Page 104 of Stolen Fate

Jace

We tuckedElliot into bed together after dinner.

It was becoming a routine for us, to be there together for him, and it was one of the few moments of my day that I enjoyed most. It made the fact that I put in such long hours at the office worth it. It made the fact that I had to take my work home with me most nights worth it.

I didn’t have parents to tuck me in at night growing up. I had the cold and silence of nannies, their stares heavy with expectation that I be an obedient child. And being the only heir to such a prominent family meant there were a lot of expectations placed on my shoulders at such a young age.

And I didn’t want any of that for Elliot.

Sure, I had hopes that he would take over the family business later on, but I didn’t want to raise him in the same environment I was raised in. I never wanted that for either one of my sons.

We walked out the room when Elliot’s eyes drifted shut, Wilbert clutched tightly in his arms. Evelyn was close behind me; so close, I could feel the warm heat emanating from her body.

She closed Elliot’s door gently behind her, pausing there with her back to me. Briefly, I wondered what I would have to do to find out what she was thinking. She was usually so expressive, I didn’t have any difficulty guessing most of the time, but she had been quiet and closed off since dinner, and I didn’t know if it was because I had held her and Elliot in my arms before that, or if she was thinking about all that transpired since Camila showed up at the house unannounced yesterday.

She took in a deep breath, as if coming to terms with something, and turned around, meeting my eyes.

I didn’t know who moved first, her or me, but suddenly, she was in my arms, my lips moving over hers in a forceful, passionate kiss. My hands cupped her cheeks as I tilted her head back so I could deepen the kiss. She moaned against my lips and wrapped her legs and arms around me, letting out a startled squeal. “What are you doing, Jace?”

I didn’t answer her. I moved my way up the stairs and to my room.

“Wait. What about Elliot?”

“What about Elliot? He’s asleep, and he’ll stay asleep for the rest of the night.”

“What if he comes and looks for me? Like he did yesterday?”

“He’ll probably find your room empty and climb on the bed anyway. Trust me, Elliot is not the fussy type. Everything will be okay.”

“Still, should we really be doing this?”

My head cocked to the side and I took her in. “Trust me?”

She didn’t even hesitate when she said, “You know I do.”

“Then trust me to take care of you tonight.”

“Jace, are you sure?”

“Are you telling me no?” I asked once we got to my room. I closed the door softly with my foot and walked to the bed. I let her down until she was standing right in front of me, and I waited.

“I…” she trailed off, and I watched as indecision warred in her eyes. I knew she wanted this, wanted me. But a part of her still felt like she shouldn’t want it.

“You tell me no right now and we’ll go back downstairs.” I moved my fingers to trace the delicate lines of her full, pouty lips. Lips that had starred in many of my fantasies since the very first moment I laid eyes on her. “I don’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable. You know that, don’t you?”

And wasn’t that the truth. I knew there was an unequal distribution of power between us. That I was her boss, and that I was Elliot’s dad. But if only she knew how powerless I felt under her warm eyes. That she could turned me weak-kneed and into a fumbling mess that I hadn’t been since I was an adolescent boy just learning about all the pleasures to be had with the opposite sex.

As powerful as I was in the business world, I was weak when it came to her, and I didn’t mind it.

If only she could see it all, she would know that yes, we were on unequal ground, but it was with the power placed fully in the palms of her hands.

She nuzzled her face into my palm, her gaze never straying from me. “Yes, I know. Take me, Jace.” She moved closer to me, and I could feel the tremors coursing through my body from that one little movement. “I need you so bad. It’s been so long.”

I grabbed a fistful of her hair and wrapped it around my hand, pulling down until she was looking up at me. Then I kissed her.

I kissed her with everything that had been brewing in me since the moment I first laid eyes on her, trying to convey with this simple action just how badly she had gotten under my skin, and I didn’t care.

I didn’t care one bit as long as she was kissing me back the way she was, as long as I could feel her hands on my waist, could feel the sweet bite of her fingernails digging into my skin every time I deepened the kiss, and could feel her trembling beneath my touch.

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