me. In the parking lot after school, displaying his affection for me in front of all our friends. At the club, helping me realize I’m so much braver than I thought, and that he would always be there to protect me.

It was almost too much to bare. I needed to show him just how much he meant to me, how much I felt for him. I pushed against him, silently asking him to roll over. He obliged without question, pulling me along with him so I was laying on top, out legs tangled together. Slowly, I traced soft lines along his jaw with my fingers while my lips swept sensually over his mouth, his jaw, his throat. His fingers tangled in my hair, growing tighter and tighter with each new place I touched.

When I reached his chest, my hands and mouth combining soft touches all over, he growled and rolled again, laying me back, fully covering my body with his and taking control. He settled between my legs, holding me, caressing me, worshiping me, and just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, he wriggled out of his boxer briefs, reached for the protection, and slid inside me.

The feeling of him filling me was exquisite. When he’d completely filled me his whole body went still and he pressed his lips against my neck, breathing in my scent as we both fought to allow the intensity to settle. I wasn’t sure about him, but for me, there was no sign of it settling. My need for him was not coming down.

I was sure Jace came to the same conclusion because suddenly he was kissing me, and he started to move. I held him to me, my hand cupping the back of his neck as I kissed him with the scorching passion that was burning inside me. Everything was just so intense. It was mind blowing. There were so many emotions swirling around inside me. Inside my head, inside my heart, inside my body. It was indescribable.

I broke the kiss, gasping, moving my hips with his. My fingers were tense like the rest of me, tightening on the back of his neck and shoul

der blade. We moved slowly, finding a rhythm that only allowed for a long, intense build up that gathered more and more emotion as we went.

Everything that was inside me – all the tension I’d built over the past twelve hours, and all the emotion I felt for Jace, was combining to create something I had no idea how to control. It was becoming too much. I could feel it growing too large for me, seeking an outlet, and when I felt my eyes prick with the stirrings of tears, I knew I had to let them come.

I kept them silent, allowing them to slip quietly down over my temples and into my hair. I clung to him tighter, pressing myself against him, and as I felt myself reaching that beautiful precipice, I let go.

I cried out with the intensity of the tremors that were quaking my body, gasping for air. Jace groaned into the curve of my neck, his body tensing against mine as he found his own release.

I held him there, still gasping, till trying desperately to regain control over myself, but I couldn’t. A soft sob escaped me.

Jace’s head shot up to look at me, his expression filled with concern. “Shit, baby, what’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

I swallowed against the lump in my throat and shook my head, unable to speak.

“Then what’s wrong?”

The worry in his eyes was heartbreaking. All my control gone, my face fell, and I pulled him back down so I could bury my face against his neck. I tried to take deep, calming breaths so I could collect myself somehow.

Jace just held me, allowing me to hide there in his embrace for as long as I needed. I knew he was still worried, but the fact that he gave me just what I needed made me fall deeper.

When I felt a little better, I loosened my hold on him, letting him pull back so he could see my face. “Mia? Please, baby, tell me what’s wrong,” he said quietly.

I took a breath, testing my ability to speak. “I don’t know...I guess it’s just...everything that’s happened today...and...when I’m with you, everything’s just intensified...it’s like I can feel all the hurt being drawn out of my body, like you’re the only thing that makes it all okay – makes it better.” I closed her eyes against the tears that were building again. “I know that sounds stupid...”

I opened my eyes to see Jace gazing at me with such intensity. “It’s not stupid, Mia. I feel the same thing when I’m with you. It’s...overwhelming...”

Okay, now there was no way I could hold them back. They overflowed, rolling yet again down my temples. Another lump formed in my throat, and my chest shuttered a little with a hiccup.

We watched each other silently for a little while, then Jace swallowed hard, his expression pained as he gazed at me. “I love you, Mia.”

My breath stopped. Just…stopped. I blinked at him, absorbing the words he’d just spoken so tenderly. Then my face fell again. I pulled him down to hide myself in the curve of his neck, breathing through my silent tears, loving him so damned much it hurt.

When the lump in my throat finally loosened enough for me to at least whisper, I softly spoke the words I knew to be truer than anything else I’d ever said. “I love you too.”

Jace carefully rolled us so we were lying on our sides, facing each other. He brushed the hair from my face with his fingers, then leant in to kiss me. I watched him shake his head with wonder as he watched me back. “How on earth did I ever manage to deserve you?”

I frowned. “I think it’s the other way around, Jace.”

He gave me a tiny smile. “Yeah, I’m a pretty good catch.”

I laughed, not expecting him to say that. I was surprised at how light I suddenly felt.

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